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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul clichd sont filmdes d partir de I'angle sup6rieure gauche, de gaurhe d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 WORKS BY DANIEL G. BRINTON, M.D. AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. A study in the Native Religions of the Western Continent. 8vo, "^"'*^- Price ei.75 THE MYTHS OF THE NEW WORLD. ^ A Treutise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America. 8vo, cloth. Price $2.00 THE RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT. A Contri- bution to the Science and Philosophy of Religion. ^^''' '^«^''- Price $2.00 THE MAYA CHRONICLES. The Original Texts of the Pre-Columbian Annals of Yucatan, with translation and notes. 8vo, paper. Price $3.00 THE NAMES OF THE GODS IN THE KICHE MYTHS. A Monograph on Central American Mythology. 8vo. paper. Price 50 cts. FOR S A Lx:; BY H. C. WATTS & CO.. 506 Minor St., PHILADELPHIA. /^ c 0^u/jiu4. AMEKICAN HEKO-MYTHS. A STUDY IN THE NATIVE RELIGIONS OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. BY DANIEL G. BRINTON, M.I)., MKMHKR OK THIO AMKKICAN' PHII.OSOPIIICAI, SOCIKTY ; THK AMERKAN ANTIQUARIAX SOCIETY ; THE NUMISMATIC AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY OF I'HILA., ETC.; AUTHOR OF '' THE MYTHS OF THE NEW WORLD;" "tHE REMfilOUS SENTI- MENT," ETC. • ••• \ a^a"- " " vv • • •••'; ... 1 • • ,'. « ' * ' ' !' ^ J e 3 * .' . ! : e a • ^ • TO ELI K. PRICE, E8Q., I'KKSIDKNT OK THK NUMISMATIC AND ANTIQUARFAX SOCIETY OF I'lIILAnKI.lMlIA, WHOSE ENMOIITENKP INTKIIKHT HAS FOH MANY YEAKH, ANI> IN MANY WAYS, n I!T1IK.1IKI> THE I'UOOIIEHS OF KNOWI.EIXIE, THIS VOLUME IS nESPEOTFULLV DEmCATEl* BY THE AUTIKiU. 38382 PREFACE. This little volunie is a contribution to the com- parative study of religions. It is an endeavor to present in a critically correct light some of the fundamental concei)tions which are found in the native beliefs of the tribes of America. So little has heretofore been done in this field that it has yielded a very scanty harvest for pur- poses of general study. It has not yet even passed the stage where the distinction between myth and tradition has been recognized. Nearly all histo- rians continue to write about some of the Ameri- can hero-gods as if they had been chiefs of tribes at some undetermined epoch, and the effort to trace the migrations and affiliations of nations by simi- larities in such stories is of almost daily occurrence. How baseless and misleading all such arguments must be, it is one of my objects to set forth. At the same time I have endeavored to be tem- perate in applying the interpretations of mytholo- vn • • • VIII I'UEKACK. giHtH. I am aware of the risk one runs in lookin**; at every legend as a li<;lit or storm myth. My guiding ])riii(*ii>h; has been tluit when th(^ same, and thai a very extraordinary, story is tokl by several tribes wholly apart in language and location, then the probabilities are enormous that it is not a legend but a myth, and must be ex[)lained as such. It Is a 8[)ontaneous production of the mind, not a remi- niscence of an historic event. The importance of the study of myths has been abundantlv shown of recent vears, and the methods of analyzing them have been establislied with satis- factory clearness. The time has long since passetl, at least among thinking men, when the religious legends of the lower races were looked upon as trivial fables, or as the inventions of the Father of Lies. They are neither the one nor the other. They express, in image and incident, the opinions of these races on the mightiest topics of human thought, on the origin and destiny of man, his motives for duty and his gnmnds of hope, and the source, history and fate of all external nature. Certainly the sincere expressions on these subjects of even hum- ble members of the human race deserve our most PUKFACE. •* ivs|)octful IuhmI, iind it may be tliat we shall dis- cover in thoir crude or coarse narralions <,dcainH of a mental lij-ht which their i)rond Aryan brothers hsive been long in coming to, or have not yet reached. The pnfjudice againnt all the lower faiths in- spired by th(^ claim of (^iristianity to a monopoly of religious truth — a claim nowise set up by its founder— has led to extreme injustice tovvard the so-called lieathen religions. Little effort has been made to distinguish between their good and evil tendencies, or even to understand them. I do not know of a single instance on this conti- nent of a thorough and intelligent study of a native religion made by a Protestant missionary. So little real work has been done in American mythology that very diverse opinions as to its in- terpretation prevail among writers. Too many of them apply to it facile generalizations, such as " heliolatry," "animism," "ancestral worship," "primitive philosophizing," and think that such a sesame will unloose all its mysteries. The result has been that while each satisfies himself, he con- vinces no one else. I have tried to avoid any such bias, and have I'WKKAJi:. H(Mi«!jlit to discover thv Hoiircc of tlic niyllis F have HcU'clcd, l)y dose attention to two points: first, tliat 1 should ol)tain the precise original form of tlie inytli by a rigid scrutiny of autliorities ; and, secondly, tliat 1 sliouid hring to hear upon it UKuh'rn nietlKKls of mythological and linguistic analysis. The iirstof tliest' reijuireuients lias given nie no small troubh'. The sources of American history not only dift'er vastly in merit, but many of them are almost inaccessible. I still have by me a list of books of the lirst order of importance for these studies, Avhich 1 have n^A been able to find in any ])ublic or private library in the United States. T have been free in giving references for the statements in the text. The growing custom among historians of omitting to do this nuist be deplored in the interests of sound learning. It is better to risk the charge of jiedantry than to leave at fault those who wish to test an author's accuracy or fol- ' low up the line of investigaticm he indicates. On the other hand, I have exercised moderation in drawing comparisons with Aryan, KSemitic, Egyptian and other Old World mythologies. It would have been easy to have noted a])parent simi- I'UKFACE. «i hirities to u niMch «,n(!iitcr fxtcnt. But T luivo preferred to leave tliiw tor tliose who write iipoii geneni! coiui>arutive mytlioloj^'y. Sueh pi-rnllel- iHiTiH, to reaeli HatiHtiietory reHults, should be at- tempted only by thono who have Htudied rhe Oriental religions in their original sourees, and thuH are not to be deeeived by snperlicial reseni- blunees. The term "comparative mythology" reaches hiirdly far enough to covei' all that 1 have aimed at. The protessiouid mythologist thinks he luis completed his task when lie has traced a myth through its transformations in story ajid language back to the natural plienomena of which it was the expression. This external history is essential. But deeper than that lies the study of the influence of t 3 myth on the individual and national mind, on the progress and destiny of those who believed it, in other words, its true relujlom import. J have endeavored, also, to take some accoui. of this. The usual statement is that tribes in the intellec- tual condition of those I am dealing with rest their religion on a worship of external plienomena. In contradiction to this, I advance various arguments :f xii PREFACE. to show tliiit their chief god was not identified with any ol)jeetive natura.1 process, hut was liiinian in iiiiiure, benignant in cliaracter, loved rather than feared, and that his worship carried with it the germs of the development of benevolent emotions and sound ethical principles. 3Icdia, Pa., Oct., 1882. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTUODUCTOKY. HACK Some Kind of lleli£?ion Found Jimoiii,' all Men— Classlflca- lioiis of EeliKions— The Purpose of Religions— Rdif,nons of Rite and of Creed— The Myth Grows in the First of these— Intent and Meaning of the Myth. . . . 17 Processes of Myth Building in Anu'rica— Personification, Paronyms and Homonyms— Otosis—Polyonomy—Iie- notheism— Borrowing — Rhetorical Figures— Abstract Expressions— Esoteric Teachings. .... 21 Outlines of the Fundamental American Myth— The White Culture-hero and the Four Brothers— Interpretation of the Myth— Comparison with tlie Aryan Hernu's Myth— —Willi the Aryo-Semitic Cadmus Myth— With Osirian Myths— The Myth of the Virgin Mother— Tiie Interpreta- tion thus Supported ' ^' CHxVPTER II. THE HERO-GODS OF THE ALGONKIN8 AND IROQUOIS. § 1. The Algonkin Myth of Mlchabo. The Myth of the Giant Rabbit— The Rabbit Creates the ^ World— He Marries the Muskrat— Becomes the All- Father— Derivation of Michabo-of Wajashk, the Musk- rat— The Myth Explained— The Light-God as God of the East— The Four Divine Brothers— Myth of the lluaro- ( hiris— The Day-Makers— Michabo's Contests with His Father and Brother-Explanation of These-The Sym- bolic Flint Stone— Michabo Destroys the Serpent King- Meaning of this Myth— Relations of the Eight-God avid Wind-God— Michabo as God of Waters and Fertility- Represented as a Bearded Man 37 xiii XIV COXTENTS. § 2. The Iroquois Mj/fh of lodrha. paok Tlic Creation of tlio Eiirtli-The Miraculous Birth of los- I<»'liii — lie Overcomes his Brother Tiiwifcani— Creiites and Teaches Manliind — Visits his People— His Grand- mother Ataensic — loskeha as Father of his Mother — Similar Conceptions in Egyptian Myths — Derivation of loskeha and Ata(>nsic— loskeh-i as Tharonhiawakon, the Sky Supporter— His Brother Tawiscara or Tehotennhia- ron Identified — Similarity to Algonkin Myths. . . 53 CHAPTER III. THE HERO-GO!) OF THE AZTEC TRIBES. § 1. The Two Antagoniats. The Contest of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca— Quetzal- coatl the Light-God— Derivation of His Xame— Titles of Tezcatlipoca — Identified with Darkness, Night and Gloom 63 § 2. Quetzalcoatl the God. ^[yth of the Four Brothers— The Four Suns and the Ele- mental Con diet— Names of the Four Brothers. . . 73 § 3. Quetzalcoatl the Hero of Ttda. Tula, the City of the Sun— Who were the Toltecs ?— Tlap- allan and Xalac — The Birth of the Hero God — His Virgin Mother Cliimalmatl — His Miraculous Conception — Aztlan, the Land of Seven Caves, and Colhuacan, the Bended Moimt— The Maid Xochitl and the Kose Garden of the Gods — (Quetzalcoatl as the White and Bearded Stranger 82 The Glory of the Lord of Tula— The Subtlety of the Sorcerer Tezcatlipoca— The Magic Mirror and the Mystic Draught — The Myth Explained- -The Promise of Rejuvenation — TheToveyo.... ' the Muiarture--The CelChtial Game of Ball and Ti},'er Skin— (Quetzalcoatl as the Planet Venus 92 CONTENTS. XV § 4. Qnvttdlcotdl as Lord of the Winds. i-aok The Lord of the Four Winds— His Symbols, tlio WIh'oI of the Winds, tlio Pentiij^on and the Cross — Close Keliition to tlie Gods of Rain and Waters — Inventor of the Calen- dar — God of Fertility and Conecsption — lleconiniends Sexual Austerity — Pliallic 8ynd)ols— God of Merchants — The Patron of Tliieves — His Pictographic Representa- tions. . . 120 § 5. The Return of Quetzalcoatl. His Expected Re-appeai'ance — The Anxiety of Montezuma — His Address to Cortes — The General Expecta >n — Explanation of his Predicted Return 133 CHAPTER IV. THE HERO-GODS OF THE MAYAS. Civilization of the Mayas — Whence it Originated — Dupli- cate Traditions 143 f 1. The Culture Hero Itzamna. Itzamna as Ruler, Priest and Teacher — As Chief God and Creator of the World — Las ('asas' Suppos^ed Christ Myth — The Four Bacabs— Itzamna as Lord of the AVinds and Rains— The Symbol of tiu^ Cross— As Lord of the Light and Day— Derivation of his Various Names . . . 140 § 2. The Culture Hero Kukulcan. Kuculcan as Connected with the Calendar— Meaning of the Name— The Myth of the Four Brothers— Kukulcan 's Happy Rule and Miraculous Disai)pearance— Relation to Quetzalcoatl- Aztec and Maya Mythology— Kukulcan a Maya Divinity— The Expected Return of the Hero-god —The Maya Prophecies— Their Explanation. . . .159 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. THE QQIOHUA IIERO-OOD VIUACOCJIIA. PAOE Vininochii as the Tint Cause— His name Ilia Ticci — Qqui- cliua Prayers — Other Xaines and Titles of Yiracoelia— His Worship a True Monotheism— The Myth of the Four Hrothers — Myth of tlie Twin Brothers 169 Viraco'iha i»s Tunapa, lie who Perfects— Various Incidents ill Ilis Life— Relation to Manco Capac — lie Disappears in the West. 182 \'iracocha Rises from Lake Titicaea and Journeys to the West— Derivation of Ilis Xame— He was Represented as White and Bearded— The Mytli of Con and Pachacamac — Contiee Viracocha — Prophecies of the Peruvian Seers The White Men Called Viracochas— Similarities to Aztec Myths 189 CHAPTER VI. THE EXTEX;»ION AND IXKLUKNCK OF THE TYPICAL HERO- jMVTir. The Typical Myth fourjd in many parts of the Continent — Difficulties in Tracing it — Religious Evolution in Amer- ica Similar to tiiat in the Old World — Failure of C'lrisii- anity in the Red Race . 203 The Culture Myth of the Tarascosof Mechoacan — Tii of the Kiches of Guatemala — The Yotan Myth of tlie Tzen- dals of Cliiapas — A Fragment of a Mixe Myth — The Hero-God of the Muyscas of New Gramida — Of the Tupi-Guaranay Stem of Paragur.y and Brazil — Myths of the Dene of Jiritish America 208 Sun Worship in America— Germs of Progress in Amer- ican Religions — Relation of Religion and Morality — The Light-God a Moral and Beneficent Creation— His Worsiiip was Elevating— Moral Condition of Native Societies before the Conquest — Progress in the Definition of the Idea of God in Peru, Mexico and Yucatan — Erro- neous Statem'^nts about t!ie Morals of the Natives — Evo- lution of their Ethical Principles 230 Index, .241 AMERICAN HEEO-MYTHS. CHAPTER I. INTIIODUCTORY. Some kin'd of RKr.iriioN- rouND amoncj am- men— Clas^sifications of llEi.KiioNs— TnK Pnu'osF. ov Ri:i,U!i()NS— llKi.inoNS OK Rite and Ob' C.iEED — The Myth Gkowh ix the fikst of these — Intent and Meamm! op the Myth. Pkooesseh of MYTH-«rn,DTNo IN America — Pehsonification. Pauoxyms axi) Homonyms— Otosis — Poi.yoxomy — Hexotheism — Boiiuowix'; — RnrToRK'Ai. Fkjukes — Aiistract ExruEssioxs. Esoteric Teaciiincs. Outlines of the Fundamental American Myth — The White Cul- ture-hero AND THE Four Brothers — Txterimiktatiox of thh Myth — Comuarisox wnii the Aryax Hermes Myth — With the Aryo-Semitic Cadmus Myth — With Osirian Myths — The Myth of the Virgin Mother — The Interpretation thus Suitorted. The time was, and that not so v^ory long ago, wlien it was contended by some that tliere are tribes of men with- out any sort of religion; nowadays the effort is to show that the feeling which prompts to it is common, even among brutes. This change of opinion has come about partly through an extension of the definition of religion. It is now held to mean any kind of belief in spiritual or extra-natural agencies. Some learned men say that we had better droj) the word "religion," lest we be misunderstood. They would rather use "daimonism," or "supernaturalism," or 18 AMKUICAN IIKUO-MYTHS. other such new term ; but none of these seems to me so wide and so exactly significant of what I mean as "reh'jrion." All now agree that In this very broad sense some kind of religion exists in every luunan comnnmity.' The attempt has often been made to classify these various faiths under some few general headings. The scheme of Auguste Comte still has supporters, lie taught that man begins with fetiehism, advances to polytheism, and at last rises to monotheism. More in vogue at present is the theory that the simplest and lowest form of religion is individual ; above it are the national religions ; and at the summit the universal or world religions. Comte's scheme has not borne examination. It is arti- ficial and sterile. Look at Christianity. It is the highest of all religions, but it is not monotheism. Look at Buddh- ism. In its pure form it is not even theism. The second classification is more fruitful for historical pur[)oses. The psychologist, however, inquires as to the essence, the real purpose of religions. This has been differently defined by the two great schools of thought. All religions, says the idealist, arc the efforts, poor or noble, conscious or blind, to develop the Idea of God in the soul of man. ^ I suppose T am not going too far in saying " all agroe ; " for I think that the lutost study of this subject, by Qustav lloskoff, disposes of Sir John Lubbock's doubi , as well as the crude statements of the author of Kraft und Stojf, and such like compilations. Gustav RoskofF, Das Reliijionswescn der liuhesten Naturvolker, Leipzig, 1H80. Tin: RSSKXCK OK KKI.KilOX. ' 10 No^ replies tlio rational ist, it is simply the oflPort of the human miiul to IVa 'it' a Theory of Thinjr.s ; a^ first, reli- gion is an early svi-tem of natural philosophy; later it becomes moral phi osophy. Explain the Universe hy physical laws, point out thi»t the origin and aim of ethies arc the relations cf men, anil wu shall hav'c no more religions, nor need any. "'lie first answer is too intangible, the second too narrow. The rude savage docs not philosophize on phenomena; the enlightened student sees in them hut interacting forces ; yet both may be profoundly religious. Nor can nKU'ality be accepted as a criterion of religions. The bloody s(;enes in the Mexican teocalli were merciful compared with those in the torture rooms of the Inquisition. Vet the religion of Jesus was far above that of lluit/ilojtochtii. What I think is the essence, the princi[)le of vitality, in religion, and in all religions, is their supp ^scd control over the destiny of the individual, his weal or woe, his good or bad luq here or hereafter, as it may be. Rooted infinitely deep in the sense of personality, religion was recognized at fhe beginning, it will be recognized at the end, as the one indestructible ally in the struggle for individual existence. At heart, all prayers are for preservation, the burden of all litanies is a begging for Life. This end, these benefits, have been sought by the cults of the world through one of two theories. The one, that which characterizes the earliest and the crudest religions, teaches that man escapes dangers and II 20 AAfF.UICAN HKIIO-MVTH.S. secures .safety by the jK'rfoiinaMce or avoidance of certain actions. He may credit tli;> i.v thai niytli, Ik; may hold to Olio or many gods; this is unim|)ortant ; but he must not fail in tiie penance or the safi:ia<'AN- itimio-mvtfim. ct m'Hfii wabu means "the great light of the dawn;" and a common large rabbit was called ?/t<«.sfl/>o; at souKi period the precise mciuiing of the former words was lost, and a variety of interesting myths of the day- break were transferred to a supposwl huge rabbit ! Rarely (hK'-! there occur a more striking example of how the deteriorations of language; allect mythology. Aztlan, the mythical land whence the A/.tec speaking tribes were said to have come, and from Avliich they derived their name, means "the place of whiteness;" but the word was similar to Aztaildn, which would mean "the place of heronr,," some spot where these birds would love to congregate, from aztatl, the heron, and in after ages, this PTlorKSSEfi OP MYTir-IUTILniNO. 2.1 latter, as the plaiiirc and more concrete significiitioii, eaiiK to prevail, ami was adopted by the njyth-inaUerM. I'o/i/OHOini/ is another procedure often seen in these myths. A divinity has several or many titles; one oi another of those beeonjes |»rominent,aiid at hist ohsciires ii a particnliir myth or locality the original personality of th< hero of the tale. In America this is most obvious in P<'ru Akin to this is what Prof. Max Miiller has tcrmei henotheinm. In this m«!ntal process one <^o(l or one forii of a i^od is exalted beyond all others, and ev(!n addressee as the one, ordy, absolute and supreme deity. Such ex- pressions are not to be construed literally as evidences o a monotheism, l)ut simply tiiat at that particular tim* the worshiper's mind wiis so lilled with the power :in( majesty of the divinity to whom he iip[)ealed, tliiit Ik applied to him these superlatives, very nmch as he wouh to a great ruler. The next day he might a])i»ly them U another deity, without any hy|)oerisy or sense >f logica contradiction. Instances of this are comma. i in the Aztet prayers which have been |)reserved. One di(ti(ndtv encountered in Arvan mvtholoiiv is ex- tremely ran; in Ameriea, ixwA that is, the adoption of for- eign names. A proper name without a definite concrete sig- nitieaiK^e in the tongue of the people who useil it is almost unexampled in the red race. A word without a meaning* was something quite foreign to 1 heir mode of thought. One ofourmosteminentstudents'hasjustly said : " Every Indian 1 J. Hiunrniind Tniinhull, On the Composifion of Indian O'eo- graphiatl Names, p. 3 (Lliirtfonl, 1870). 24 AMKUICAN IIKUo-MYTIIH. Hynthcs'iM — iiiiriuHof |K>rF4on.s and |>Iiii'os not oxcoptcl — must pro.sorvi! (Ih* conHcionsncMs of itw roots, anMt he so iViunc«l us to I'onvov timt mean- \\:^ with precision, to all who speak tin; lan^na;^o to which it l>clon;jfs." Hj'Iicc, 1 .c> names of their divinities can nearly always \n' interprc^teij, (hou;^h for tin; reasons al)ov(! j;iven the most obvions anndcnt of it. Jiiit, on the whole, the iden- tities often found in American myths are more justly attributable to a sin. ilarity of surroundings and impressions than to any other (^ause. The (liversity and intricacy <»f American mytholoaize or other food plants, initiate. 204, note. MVTFfS \nV. NOT IIISTOIJY. .1."