Hunahpu
K'iche' · demigod · K'iche' traditional religion; continuing · demigod
Hunahpu is one of the Hero Twins, the central culture-heroes of the Popol Vuh, born to Xquic from the spittle of his slain father One Hunahpu. With his brother Xbalanque he ranges across the newly formed world, humbling the false sun Seven Macaw and his sons Zipacna and Cabracan, before being summoned, like their father, into the underworld of Xibalba. There the twins survive the deadly houses of cold, jaguars, fire, and bats, endure their own destruction in an oven, and rise again to overthrow the death lords by feigned sorcery. Their victory ends, in most readings, with their ascent into the heavens as the sun and moon. In a bat house Hunahpu is briefly decapitated and his head used as the ballgame ball before Xbalanque restores him.
Parentage
Domains
- sun
- hunting and ballgame
Powers
- hunts with the blowgun
- dies and rises from the underworld
- rises into the sky as the sun
Epithets
- Junajpu
Relations
- twin: Xbalanque
- child: Hun Hunahpu
- child: Xquic
- enemy: Vucub Caquix
- enemy: Hun Came
- enemy: Vucub Came