* |»lmse of oliaractor of the pcrsoiiaj'.'s tlu'v rcpn-Hoiit, with otiit'r.sdniwn from Aryan and Ki^vptian Icwiids Ion"- familiar to students, and which now are-fidly r('('o;j^niz('d as havintr in (hem nothin;^ of tho substance of history, hnt as pure creations of tho religions imagination working on tho pro- cesses of nature brought into rchition totheho|)es and fears of men. If this is so, is it not time that wo dismiss, once for all, these American myths from blie domain of historiivil tradi- tions? Wliy should wo try to make a king of Itzamoa, an enlightened ruler of (iuetzalcoati, a cultm-cd nation ot the Toltecs, when the j)roof is of the strongest, that every unc of these is an absolutely baseless fiction of mythology? Let it be understood, hereafter, that whoever uses these names in an historical sense betrays an ignorance of tlu; sub- ject he handles, which, were it in the better known lield of Aryan or Egyptian lore, W(.uhl at once cor /ict him of not meriting the name of scholar. In European history the day has j)asscd when it was allowable to construct primitive chronicles out of fairy tales and natm-e myths. The science of comparative mythology has assigned to these venerable stories a different, though not less noble, interpretation. How- much longer nuist we wait t(> see the sanie caufuis of criticism applied to the products of tho religious fancy of the red race? Furthermore, if the myths of the American nations are shown to be capable of a consistent interpretation by the 30 A M i:iM( A N II Kin (-M VTIIS. |)riii('i))Io.s of coinnarativr mvtlifdonrv, let it bo rccuxrul/cd tliat tlioy urc iicitlicr to bo disoardod bccauHo thoy roHcnblo somo tumiliar to their European eoii(|iiororH, nor does that simihirity mean that they are hist(»rieally derived, the Olio t'ruin the other. Each is an iiKh'peiKh'iit growth, but as eaeli is the reHox in a coiiinion psyohieal nature of iho same phenomena, tlio same forms of expression were adopted to convey them. r CHAPTER ir. TIIK IIi:U0-(}01).S OF TIIK Af.OUNKIN.S AND IHotirolS. I 1. The Alijonkin Myth of Mivhaho. ft TlIK MVTII ()!•• TIIK (ilANT HaIIHIT— TlIK UaIIIUT CkKATFS TIIK WoKl.li — Hk MaUIIIKS TIIK Mi'HKIlAT — i^KC'OMKS TIIK All. KvTHKR — DkRIVA- TIO.V OK MkIIAHII— Ml" Wa.IASIIK, THK MrSKItAT— TlIK MVTII Kx ri.AINKD— TlIK Iil(iUT(}(>l) AH (i()l» OK TIIK HaST— TlIK Foiru DiVINK IJiioTiiKiiH- Myth ok tiik HrAiiociiiitis— Tiik Day-Makkiis— Mi- • IIAIIO'S ('ONTKHTS WITH HIS FaTIIKII AND DllOTilKIt — KxiM,A\ATIOX OK TIIKSK— TlIK SvMltOI.K! Fl.INT StONK- NflcHAHO DkstKOVS TIIK SkII I'KN'i' lvr»! — MKAM\(i OKTIIM MvTii Kki.ations iikthi: LiOIIT-(iOI) AM) Ww>i)-Oon— MuiiAiio AS (lOKoK Wateiisaxk Fkutii.itv— 1{ki'- HKMKXTKI) AS A BkAKDKI) MaN. ^ 2. The InxjUnin Mijth of loah'ha. TlIK CllKATlOX OK TIIK FaKTII— TlIK MlllAl'UI/JlS BlUTII OK loSKKIIA — Hk Ovkhcomks his IJunTiiKit. Tawiscaka -Chkatks a.vdTkaiiiks Manivimi— Visits his Pkoim.k -His CJkaxdmutiiku, Atakxsh — lOHKEHA AS FaTHKII OK HIS MoTIIKR— SlMII.AH CoNCKniOXS IX EoYPTiAN Myths— Dkkivation ok Ioskkiia axd Atakxsu— Ioskkha AS Tl>AKONIIIA\VAIvON-. TIIK SkY SiI'I'OUTKI!— His UuoTIIKU TaWIS CAIIA OK TkHOTKXXHI.VKOX I DKXTI KI KI) — Si M I I.AIUTV to AUiOXKlX Myths. Nearly all thiit vast area which lios between iludscHi liay and the Savannah river, and tlie Mississippi river and tiio Atlantic coast, was peopled at the epoch of the discovery by the members of two lingnistic families — the Aigonkins and the Iroquois. They were on about the same plane of cultnre, bnt dilfered much in temperament an'd radically in language. Yet their religions notions were not dissimilar. 37 .•IS AMKUICAN MKIto-MYTIIH. ii I. The A/t/oiiLin Mijtii of MIr/itiho. Xi\un\\r n\\ tin- Ahntiikiii trilK-s ulmsc myths Ijmv*' Uwx |M'('s«'i'\»'(l wo IIikI miicli is Slid tiltoiit a ccrlaiii (Jiaiit Ital)l)it, to \vlu)m all sorts of powcrM were nttril)nt(«l. lie was the master of all animals; he wiiHthc ten<'her who first instlMK'tiHJ riicii ill the arts of fishing and hunting; h)> imparted to the Alpaikins the mysteries of their religions rites; he taught them pietnre writing and the interpretation of dreams; nay, far more than that, he was the original ancestor, not only of their nation, but of the whoh; race of man, an other than the |)rimal i 'reator himself, who fashi(tned the «Mrth and giiv«? lift; t ■ all that thereon is. Ilcaiin;; all this said ahoiit sneh an ignoble and weak animal as the rabbit, no wonder ihat the early missionaries and travelers 8p»»ke of sneh fables with iiiidisgiiis«'d eon- tempt, and in!ver mentioned them without excuses for putting on record trivialities so utter. Yet it appeju's to me that under these seemingly weak stories lay a profound truth, the appreciation of which was lost in great measure to the natives themselves, but which can be shown to have been in its origin a noble myth, setting forth in not unworthy images the ceaseless and mighty rhythm of nature in the alternations of day and uight, summer and winter, storm and sunshine. I shall (jUote a few of these stories us told by early authorities, not adding anything to relieve their crude sim- plicity, and then I will see whether, when submitted to the MVTM roinHinj^ oro dm's not yi<'l«l i\u' |»iir»' ji;t)l(l of jjcmunc iiiytlioloi;y. riic l)(';!jiiiiiiii;^ of tliin^H, iic'(!onlin;^ to the OHawiH and odii'i' tioi'tlicni AI<^oiikiii><, \vi\H at a prriod wiirii ImmiikIUhs Wiitcrn covered the face of (Ik; caitli. On this iiifmitu ocean (loateil a raft, upon which were many Hpcciis of ani- mals, the captain and chief of whom wjis Michaho, thcCiiant Ral)lMt. They anh'ntly desired hind on which to live, so this inii^hty ral>l)it onh-red the heaver to dive and brinj;- him n|» ever ho little a piece of mud. The heaver obeyed, and remained down Ion*;, even ko that ho eame up uttt^rly exhausted, hut reported that he had not reachc(l hottouj. TluMi the Uabhit sent down the otter, imt he also returned marly dead and without success. Great was the disap- pointment of the (jomjiany on the raft, for what better divers had thev than tlie l uaver and the otter? In the midst ut it had yet to be eovered with forests, antl nuai were not born. The (liant Rabbit formed the trees by shooting his arrows into the soil, which became tree trunks, and, translixing them with other arrows, these beeame branches; and as for men, some said i.o formed them from the dead bodies of certain animals, which in time became the "totems" of the Algonkiu tribes; but another and probably an older ain! truer story was that he married the muskrat which had been of such service to him, and from this union were born the ancestors of the various races of mankind which people the earth. Nor did he ney;lect the children he Jiad thus brouy;ht into the world of his creation. Having closely studied how the spider s|)reads her web to catch flies, he invented the art of knitting nets for fish, and taught it to his descend- ants ; the pieces of native copper Ibund along the shores of Lake Superior he took from his treasure house inside the earth, where he sometimes lives. It is lu; who is the Master of Life, and if he aj>pears in a dream to a person DERIVATION OF MICHABO. 41 ill (lanr, okas, and eartli, nhke (Xurraganset dialect), can all be dtn-ived, according to the regular rules of Algonkin gnunmar, from the same verbal root, signifying "'to come (uit of, or from." (Note to Roger Williams' Ke)f into the Tianguage of America, p. 56). Thus the earth was, in tlu/ir htnguage, tiie parent of the; race, and what more natural than tluit it should become so in the myth also? 44 AMERICA^f HERO MYTHS. physical rcliitioriH, common to man every wliero, and are closely associated with hi.s daily motions and well heinji;, they became prominent fii^nres in almost all early myths, and were personified as divinities. The winds were classi- fied as coming from them, and in many tongues the names of the cardinal points are the same as those of the winds that blow from them. The East, however, has, in regard to the others, a pre-eminence, for it is not merely the home of the east wind, but of the light and the dawn as well. Hence it attained a marked preponderance in the myths ; it was either the greatest, w'isest and oldest of the four brothers, who, by person itication, represented the cardinal points and the four winds, or else the Light-God was separated from the (piadruplet and appears as a fifth personage governing the other four, and being, in fact, the supreme ruler of both the spiritual and human worlds. Such wn the mental processes which took place in the Algonkin mind, and gave rise to two cycles of myths, the one representing Wabun or Michabo as one of four brothers, whose names are those of the cardinal points, the second placing him above them all. The four brothers are prominent characters in Algonkin legend, and we shall find that they recur with extraordinary frequency in the mythology of all American nations. Indeed, I could easily point them out also in the early religious conceptions of Egypt and India, Greece and China, and many other old-world lands, but I leave these comparisons to those wdio wish to treat of the principles of general mythology. THE FOUR RROTIT'iW. 45 According to the most generally received legend these four brothers were (|niidni|)lets — born at one birth — and their mother died in bringing them into life. Their names are given differently by the various tribes, but aie usually identical with the f )ur points of the compass, or something relating to them. Wabun the East, Kabun the West, Kabibo.iokka the North, an Brasseur do Boui-bourg, Dissertation sur hn Mythes de V Antiquite Amerirainc, § vn. 4 50 AMKUICAN IIKIJO-MYTHH. to the imtlvc ininP:ITII>*. 51 TliuH we 8(!0 that ^^i('lllll)(», the hcro-jj^od of the Alpm- kins, was both the goil of Iij;ht iiiul (hiy, of the winds mikI ranis, and the erccitor, instructor and teacher (tf inanUind. Th(! derivation of his name shows nnniistaUai)!)' that the earliest form under which he was a mytholoirical existtmce was as the liirht-u'od. Lntcr he hccame more familiar as «:;o(l ol' tlnj winds ,nd storms, the her) of the celestial war- fare of the air-currents. This is precisely the same chanj^e which we are enahlcMl to trace in the early transformations of Aryan religion. There, also, the older god of the sky and light, Dyilns, once common to all members of the Indo-P^uropean family, gave way to the more active deities, Intlra, Zeus and Odin, divinities of the storm and the wind, but which, after all, are nierely other aspects of the ancient deity, and occupied his [)laco to the religious sense.^ It is essential, for the comprehension of early mythology, to understand this two- fold character, and to appreciate how naturally the one merge» ';ito and s[)riiigs out of the other. ^ This tninsformation is wuU set forth in Mr. CharU^s Francis Iveary's OtiUines of Primitive Ihlii'f Amoncf the Indo- European Races ( London, 18^*2), ciiaps. IV, VII. Ho observes: "Tliewind isa tar more piiysicul ami li-ss alistract conception than the sky or heaven ; it is also a more varial)le i)iienoineuon ; and by reason of botli these rceoniiucMdations the wind-god superseded tiie older Dyilus. * * * Justas ihi; cliief god of (freec((, iiaving descended to be a ilivinity of storn\. was not content to remain only that, but grew again to some likeness of the older Dytius, so Odhinu came to absorb almost all the nnalities which belong of right to a higher god. Yet he did this without putting off his j)roi)er nature. lie was the heaven as well as the wind ; he was the All-father, embracing all the earth and looking down upon mankind." 'i'2 AMKUU AN Ili;i{(>-MVTIIH. Ill iiliiKHt vvi'vy kixiwii rt'lij^ion tho bird in taken an a .tyiiil)ol of tli«' sky, the cIoikIs iitul tlic winds. It is not Htii|>i'isiiii;, tlicrcloiT, to liml that by the Al^^onkiiis hinis were coiisidcivd, csjK'cJally slnjjiiij; l)ird.M, us pccidiarly sjifrcd to Mii'lialio. He was tluiir father and protector. He himself sent forth tho east wind from his home at the sini-risinu: ; Imt he appointed an owl to eroate the north wind, which l>h)ws from the reahns of darkness and eold ; whih' that wliieh is wafted from the snnnv south is sent l)y the butterfly.' Mieiiahi) was flins at times the j^od of li^^iit, at others of th(> winds, and as these are the rain-l)rin<»;ers, he was also at times spoken of as the god of waters. He was said to have seoo[)ed out tiie basins of the lakes anaeity as teacher anKi> iir.uo. 53 A rnrionH tuldilioii J<» the .story wiw told tlio oarly Swtd- Uli settlors on tlio riv«'r Di-hiwani l)y the Alv:oiikiii trilx- wliicli iiilial)it('«l itsslions. Tlu's*; rolad'tl fliat their varif death, hnt hy a.scendin^ into the sky. They adtled that this ancient and beneficent teacher wore nlouij beanl.^ We mie iuund for it. What this is I shall discnss when I come to speak of the mor(.' Soiitheni myths, whose heroes were often "white and bearded men fron> the lOast." 55 2. The Irofjiioin Miffh of los/irhar The most ancient myth of th(; Iroi|iiois re|>rcsents this earth as covered with water, in wiiicli dwelt ai[natie ani- mals and monsters of the deep. I'\ir above it wen; the ' TlioiiiHs Cain]i!inius (Ilulmi. IffscripfiDH of (he, I'roi'imr nf AV«i Sirc40, KlTl, etc. Sudani, Histoirv ilii (Jaiitida, j|i. 4")1. 452 (Paris, 1H!3(;) ; Daviil Cusiclt, Anrient Histun/ of the Six haiions, uiid iiianusciipt material kindly furnished me l)y Horatio Hah', H)8q., wlio has made u thoroujfli study of tlic rroi|uois liistory and diah'cts. 54 A M E R ICA N 1 1 E RO- M Y T I IS. Iioavens, |)coj)l('(l by supornatural boiiifj^s. At a certain time one of tiiese, a woman, by namt; Ataen.sic, threw her- self through a rift in the sky and fell toward the earth. What led her to this act was varionsly re(!or(led. Some said that it was to recover her dog which had fal!??i thronj^h wh:I(! (phasing a bear. Others related that those who dwelt in the world ab' ve lived off the frnit of a certain tree; that the husband of Atacnsic, being sick, dreamed that to restore him this tree must be cut down; and that when Ataensic dealt it a blow with her stone axe, the tree sud- denly sank through the floor of the sky, and she precipi- tated herself after it. However the ev(;nt occurred, she fell from luiaven dow'" the [)rimevai waters. There a turtle offered her hi:i broad back as a resting-place until, from a little mud V . ch was brought her, either by a frog, a beaver or some ')ther animal, she, by magic power, formed dry land on which to reside. At the time she fell from the sky she was pregnant, and in due time was delivered of a daughter, whose name, un- fortunately, the legend does not record. This daughter grew to womaidiood and conceived without having seen a man, for none was as yet created. The product of her womb was twins, and even before birth one of them betrayed his rest- less and evil ntiture, by refusing to be born in the usual m;nnier, but insisting on breaking through his parent's side (or armpit). He did so, but it cost his mother her life. Her body was buried, and from it sprang the various vcge- THE TWIN' IMJOTIIKUS. 55 tabic prodiK'tlons which the new earth required to fit it for the habitation of man. From her head j^rew the pumpkin vine; from iier breast, the maize; from lier limbs, the bean and other useful oscr.lents. Meanwhile the two brothers grew up. The one was named losUeha. lie went about the earth, which at that time was arid and waterh^ss, and called forth the trings and lakes, and formed the s[)arkling brooks ano broad rivers. But his brother, the troublesome Tawiscara, he whose obstinacy had caused their mother's death, created an immense frog which swallowed all the water and left the earth as dry as before. loskeha was informed of this by the partridge^ and immediately set out for his brother's country, for they had divided the earth between them. Soon became to the gigantic frog, and piercing it in the side (or armpit), the waters flowed out once more in their accustomed ways. Then it was revealed to loskeha by his mother's spirit that Tawiscara intended to slay him by treachery. Therefore, when the brothers met, as they soon did, it was evident that a mortal combat was to bojxin. Now, they were not men, but gods, whom it was impos- sible really to kill, nor even could either be seemingly slain, except by one particular substance, a secret which eaci had in his own keej)ing. As therefore a contest with ordinary weapons would have been vain and unavailing, they agreed to tell each other what to each was the fatal im[)lemeut of war. loskeha acknowledged that to him a branch of the wild rose (or, according to another version, a bag tilled 56 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. m mi with ni:ii/e) was more cliingorous tlmii anything else; and Tawiscara (lis(!U)se(l that the horu of a deer eoiihl ah)ne reach his vital j)art. They laid off the lists, and Tawiscara, having the first chance, attackegy is also shown by the other name under which he was, ])erhaps, even more familiar to most of the Iroquois. This is TharonJi'm- wakon, wdiich is also a verbal form of the third jierson, with the dual sign, and literally means, "Jle holds (or holds up) the sky with his two arms."^ In other words, he is nearly allied to the ancient Aryan Dyaus, the Sky, the I[eavens, especially the Sky in the daytime. The signification of the conflict with his twin brother is also clearly seen in the two names vvliich the latter likewise ' A cjireful uniilysis of tliis iiaino is j^iven \)y Father .F. A. Cuoq, probably the l)est liviiij; authority on the Ir()(jU()iH, in iiis Lc.vi(/ne dein LniKjne Iroqnoise, p. 180 (Montreal, 1882). Here also the Iroiniois followed precisely the line o}'thou womb of IMs mother. Nu or Nun, who was, like Ataeiisic, the goddess of water, the heavenly ocean, the primal sea. Tiele, Hhtury of the Egyptian Religion, pp. 84-86. TIIK FLINT-HTONK, AGAIN. Gl bears in the IcfxeiKls. Owe of these is that which I have given, Tuwincara, wh'u'h, there is little doiiht, is allied t<» the root, f/oA'am«, it grows (lark. Tlu' other is Tehotenn- hiiiron, the root word of which is kann/i'a, the Hint stone. This name he received heeanse, in his battle with his brother, the pcoplctl tlic .slioriw of tlio (Jroat I/ikt-s and tlio fastiu'MHOH of the nortluTii forests to tlmtcultivatcd race wliose capital city wan in tliu Valley of Mexico, and whose scattcreti colonies wero found on the shores of hoth oceans from the mouths of the Kio (irande and the (iila, south, almost to the Isthmus of I'anama. They are familiarly known as Aztecs or M(!xi- cans, and the languaj^jt! conuiion to them all was the Ntihuall, a word of their own, meaning " the pleasant sounding." Their mythology has been preserved in greater fullness than that of any other American people, antl for this reason I am enabled to set forth In am[)ler detail the (ilements of their hero-myth, which, indeed, may he taken as the most perfect type of those I have collected in this volmne. ^5 1. The Two Antftfjoiusttii. The culture hero of the Aztecs was (iuetzalcoatl, and the leading drama, the central myth, in all the extensive and intricate theology of the Nahuatl s[)eaking tribes was his long contest with Tezcatlipoca, "a contest," observes an eminent Mexican antiquary, " which came to be the main element in the Nahuatl religion and the cause of its modi- Hcations, and which materially influenced the destinies of that race from its earliest epochs to the tinu; of its destruc- tion.'" The ex|)lauations which have been offered of this strug- ' AHVedo Cliavcro, La Piedra del Sol, in tlio Awdes del Museo Nacional de Mexico, Tom. ii, p. 247. "lir TriK OOI) OF THE EAHT. 66 kI<' Imvo variefKimAN lIKno-MYTII«. t part oCtlic horizon tliiit will he Soiiu; look oiu» \vuy,.s<»rnc aiiotln r, iiiit tiuL't/alcoall \viit<'lu'M steadily the l''ast, aixl iH tln' first to SCO aiul wuloonio the Orb (»f Tiij^ht. lie is lair ill (H>tn|>lt>xi()n, with alHiiidant huir and a full heard, horderin^ on the rcil,' an aru all the dawn heroes, and like thcin he was an instructor in the arts, and favored peace and mild laws. Ili.x name is Hymholie, anri/,ed hy the natives. Hence it came to lUi'an, in an arol»!il)|y it liore evrn to the imtivrs dilTcn'nt iii('aiiiii;;M at (lill'civnt times. I am iiicliiiuil to iK^lit'vt; that tin; original seiwo wan that advocati'd by licccrra in I he w-'veiitfunth <<'uturv, ami aduptotl by N'cilia in thr «'i^hli'(iith, both romiK'tcnt A/foo Hrhidarn.' Thfv translate (^uct/aleoatl as "the admirable twin/' anIl'OCA. 69 ;m(l in tlie pi(!ture writinj^ some combination of the serpent with fbuthers or otlier [)!irt of a bird was often employed as the rebus of the name (inet/alcoatl. He was also known by other names, as, like all the prominent j:;o(ls in early niytholojries, he liail various titles according to the special attribute or function which was uppermost in the mind of the worshipper. One of these was Papachtio, He of the Flowing Locks, a word which the Spaniards shortened to Papa, and thought was akin to their title of the l\)pe. It is, however, a pure Nahnatl word,' and refers to the abundant hair with which he was always credited, and which, like his ample beard, was, in fact, the synibol of the sun's rays, the aureole or glory of light which surrounded his face. His fair complexion was, as usual, significant of light. Tills j'ssociation of ideas was so familiar amouy: the Mexicans that at the time of an eclipse of the sun tluy sought out the whitest men and women they could find, and sacrificed . them, in order to pacify the sun. - His opponent, Tezcatlipoca, was the most sublime figure in the Aztec Pantheon. He towered above all other gods, as did Jove in 01ym|)us. He was appealed to as the creator of heavo:^. and earth, as present in cvci place, as the sole ruler of the world, as invisible and omniscient. The numerous titles by which he was addressed Illustrate ^ ^^ Paparhfic, guecli'jiKlo ; Papitrhtli, ^nunlcjii o vt'dijii de capellos, o d(! otra. co.sa assi." Moliiui, Vocabulario de la Lciit/ua Mcxicaim. sub voce. Juiiii (le Tobar, in Iviugsborou},'h, Vol. vm, j). 25!), note. - Mendieta, Hisforia EdeskisHca Indiana, Lib. ii, cap. xvi. 70 AMERICAN IIERO-MYTIIS. tlio vonoration in whioli iie was held. His most common name in prayers w.'is Titlacauan, AVc are liis Slaves. As believed to be eternally young, he was Telpochlll, the Yoiitli ; as potent and unpersnadable, he was MoyoMi/atzln, the Determined Doer ;' as exactin<>; in worship, Monenequi, He who Demands Prayers; as the master of the race, Tcyocoyani, Creator of Men, and Teimatlni, Disposer of. Men. As he was jealous and terrible, the god who visited on men plagues, and famines, and loathsome diseases, the i;d earth. The first mortals were the man, ( 'ipactonal, and iUi woman, Oxomuco,' and that tiio son born U) them niiji;ht have a wife, the four gods made one for him out of a hair taken from the head of their divine mother, Xoehi- quetzal. Now bojran the stru;^<^le between the two brothers, Tez- catlipoca and Qnetzalcoatl, which was destined to destroy time after lime the world, with all its inhabitants, and to }>lnnvour th(! giants with which his brothers had enviously filled the worhl which he had been lighting from the sky. After this, he passed to the nocturnal heavens, and became the constella- tion of the Great Jiear. For an epoch the earth fiourished inider (iuetzalcoatl as sun, but Tezcatlipoca was nienily biding his time, and the ej)och ended, lie apjiearcd as a tiger and gave (iuetzalcoatl such a blow with his paw that it hurled him from the skies. The overthrown god revenged himself by sweeping the earth with so violent a tornado that it destroyed all the inhabitants but a few, and these were chan}>:ed into nioidcevs. His victorious brother then placed in the heavens, as sun, Tlaloc, the god of darkness, water and rains, but after half an epoch, Quetzalcoatl poured a flood of fire upon the earth, drove Tlaloo from the sky, and placed in his stead, as sun, the goddess Chalchiutlicue, the Emerald Skirted, wife of Tlaloc. In her time the rains poured so upon the earth that all human beings were drowned or changed into fishes, and at last the heavens themselves fell, and sun and stars were alike The namo Chicliiineca has beon a puzzle. The deriviition appears to be from chichi, a dog, mecatl, a rope. According to general tradition tlie Ciiichiniecs were a barliarous paople who inhal)ited Mexico befort! the Aztecs came. Yet Sahagun says the Toltees were the real Chichiraecs (Lib. x, cap. xxixj. In the myth we are now considering, they were plainly the stars. ill!'! y name Coatli(!ne, the Serpent Skirted, ^M-euuse it was discovered that she was witli chihl, though yet unmarried. Hut, in fact, she wius a Hj)otless virgin, and had known no man. She had placed sonie wliite phimes in her bosom, and through these.' tlic god Huit/ih)j)ochtli (sntered her body to be born again. When, therefore, tlie four InuKb'cd liad gatheved together to burn her, the god came fortln fully armed and slew them every one. It is not hard to guess who are these four hundred vouths slain before the sun rises, destined to be restored to life and yet again destroyed. The veil of metaphor is thin whieh thus coneeals to our mind the picture of the myriad stars (pienched every morning by the growing light, but return- ing every evening to their appointed places. And did any doubt remain, it is removed by the direct statement in the echo of this tradition preserved by the Kiches of Gua- temala, wherein it is [)lainly said that the four hundred youths who were put to death by Zij)acna, and restored to life by Hunhun Ahpu, " rose into the sky and becaiue the stars of heaven.'" Indeed, these same ancient men whose explanations I have been following added that the four hundred men whom Tezcatlipoea created continued yet to live in the third heaven, and were its guards and watchmen. They were of five colors, yellow, black, white, blue and red, which ^ Pojpol Vuh, Le Livre Sucre des Qiiir/u's, p. 193. 78 A M KIIK 'A X H i:i W)-M YTH8. in the syinholism oC tli(!ir tongue moaiit tliiit tliey wvrv (listrihiitrd around the /oiiitli and to each of the lour i-ar- . 3. ^ Tho.s(! f'rigliltul buliigs were cullod the Tzitziinime, a wind which Molina in his V'ocubuhiry renders " cosa espantosa 6 cosa de ajfuoro." For a tiioroiigh discussion of their phice in Mexican mythology, see Anales del Miisco Nacionnl, Tom. ii, pp. 3o8-372. ^ The whole of this version of tiie myth is from the work of Jiamirez de Fiien-leul, which 1 consider in some respects tlie most valuable au- thority we poHse-s. It was taken directly from the sacred books of the Aztecs, as explained by the most competent survivors of the Con- , quest. THE FOUR AOE8. 79 lU'J'optod timt the present \n tlie lil'tli a«:;e (»r iiciiod of the worM'H Ijistorv ; tliiit it has alrean, fVi^htlul tt>rna(h»es anil famine, eartiujuakes and wiM heastH, and heni-e the Ages, Suns or Periotls were called respectively, from their terminations, those of Water, Fire, Air and Karth. As we do not know the (hstiny of the fifth, the present one, it has as yet no name. I shall not attempt to go into the details of this myth, the less so as it has recently been analyzed with much nnnuteness by the Mexican anti([uary Chavero.' 1 will merely point out that it is too closely identified with a great many similar myths for us to be allowed to stck an origin for it [)eculiar to Mexican or even American soil. We can turn to the Tualati who live in Oregon, and they will tell us of the four creations and destructions of man- kind ; how at the end of the first ^Vge all human beings were changed into stars ; at the end of the second they became stones ; at the end of the third into fishes ; and at the dose of the fourth they disappeared, to give place to the tribes that ni)\v inhabit the world.' Or we can read from the * Alfrodo Cliiivoro, La Piedra del Sol, in the Anales del Museo Nacional, Tom. i, p. ^53, et seq. - A. S. (liitsohut, Tlie Four CreathinH of Muttkiiid^n Tualiifi myth, ill Trdiisuclioiin of the Aathropolojical iSoeiety of Washinc/toit, \'ol. I, p. 00 (1881). 80 AMKUK'AN HKIJO-MYTIIH. mn fV'J\l «'iiii(»iform inscri|)ti(>n."< of ancient niil>yl(»ii,iiiiHM of tlu! rju'c there Hix-ciCKH], jih Uy a Hood, by wild lusants, by tiuniiM.' and by pcHtilence.' The cxidanutiun which I have to j^ive of these coinci- • Iciices — whitih eould easily be increased — is that the num- ber four waH chosen as that of the four cardinal points, and that the fifth «»r present a<^c, that in whicli we live, is that which is ruled by the ruler of the four points, by the .S[>irit of Lijjjht, who w.s believed to fjjovcrn them, as, in faet, the early dawn does, by defininj^ the relations ol" space, act as guide and governor of the motions of men. All through Aztec mythology, traditions aiul (uistoms, we (!an discover this ancient myth of the four brothers, the four ancestors of their race, or the four chieftains who led their progenitors to their respe(!tive habitations. The rude mountaineers of Me/titlan, who worshiped with par- ticular z(!al Tezcatlipoca and (^uetzalcoatl, and had inscribed, in gigantic figures, the sacred five points, symbol of the latter, on the side of a vast i)re(;ipice in their land, gave the symi)oli(! titles to the primeval (pi;ulru[»let ; — Lvcuin, He who has four faces. Hncijteopail, the ancient Flitit-stone. Tentetemic, tlij Lip-stone that slays. NanacatHzatzi, He who speaks when intoxicated with the poisonous nnishroom, called nanacatl. These four brothers, ac(;ording to the myth, were born of ' Paul Ilaupt, Der Keilinschriftliche SinfflnthheHcht, j*. 17 (Leip- zig, 1881). lilll TIIK FOUU HUOTIIKIIS. 81 tlic j^oildcss, Ilucytoimutzin, wliirh means "our jjn'iit, anciont mother," and, with uiililial inuids, turned against ht-r and hIvw her, Hacrillcin^ \\vv t<> th >. Sun ami oH'crin;; her heart to that divinity.' In other words, it is tlie old Htory of tlje cardinal j«)ints, defined at dayhreak by the Dawn, the eastern vVnrora, which is IcKst in or sacrilictd to tUv 8nn on its appearance. Of'tlu'se four brothers I suspe<'t the Hrst, Ixeuin,"he who Io()ks four ways," or "has four faces," is non(> other than (iuetzalcoati,' while the Ancient Flint is probably Tc/eat- Iip()ca,thus bringing the myth into singularly (^losc relation- ship with that of the Iroquois, given on a previous |)age. Another myth of the A/tees gave these four brothers or primitive heroes, as : — JIuit/ilopochtli. lluit/nalma. Itzt a(!oliuh(jui. I'antecutl. Of these Dr. Schultz-Sellaek advancics plausible reasons for believing that Itzthn'olinhcpii, which was the name of a ' (iahrifl do Chaves, Ne.larion tie Id I'luriiicia de Meztifinn, IfjCf), ill the Colcciuii lie J)urnmeiifi>n Ineditns del Archivo dr hidids, Tdiu. iv, |)|t. 535 and 53ti. The traiislntioiiH of llif iiaiiics arc not given by ('liave.H, hut I tliiiik tiiey are correct, t'Xeept, possiltly, the third, whieh may be a compound of l," and tlio \)hu'(} eliding ilan. Tho doriviition from follh a rush, is of no value, and it is nothing to the point that in the picture writing Tollan was repr(\«('ntcU(ls swim easily; or in the west, where the sun descends to his couch in sani^uine glory ; or in the east, beyond the purple rim of the sea, whence he rises refreshe;! as a giant to run his course ; or in the underworld, where he r asses the night. Therefore, in ancient Cakchi'jiiel legend it is said: " Where the sun rises, there is one Tulan ; another is in the underworld ; yet another where the sun sets ; and there is still another, und there dwells the God. Thus, O my children, there are four Tulans, as the ancient men have told us."' The most venerable traditions of the ^laya race claimed for them a migration from " Tollan in Zuyva." "Thence came we forth together," says the Kiche myth, " there was the common parent of our race, thence came we, from among the Yaqui men, whose god is Yolcuat Quctzalcoat." '' This Tollan is certainly none other than the abode of Quetzalcoatl, named in an Aztec manuscript as Zivena ^ FraiK'i.sci) Eniantez Ariinu Xahihi. Memorial dc Tacpua Atitlan, MS. in Cakcliiquel, in my possession. ^ Le Popol Villi, p. 247. The name Yaqui means in Kiche eivilizud or polisln^d, and was apjilied to the Aztecs, hut it is, in its origin, from an Aztec root i/anh, to go, whence >/ai/iie, travelers, and especially merchant;^. The Kiohes recognizing in the Azti.'c merchants a snperior and cultivated class of men, adopted into their tongue the name which the merchants gave themselves, and used the word in the above sense. Compare Sahagun, Historia de Xaera Espaila, Lih. ix, cap. xii. .S() AMERICAN' HEUO-MYTIIS. vHzc'itJ, a word of uncertain Jcrivatiou, but applied to the highest lieaven. Where Qiietzah.'oatl finally retired, and wIkmico he was expected baek, was still a Tollan — Tollan 'I'lapallan — a d Monte/uina, when he heard of the arrival of the Spaniards, exclaimed, " It is Quetzaleoatl, returned from Tulii." The cities which selected iiim as tlieir tutelary deity were named for that which he was supposed to have ruled over. Thus we have Tollan and Tollantzinco (" behind Tollan ") in the Valley of Mexico, and the pyramid Cholula was called "ToUan-Cholollan," as well as many other Tollans and Tulas amou}^ the Nahuatl colonies. The natives of the city of Tula were (villed, from its name, the Tolteca, which simply means "those who dwell in Tollan." And who, let us ask, were these Toltecs? Thcv liave hovered about the dawu of American history lon<5 enough. To them have been attributed not only the ])rimitive culture of Central America and ]Mexico, but of lands far to the north, and even the earthworks of the Ohio Valley. It is time they were assigned their proper place, and that is among the purely fabulous creations of the imagination, among the giants and fairies, the gnomes and sylphs, and other such fancied beings which in all ages and nations the popular mind has loved to create. Toltec, Toltecatl,' which in later days came to mean a ^ Toltectitl, acconlinjj; to Molina, is "oficial do arte mocanica o maestro,'' {Voralndario de la Leiu/iia Mexicaiia, s. v.). This is a St'coudarj' meaning. Veitia justly says, " Toltecatl quiere ducir artifice, lioniue en Thollan ('(imcn/.aron a ensenar, auntiue a Tliollan llamaron Tula, y por deeir Toltecatl dicen Tuloteca" {Llistoria, cap. xv). WHO Wi:UE THE TOLTECS? 87 skilled craftsman or artidcor, signifies, as I have said, an inhabitant of Tollaa — of the (>ity of the Sun — in other words, a Child of Light. Without a metaphor, it meant at first one of the far darting, bright shining rays of the sun. Not only docs the tenor of the wliole mytli shovv tliis, but spoL'ifieally and clearly the powers attributed to the ancient Toltecs. As the immediate subjects of tlie God of Light they were called " Tiiose wiio fly the whole day without resting,"' and it was said of them that they had the })()wer of reaching instantly even a very distant place. When the Liglit-God himself departs, they too disa})pear, and their city is left uninhabited and desolate. In some, and these I consider tlie original versions of the myth, they do not constitute a nation at all, but are merely the disciples or servants of (^uetzalcoatl." Tliey have all the traits of beings of supernatural powers. They were astrologers and necromancers, marvelous poets and philosophers, painters as were not to be found elsewhere in the world, and such builders that for a thousand leagues the remains of their citi(!s, temples and fortresses strewed the land. "When it has happened to me," says Father Duran, " to ask an Indian who cut this pass through the ^ Their title was Tlatiqna cemilhuiqne, compounded of tlanqua, to set the t(!eth. us with stroiiii; detcrminutioii, and ccinilhuilid, to run during a wiiole day. S.ihajjuu, Historui, Lib. iii, cap. iii, and Lib. X, cap. XXIX; compare also the myth of Tezcatlipoca di-guised as an old woman parching corn, the odor of which instantly attractearallcl('d by a hundred similar ex|)ressions in the myths of other nations. The Night brings forth the Day, the darkness leads on to tlie light, and though thus standing in tlic relation of father and son, the struggle between tlieni is forever continued. Another myth represents him as the immediate son of the All-Father Tonaca tccutli, under his title Citlallatonac, the Morning, by an earth-born maiden in ToUan. In that city dwelt three sisters, one of whom, an unspotted virgin, was natned Chimaluiiui. One day, as they were together, the god appeared to them. Chimalman's two sisters were struck to death by fright at his awful presence, but upon her he breathed the breath of life, and straiglitway she cojiceived. The son she bore cost her life, but it was the divine (^uetzalcoatl, suruamed Topillchiy Our Son, and, from the year of his birth, Ce Acatl, One Reed. As soon as he was born he was possessed of speech and reason and ^ Riuiiirez du Fucii-k'iil, Hint, de las Mexicanos, cap. viii. ^ Mo nar quia Indiana, Lib. vi, cap. xxiv. Camaxtli is also found in the form YoamaxtU; this shows that it is a compound oi'maxtli, covering, clotliinjr, and ca, the substantive vorb, or in the latter instiinco, //o«///, niglit ; hence it is, " tliu Mantle," or, "the garb of night" ("la fuja nocturna," Anales del Museo Narional, Tom. ii, p. 363). THK VIIUJIN MOTHKIl. 91 wisdom. As for his niotlicr, liavin<^ perished on earth, she was transferred to th(! heavens, wliere slie was jjjiven the lion- ored name ChaK'hihuit/li, the I'reeious Stone of Saerifiee.' This, also, is eviress that the breath of AFcjrnin^ ainioiinees the dawn whieli brings fortli the sun and disappears in the act. The virgin mother Chinudman, in anotlier kigend, is said to have been brought with ehiUl by swaUowing a jade or precious green stone [chalchihuitl) y while another averred that she was not a virgin, but the wife of Camaxtli (Tez- (!atlii)oea) ;' or again, that she was tlie second wife of that venerable old man who was tlie father of the seven sons from whom all tribes speaking the XahuatI language, and several who did not speak it (Otonnes, Taraseos), were descende(k* This latter will repay analysis. All through Mexico and Central Americti this k'gend of the Seven Sons, Seven Tribes, the Seven Caves whence they issued, or the Seven Cities wher(> they dwelt, con- stantly crops out, To that laud the Aztecs referred as ^ Codex Vatiranua, liiih. x ; Codex Tdleriano-Remensis, I't. ii, Lam. 11. The name is from c/udchihiiitl, jade, and vitztli, \\w. thorn u.se(l to pierce the tongue, ears and penis, in sacrifice. Chinxdman^ more correctly, Chimalmatl, is from c/it/rtrtW/, shield, and probalily, rnatlnlin, green. ^ Mendieta, Uistoria EdesiasUca Indiana, Lib. ii, cap. vi. » Ibid. * Motolinia, Uistoria de Lc Tndios de Nueiia Espaila, E^nstola Proemial, p. 10. The first wife was Ilancueitl, from ilantli, old woman, and cueitl, skirt. (Jromara, Conquista de Mejico, p. 432. 02 AMKIUrAN m.Ilo-MYTIlS. their tortncr (l\v»'IIin<;- pljico. It Wiis lociitcd at hoiiu; in- tlctinitc tlistiinci! to tin; north or northwest — in the same direction lis Tolhin. 'I'ho name of that hind was Mi;;nili- cant. It was ealieil the White or Hri<;ht Land, A'Jfan.^ In its midst wan Hitnated ^iie mountain or hill (olhuacan the Divine, Ttocul/uuicm.^ In the base of this hill were tiic Seven Caverns, Ckicnmoztoc, whenee the seven triluis with their respeetivi; ji!;ods had issued, tliose ^«)ds includ- ing QuetzalcoatI, Huitzilopochtli and tlie Tezcatlipoeas. Th re continued to live their mother, awaiting their return. The lord oi this land and the father of the seven sons is variously iind indistinctly named. Oiu; legend calls hiui the VV^hite Ser|)ent of the Clouds, or the White ( "loud Twin, Jztac Mixcoatt:' Whoever he was we can hiu-dly mistake the mountain in which or upon which he dwelt. Colliud- can means the bent or (uirved mountain. It is none othei- than the Hill of J leaven, curving down on all sides to the horizon; upoti it in all times have dwelt the gods, and from • Tlie (loriviitiou of Aztlan from aztntl, a hcnm, lias htMn rnjectod by Buscliiuaim and tlie best Aztuc scholars. It is from tho saiiu^ root as izfitc, white, witli tho local ciiiliiij,' flan, aivl iiicaiis the White or IJright jjaiul. S(^e the suhjec-t diaeiisst'd in IJuschiuann, Uaber die Alzek- iav.hea Orlsanmen. p. 612, unci recently by Seilor Orozco y Berru, in Analen del Museo Xacional, Tom. ii, p. 66. ^ Colhuucan, is alocativi- form. It is usually derived from cnlna, to curve, to round. Father Duran says it is another name for A/.tlan : " E.stas cuevas son en Teocnlacan, que por otro noinhrt'. se llama Aztlan." Illstoria de Ins ladioa de Nueca Expaita, ijili. i, cap. i. Ten is from tcofl, ^^od, deity. The description in the ttvvt of the relations of land and water in this mythical land, is also from Uuran's work. * Mendieta, Ilistoria Edesiasfica Indiana, Lib. ii, cap. xxxiii. tOLlILAlAN. 93 it tlicy liiivo come to aid the; rnon tlioy fiivor. Alwolutely tlio 8atne immc wjw iipplic*! \iy the Clioctaws to tlie myth- ical hill from which they «iy their ancestors first emerj^ed into the lin;ht <»l" day. They call it Naur' Waii/nh, the Ik'iit or Curved Hill.' Sm-h identity of metaphorical ex- |>ressioii leaves littlc! room lor discu!*sioii. If it did, the other myths which surround the myijtie mountain would seem to clear up doui)t. Colhuacaii, we are informed, continued to be the residence of the great Mother of the Gods. On it she dwelt, awaiting their re- turn from earth. No one can entirely climb the mountain, for from its middle distance to the summit it is of fine and slippery sand ; but it has this magical virtue, that who- <'ver ascends it, however old he is, grows young again, in proportion as he mounts, and is thus restored to pristine vigor. The happy dwellers around it have, however, no need of its youth restoring jjower ; for in that lan; dewfall,and the gatherinj^ (blonds obscure its power and foretell the extinction which will soon enj^ulf the brijjjht luminary. As (^uetzalcoatl cast his shininjji; <;old and |)recious stones into the water whore he took his nijj^htly bath, or buried them in umlerground hid- ing i)laces, so the sun conceals his glories under the waters, or in the distant hills, into which he seems to sink. As he ^ Dt'sijrnatcfl in tlic Aztcr oriifiiial hy tlio iiamc Tcodjuin Ilhuica- atenco, from teotl, iliviiu!, atl, water, ;>«/«, in or near, ilhuicdc, lieaveii, alenco, the waterside: "Near the divine water, where the sky meets the strand." '■' The whoh; of this account is from the Anales de CaauhtUlan, pp. lG-22. 104 AMKIIICAX HEKO-MYTHS. (lisappcara at eertuin HeasoiiH, the Star of Kv(!nintr sliines l)rij;litly iortli amid tlu; liii^roriiig and fading ray.s, riHing, a8 it were, froia the dying tiros of the sunset. To this it may be ohjeete. 102. THK MAdIC MlUltOU. 105 fectly fatniliar in Aryan .siin-niytliH. The l)OHt known of the Htorios rcf'orrinjj; tt» tlic fornuT is tho tranrtparent talc of Narcisriiis forced by Neinesiss to fall in love with his own imago reflected in the waters, and to pine away through un- Hut'sfied longing; or, as Pansanias tells the story, having lost liis twin sister (th(! morning twilight), he wasted his life in noting tlu; likeness of liia own features to those of his beloved who had passed away. " The sun, as he looks down upon his own face reflected in a lake or sea, siidts or dies at last, still gazing on it."' Some la^or writer*: "ly that the drink which Quetzalcoatl quaffed was to confer immortality. This is not stated in the earliest versions of the myth. The beverage is health- giving and intoxicating, and excites the desire to seek TIapallan, but not more. It does not, as the Soma of the Vedas, endow with unending life. Nevertheless, there is another myth which countenances this view and explains it. It was told in the province of Meztitlan, a mount ous country to the northwest of the province of Vera Cruz. Its inhabitants s|)oke the Nahuatl tongue, but were never subject to the Montezumas. Their chief god was Tezcatlipoca, and it was said of him that on one occasion he slew Ometochtli (Two Rabbits), the god of wine, at the latter's own request, he believing thai he thus would be rendered immortal, and that all others who drank of the beverage he presided over would die. His death, they added, was indeed like the stupor of a drunkard, who, ^ Sir George A. Cox, The Science of MytJwlogy and Folk Lore, p. 96. 106 AMEFirAN (IKIIO-MYTHS. at'tor his lethargy has pussod, i'is(s lioulthy and well. lu this sense of ranewinjj; life after death, he presided over the nativ(! calendar, the count of years hejiinniivx with Tochtli, tiie Rabbit.' Thus we see that this is a myth of the return- ing sejisons, and of nature wakin^[\\\> he approached the palace of (iuetzalcoatl and said to the ser- vants: — " I wish to see tiie Kino- imd speaU to him." '* Away with you, old man ;" said the servants. " You cannot see him. He is siek. Yon would only annoy him." " I must see him," answered the old man. The servants said, " Wait," and <^oinn;ern>astering passion of K)ve was evidently as present to the Indian mind as to that of the inedljeval Italiao. n New as well as in Old Spain it conid l)realv the bar, iers of rank and over- come the hesitations oi' niaidenly m xlesiy. Love clonding the sou!, as night obscures the day, is a figure of speech, used, I remember, by the most pathetic of Ireland's modern bards : — " Lovf, the tyrant, (iviii.^os, Alas ! an omnipott^nt might ; He tronils on the nt'cks of princes, He darkens the mind, like night.'" I shall not detail the many other wiles with which Tez- catlipoca led the Toltecs to their destruction. A mere reference to them must suffice. He summoned thousands to come to labor in the rose-garden of Quetzalcoatl, and when they had gathered together, he fell upon them and slew them with a hoe. Disguised with Iluitzilopochtli, he irritated the peoj)le until they stoned the brother gods to death, and from the corrupting bodies spread a pestilential odor, to which crowds of the Toltecs ffll victims. He turned the thought of thousands into madness, so that they voluntarily offered them.selves to be sacrificed. By his spells all articles of food soured, and many perished of famine. At length Quetzalcoatl, wearied with misfortune, gave ^ Clarence Mangan, Poems, "The Mariner's Bride." 8 114 AMERICAN lIFIlOMYTirH. (mlors to l)!irn tlio boiuitifiil Iioiiscs of Tollan, to Imry liis trwiHurcs, mikI to bojriii the joiirney to M'l.jpallau. I If trai)s- formod the ca''ao treen into plants of no vahie, and ordered the birds of rich phirna^c t ) leave the land Ix.'fore hi:n. The first station he arrived at was (inanhtillan, wh'jre tlicre VV08 a lofty and spreading tree. Jlcre ho a:ike(' oi" his servantj a mirror, an(^ look«n{r in it said : " I am already old." Gathering some stones, he east them at the tree. They entered the wiod and remained there. As he journeyed, he was preceded by boys playing the flute. Thus he reached a certain spot, where he sat upon a stone by the wayside, rrnd wept for the loss of Tollan. The marks of his hands remained upon the stone, and tlu; tears he dropped pierced it through. To the day of the Con- quest these impressions on the solid rock were pointed out. At the fountain of C^)zcapan, sorcerers met him, minded to prevent his departure: — " Where are you going?" they asked. " Why have you left your capital ? In whose care is it? Who will per- form the sacred rites?" But Quetzalcoatl answered : — " You can in no manner hinder my departure. I have no choice but to go." The sorcerers asked again : "Whither are you going?" "lam going," replied Quetzalcoatl, " to Tlai)allan. I have been sent for. The Sun calls me." " Go, then, with good luck," said they. " But leave with us the art of smelting silver, of working stone and TIIK DUUNKKN (JOI). 115 wood, of painting, of weuviiig ffutliors and .thcr hucjIi arte." Tlin.s they rol-' .1 Iiiin, and ti'.king tl e rich jewels lie <'arri(;d with him hu ca.st thoni into the fountain, wliunco it received its name Cozcapan, ffewels in the Water. Apiin, aa lie journeyed, a sorcierer met him, wlio ar^ked liim his destination : — "I go," said Quetzaleoatl, " to TIalla]) in." "And luck go with you," replied the sorcerer, "but first take a drink of this wine." "No," replied (iuetzalcoutl, " not so much as a sij)." " You must taste a little of it," said the sorcerer, "even if it is by force. To no living person would I give to drink freely of it. I intoxicate them all. Come and driiik of it." Quetzaleoatl took the wine and drank of it through a reed, and as he drank he grew drunke.i and fell in the road, where he slej)t and snored. Thus he passed from ])lace to place, with various adven- tures. His servants were all dwarfs or hunchbacks, and in crossing the Sierra Nevada they mostly froze, to death. By drawing a line across the Sierra he split it in two and thus made a passage. He plucked up a mighty tree and hurling it through another, thus formed a cross. At another spot he caused underground houses to be built, whicli were called Mictlancalco, At the House of Dark- ness. At length he arrived at the sea coast where he con- lin A>fEIM('AN irr.HO-MVTMS. Hti'tictod :i nift <>(' sorpentri, and seating himself on it iis in a canoe, lie moved ont to sea. No one knows how or in what manner ho reached TIapallan.' Tiie U'fj^end which appears to have been prevalent in Cholnla was somewhat dilVerent. According to that, ( Jnet/alcoatl was for niiuiy years Fiord of Tollan, rnling over a happy ])eople. At length, Te/x'atlipo<'a let himself down from heaven by a cord made of spider's web, and, coming to Tollan, challenged its ruler to play a game of ball. The chalh-nge was accepted, and the people of the city gathered in thousands to witness the sport. Suddenly TezcatJiiuK'a changed himself into a tiger, which so frightened the populace that they Hed in such confusion and panic that they rushed over the precipice and into tie river, where nearlv all were killed bv the fall or drowned in the waters. Quetzalcoatl then forsook Tollan, and journeyed from city to city till he reached C'holula, where he live:ide, and did his Ik'hI to put a stop to, wars, ii^iilin^-, robbery, and all deetls of violence. For these reasons he was held in high ((steein and aflectionate veneration, not only by those of Cliolula, but by the neij>hboring tribes as well, for many leaj^iies around. Distant nations maintained temples in his honor in tiiat city, and made pilgrimages to it, on which journeys they passed in safety th»'ongh their enemy's countries. The twenty years past, (iuetzalcoatl resumed his Journey, taking with him four of the princi[)al youths of the city. M'^hen he had reached a point in the province of (Juazacoalco, Avhich is situated to the soutiieast of (/holula, he called tlu; four youths to him, and tohl them they should return to their city ; that h<' had to go further ; but that they should go back and say that at some future day whitt; and bearded men like himself would come from the cas*^, who would possess the land.^ Thus he disappeared, no one knew whither. Hut another legend said that he died there, by the seashore, and they burned his botly. Of this event some particulars are given by Ixtlilxochitl, as follows:- — Quetzalcoatl, surnamed Topiltzin, was lord of Tula. At a certain time he warned his subjects that he was obliged ' For lliis vt.Tsion of i,iu' myth, see Mendiotu, Hislorla Eclesiastica Indiana, Lib. ii, csip.s. v and x. * Ixtlilxochitl, Edacionea Uistorkas, p. 388, in King.":'>oroiigh, vol. IX. 118 AMKIlirAN IIEUO-MVTfrs. to jfo "to till' place wlionc'o corM(»< tin; Sun," but that after a term lie would return to them, in that year of their ealendar of the iiarue Ce Aea'f. One Uee«l, \vhi<'h n'turn.s every fifty-two years. Ho went fci 'h with many follower**, Home of whom he left in <';ich city he visited. At length he reached the town of Ma 'rijipallaii. Here he annt»un(!ed that he .should soon die, and directed his followers to l)urn his body and .'ill his treasures \Nith him. They obeyed his orders, arul for four days luirncd his corpse, after which (hey leathered its ashes and placed them in a sack made of the skin of a tiger. The introduction of the game of ball and the; tiger into the story is not so childish as it seems. The game of ball was as important an anuisenient among the natives ol' Mexico and ( Vntral America as were the jousts and tournaments in Furope in the Middle Ages.' Towns, nations and kings were often [)itted against each otlu.'r. In the great temple of Mexico two courts were assigned to this game, over which ji special deity was supposed to preside." In or near the market place of each town there were walls erected for the sport. In the centre of these walls was an orilice a little ^ Torquemadu gives ii li»nj^ but obscuro description of it. Moiiarquia Indiana, Lib. xiv, cup. xii. ^ Nicrcinberg. " Do septiiaginta et octo pnrtibiis inaximi tompli Mcxiciiiii," in liis llistoria Natiirce, Lib. viii, cup. xxii (Antwerpt, KW')). One of tbese was call<'d "The Ball Court oT the Mirror," perhaps with special reference to this higend. *' Trigesima secunda Tezcatluclio, locus crat ubi ludcbatur pilil ex gumi olli, int(;r templa." The na.iL is from tezcatl, mirror, Uachtli, the g.ime of ball, and locative ending co. Tin; IIKAVKNf.Y l,I,-l'I,AY. \\\) liir^or tliiiii t\u' ball. 'I'lic |iliiy«'rrt wen' divided into two pili-ticM, u\u\ the bull having ix'cii thrown, (mcIi party tried to drivo it tlirouj^.j or over the wull. The hand was not used, but only the hip or shonld(!r». From the earth the jj;arn(' was trannferred to the heavens. Ah u bull, hit by a player, strikes the wall and then boundH baek ugain, des(;ribing a enrve, >>() the Htars in tlu; northern sky circle around the pole star and return to the phu-e they left. Hcn«^e their niov men* was oalleil 'I'he IJull-play of the Stars.' A recent writer asserts that the popnhir belief of the Aztecs exU'iided tlu^ figure to a greut(;r game thun this.' The Sun and ^^oon were hugi; bulls with which the gods played an unceasing ganu;, now one, now the other, having the better of it. If this is so, then tlus game between Tczcat- lipoca and Qi'.ctzalcoatl is again a trunsparent figure of speech for the contest between night and day. The Mexican tiger, the ocelotl^ was a well recojrniTOd figure of speccli, in the Aztec tongue, for the nocturnal heavens, dotrod with ^ aJ's, as is the tiger sUiu with spots.' The tiger, therefore, whic^h (h^stroycd the sul)jc(^t-'. of (|uct- zalcoatl--the swift-footed, hupi)y iuhabitunts of Tula — was none other than the night extinguishing the rays of * ** Cithilthfhtli,^^ from citlalin, star, and //ac/t^/t, the gamo of ball. Alvarailo Tezo/.omoc, Cronicu lUexicana, cap. lxxxii. The ol)scure pas.saj^o in wliicl' Tozozotiiof njfor.s to tliis is ing(>nioii8ly aualyzt'd in the Anales del Museo Nachnal, Tom. ii, p. 388. * Anales del Mrseo Nacional, Tom. ii, j). :{07. ' " S<>gun los At alos (k- niiauhtithin el ocelotl as el cielo manchado de estrellas, como picl de tigre." Anales del Mus. Xac, ii, p. Ji54. 120 AMERICAN IIERO-MYTllS. the orb of Iij:;lit. In the picture writings Tozciitlipoca apjiears dressctl in a tiger's skin, the spota on which rep- resent tlie stars, and thus symbolize him in his cliaracter as the god of the sky at night. The apotheosis of (^uetzalcoatl from the embers of liis funeral j)yre to the planet Venus has IcJ several distin- guisiied students of Mexican mythology to identify his whole history with the astronomi(?al relations of this bright star. Such an interpretation is, however, not only contrary to results obtained by the general science of mythology, but it is specifically in contradiction to the uniform statements of the ohl writers. All these agree that it was not till after he had finished his career, after he had run his course and disappeared from the sight and knowledge of men, that he was translated and became the evening or morning star.* Tliis clearly signifies that he was represented by the j)lanct in only one, and that a subordinate, phase of his activity. We can readily see that the relation of Venus to the sun, and the evening and morning twilights, suggested the pleasing tale tb.at as the light dies in the west, it is, in a certain way, preserved by the star which liangs so bright above the horizon. § 4. Qaetzalcoatl as Lord of the WimJs. As I have shown in the introductory chapter, the Ijight- God, the Lord of the East, is also master of the cardinal points and of the winds which blow from them, and there- fore of the Air. ^ Codex TeUeriano-liemensis, plate xiv. Tin: WHEEL OF THE WINDS. 121 This was conspicuously so M'ith Quetziilcoatl. As a divinity he is m(jst ji'cnonilly niontioncd jus the God of the 'Mr and Winds, lie was said to sweep the roads before xhiloe; god of the rains, because in tliat climate heavy dowu-pours are preceded by violent gusts. Torqueniada names liiui as "God of the Air," and states that in Ciiolula this function was looked upon as his chief attri- bute,' and the term was distinctly applied to him Nanihe- hecatti, Lord of the four Winds. In one of the earliest mvihs he is called YahuaVi ehecatl, meaning " the Wheel of the Winds,"-' the winds being portrayed in the picture writing as a circle or wheel, with a figure with five angles inscribed upon it, the sacred pen- tagnun. His image carried in the left hand this wheel, and in the right a sceptre with the end recurved. Another ro^(!rence to this wheel, or mariner's box, was 'n the shape of the temples which were built in his honor as god i>f the winds. These, we are informed, were completely circular, without an angle anywhere.' ^ Salmgim, Historia, Lib. i, cap. v. Torquemada, Monarquia Indiana, Lib. vi. cap. xxiv. * '* Qiu>9alcoatl y por otro nombre yagimliecutl." Ramirez do Fueii- loal, Historia, cap. r. Yahualli is from the root yaual or i/uual, cir- cular, rounding, and was ai)plitMl to various objects of a circular form The sign of Quetzalcoatl is called by Sahagun, using the native word, "el Yoel de los Vien*os" {Historia, ubi supra). ^"Se Uaman (ti Quetzalcoatl) Senor de el Viento * * * A este le hacian las yglesias re''.ond;is, sin esquina ninguna. " Codex TeUeriann-Eemensis. Parte d. Lam. ii. Describing the sacred edifices of Mexico, Motolinia says : " Habio en todos los mas 'le estos grandes patios un otro templo que despues de levantada aquunu capa 122 AMERICAN IIERO-MYTIIS. Still another symbol which vviis sacred to him as lord of the four winds was the Cross. It was not the Latin but tlie Greek cross, with four short arms of equal length. Several of these were painted on the mantle which he wore in the picture writings, and they are occasionally found on the sacred jades, which bear other of his symbols. This has often been made use of by one set of writer., to prove that Quetzalcoatl was some Christian teac^her ; and by others as o'idence that these native tales were of a date subsequent to the Con.juest. But a moment's consid- eration of the meaning of this cruciform symbol as revealed in its native names shows whore it bclon«;s and what it refers to. These names are three, and their significations are, "The Rain-God," "The Tree of our Life," "The God of Strength."' As the rains fertilize the fields and ripen the food crops, so he who sends them is indeed the prop or tree of our subsistence, and thus becomes the giver of health and strength. No other explanation is needed, or is, in fact, allowable. quiidradii, hecho hu altar, cubrianlo con una parod rcdnnda, alta y ciibiorta con su chapital. Estc era del dios del aire, ciial dijiinos tcuer su principal sella en Cholollan, y en toda esta provincia habia inucho de estos. A este dios del aire llamab in en su lengua Quetzalcoatl," Historia de las Indios, Epistola Procmial. Compare also Herrera, Ilistoria de las IiuUas Ocddentales, Dec. ii, Lil). vii, cap. xviii who describes the temple of Quetzalcoatl, in the city of Mexico, and adds that it was circular, ''jionpie asi como el Aire anda al rededor del Ciolo, asi le hacian el Tenipio redondo." ^ The Aztec words are Qiiidhuill tcotl, qniahuitl, rain, teofl, god ; Tonacaquahnitl, from to, our, iiaca, flesh or life, quahuitl, tree ; Chicahiializteotl, from ehicahualiztli, strength or courage, and teotl, god. These names are given by Ixtlilxochitl, Ilistoria chichimeca, cap. I. THE CROSS SYMBOL. 123 The >vinds and nins conic from tlio four cardinal points. This fact was figuratively ropresented by a cruci- form fitrure, tlie ends directed toward ca(!h of these. The God of the Four Winds bore these crosses as one of his emblems. Tiie sign came to be connected with fertility, reproduction and life, through its associations as a symbol of the rains which restore tlie parched fields and aid in the germination of seeds. Their influence in this respect is most striking in those southern countries where a long dry season is followed by heavy tropical showers, which in a few days change the whole face of nature, from one of parched sterility to one of a wealth of vegetable growth. As there is a close connection, in meteorology, between the winds and the rains, so in Aztec mythology, there was an equally near one between Quetzalcoatl, as the god of the wiu'^s, ar ne gods of rain, I'laloc and his sister, or wife, or mother, Chalchihuitlicue. According to one myth, these were created by the four primeval brother- gods, and placed in the heavens, where they occupy a large mansion divided into four apartments, with a court in the middle. In this court stand four enormous vases of water, and an infinite number of very small slaves (the rain drops) stand ready to dip out the water from one or the other vase and pour it on the earth in showers.^ TlaloG means, literally, "The wine of the Earth," ^ the ^ Ramirez de Fuenleal, Historid de los Mexicanos, cap. ti. ^ Tlalli, earth, oc from octU, the native Avine made from the maguey, enormous quantities of which are consumed by the lower classes in 124 AMERICAN IIERO-MYTIIS. figure being that as man's iieart is made glad, and iiis strength revived by the joyous spirit of wine, so is the soil refreshed and restored by the rains. Tlaloc tecutli, the Lord of the Wine of the Earth, was the proper title of the male divinity, who sent the fertilizing showers, and thus caused the seed to grow in barren places. It ^vas he who gave abundant crops and saved the parched and dying grain after times of drought. Therefore, he was appealed to as the giver of good things, of corn and wine ; and the name of his home, Tlalocan, became synonymous with that of the terrestrial paradise. His wife or sister, Chalchihuitlicue, She of the Emerald Skirts, was godiless of flowing streams, brooks, lakes and rivers. Her natue, probably, has reference to their limj)id waters.' It is derived from ehalchihuUl, a species of jade or precious green stone, very highly esteemed by the natives of Mexico and Central America, and worked by them into ornaments and talismans, often elaborately engraved and inscribed with symbols, by an art now altogether lost.'* According to one myth, Quetzalcoatl's mother took the name of chalchiulU " when she ascended to heaven ;"'' by Mexico at this day, and which was well known to the ancients. Anotlier derivution of tlie name is from (lalli, and onoc, Ix'in^r, to be, lience, " resident on the earth." Tiiis does not seem appropriate. ^ From chalchihuitl, jade, and cueitlj skirt or petticoat, with the possessive prefix, i, her. '^ See E. G. Scpiier, Observations on a Collcctiou of Chalchihuitls from Central America, New York, 1809, and Heinrich Fisclier, Ncphrit nnd Jadeit nach ihrer Urjcchichflichen iind Ethnographi- schen Bedeutung, Stuttgart, 1880, for a full discussion of the subject. * Codex Tellcriano-Reinensis, Pt. ii, Lam. ii. THE INVENTOR OF THE CALENDAU. 125 anotlier he was engendered by such a sacred stone ; ^ and by all he was designated as the discioverer of the art of cutting and polishing them,an(l the patron :itl hiiasolf had loiindcd {\\vsv institiitionH.' Ills connoctioii with tho wornhij) of tho reprothictive principle suems to bo further indimtcd by his surname, Cc aoatl. This means One Reed, and Is tlie name of a (Uiy in the ealemhir. Hut in the Nahuatl langunjre, tlie word (iGaffy reed, cornHtalU, is also api)ll('d to the virile n)eml)er ; and it has been suggested that this Ih the real signification of the word when applied to the hero-god. Tin! suro(hicti(m (iuotzalcoatl may luivo stood in some relation to phallitt rites. This saint! si^n, Ce Coat/, ()n(> Serpent, nsey Tonpicmada, "el que tione la iiariz aquilen.'i." I< is Iroiii ijaqite, a point or end, and hunce, also, llu; nose, and coiiuhqai, bent or curved. The translation in the text is (piite as allowable as that of Tortpiemada, and more appropriate. I iiave already mentioned that this divinity was susiiected, by Dr. Suhultz- Selluclv. to be merely another form of Quetzalcoatl. See above, page 81. 132 AMKUIOAN IIKUO-MYTITS. hill < jiii't/alcoiitl, iH ^()rive of their p)ods. Ilis imaad of the jjjanj^ when they made their raids, and the preferred season was when his sign was in the ascendant."^ This is a sin^nlar parallelism to the Aryan liermes myth, Jis 1 have previonsly observed (Chai). I). Tlu! representation of (inet/alcoatl i:i the Aztee manu- scripts, his images and the fornjs of his temples and altars, referre hat and flowing rohc, and was then called "I'\ifher of tin; Sons of tlie Clouds," that is, of tlio rain dro|)s.'' These various rcprcs(!ntations ul)tlcss roferreil to hitn at tlifli'rent parts of Ids eh(.'(iuor(Hl <'areer, and as a jfod inider ditlbrent manifestations of his divino nature. The religious art of the Aztecs sandy sea strand and his soul had mounted to the morning star, the wise men were not agree«e colors is that of the sun-light.^ It was generally understood to be the same land whence he and the Toltecs had come forth in ancient times ; or if not actually the same, nevertheless, very similar to it. While tiie myth refers to the latter as Tlapallan, it speaks of the former afe Huey Tlapallan, Old Tlapallan, or the first Tlapallan. But Old Tlapallan was usually located to the West, where the sun disappears at night ;'^ while New Tlapallan, the goal of Quetzalcoatl's journey, was in the East, where the day-orb rises in the morning. The relationship is obvious, and is based on the similarity of the morning and the evening skies, the heavens at sunset and at sunrise. In his capacity as master of arts, and, at the same time, ruler of the underground realm, in other words, as representing in his absence the Sun at night, he was sup- posed to preside over the schools where the youth were shut up and severely trained in ascetic lives, previous to coming forth into the world. In this function he was addressed give the name Cincalco, To the House of Maize, i. e., Fertility, Abun- dance, the Pdradise. Duran gives Cicalco, and transhites it " casa de la liebre," citli, hare, ealli, house, co locative. But this is, no doubt, an error, mistaking citli for cintli, maize. 1 Tiznpan from tizatl, white earth or other substance, and jmn, in. Mendieta, Lib. ii, cap. iv. ^ " Haitlapalan, que es la que ill presente llaman de Cortes, que por parecer vermeja le pusieron el ntiaibre referido." Alva L\tlilxochitl, Mistoria Chichimeca, Cap. ii. 136 AMEIirCAN HERO-MYTHS. as Quclzalcoatl TlilpoUmqui^ tlie Dark or Black I'lmnecl, !1ik1 the child, on atliuittanee, was painted this color, and blood drawn from his ears and ottered to the god.^ Probably for the same reason, in many picture writings, both iiis face and body were blackened. It is at first sij^ht singular to find his character and symbols thus in a sense reversed, but it would not be difficult to quote similar instances from Aryan and Egyptian mythology. The sun at night was often considered to be the ruler of the realm of the dead, and became associated with its gloomy symbolism. Wherever he was, (^uetzalcoatl was expected to return and resume the sceptre of sovereignty, which he had laid down at the instigation of Tezcatlipoca. In what cycle he would apj)ear the sages knew not, but the year of the cycle was predicted by himself of old. Here appears an extraordinary coincidence. The sign of the year of Quetzalcoatl was, as I have said. One Reed, Ce Acatl. In the Mexican calendar this recurs only once in their cycle of fifty-two years. The myth ran that on some recurrence of this year his arrival was to take place. The year 1519 of the Christian era was the year One Reed, and in that year Hernan Cortes landed his army on Mexican soil ! The approach of the year had, as usual, revived the old superstition, and ])Ossibly some vague rumors from Yucatan or the Islands had intensified the dread with which the ^ Sahagun, Lib. iii, Append, cap. vii. and cf. Lib. i, cap v. The surname is from tlilli, black, and potonia, " emplumar i'l otro." THE LAND OF HUEMAC. 137 Mcxican emperor contemplated the possible loss of his sovereignty. Omens were reported in the sky, on earth and in the waters. Tlie sages and diviners vv^ere consulted, but their answers were darker than Am ignorance they were asked to dispel. Yes, they agreed, a change is to come, the present order of things will be swept away, perhaps by Quetzalcoatl, ])erhap8 by hideous beings with facei of serpents', who walk with one foot, whose heads are in their breasts, wliose huge hands serve as sun shades, and who can fold themselves in their immense ears.^ liittle satisfied with these grotesque ])ropheoies the monarch summoned his dwarfs and hunchbacsks — a class of dependents he maintained in imitation of Quetzalcoatl — and ordered them to proceed to the sacred Cave of Cincalco. " Enter its darknes," he said, " without fear. There you will find him who ages ago lived in Tula, who calls himself Huemac, the (Ireat Hand.^ If one enters, he dies indeed, but only to be born to an eternal life in a land where food and wine are in perennial plenty. It is shady with trees, tilled with fruit, gay with flowers, and those who dwell there know nought but joy. Huemac is king of that land, and he who lives with him is ever hapi)y." ^ The nanios of those inystorious beings are given by Tezozomoc as Tezocuili/ori'pic, Zenteicxiqne and Cnjii/xiques. Croiiica M, 1520. According to Bt'i-nal Diaz Monteziima referred to tlio prediction several times. Histovia Verdadera de la Coiiquista de la Niteva Espaila, cap. i.xxxix, xc. The words of Montezuma are also given by Father Saliagim, Historia de Niieva EspaKa, Lib. xii, cap. xvr. The statement of Montezuma that Quetzalcoatl had already returned, but had not been well rec(;ived by the people, and had, therefore, left them again, is very interesting. It is a part of the Quetzalcoatl myth which I have not found in any oth(>r Aztec source. But it distinctly aj)pears in the Kiche which I shall quote on a later ]iag(i, and is also in closi.^ parallelism witii the hero- myths of Yucatan, Peru and elsewhere. It is, to my mind, a strong evidence of theaccuracy of Marina's translation of Montezuma's words, and the fidelity of Cortes' memory. '^ Sahagun, Historia, Lib. xii, cap. ii. THE 1'IIE.SENTIMKNT EXPLAINED. 141 the poor Indians soon gave up when they came to feel the acts of their visitors.* Such presentiments were found scattered through America. They liave excited tlie suspicion of historians sind puzzled anticpiaries to explain. But their interpre- tation is simple enough. The primitive myth of the sun which had sunk but should rise again, luid ii. the lapse of time lost its peculiarly religious sense, and had been in part taken to refer to piist historical events. The Light-( f od had become merged in the divine culture hero. He it was who was believed to have gone away, not to die, for he was immortal, but to dwell in the distant east, whence in the fullness of time he would return. This was why ^[ontezuma and his sub)e(!ts received the whites as expected guests, and ([uoted to theni prophecies of their coming. The Mayas of Yucatan, the Muyscas of Bogota, the Q([uichuas of Peru, all did the same, and all on the same grounds — the confident hope of the return of the Light-God from the uiuhir world. This hope is an integral part of this great Myth of liight, in whatever part of the world we find it. Osiris, though murderc "^ and his body cast into " the unclean sea," will come again from the eastern shores. Balder, slain by the wiles of Loki, is not dead forever, but at the ^ " Los Indioa siempre esperaron que se habia de cumplir aquellu profecia y cuaudo vieron veiiir a lus cristianos liiiigo los Uamaron dioses, liijos, y hermanos do Quetzalooatl, aunque despiies (]ue conocioron y experimL'iitaron sus obras, no los tuvieroii i)or celcstiales." Hisloria Eclcsiastica Indiana, Lib. ii, cap. x. 142 AMERICAN HEIlO-AfYTIIS. appointed time will iij)pear uj^siin in nobler majesty. So in her divine fury singH the prophetess of the Voluspa: — •'Shall arise a Hccond timo, Earth from ocean, green and fair, The waters (!l>l), the eagles fly, Snatch the fish from out the Hood. " Once again the wondrous runes, (lolden tablets, shall be found; Mystic runes by yEsir carved, Gods who ruled Fiolnir's line. "Then shall fields nnseeded bear, 111 shall tiee, and Balder come, Dwell in Odin's highest hall. He and all the hapjiy gods. " Outshines the sun that mighty hall, Glitters gold on heaven's hill ; There shall' god-like princes dwell. And rule for aye a happy world." CHAPTER IV. THE 1IKIU)-<}C)DH OF TIIK MAYAS. Civilization- ok tmk Mayah— WHEwrn it Okkjixated— Duplicate TiuurnoNS. § 1. The Cult are Ifero Itzamna. ItZAMNA am IlrLRR, PlllKST AND TkACHER — Ah ClIlEK GoD ANI» CltEATOK OK THK WoRij) — Lah Casas' Supposei) Chkiht Myth — The Four Bacabh— It/amna as Loro ok the Winds and Rains— Tmk Symhol ok the Cross — As Lord ok the Light and Day— Deriva- tion OK His Variois Nam eh. 'i 2. The Culture Hero Kuknlcan. KuKULCAN AS Connected with the Calendar — Meanino ok the Name— Thk Myth ok the Foir Hrotmeks — Kikulcan's Haim-y Ri'LE and Miraci'locs Disai'I'earance — Relation to Quet- ZALcoATL— Aztec and Maya Mytholooy — Kukulcan a Maya Divinity — The Expected Return ok the Herooobs— The Maya Prophecies — Their Explanation. The liigli-water mark of ancient American civilization was touciied by the Mayas, tlie race wlio inhabited the peninsnUi of Yncatan and vicinity. Its members extended to the Pacific coast and included tiie tribes of Vera J*a/, Guatemala, and parts of Chiapas and Honduras, and had an outlying branch in the hot lowlands watered by the River Panuco, north of Vera Cruz. In all, it has been estimated that they numbered at the time of the Conquest perhaps two million souls. To them are due the vast structures of Copan, Palenque and Uxmal, and they alone possessed a mode of writing which rested distinctly on a phonetic basis. The zenith of their prosperity had, however, been passed 143 144 AMERICAN HKRO-MYTIIS. u century lu'loru tlie S|miiiMli coiKiucrorH invaded their soil. A luij^e part of the peninsuhi of Yucatan had been for generations rnh'd in peace by aconfe(h'ralion of wev(.'ral tribes, whose capital city wan Mayapan, ten leagucH south of where Merithi uow stands, and whose ruins still cover many iiundred acres of the plain. Somewhere about the year 1440 there was a general revolt of the eastern prov- inces ; Mayai)an itself was assaulted and destroyed, and the Peninsula was divided among a number of petty (ihicftains. Such was its political condition at the time of the dis- covery. There were numerous populous cities, well built of stone and mortar, but their inhabitants were at war with each other and devoid of unity of j)urpose.' llciice they fell a comparatively easy prey to the con([uistadors. Whence came this civilization? Was it an ollshoot of that of the Aztecs? Or did it produce the latter ? These interesting (pieations I cannot disiuiss in full at this time. All that concerns my present purpose is to treat of them so far as they are connected with the myth- ology of the race. Inciilentally, however, this will throw some light on these obscure points, and at any rate enable us to dismiss certain prevalent assumptions as erroneous. One of these is the notion that the Toltccs were the ' Franci.sco tk' Muntejo, who was tlie lirst to iixplore Y'iicataii(lo2H), has It'tt strong toHtiinony to tho majesty ol" its c tios ami the agricultu- ral industry of its inhai>itaiits. He writes to tho King, in lh(i report of his oxpodition : " La tierra us may pobladu y do muy grandes oiuda- des y villas nuiy frcscas. Todos los pueblos son una luicrta do fru- tales." Carta a su Magesfafl, 13 Ahril, 1529, in the Coleccioit de Doeumentos Iiitditos del Archico de ladias, Tom. xui. MYTIIH OF YUCATAN'. 146 orij^iimtorH of Viicadiii <'iilturt'. I liopr I Imvn miid onon^li ill the previous elmptfr to exorciw piTiiuuMintly frotii imcicnt American history these purely itnaj;;in:iry iK'inf^s. 'J'hey hav«' servcul lon^ enou;;h as the; hist refuge of ij;'Moranee. Let HH rather Ji»k what vceoniits the Mayas themselves gave of th(! origin of thcMr arts and their anci'stors. Most nnfortnnately very moagrc! sonrees of information are open to us. \ve have no Sahagun to rejjort to us the traditioiiH and prayers of this strange people. Only fnig- ir> -ntH of their legends and hints of their history have l)een saved, almost by aeeident, from the genenil wreck of their civilization. From these, however, it is possibh' to piec(! together enough to give us a glimpse of their original form, any till! inytliiciil civili/cr rt/ainii |)ert'e(;t oven tliaii that of the MexicauH, though in ii genera! way siiuihir to it.' Ah eity-l)uil(hM' and Icing, iii-* history is intimately asH(>(;iated with the noble edifices of Itzanml, which he laid out and construeted, and over which he ruled, enacting wise laws and extending the power and happiness of his people for an indefinite j>eriod. Thus Itzanuia, regarded jis ruler, priest and teacher, was, no doid)t, spoken of as an historical j)ersonage, and is so put down by various historians, even to the most recent." But another form in which he appears jwoves him to have been an incarnation of deity, and carries his history from earth to heaven. This is shown in the very earliest account we have of the Maya mythology. ' Tlie iiutlioritiusoii thisphiiHO ot'ItzaniMa's flmriictorarf Cogolliido, Ilislorid dc Viicatun^ lAh. iv, cup. iii ; Lantlii, ('usasde )'ucaltiH, p\t. 285, 28!l, and lieltran do Santa Rosa Maria, ^/•<<;(/c/ Idioma Mai/a, p. 10. Till' liitttT has u particularly valuiihlc extract fri)m the now lost Maya Dictionary of F. Gabriel dc San Uticnavcntura. ''El prinicro ((ue hallo Uih letras de lii Icngua Maya 6 hizo el computo de los anos, ineses y odadcs, y lo engiifio todo n and respect for his earnest interest in the language and anticpiities of his country. I know of no other Yucatecan who has equal enthu- siasm or so just an estimate of the antiquarian riches of his native land. 148 AMERI(L\,N IiERO-MYTHS. For this account wo are iiulebtcd to the celebrated Las Casas, l!»e " Vpo.stle of tlie Indians." In 1545 he sent a certain priest, Francisco Hernandez by name, into the pe- ninsuhi as a missionary. Hernandez had already traversed it as cha[)lain to Montejo's expedition, in 1528, and was to some degree familiar with the Maya tongue. After nearly a year s{)ent among the natives he fi)rwarded a re[)ort to Las Casas, in which, among othi matters, he noted a resem- blance v/hich seemed to exist between the myths recounted by the ]Maya priests and the Christian dogn^as. They told him that the highest deity they worshiped was Izona, who had made men and all things. To him was born a son, named Bacab or Bacabab, by a virgin, Chibilias, whose jiiother Avas Ix(thel. Bacab was slain by a certain P]opuco, on t'.ie day called / ;.t, but after three days rose from the (lead and ascended into heaven. The Holy Ghost was represented by I'johuac, who furnished the world with all things nt^cessary to man's life and comfort. Asked what Bacab meant, they replied, "the Son of the Great Father," and Echuac they translated by " the merchant." ^ This is the story that a modern writer says, " ought to be repudiated without question."" But I think not. It is not difficult to restore these names to their correct forms, and then the fancied resemblance to Christian theology disappears, while the (iharacter of the original myth becomes apparent. ^ Las Casas, Ilistoria Apologetica dc las Indias Occidentalen, cap. <'xxni. '^ John T. Short, The North Americans of Antiquity, p. 231. SUPPOSED CHRIST MYTH. 149 Co<>;()llii(l() loiij^ siuce justly construed Izona as a mis- readiiij^ for Izamna. Bacahab is the plural form of Baeab^ and shows that the sons wore several. We are well acquainted with the Bacabab. Bishop Landa tells us all about them. They were four in number, four ;^igantic brothers, who supported the four tiorners of the heavens, who blew the four wiuds from the four cardinal points, and who presided over the four Dominical signs of the Calcui r. As each year in the Cilendar was supposetl to be under the influence of one or the other of these brother-', one Bacab was said to die at the close of the year; and after the " nameless " or intercidary days had passed the next Baeab would live; and as each computation of the year began on the day Imix, which was the third before the close of the Maya week, this wassaid figuratively to be the day of death of the Bacab of that year. And whereas three (or four) days later a new year began, with another Bacab, the one was said to have died and risen again. The myth further relates that the Bacabs were sons of Ix-chel. She was the Goddess of the Rainbow, which her name signifies. She was likewise believed to be the guardian of women in childbirth, and one of the patrons of the art of medicine. The early historians, Roman and Landa, also ass( i iate her with Itzamna,^ thus verifying the legend recorded by Hernandez. ^ Fniy Ilicroniuio Roman, De la Itepublica de las Indias Occideii- tales, Lib. u, cap. xv ; Diego acabs were supposed to be the victims of Ah-puehah, the Despoiler or Destroyer," though the precise import of that character in the mythical drama is left uncertain.'' The supj)osed Holy Ghost, Echuac, properly Ah-Kiuic, Master of tho Market, was the god of the merchants and the cacao plantations. He formed a triad with two other gods, Chac, one of the rain gods, and Ilobnel, also a god of ^ E. Uricoecliea, Gramativa de la Lctigua Chibcha, Introd., p. xx. The similarity of these to the Bihliciil iiccount is not to be attribiitod to borrowing from the hitter, but .simply that it, as they, are both the mythological exjiressions of the same natural phenomenon. In Norse mythology. Freya is the rainbow goddess. She wears the bow as a neck- lace or girdle. It was hammered out for her '> four dwarfs, the four winds from the cardinal points, and Odin seeks to get it from her. Schwartz, Ursprung der Mythologie., S. 117. ^ Eopuco I take to be from the verb piich or puk, to melt, to dis- solve, to shell corn from the cob, to spoil ; hence puk, spoiled, rotten, podtida, and possibly ppnch, to Hog, to beat. The prefix ah, signifies one who practices or is skilled in the action which the verb denotes. * The mother of the Bacabs is given in the myth as ChihlUas (or Chibirias, but there is no r in the Maya al|)habet). Cogolludo men- tions a goddess Ix chebd yax, one of whose functions was to preside over drawing and painting. The name is from chebel, the brush used in these arts. But the connection is obscure. 152 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. the food supply. To this triad travelers, on stopping for the 'li'glit, set on end three stones and placed in front of thenfi three fla*^ stones, on which in(?ense was burned. At iheir festival in the month Muan precisely three cups of native wine (mead) were drained by each person present.* TJie descrij)tion of some such rites as these is, no doubt, what led the worthy Hernandez to suppose that the Mayas had Trinitarian doctrines. When they said that the god of the merchants and planters suj)plied the wants of men and furnished tlie world with desirable things, it was but a slightly figurative way of stating a simple truth. The four Bacabs c.cc called by Cogolludo "the gods of the winds." Each was identified with a particular color and a <'ertain cardinal point. The first was that of the South. He was called Hobnil, the Belly; his color was yellow, which, as tliat of the ripe ears, was regarded as a favorable and promising hue ; the augury of his year was propitious, and it was said of him, referring to some myth now lost, that he had never sinned as had his brothers. He answered to the day Kan. which was the first of the Ma; a week of thirteen days.^ The remaining Bacabs were the ^ Landii, Relacioa de las Cosas de Yucatan, pp. 150, 2G0. 2 Landii, Relacion, pp. 208, 211, etc. Hobnil is tlio ordinary word for belly, stoniach, from hobol, hollow. Figuratively, in these dialects it meant subsistence, life, as we use in both these senses ihe word " vitals." Among the Kiches of Guatemala, a tribe of Maya stock, we find, as terms applied to their highest divinity, u pam ideu, u pam cah, literally Belly of the Earth, Belly of t\e Sky, meaniisg that by which earth and sky exist. Popol Vuh, p. 332. NAMES OF ITZAMNA. 153 Il(!(1, assigned to the East, theWliite, to the North, and the Bhu'k, to the West, and tlie winds and rains from those directions were believed to be under the charge of tiiese giant caryatides. Their close relation with Ttzamnii is evidenced, not only in the fragmentary myth preserved by Hernandez, but (juite ani[)ly in the descriptions of the rites at the close of each year and in the various festivals during the year, as narrated by Bishop Landa. Thus at the termina- tion of the year, along with the sacrifices to the Bacab of the year were others to Itzarana, either under his surname Canil, which has various meanings,^ or as Klnich-ahau, Lord of the Eye of the Day,^ or Yax-ooc-aJimut, the first to know and hear of events,^ or finally as UaG-mHun-ahau, Lord of the Wheel of the Months.* The word bacah means "erected," "set up." ^ It was ^Can, of wliioli the "diU;rminativ»; " form is canil, may mean a serpent, or tlie j'ellow one, or tlie stron'.' one, or he who gives gifts, or the converser. ^ Kin, tho day ; ich, eye ; ahau, lord. * Yax, first ; coc, which means literally deaf, and hence to listen at- tentively (whence the name Cocomus, for the ancient royal family of Chichen Itza, an aitpoUation correctly translated " escuchadores") and ali-niut, master of the news, initt meaning news, good or bad. ■' Uac, the months, is a rare and now obsolete form of the plural of u, month, ^^Uac, i. e. u, por meses y habla de tiempo pasado." Die- cionavio Mai/a- Espaflul del Convento de Motul, MS. Metun (Landa, mitun) is from met, a wheel. The calendars, both in Yucatan and Mexico, were represented as a wheel. 'The Diccionario Maya del Convento de Motid, MS., the only dic- tionary in which I find the exact word, translates bacab by '' represen- taute, juglar, bufon." This is no doubt a late meaning taken from the 154 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. applied to thv, liacabs beoiuise tlioy were imaj^ined to be enormous giants, standing like [)illars at the four corners of tlie earth, snpporthig the heavens. In this sense they were also called chao, the giants, as the rain senders. They were also the gods of fertility and abundance, who. watered the crops, and on whose favor depended the return of the har- vests. Tliey presided over the streams and wells, and were the divinities whose might is manifested in the thunder and lightning, gods of the storms, as well as of the gentle showers.' The festival to these gods of the harvest was in the month Mac, whioli occurred in the early sj)ring. lu this cerenlot^y, Itzamna was also worshiped as the leader of the liacabs, and an important rite called " the extinction of the fire " was [Mirfornunl. " The object of thfese sacrifices and this festival," writes Bishop Landa, "was to secure an abundance of water for their crops." ^ These four Chac or Bacabab were worshiped under the scenic representations of th(! supposed doings of the gods in the ritual ceremonies. The; proper form of the word is uacab or vacab, whicli the dictionary mentioned renders " cosa que esta en pi6 6 enhiesta delatite de otra." Tlie cliange from the initial v to b is quite com- mon, us may be seen by c()m])aring the two letters in Pio Perez's Die- cinnario de la Leiujiia Mai/a, e, g. balak, the revolution of a wheel, from ualak, to turn, to revolve. ^ The entries in the Duxionario Maya- Espailol del Concento de Motul, MS., are as follows: — " Chaac: gigante, hombre de grande estatura. " Chaac : fu6 un hombre asi grande que ensefio la agricultura, al cual tuvieron des]>ues por Dios de los panes, del agua, de los truenos y re- lampagos. Y asi se dic(', haj chaac, el rayo ; ti Ictuba chaac el rehlm • pago ; u pec chaac, el trueno," etc. ^ Eelacion, etc,,]3. 2-3b. THE CROSS SYiMBOL. 155 8yinl)ol of tlie cross, tlic four arms of wliicli reprosoiitcd the four eartliiuil points. JJotli in lan»j;uage and religions art, this was reijfarded as a tree. In the ^laya tongue it was called "the tree of hread," or "the tree of life.'" The celebrated cross of Palencjue is one of its representations, as I l)elieve I was the first to j)oint out, and has now been generally acknowlinlged to be corret^t." There wjis another such cross, about eight feet high, in a temple on the island of Cozumel. This was worshiped as " the god of rain," or more correctly, as the symbol of the four rain gods, the Biicabs. In periods of drought offerings were made to it of birds (symbols of the winds) and it was sjjrinkled witli water. " AVhcn this had been done," adds the historian, "they felt certain that the rains would ])romptly fall."*' ^ Tlio Miiyii word is nahnmcke, from uah, ori^iiiiilly tlie tortilla or maizu cako. now tised for i)road gonorally- It is also ciirrtMit in tlie sense of life (" hi vida en cierta nianera," Diccionario Maya Espuilol del Convento (Ic Motul, MS.). Che is the generic word for tree. I cannot lind any particular tree called Tfoinche, Horn was the name a|)]ilied to a wind instrument, a sort of trumpet. In the Codex Troano, Plates xxv, xxvii, xxxiv, it is represented in use. The four Bacabs were i)rol)ably imagined to blow the winds from the four corners of the earth through such instruuxMits. A similar rciprescnt- ation is given in the Cmiex Borglauus, Plate xili, in Kingsborough. As the Chac was the god of bread, Dion dc los jmnes, so the cross was the tree of bread. 2 See the Mi/ths of the New World, p. 95 (1st ed., Now York, 1808). This explanaticn has since been adopted by Dr. Carl Schultz- Sellack, altliough he omits to state whence he derived it. Ilis article is entitled Die Amerikanischen Goiter der Vier Weltgegenden und ihre Tempeliii Pidenque \n the Zcitsrhrift fur Ethnologie, 187'.). Coinjiare also Charles Riu, The Palenque Tablet, p. 44 (Washington, 1879). ^ " Al pi6 de aquella misma torre estaba un cercado de piedra y cal, mny bien lucido y almenado, en medio del cual habia una cruz de cal 15(5 AMKRIf'AN HEIU)-MYTHS. Vl-M'h of tho four Baeiibs was also culled Acantiin, which means " a stone act up," such a stone being erected and ))aintcd of the color sacred to tiie cardinal point that the Jiacal) roprosontcd.^ Some of those stones arc still fonn^rn|)liy, uiid Uh original proimiK'iutiuii may poHslhly l>e lont; but it' wo adopt as (correct the Hpelliiig wiiich 1 have jj;iv('n above, of which, however, I have nome (h>ul)tH, liicii it meaiiH, •* The (jod of the Mi^rhty Speeeh.'" The refereiiee prol)al)Iy was to the fame of this divinity M an oraele, 08 eonncetcHl with the ealenihir. Hut it is true that the name couUl witii equal eornsctnesH be transiatHl " The L' k1, the Mighty Serpent," for can is a homonym with these and otlier meanin^^s, and we are with(»ut positive proof whieli wits intended. To bring Kukuhan into closer rchitions with other American hero-gods we must turn to tlie locality where he was espeiMally worshiped, to the traditions of the ancient and oi)ulent city of Chichen Itza, whose ruins still rank among the most imposing on the peninsula. The frag- ments of its chronicles, as preserved to us in the IJooks of Chilan lialam and by Jiishop Landa, tell us that its ' Elijrio Aiiconii, aft<'r giving tlic iTiidfriiig, " scrpit'iitc iicloriwKhi dt; liliiiuas,'' iidd.s, '* liii «idi> lopctido por tal iiumoru de otiiuoloyi.stus ipie tendremos necesidad d(! act'ptarla, aiiiique nos partico iiii poco violento," Historia de VucaUm, Vol. i, p. 44. Thi; Al)l)6 Hiassfiir, in hJH Vocabulaire Mai/a, boldly states that kukul nicaiiH " empliiiiiado 6 adi)riiad() con plunias.*' Tliirt ri'ndcrini.' is absoliittjiy witiiuut autliority, oitlier modern oi* ancient. The word for featliers in Mayu is kukum; kii/, in coniposition, means "very" or "much," us " kul- rinic, niuy hombre, hombre de respeto 6 hocho,'" Diecionario de Motul, MS. Ku is god, divinity. For can see p. 153. Can was and still is a common surname in Yucatan. (Berendt, Nomhres Pruprkm en Lcngua Maj/a, MS.) I should prefer to spell the name Kuknlkan, and have it refer to tht lirat day of the Maya week, Kan. 11 162 AMEUK AN IIEnO-MYTIIS. .site wus first settled by four haiuls who canio from the four ca....iial jioints and wore ruled over by four brothers. These brothers eliose no wives, but lived chastely and ruled rijjjhteously, until at a certain time one died or departed, and two beles, filled with ' (Barcelona 1591). * Christoval de Molina, The Fables and Rites of the Incas, Eng. Trans., p. 6. 174 AMKItlCAN II KUO- MYTHS. which has been ^ucsscil to ho fho fiuiiu! aa tanipncn, nil t'uj^le, Ih rwilly a dorivativc of tarijxnii, to hU In jiHlgiiient, and wiiH a|>|)Iie«l to Virawxfha aH tho final arhitor of tht; ai'tions and destinies of nmn. Another of his fre(|U(!nt a|>|K'Ilations for vvhi(!h no explanation has beon oHered, was Tokay or Tocnpo, proiu^rl^ Tuki(/Kiif.^ It means " ho who finishes," who t right to depreciate the force of these facts simply because we have made up our minds that a pc/ple in the intellectual stage of the Peruvians could not have mounted to such a pure air of religion. A prejudgment of this kind is unworthy of a scientific mind. The evi- dence is complete that the terms I have quoted did belong- to the religious language of ancient Peru, "^'^hey express the conception of divinity which the thinkers of that people had formed. And whether it is thought to be in keeping or not with the rest of their development, it is our bounden duty to accept it, and ex])]ain it as best we can. Other instances might be quoted, from the religious history of the old world, where a natiou's insight into the attributes ' Clements 11. Miirkliam. Journal of the. Royal Geographical Society, 1871, p. 21)1. Pacariiia is the present participle of /)afar/;jt, to dawn, to begin, to be born. ^ Liformacion, etc., p. 209. 12 178 AilERICAN IIERO-MYTIIS. of deity was singularly in advance of their general state of cultivation. The best thinkers of the Semitic race, for example, from Moses to Spinoza, have been in this respect far aliead of their often more generally enlightened Aryan contemporaries. The more interesting, in view of this lofty ideal of divinity they had attained, become the Peruvian myths of the incarnation of Viracocha, his life and doings as a man among men. These myths present themselves in different, but to the reader who has accomi)anied me thus far, now familiar forms. Once more we meet the story of the four brothers, the first of men. They appeared on the earth after it had been rescued from the primeval waters, and the face of the land was divided between them. Manco Capac took the North, Colla the South, Pinahua the West, and the East, the region whence come the sun and the light, was given to Tokay or Ti)capa, to Viracocha, under his name of the Finisher, he who completes and perfects.^ The outlines of this legend are identical with another, where Viracocha appears under the name of Ayar Cachi. This was, in its broad outlines, the most general myth, that which has been handed down by the most numerous authorities, and which they tell us was taken directly from the ancient songs of the Indians, as repeated by those who could recall the days of the Incas Huascar and Atahualpa.'^ ^ Garcilasso de la Vega, Cor.ientarios Reales, Lib. i, cap. xviii. ^ "Parece por los cantarea de loa Indios ; * * * afinnaron los Orejones que qnedaron de los tiempos de Guasnar i de Atalmalpa ; THE FOUR BROTHERS. 171) It ran in this wise : In the bet^inning of things then; appeared on the eiirth four brotliers, whose names were, of the oldest, Ayar Cachi, which means he who jrivcs lioing, or who Causes;^ of the youngest, Ayar Manco, and of the others, Ayar Aucca (the enemy), and Ayar Uclni. Their father was tlic Sun, and the phice of ''leir birth, or ratlier of their appearance on ear^.;, was Paccari-tampu, which means The House of the Morning or tlie Mansion of the Dawn? In after days a certain cave near Cuzco was so called, and pointed out as the scene of this moment- ous event, but we niav well believe that a nobler site than any the earth affords could be correctly designated. These brothers were clothed in long and flowing robes, with short upper garments without sleeves or collar, and this raiment was worked with marvelous skill, and glittered and shone like light. They were powerful and proud, and determined to rule the whole earth, and for this pur- pose divided it into four parts, the North, the South, the East, and the West. Hence they were called by the people, * * * cuentan los Indies del Cuzco mas viejos, etc.," repeats the historian Herrera, Uistoria de las Indias Occidentales, Dec. v, Lib. in, cap. vii, vin. ^ " Cachini; dar el ser y hazer que aea ; cachi chiuachic, el autor y causa de algo." Holguin, Vocahrlario de la Lengva Qi/uichua, sub voce, cachiptini. The names did'cr little in Herrera (who, how- ever, omits Uchu), Montosinos, Balboa, Oliva, La Vega and Pacha- cuti ; I have followed the orthography of the two latter, as both were native Qquichuas. ^ Holguin {uld suprd,) gives paccaHn, tl e morning, paccarini, to dawn ; tampu, venta 6 meson. 180 AMKRrCAN HEUO-MYTILS. Tahxinntin Siiyu Kajxtc, Lords of all four Quarters of the Eiirth.^ The most powerful of these was Ayar Caelii. He pos- sessed u sling of gold, and in it a stone with which he could demolish lofty mountains and hurl aloft to the clouds them- selves. He gathered together the natives of the country at I'acari tampu, and accumulated at the House of the Dawn a great treasure of yellow gold. Like the glittering hoard whicli we read of in the lay of the TS'ibelung, the treasure brought with it the destruction of its owner, for his brothers, envious of the wondrous pile, })ersua(led Ayar ( 'aehi to enter the cave where he kept his hoard, in order to bring out a certain vase, and also to pray to their father, the Sun, to aid them to rule their domains. As soon as he had entered, they stopped the mouth of the cave with huge stones; and thus rid of him, they set about collecting the ])eople and making a settlement at a certain place called Tampu quiru (the Teeth of the House). But they did not know the magical power of their brother. While they were busy with their plans, what was their dismay to see Ayar Cachi, freed from the cave, and with great wings of brilliantly colored feathers, hovering like a bird in the air over their heads. They expeete7o»/o, Vonahidariu, a. V. ). " Thunnupa," as Bertonio spells it, does not lend itself to any obvious etymology in Aymara, which is further evidence that the name was introiUiced from tlie Qquichua. This is by no means a singular example of the identity of religious thought and terms between these nations. In comparing the two tongues, M. Alcide D' Orljigny long since observed : " On retrouve meme i\ pen pr6s un vingtifeme des mots qui ont evidemment la meme origine, surtout '.eux qui expriment les i(16es religieuses." Ij Homme Avu'ricain, conmh'r^ sons ses Rapports Pki/shdogiques et Moraux, Tome i, p. 322 (Paris, 183U). This author endeavors to prove that the Qquichua religion was mainly borrowed from the Aymaras, and of the two he regards the latter as the senior in civilization. But so far as I have been able to study the mythology of the Aymaras, which is but very superficially, on account of the lack of sources, it does not seem to be entitled to this credit. 184 AMKUICAX IIKKO-MYTIIS. wlioin lio was striviii;^ to instruct. Swift retribution sotnotiines fell upon such stiff-nockod listeners. Thus he once entered the town of Yam(itiesu{)a, the principal place in the province of the South, and bej;an teaching the inhabitants; but they heeded him not, and seized him, and with insult and blows drove him from the town, so that he had to sleep in the open fields. Thereupon he cursed their town, and stralji:htway it sank into the earth with all its inhabitants, and the depression was filled with water, and all were drowned. To this day it is known as the lake of Yamquesupa, and all the people about there well know that what h now a sheet of water was once the site of a flourishing city. . At another time he visited Tiahuanaco, where may yet be seen the colossal ruins of some ancient city, and massive figures in stone of men and women. In his time this was a populous mart, its people rich and proud, given to revelry, to drunkenness and dances. Little they cared for the words of the preacher, and they treated him with dis- dai'i. Then he turned upon them his anger, and in an instnnt the dancers were changed into stone, just as they stoou, and there they remain to this day, as any one can see, perpetu'Al warnings not to scorn the words of the wise. Oi., another occasion he was seized by the people who dwelt by the great lake of Carapaco, and tied hands and feet w^ith stout cords, it being their intention to put him to a cruel death the next day. But very early in the morn- ing, just at the time of the dawn, a beautiful youth entered THE ESCAPE OF TUNAPA. 185 .111(1 said, " Fear not, I have come to call you in the name of the lady who is awaitinj^ yon, that you may go with her to the i)lace of joys." With that he touched the fetters on Tunaj)a's litnbH, and the ropes .snapped asunder, and they went forth untouched by the guards, who stood around. They descended to the lake shore, and just us the dawn appeared, Tunapa sj)read his mantle on the waves, and he and his companion stepping upon it, as upon a raft, were wafted rapidly away into the rays of the morning light. The cautious Pachacuti does not let us into the secret of this mysterious assignation, either because he did not know or because he would not disclose the mysteries of his ances- tral faith. ]5ut I am not so discreet, and I vehemently suspect that the lady who was awaiting the virtuous Tunapa, was Chasca, the Dawn Maiden, she of the beauti- ful hair which distills the dew, and that the place of joys whither she invited him was the Mansion of the Sky, into which, daily, the Light-God, at the hour of the morning tvvih'ght, is ushered by the chaste maiden Aurora. As the anger of Tunapa was tU'eadful, so his favors were more than regal. At the close of a day he once reached the town of* the chief Apotamj)o, otherwise Pacari tampu, which means the House or Lodgings of the Dawn, where the festivities of a wedding were in progress. The guest«, intent upon the pleasures of the hour, listened with small patience to the words of the old man, but the chief himself heard them with profound attention and delight. There- 186 AMRRIOAN HERO-MYTHS. fore, as Tuuapii was leaving ho prewjiited fo the chief, as a reward for liis hospitality aiiursued his way down the river Chacainarca till ho reached the sea. There his fate becomes obscure ; but, adds Pacha- ^ Don Giiviuo Pachecu Zogarni derives Iluiinacaiiri from huduat/a, to rost oneself, and cayri, lioro ; " c'ent ici quMl faiit so repo.sor." OUantai, Introd., p. xxv. It wiis distinctly tins hitai'.a^ or sacred fetish of the Incas, and they wore figuratively said to have descended from it. Its worship was very prominent in ancient Peru. See the Informacion de fan Idolatras de los Jncan y Tndios, 1571, previously (pioted. 2 Tho identification of Manco Capac with the planet Jupiter is mentioned in the Rdacion Anonima, on the authority of Melchior Uernaudez. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) is. ?>*>''^* 1.0 I.I 1.25 i:;|2.8 ■ 50 l*^™ 1.4 125 2.2 12.0 1.6 ^1 \\ .o**^^ ^'\/#^\ ri. 188 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS, I cuti, " T undershinfl that he passed by the strait (of Pana- ma) into the other sea (back toward tlie E;ist). This is what Is averred by tiie most ancient sa^es of the Inca line, [por afjucllos inc/Ufi antiquissimos)." We may well believe he did; for the light of day, which is quenched in the western ocean, passes back again, by the straits or in some other way, and appears again the next morning, not in the West, where we watched its dying rays, but in the E;ist, where again it is born to pursue its daily and ever recur- ring journey. According to another, and also very early account, Vira- cocha was ])receded by a hjst of attendants, who were his messengers and soldiers. When lie reached the sea, I.o and these his followers marched out upon the waves as if it had been dry land, and disappeared in the West.^ These followers were, like himself, white and bearded. Just as, in Mexico, the natives attributed the erection of buildings, the history of which had been lost, to the white Toltecs, the subjects of Qiietzalcoatl (see above, page 87), so in Peru various ancient ruins, whose builders had been lost to memory, were pointed out to the Spaniards as the work of a white and bearded race who held the country in ])ossession long before the Incas had founded their dymusty.'^ T'o explanation in both cases is the same. In ^ Garci'i, Origen de los Tndios, Lib. v, Cap. vu, ^ Speaking of certain " grandes y miiy antiquissinios edificios" on the river Viiiaque, Cieza de Leon says: '" Pregiiutando a los Indies com - arcaiioK (jiiien liizo aquella antigualla, rcspouden que otrasgentcs har- badas y blancas como nosotros: los cuales, rauchos tiempos antes que ios Ingiis reinase!'., dicen que vinleron a estas partes y liicieron alii sn murada." La Crdaicadel Peru, cap. lxxxti. THE BENEFICENT TEACH EU. 189 botli tlic earl}' works of art of unk-iown origin were sup- posed to be the proiliictions of the personified lij:;ht rays, which are the source of skill, because they supply the means indispensable to the aquisitioti of knowledjjje. The versions of these myths which have been preserved to us bv Juan de Betnnzos, and the documents on which the historian Herrera founded his narrative, are in the main identical with that which I have (pioted from the narrative of Pachacuti. I shall, however, give that of Jlerrera, as it has some interesting features. He tells us that the tnaiitions and songs which the Indians had received from their remote ancestors related th *■ in very early times there was a period when there was no sun, and men lived in darkness. At length, in answer to their urgent [irayers, the sun emerged from liake Titicaca, and soon afterwards there came a man from the south, of fair complexion, large in stature, and of venerable presence, whose power was boiuidless. He removed mountains, filled up valleys, caused fountains to burst from the solid rocks, and gave life to men and animals. Hence the people called him the " Jiegiu- niug of all Created Tilings,"' and " Father of the Sun." Many good works he performed, bringing order among the people, giving them wise counsel, working miracles and teaching. He went on his journey toward the north, but until the latest times they bore his deeds and person in memory, under the names of Tici Vira- cocha uud Tuapaca, and elsewhere as Arnava. They 100 AMERICAN HP:U0-MYTIIS. orected many temples to him, in wliicli they phicetl his figure and image as described. Tliey also said that after a certain length of time there re-ai)peared another like this first one, or else he was the same, who also gave wise counsel and cured the sick. He met disfavor, and at one spot the people set about to slay him, but he (sailed down u])on them fire from heaven, which burned their village and scorched the mountains into cinders. Then they threw away their weapons and begged of him to deliver them from the danger, which he did.^ He passed on toward the West until he reached the shore of the sea. There he spread out his mantle, and seating himself upon it, sailed away and was never seen again. For this reason, adds the chronicler, " the name was given to him, Viracocha, which means Foam of the Sea, thoiijrh afterwards it changed in signification."'" This leads me to the etymology of the name. It is confessedly obscure. The translation which Herrera gives, is that generally offered by the Spanish writers, but it is not literal. The word uira means fat, and cocha, lake,2ea, or other large l)ody of witer; therefore, as the genitive * Tlii? incident is also related b}' Pacbacuti and Betanzos. All three locate the scene of the event at Carcha, eighteen leagues fr a Cuzco, where the Canas tribe lived at the Conquest. Pachacuti states that the cause of the anger of Viracociia was that upon the Sierra there was the statue of a woman to whom human victims were sacrificed. If this was the tradition, it wouiu offer another point of identity with that '>f Quetzalcoatl, who was also said to have forbidden human sacrifices. ^ Eerrera, Historia dc las Indias Occidentales, Dec. v. Lib. iii, cap. VI. - MEANING or VIRACOCHA. 191 must 1)0 prefixed in the (iquieluia t(3ngiic, the translation must be " jjake or Sea of Fat." This was shown by Garcihisso tie Ja Ve;j;a, in his Royal Comin''.ntariri, and as he could see no sense or propriety in applying such a term as "Lake of Grease " to the Supreme Divinity, he rejected this derivation, and contented himself by saying that the meaning of the name was totally unknown.^ In this Mr. Clements R. Markham, who is an authority on Peru- vian matteio, coincides, though acknowledging that no other meaning suggests itself.^ I shall not say anything about the derivations of this name from the Sanskrit,' or the ancient Egyptian ; ^ these are etymological amusements with which serious studies have nothing to do. The first and accepted derivation has been ably and to my mind successfully defended by probably the most accomplished Qquichua scholar of our age, Seflor Gavino Pacheco Zegarra, who, in the introduction to his most ex- cellent edition of the Drama of Ol/anldi, maintains that Viracocha, literally "Lake of Fat," was a simile applied to the frothing, foaming sea, and adds that as a personal name ^ " Donde constii claro no ser nombre compuesto, sino proprio de aquella faiitasma que dijo Uamarse Viracocha y que erahijo del Sol." Com. Reales, Lib. v, cap. xxi. * Introduction to Nairatioes of the Rites and Laws of the Incas, p. XI. ' " Le nom de Viracocha dont la physionomie sanskrite est si frappante,"' etc. Desjardins, Le Perou avant la Conqtiele Espagnole, p. 180 (Paris 186c;, ■'Viracocha "is the II or Ra of the Babylonian monuments, and thus the Ita of Egypt," etc. Professor John Campbell, Compte- Rendu du Congrcs International des Am^ricanistes, Vol. i, p. 302 (1875). 102 AMKUrOAN HKUO-MVTIIS. ^ V ill this sii^nificiition it is in entire eonformity with the genius of the Qqu'ehiia tongue.^ To (|uote h is worils : — " The t vm 1 ition wus that Viraeoclia's faee was extremely white and bearded. From this his name was derived, whieh means, taken literally, "Lake of Fat;' by extension, however, the word means 'Sea-Foam,' as in the Qquiehna language the foam is called faf, no doubt on account of its whiteness." It had Ji double appropriateness in its application to the hero-god. Not only was he sup()osed in the one myth to have risen from the waves of Lake Titicaca, and in another to have appeared when the primeval ocean left the land dry, but he was universally described its of fair complexion, a white man. Strange, indeed, it is that these people who had never seen a member of the white race, should so persistently have represented their highest gods as of this hue, and what is more, with the flowing beard and abundant light hair which is their characteristic. There is no denying, however, that such is the fact. Did it depend on legend alone we might, however strong the consensus of testimony, harbor some doubt about it. But it does not. The monuments themselves attest it. There is, indeed, a singular uniformity of statement in the myths. Viracocha, under any and all his surnames, is always described as white and bearded, dressed in flowing robes ^ Ollantai, Drameenvers Quechuas, Introd., p. xxxvi (Puris, 1878). There was a class of diviners in Peru who foretold the future by inspecting the fat of animals ; they were called Vira-piricuc. Molina, Fables and liites, p. 13. THE WHITE CIVILIZER. 193 and of iinposing mien. His robes wore also wliite, and thus he was fit^iired at the entrance of one of his most celebrated temples, that of Urcos. Plis image at that place was of a man with a white robe falling to his waist, and thence to I ' feet; by him, cut in stone, were his birds, the eagle ai'd the falcon.' So, also, f)u a certaiii occasion when he was said to have appeared in a dream to one of the Incas who afterwards adopted his name, he was said to have come with beard more than a span in length, a.id clothed in a large and loose mantle, which fell to his feet, while with his hand he held, by a cord to its neck, some un- known animal. And thus in after times he was represented ^in j)ainting and statue, by order of that Inca.^ An early writer tells us that the great temple of Cuzco, which was afterwards chosen for the Cathedral, was originally that of Ilia Ticci Viracocha. It contained only one altar, and upon it a marble statue of the god. This is described as being, "both as to the hair, complexion, features, raiment and sandals, just as painters represent the Apostle, Saint Bartholomew.'" Misled by the statements of the historian Garcilasso de la Vega, some later writers, among whom I may note the eminent German traveler Von Tschudi, have supposed that Viracocha belonged to the historical deities of ^ Cliristoval de Molina, ubi supra, p. 29. * Garcilasso de la Vega, Conientarios Reales, Lib. iv, cap. xxi. • lielacion anomma, p. 148. 13 f H 1 • j 'I ' ■ k 194 AMKIJICAN HERO-MYTHS. Peru, and that his worsliip was of (iompamtively recent origin.' La A'ega, who rouUl not understand the name of the divinity, and, moreover, either knew little about the ancient religion, or else concealed his knowledge (as is shown by his reiterated stjitement that human sacrifices were un- known), pretended that Viracocha first came to be honored through a dream of the Inca who assumed his name. But the narrative of the occurrence that he himself gives shows that even at that time the myth was well known and of great antiquity.^ The statements which he makes on the authority of Father Bias Valera, that the Inca Tupac Yupanqui sought to purify the religion of his day by leading it toward the contemplation of an incorporeal God,' is l)robably, in the main, correct. It is supported by a similar account given by Acosta, of the famous Huayna Capac. Indeed, they read so much alike that they are probably repetitions of teachings familiar to the nobles and higher priests. Both Incas maintained that the Sua could not be the chief god, because he ran daily his accus- tomed course, like a slave, or an animal that is led. He 1 " Ln principal de ostas Doidades historiciis era Fir«coc/m. * * * Doasiglus contabu el cultode Viracocha d la llegadadelos Espar">les." J. Diego do Tschudi, Antiguedades Vcvuanas, pp. IS'J, 160 (Vienna, 1851). ^ Compare the account in Garcilaaso de la Vega, Comeiitarioa Beales, Lib. ii, caj). iv ; Lib. iv, cap. xxi, xxiii, with that in Acosta, Historia Natural ij Moral de las Indias, Lib. vi, cap. xxi. * Comentarios Eeales, Pt. i, Lib. viii, cap. viu. THE DKITY f'OX. 196 must thcrotbre be the subject of a mightier power than himself. We may reasonably supj)osc that these expressions are proof of a growing sense of th(! attributes of divinity. They are indications of the evolution of religious thought, and go to show that the monotheistic ideas which I have pointed out in the titles and names of the highest God, were clearly recognized and publicly announced. Viracoclia was also worshiped under the title Con-tlcci- Viracncha. Various explanations of the name Con have been offered. It is not positively certain that it belongs to the (^(piichua tongue. A myth preserved by (roniara treats Con as a distinct deity. Me is said to have come from the north, to have been without bones, muscles or members, to have the power of running with infinite swiftness, and to have leveled mountains, filled up valleys^ and deprived the coast plains of rain. At the same time he is called a son of the Sun and the Moon, and it was owing to his good will and creative power that men and women were formed, and maize and fruits given them upon which to subsist. Another more powerful god, however, by name Pa- chacamac, also a sou of the Sun and Moon, and hence brother to Con, rose up against him and drove him from the land. The men and women whom Con had formed were changed by Pachacamac into brutes, and others cre- ated who were the ancestors of the present race. These he supplied with what was necessary for their support, and 196 AMEUICAN llERO-MYTIll!;. tmijilit (hem the arts of war and poace. For tlitw; rca- soiia thvy vonoratcd him ns a god, and constructed for his Woishi[) a hiimptiioiiH temple, a league and a half from the prcHcnt city of Lima.^ This mvth of the conflict of the two brothers is lOo similar to others I have quoted for its significance to 5'C mistaken. Unfortunately it has been handed down in ho fragmentary a condition that it does not seem j)ossible to assign it its pioper relations to the cycle of Viracocha legends. As I have hinted, we are not sure of the meaning of the name Con, nor whether it is of Qquichua origin. If it is, as is indeed likely, then we may suppose thatit is a transcription of the word ccun, which in Qquichua is the third person singuhir, present indicative, of ccunt, I give. ' Me Gives;" the Giver, would seem an appropriate name for the first creator of things. But the myth itself, and the description of the deity, incorporeal and swift, l)ringer at one time of the fertilizing rains, at another of the drought, seems to point unmistakably to a god of the winds. Linguistic analogy bears this out, for the name given to a whirlwind or violent wind storm was Conchuy, with an additional word to signify whether it was one of rain or merely a dust storm.'' For this reason I think M. Wiener's attempt to ^ Francisco Lopez de Gomara, Hintoria de las Indias, p. 233 (Ed. Paris, 1862), '^ A whirlwind with rain vf&s paria conchuy {paria, rain), one with clouds of dust, allpa conchvy (allpa, earth, dust) ; Holguin, Vocab- vlario Qquichva, a. v. Antay conchuy. W:^: PACIIACAMAC. 197 make of Con (or Qqaoim, an he prefers lo spell it) merely a (li'ity of the rains, is too narrow.' The lei^(Mi(l would seem to indicate that he was supposed to have been defeated and quite driven away. IJiit the study of the nionunients indicates that this was not the was at the same time the wind from them. VVhat has been saved from the ancient mytiiology is enough to show this, bat not enough o al^)w us to reconcile the seeming con- tradictions which it suggests. Moreover, it nnist be ever remembered that all ndigions repose on tiontra ctions, contradictions of fact, of logic, and of statement, so that we must not seek to force any one of them into consistent unity of form, even with itself. I have yet to add another point of similarity between the myth of Viracocha and those of (^uetzalcoatl, Itzamna and the others, which I have already narrated. As in Mexico, Yucatan and el.«fi\'" fjre, so in the realms of the Incas, the Spaniards fov^nd themselves not lexpected guests. Here, too. texts of ancient prophecies were (sailed to mind, words of warning f''om solemn and anti({Ue songs, foretelling that other Viracochas, men of fair complexion and flowing beards, would some day come from the Sun, the father of existent nature, and sul)joct the em|)ire to their rule. When the great Inca, Iluayna Capac, was on his death-bed, he recalled these prophecies, and impressed them upon the mind of his successor, so that when De Soto, the lieutenant of Pizarro, had his first interview with the envoy of Atahuallpa, the latter humbly addressed 200 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. Iiini as Viracocha, the great God, son of the Sun, and told him that it was Huayna Capac's last conimand to pay homage to the white men when they sliould arrive.* We need no longer entertain about such statements that suspicion or incredulity which so many historians Juive thought it necessary to indulge in. They are too generally paralleled iii other American hero-myths to leave the slightest doubt as to their reality, or as to their significance. They are again tiie expression of the expected return of the Light-God, after his departure and diHa])|)earance in tiie western horizon. Modifications of what was originally a statement of a simple occurrence of daily routine, they became transmitted in the limbeck of mythology to the story of the beneficent god of the past, and the premise of golden days when again he should return to the people whom ei"stwhile he ruled and taucrht. The Q(pjichuas expected the return of Viracocha, not merely us an earthly ruler to govern their nation, but as a god who, by his divine power, would call the dead to life. Precisely as in ancient Egypt the literal l)elief in the resur- rec*;ion of the body led to tiie custom of preserving the corpses with the most sedulous care, so in Peru the cadaver was mummied and deposited in the most secret and inaccessible spots, so that it si^ould remain undisturbed to the great day of resurrection. And when was that to l)e? ^ Garcilasso de La Vega, Comentarios Reales, Lib. ix, caps, xiv, XV ; VAcAa de Leon, Rclacion, MS. in Prescott, Conquest of Peru^ Vol. I, ^.. ol'd. The latter is the second part of Cieza de Leon. THE RESURRECTION. 201 We are not left in donbt on this point. It was to be when Viracooha sliould return to earth in his bodily form. Then he would restore the dead to life, and they should enjoy the good things of a land far more glorious than this work-a-day world of ours.^ As at tiie first meeting between the races the name of the hero-god was applied to the conquering strangers, so to this day the custom has continued. A recent traveler tells us, "Among Los IiuUoudd Campo, or Indians of the fields, the llama herdsmen of tha punas, and the fishermen of the lakes, the common salutation to strangers of a fair skin and blue eyes is * Tal-tal Viracooha.'"^ Even if this is used now, as M. Wiener seeuis to think,' merely ris a servile flattery, there is no doubt but that at the beginning it was a{)plied because the white strangers were identified with the white and bearded hero and his followers of their culture myth, whose return had been foretold by their priests. Are we obliged to explain these similarities to the Mexican tradition by supposing some ancient intercourse between these peoples, the arrival, for instance, and settle- ment on the highlands around Lake Titicaca, of some "Toltec" colony, as has been maintained by such able writers on Peruvian antiquities as Leonce Angrand and J. ' " Dijeron qiiellos oyeron decir a sus padres y pasados que un Vira- cooha habia de revolver la tierra, y habia de resucitar esos muertos, y que estos habian do bibir en esta tierra." Informacion de, las Idtdatras de los Incas t Indios, in the Coll. de Docs, ineditos del Ardiico' de Jndias, vol. xxi, p. 152. ' E. G. Squier, Travels in Peru, p. 414. * C. Wiener, Peroti et Bolivie, p. 717. 202 AMKRICAN HERO-MYTHS. J. von Tschudi?^ I think not. The great events of nature, day and nij^ht, storm and sunshine, are everywhere tiie same, and the impressions they produced on the minds of this race were the same, whether the scene was in the forests of the north temperate zone, amid the pahns of tiie tropics, or on the lofty and barren phiteaux of the Andes. These impressions found utterance in similar myths, and were represented in art under similar forms. It is, there- fore, to the oneness of cause and of racial psychology, not to ancient migiations, that we must look to explain the identities of myth and representation that we find between such widely sundered nati(ms. ' L. Angrarul, Leftre sur les Antiquities de Tiaguanaco et V Origine presumable de la plus ancienne civilisation du Haut-Ptrou. Extrait du 24enie vol. do la Reime Generate d' Architecture, 1866. Von Tschiidi, Dan Ollantadrama, •^. 177-9. Tho latter says : " Dor von doin Plateau von Anahuac ausgewanderte Stamm verpflanztt; soino Gosittung und. die Hauptziigo seiner lieligion durch das westliche Slidainorica, etc." CHAPTER VI. THE EXTENSION AXD INFLUENCE OF THE TYPICAL HERO-MYTH. The Tvpicai, Mvtii Found in Many Pauts op tfie Continevt — Difficulties \s TiuriKo it— REM(iious Evoi.utiox ix Amekica SiMir.AK -i) That in the Old VVoklu— Failu"e of Christianity IN the Red Race. The Culture Myth of the Tauascos of Mechoacan — That of the KicHfjs OF Guatemala— The Votan Myth of the Tzendals of Chiapas — A Fraoment of a Mixe Myth — The Hero-Ood of THE MUYSCAS OP NeW GbANADA— Op THE ''^UPI-GUARANAY StEM op Paraguay and Brazil — Myths of the Dkak op British America. Sun Worship ix Ameri(;a— Germs op Progress in American Religions — Relation of Religion and Morality — The Light- God A Moral and Beneficent Creation — His Worship was Elevating— Moral Condition of Native Societies Before the Conquest — Progress in the Definition of the Idea of God in Peru, Me.kico, and Yucatan— Erroneous Statements About the Morals of the Natives— Evolution of their Ethical Prin- ciples. In the foregoing chapters I have passed in review the hero- myths of five nations widely asunder in location, in culture and in language. I have shown the strange similarity in their accounts of their mysterious early benefactor and teacher, and their still more stra^ige, because true, presentiments of the arrival of pale-faced conquerors from the East. I have selected these nations because their myths have been most fully recorded, not that they alone possessed this striking legend. It is, I repeat, the fundamental myth in the religious lore of American nations. Not, indeed, that it can 203 201 AMERICAN IIERO-MYTHS. b^' (liseovorod in all tribes, especially in the amplitude of iiieident which ic possesses among some. But there are cotn[)iu'atively few of the native mythologies that do not betray some of its elements, soaie fragments of it, and, often enough to justif" us in the supposition that had we the complete body of their sacred stories, we should find this one in quite jis defined a form as I have given it. The student of American mythology, unfortuwaioly, labors under peculiar disadvantages. NVhen he seeks for his material, he finds an extraordinary dearth of it. The mis- sionaries usually refused to preserve the native myths, be- caused tliey believed them harmful, or at least foolish; while men of science, who have had sucli o|)portunities, rejected all those that seemed the least lik<; a Biblical story, as they suspected them to be modern ai d valueless compositions, and thus lost the vei/ life of the gvuuine ancient faiths. A further disadvantage is the sliy-ht attention which has been paid to the aboriginal American tongues, and the sad deficiency of material for their study. It i;i now recognized on all hands that the key of a mythology is to be found in the language of its believers. As a German writer remarks, " the formation of the language and the evolution of the myth go hand in hand."^ We must know ^ " In (lor Sprache herrscht iininer iind erneut sioh stets (li(! similiche Anschauiing, die vor .Tahrtausonden mit dom glUubigen Sinn vermiihlt die Mytholo{:jiun schuf, nnd gorade durch sie wird es am klarsten, wie Sprachenscliiipfunji und mytliologische Entwicklung, der Ansdruck des Denkens und Glaubons, einst Pland in Hand gegangen." Dr. F. L.W. Schwartz, I>er Ursprunfj der Mf/tholugie dargelegt an Griechincher und Deutscker Sage, p. 23 (Berlin, 1860). IIELKUOUS EVOT.UTION. 205 the language of a tribe, at least we must understand the grainnuitical construction and have facilities to trace out the meaning and derivation of names, before we can obtain any accurate notion of tlie foundation in nature of its religious beliefs. No convenient generality will help us. I make these remarks as a sort of apology for the short- comings of the present study, and especially for the imperfe(!tions of the fragments I have still to present. They are, however, sufficiently defined to make it certain that they belonged to cycles of myths closely akin to those already given. They will serve to support my thesis that the seemingly (!onfased and puerile fables of the native Americans are fuily as worthy the attencion of the student of human nature as the more poetic narratives of the Veda or the Edda. The red raaa felt out after God with like childish gropings as his white brother in Central Asia. When his course was interrupted, he was pursuing the same path toward the discovery of truth. In the words of a thoughtful writer: " In a world wholly separated from that which it is customary to call the Old World, the religious evo'aticm of man took place precisely in the same manner as in those surroundings which produced the civilization of western B^urope."' But this religious development of the red man was violently broken by the forcible imposition of a creed which he could not understand, and which was not suited ^ Oirard de Rialle, La Mythologie Compav^e, vol. i, p. 363 (Paria, 1878). 206 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. to liis wants, and by the heavy yoke of a prieHthood totally out of sympathy with his line of progress. What has been the result? "Has Christianity," asks the writer 1 have just quoted, "exerted a progressive action on these peoples? Has it brought them forward, has it aided their natural evolution? We are obliged to answer, No.'" This sad re{)ly is repeated by careful observers who have studied dispassionately the natives in their homes.' The only difference in the results of the two great divisions of the Christian world seems to be that on Catholic missions has followed the debasement, on Protestant missions the destruction of the race. It may be objected to this that it was not Christianity, but its accompaniments, the greedy horde of adventurers, the profligate traders, the selfish priests, and the unscrupu- lous officials, that wrought the degradation of the native 1 Girard de RiuUe, ibid, p. 362. * Those who would convince themselves of this may read the work of Don Francisco Pimentel, Memoria sobre las Causas que han originado la Situacioii Actual de la Baza Indigena de Mexico (Mexico, 1804), and that of the Licentiate Apolinur Garcia y Garcia, Jlistoria de la Guerra de Castas de Yucatan, Prologo (M6rida, 1865), That t' e Indians of the United States have directly and positively degen- erated in moral sense as a race, since the introduction of Christianity, was also very decidedly the opinion of the late Prof. Theodor Waitz, a most competent ethnologist. See Die Indianer Nordamerica^s. Eine Studie, von Theodor Waitz, p. 39, etc. (Leipzig, 1865). This opinion w(is also that of the visiting committee of the Society of Friends who reported on the Indian Tribes in 1842 ; see the Report of a Visit to Some of the Tribes of Indians West of the Mississippi Hirer, by John D. Lang and Samuel Taylor, Jr. (New York, 1848). The language of this Report is calm, but positive as to the increased moral degradation of the tribes, as the direct result of contact with the whites. FAILUUE OP CIIHISTIAMTY. 207 nice. B( it so. Tlien T merely moflify my assertion, l>y saying that Ciirist'.anity haa shown itself incapable of controlling its inevitable adjuncts, and that it would have been better, morally and socially, for the American race never to have known Christianity at all, than to have received it on the only terms on which it has been possible to offer it. With the more earnestness, therefore, in view of this acknowledged failure of Christian effort, do I turn to the native beliefs, and desire to vindicate for them a dignified position among the faiths which have helped to raise man above the level of the brute, and inspired him with hope and ambition for betterment. For this purpose I shall offer some additional evidence of the extension of the myth I have set forth, and then proceed to discuss its influence on the minds of its believers. The Tarascos were an interesting nation who lived in the province of Michoacan, due west of the valley of Mexico. They were a polished race, speaking a sonorous, vocalic language, so bold in war that their boast was that they had never been defeated, and yet their religious rites were almost bloodless, and their preference was for peace. The hardy Aztecs had been driven back at every attempt they vr to conquer Michoacan, but its ruler submitted himself without a murmur to Cortes, recognizing in him an opponent of the common enemy, and a warrior of more than human powers. 208 AMERICAN IILItO-MYTIIS. Among these Tnrnsoos wc find the wiine lej^ond of a hero-god who brouglit them out of harhariHin, gave them hiwH, airaiiged their calendar, \vhi>'h, in jjrineipk's, waH tlie same as that of the Aztecs and Mayan, and decided on the form of their government. His name was '/lurifeti or Ciu'ic<(herls, words wliich, from my limited resources in that tongue, I am not able to analyze. lie dwelt in the town Cromuscuaro, which name means the Watch-tower or Look-out, and the hour in which he gave his instruc- tions was always at sunrise, just as the orl) of light ap- peared on the eastern horizon. One of the feasts which he appointed to be celebrated in liis honor was called ZUneu- arencuaro, which melodious word is said by the Spanish missionaries to mean "the resurrection from death." When to this it is added that he distinctly predicted that a white race of men should arrive in the country, and that he him- self should return,* tiis identity with the light-gods of similar American myths is too manifest to require argument. The king of the Tarascos was considered merely the vicegerent of the absent hero-god, and ready to lay down the sceptre when Curie iberis should return to earth. * P. Francisco Xavier Alegre, Historia de la Compatlia de Jemis en la Nueoa Espaita, Torao i, pp. 91, 92 (Mexico, 1811). The authorities whom Alegre quotes are P. F. Alonso de la Ilea, Cronica de Mechoacun (Mexico, 1048), and D. Basnleiique, Cronica Je San Augustin de Mechoacan (Mexico, 1673). I regret tiuit I have been unable to find either of these books in any library in the United States. It is a great pity that the student of American history is so often limited in his investigations in this country, by the laciv of material. It is sad to think that such an opulent and intelligent land does not possess a single complete library of its own history. MYTHS OF THE TAUAHC08. 209 Wc do not know whether the mvth of tlie Four lirotli- ers prevailed Junoii«^ the Tarnseos; hut there i.'- hanlly a nation on the continent among whom the number I' our was more dl.stinetly saered. Th(! kiiiaiiil." " His word came in the darkness to the Lor(l,toGucumatz, and it spoke with the Lord, with Gucumatz." "They spoke together; they consulted and plannc 1; they understood; they united in words and plans." "As they consulted, the day appeared, the white light came forth, mankind was produced, while thus they held counsel about the growth of trees and vines, about life and mankind, in the darkness, in the night (the creation ^ See above, page 160. MYTHS OF TIIF KIPIIFii. 211 wiiH brought about), hy the Heart of IIj'UVoij, wIiomc iianu' in Iliirakau."* JWit the national (Miltuir-hcro of tlic Kiclios scorns to \m\'i' l)C'<>n XbiilaiKjuf, u iminc \vl)icli lias the litonil meaning, " liittlc Tiger Deer," and is a symbolical appellation refer- ring to (lays in their calendar. Altliougii many of his (lecd-j are reeonnt(!d in the Popnl Vuh, that work does not furnish us his complete mythical history. From it and other sources we learn that he was one of the twins sup- posed to have been born of a virn;in mother in Utatlan, the central province of the Ki{;hes, to have been the guide and protector of their nation, and in its interest to have made a joiu'ncy to the Underworld, in order to revenge himself on his powerful enemies, its rulers. Ho was suc- cessful, and having overcome them, he set free the Sun, which they had seized, and restored to life four hundred youths whom they had slain, and who, in fact, were the stars of heaven. On his return, he emerged from the bowels of the earth and the place of lace located by the F .ohes near Coban, in Vera Paz, and came again to his people, looking to be received with fitting honors. JJut like Viracocha, Quctzalcoatl, and others of these worthies, the story goes that they treated him with saint courtesy, and in anger at their ingratitude, he left them forever, in order to seek a nobler people. I need not enter into a detailed discussion of this myth, * Popol Vuh, le Livre Sucre des Quich^n, p. 9 (Paris, 1861). 212 AMKHU'AN IIKItO-MYTIffl. many points in wliicli are olHciiro, tlu; less so nn I liavo tn'!if«' witiiout liny attempt having I)ccn tnacrtain tlu; procLso meaning and derivatiun lA' the name Votim. Superficial phonetic similarities have been the onl; guide. Wt; tt' not M'«'ll accjuainted with the Votun myth. It a|»poars to have heen written down some time in the seventeenth ei^ntury, by a (Christianized native. J lis manust-ript of five or six folios, in the T/endal tongn«», came into the possession of Nuflez de la Vega, JJishop of Chiapas, about lUDO, and later into the hands of Don Ramon Ordonez y Aguiar, where it was seen by Dr. Paul Felix Cabrera, about 1790. What has become of it is not known. No completo translation of it was made ; and thi; ex'^^acts or abstracts given by the authors just named are most unsatisfactory, and disfigured by ignorance and prejudice. None of thorn, probably, was familiar with the Tzendal tongue, especially in its ancient form. What they tell us runs as follows: — At aorae indefinitely remote epoch, Votan (!ame from the far East. Jle was sent by God to divide out and assiijn to the different races of men the earth on which they dwell, and to give to each its own language. The lanil whence ho came was vaguely called ualam uotan, the land of Votan. His message was especially to the Tzendals. Previous to his arrival they were ignorant, barbarous, and without 214 A M imrCA N 11 KHO-M YTIIH. lixed luihitiitions. Ilo colloctod tliciii into villages, taught them how to (uiltivaio tho luaizo and cotton, and invented tho hierojijlyphit! si^ns, whic^h they h'arncd to oarvc on the walls of their temples. It is ev(Mi said that Uo wrote his own history in them. lie institnted civil laws for their government, and im- parted to them the proper ceremonials of ndif^ious worship. For this reason he was also calhid '* Mastc^r of the Sacred ])riim," the instninuMit with which they summoiKMl the votaries to the ritual dances. They especially rememhered him as the inventor of their calendar. His namc! stood third in th(> week of twenty drys, and was tlie first Dominical sij^n, according to which they counted their year, eorresj)onding to the Ktm of the Mayas. As a city-bnildiU", he was spoken oi' as the founder of l*alcn(pi(!, Naehan, Hnchnotlan — in fact, of any anciicnt |)hice the origin of which had been forgotten. Niuir the last mentioned locality, llnehuetlan in Soeonus(!o, Ik; was re[)()rted to have constructed -.in underground temple by nuirely blowing with his breath. In this gloomy mansion he deposited iiis treasures, and ap[)ointed a priestess to guard it, for whose assistance he created the tapirs. Votan brought with him, according to )ne statement, or, according to another, was foliowc-d froni his native land by, certain attendants or suboi-dinatc^s, t-alied in the myth tzcqiiil, pettitioated, from the long and flowing robes they wore. These aided him in the work <\)i' civilization. THE DKI'AUTHUK OF VOTAN. 215 On four ooon-sions li(i ri'turtipd to Ins foriiuir homo, dividinj^ the (H)initry, when \w. was about to Icavo, into lour dis- triots, over whicli ho phiood th(!so attcndiints. Whon at hist tijo tlino camo for his final dcparfnrc, }io ii>rrsnii(i.s, I'rolofio (lldiim;, 1702); IJoturini, liicti dc una Nticva Ilistoria de la America septentrional^ pp. 114, rt Hetp, who discus.sos the formiir; Dr. Piuil Ktilix Cahrora, Teatro Critiro Aineri- m«o, tniiisliil.cd, FiOiKhiii. 1H22; l{ras.soiir dc BDiirhoiii'!;, /fist. 'h tliey are so classed in Mr. H. 11. l^ancroft's excellent work.' They have, however, a distinct relationship with the Zoipies, about tiiirty per cent of the wftrds in the two languages being similar." The Zcupies, whose mythology we unfor- (liviiiity ; later, we find n tjitx cah, Heart of the Sky (p. 8), u q> x uleu, Heart of the Earth, p. 12, 14, etc. I may here re|)eiit whiit I luive elsewhere written on this fij^nrative expression in the Maya languages: " The literal or ]ih}sieal sense of the word heart is not that wiiicli is here intendcid. In these dialects this word has a richer metaphorical meaning than in our tongue. It stands for all the psychical powers, the memory, will and reasoning faculties, the life, the spirit, the soul. It would be more correct to rcMider these names the 'Spirit' or 'Soul' of the lake, etc., than the 'Heart.' They indicate a dimly understood sense of the unity of spirit or energy in all the vai'ious manifestations of organic and inorganic existence." The Names of the Gods in the Kiche Myths, Central America, by Daniel G. Brinton, in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. xix, 1881, p. G23. ^ " Mijes, Maya nation," The Native Races of the Pacific States, Vol. V, p. 712. ^ Apitates sobre la Lengua Mije, por C. H. Berendt, m n., MS., in my hands. The comparison is made of 158 words in the two languages, of Avhich 44 have marked affinity, Ijcsides the numerals, eight out often of which are the same. Many of the remainint; words are related to the Zaj)Otec, and there are very few and faint resem- blances to Maya dialects. One of them may possibly be in this name, Votan (uotan), he.irt, however. In Mixe the word for heart is hot. I note this merely to complete my observations on the Votan myth. A MYTH OF THE MIXES. 219 tunately know little or nothing about, adjoined the Tzen- dals, and wore in constant intercourse with them. AV^e have but faint traces of the early mythology of these tribes ; but they preserved some legends which show that they also partook of the belief, so general among their neighbors, of a beneficent culture-god. This myth relates that their first father, who was also their Supreme God, came forth from a cave in a lofty mountain in their country, to govern and direct them. lie covered the soil with forests, located the springs and strorvms, })eopled them with fish and the woods with game and birds, and taught the tribe how to catch them. They did not believe that he had r(l- iii;;- (<» Moiiie accouiitH. IJut uccordinjr to otliorw, lio was drivt'ii away by \m Mtill'-iuckcd and unwilling auditors, wlio had ht'coino tired of iii.s advice. 'I'liey |»iirsiied liiin t(( tlie l)ank ol' a river, and there, thinking thai the qiticketjt riddance of liini waH to kill him, they din- elmr^ed tiieir arrows ut liini. But he eanj^ht the arrows in liiM hand and hurled then) back, atid dividing the wutertt oi tlie river by his divine power he walked between them to tile other bank, dry-shod, and disappeared from their view in the distanc^e. Jjike all the hero-gods, he left behind him the well- remembered promise that at some future tlay he should return to theuj, a'ld tUv.t a race of men should eome in time, to gather them into towns and rule them in peace/ These predictions were carefully noted by the missionaries, and rei^arded as the ** unconscious prophecies of heathen- dom" of the advent of Christianity ; but to mc they bear 1 "Ilium qiioqiio puUii'itiiin f'uisK!, se urKiuando has rcgionca revis- uriiin." Father Nohrega, uln suprd. For the other particulars I have given see Nieoluo del Teolio, Hi'toria I'rorincid! Paraipiarins, Lil). VI, cap. IV, " De D. Thomni Ajjostoli itiaerihus ;" and 1*. An- tonio Ruiz, Conquista Espirifual hechc ;'or los Religiosos de la Com- puilia de Jesiis tn las Provincias del Paraguay , Parana, Uruguay y Tape, fol. *2'.), 80 i4to., Madrid, lt)3'J), The remarkable identity of the words relating to their r"ligi(tus beliefs and observances throughout this widespiead group of tribes has been demonstrated and forcibly commented on l)y Alcide D'Orbigny, U Htunine Americaiii, vol. ii, J). 'J77. Thi^ V'ieomte de Porto Seguro identifies Zunie with the Cemi of the Antilles, and this etymology is at any rate not so fanciful as most of those he gives in his imaginative work, V Origim Touran- ienne des Americainen Tupisi vibes, p. 02 (Vienna, 187(J). THE TWO nrumiKRs. 227 too iminiMtakiihly tho stamp of tlu> li^lit-myth I linv*? Ik'cii following? ii|> in so imiuy locftlltios of the Xow World for me to ontortain a tloiiht about thnir origin and nu-aiiinj;. ^ have not yet cxhauHtcd thoHourcjes from which I could bring evidence of the wit ell, a term ^ Monographie des Dhni DindjU, par C. R. P. E. Petitot, pp. 84-87 (Paris, 1876). Elsewhere the writer says : "Tout d' abordje dois rappeler mon observation que presque toujours, dans les tradi- tions Dfenb, le couple primitif se compose de deux freres.'^ Ibid., p. 62. ATHABASCAN MYTHS. 229 they apply to cverytliing superniitural. He took to wife the claiijj;liter of tJie Sun (the Woman of Light), and by her begat the race of man. He formed the dry land for a place for them to live upon, and stocked the rivers with salmon, that they might have food. When he enters his nest it is day, but when he leaves it it is night; or, accord- ing to another myth, he has the two women for wives, the one of whom makes the day, the other the night. In the begiuing Yfil was white in plumage, but he had an enemy, by name Camiook, with whom he had various contests, and by whose machinations he was turned black. Y6l is further represented as the god of the winds and storms, and of the thunder and lightning.^ Thus we find, even in this extremely low specimen of the native race, the same basis for their mvtholoy-v as in the most cultivated nations of Central America. Not only this; it is the same basis upon wliich is built the major part of the sacred stories of all early religions, in both con- tinents ; and the excellent Father Petitot, who is so much iiupresscd by these resemblances that he founds u[)on them a learned argument o prove that the D6no are of oriental extraction,^ would have written more to the purpose had ' For the extent and particulars of this myth many of the details of which I omit, see Petitot, uhi siiprd, pp. 08, 87, note ; Matthew Macfie. Trove's in Vancourer Island and liritish Columbia, ]^). 452- 4u5 (London, 1805); and J. K. Lord, The Naturalist in Vancouver Island and British Columtda (London, 18(36). It is referred to by Mackenzie and other early writers. 2 See his ''Essai sur I'Origit. j des Dfenfe-Dindji6," in his Mono- graphic^ above quoted. 230 AMEUICAN HERO-MYTHS. his acquaintance with American religions been as extensive as it was with those of* Asiatic origin. There is one point in all these myths which I wish to briiig out forcibly. Tliat is, the distinction which is every- where drawn between the God of Light and the Sun. Unless this distinction is fully comprehended, American mythology loses most of its meaning. The assertion has been so often rej)eated, even down to the latest writers, that the American Indians were nearly all sun-worsliipers, that I take pains formally to con- tradict it. Neither the Sun nor the Spirit of the Sun was their chief divinity. Of course, the daily history of the appearance and disappearance of light is intimately connected with the apparent motion of the sun. Hence, in the myths there is often a seeming identification of the two, which I have been at no pains to avoid. But the identity is superficial only ; it entirely disappears in other parts of the myth, and the concc|)tions, as fundamentally distinct, must be studied separately, to reach accurate results. It is an easy, but by no means a profound method of treating these religions, to dismiss them all by the facile explanations of " animism," and " sun and moon worship." I have said, and quoted strong authority to confirm the opinion, that the native tribes of America have lost ground in morals and have retrograded in their religious life since the introduction of Christianity. Their own faiths, though lower in form, had in them the germs of a religious and KELIGION VERSUS MOLALITY. 231 moral evolution, more likely, with proper regulation, to lead these people to a higher plane of thought than the Aryan doctrines which were forced upon them. This may seem a daring, even a heterodox assertion, but I think that most modern ethnologists will agree that it is no more possible for races in all stages of culture and of widely different faculties to receive with benefit any one religion, than it is for them to thrive under one form of government, or to adopt with advantage one uniform plan of building houses. The moral and religious life is a growth, and the brash wood of ancient date cannot be grafted on the green stem. It is well to remember that the heathendoms of America were very far from wanting living seeds of sound morality and healthy mental educa- tion. I shall endeavor to point this out in a few brief paragraphs. In their origin in the human mind, religion and morality have nothing in common. They are even antagonistic. At the root of al) religions is the passionate desire for the widest possible life, for the most unlimited exercise of all the powers. The basis of all morality is self-sacrifice, the willingness to give up OiU* wishes to the will of another. The criterion of the power of a religion is its ability to command this sacrifice ; the criterion of the excellence of a religion is the extent to which its commands coincide with the good of the race, with the lofty standard of the " cate- gorical imperative." With these axioms well in miud, we can advance with 232 AMERICAN HERO-MYTHS. confidence to examine the claims of a religion. It will rise in the scale just in proportion as its behests, were they universally adopted, would permanently increase the hap- piness of the human race. In their origin, as I have said, morality and religion are opposites ; but they are oppositos which inevitably attract and unite. The first lesson of all religions is that we gain by giving, that to secure any end we must sacrifice some- thing. This, too, is taught by all social intercourse, and, therefore, an acute German psychologist has set up the formula, " All manners are moral," ^ because they all imply a subjo ion of the personal will of the individual to the general will of those who surround him, as expressed in usage and custom. Even the religion which demands bloody sacrifices, which forces its votaries to futile and abhorrent rites, is at least training its adherents in the virtues of obedience and renunciation, in endurance and confidence. But concerning American religions I need not have recourse to such a questionable vindication. They held in them far nobler elements, as is proved beyond cavil by the words of many of the earliest missionaries themselves. Bigoted and bitter haters of the native faiths, as they were, ^"Alle Sit'en sind sittlich." Lazarus, Urspnmr/ der Sitte, S. 5, quoted by Roskolf. I hardly need mention that our word moraliti/, from wtos, means by etymology, simply what is customary and of current usage. Tlie moral man is he who conforms himself to the opinions of the majority. This is also at the basis of Robert Browning's defi- nition of a people : " A i)eople is but the attempt of many to rise to the completer life of one " {A SouVs Tragedy). THE MORAL IDEAL. 233 they discovered in tliem so much that was good, so much tliat approximated to the purer doctrines that they Unmselves came to teach, that they have left on record nmny an attempt to prove that tiiere must, in some remote and unknown epoch, have come Ciiristian teachers to the New World, St. Tliomas, St. Bartholomew, monks from Ireland, or Asiatic disciples, to acquaint the natives with such salu- tary doctrines. It is precisely in connection with the myths wliich I have been relating in this volume that these theories were put forth, and I have referred to them in various passages. The facts are as stated, but the credit of developing these elevated moral conceptions must not be refused to the red race. They are its own property, the legitimate growth of its own religious sense. The hero-god, the embodiment of 'the Light of Day, is essentially a moral and beneficent creation. Whether his name be Michabo, loskeha, or Quetzalcoatl, Itzamna, Vira- cocha or Tamu, he is always the giver of laws, the instruc- tor in the arts of social life, the founder of commonwealths, the patron of agriculture. He casts his influence in favor of peace, and against wars and deeds of violence. He punishes those who pursue iniquity, and he favors those who work for the good of the community. In many instances he sets an example of chaste living, of strict temperance, of 00114. !ete subjection of the lusts and appetites. I have but to refer to what I huve already said of the Maya Kukulcan and the Aztec Quetzalcoatl, to show 234 AMERICAN IIERO-MYTIIS. this. Both pre particularly noted as characters free from the taint of indulgence. Thus it oe(!urrcd that the early njonks often express surprise that these, whom they chose to call savages and heathens, had developed a moral law of undeniable purity. " The matters that Boehica taught," says the chronicler Piedrahita, " were (sertaiidy excellent, inasnnich as these na- tives hold JUS right to do just the same that we do." " The priests of these Muyscas," he goes on to say, " lived most chastely and with great purity of life, insomuch that even in eating, their food was simple and of small (piantity, and they refrained altogether from women and marriage. Did one transgress in this respect, he was dismissed from the priesthood."^ The j)rayers addressed to these deities breathe as pure a spirit of devotion as *many now heard in Christian lands. Change the names, and some of the formulas j)reserved by Christobal de Molina and Sahagun would not jar on the ears of a congregation in one of our own churches. Although sanguinary rites were common, they were not usual in the worship of these highest divinities, but rather as propitiations to the demons of the darkness, or the spirits of the terrible phenomena of nature. The mild god of lighi did not demand them. To appreciate the effect of all this on the mind of the ^ " Las cosas que el Boehica les enseiiaba eran biienas, siendo assi, que tenian por malo lo mismo que nosotros tenemos por tal." Piedrahita, Historia General de las Couquistas del Nuevo Reyno de Granada, Lib. i, Cap. in. NATIVE LAWS. 236 race, let it he remeiiil)eretl that these culture-heroes were also the creators, the primal and most potent of divin- ities, and that usually many temples and a large corps of priests were devoted to their worshii), at least in the nations of hif^her (iivilization. These votaries were enga., 1!)7, 201. Annals of CiiHiilititliui. !»7. 00, 108. Ant()ni(». (>,, 140. Arj/oll, Ciipt, 45. Avila, FranciHCO de, 48. Havcuokt. U. IL, 21H. Bura^a, Fri'diTick, 47. HaHiileii(|ii(', D., 208. Hi'ccrra, 67. Beliran, do Santa Uo.sa, 147. Boi ndt. (;. If., 101, 218. B(Mi ' Diaz, 140. HiTlonit), L., 18;}. Bclanzos, Juan de, 189, 190. Bol)adilla, F. de, 100. Boturini, L., 215. Bourhonrg, BrasHonr de, see Bra.s- seur. BrasKeur (de Bourbourg), C, 49, lt31, 215. Bu.sclimann, J. C. E., 92. Butoiiv, Father, 50. Oahrkha, p. F., 216. Cainpanin.s, Thomas, 53. Canipljcli, John, 191. Carriedo, J. B., 219. IC Carrili.., Or. socncio, 147, 150. Char.'iicy, H. do, 78, 215. Chailovoix, P6io, 52. Chavoio, Alfrodo, (i4, 05, 72, 74, 79, 102. Chavos, (Jaltriol do, 81, 100. Chilan Bahini, Books of, 84. Clavi>.'oio, Frnnco.sco S., 70, Codox Borjriaini.s, 125. Codox Tolioiiano-UoinonsiH, 7a, »1, 120, 121, 124, 126. Codex Troano, 155. Codox Vaiicanu.s, 7.'J, 91, 125, 128, 129, l,3:i. C(tKolIndo, I). L. do, 146, 147, 149, l.'-)8. Conito, Angimtc, 18. Cortes, Hornan 140. Cox, Sir (Jeorire W., 31, 82, OS, 105. Cnoq, J. A., GO, 01. CiLsic, David, 58. Desjahdins, E., 191, 197. D'Orl.i^rriy, A., 183, 226. Duran, DIoko, 66, 84, 87, 92, 03. 109, 128. Elder, F. X., 160. FisfHER, Heixrich, 124. Franoo, P., 26, n. FuonLoal, Ramirez do, 73, 78, 90, 95, 98, 121. 241 242 INDEX. Gabkirl dk San Buenaventura, 147. Gurciii, G., 178, 188. Garcia y Ga.cia, A., 2(HJ. Gatscluit, A. S., 79. Gomara, F. L., 91, 156, 174. 196. Graiiados y Galvcz, J. J,, 237. Hai.e. Horatio, 63. Haupt, Paul, 80. H(Mnancl(!Z, Francisco, 148, 152, 158. Hfirnandoz, M , 174, 187. ' '-rrera, Antonio de, 83, 122, 162, 172, 179. 189, 190. Kolguin, D. G.,25, 170,179, 186, 196. Hnmbolt, A. v., 212. IxTi.ii.xocHiTL, F. A. de, 88, 89, 94, 90, 117, 129, 237. JoUBDANET, M., 81. Keaky, Charles F., 51, n. Kingsborough, Lord, 66, 69, 83, 87, etc. Lalemant, Father, 57. Landa, D. de, 146, 147, 149, 162, 166. Lang, .1 . D. , 206. Las Casas, B. de, 65, 95, 148, 168. Lazarus, Prof. , 232. Leon, Cie7>a de, 188, 200. Le Plongeon, Dr., 164. Lixana. B., 146, 167, 168. Lord. J K , 229. Lubbock, Sir John, 18. Macfie, M., 229. Ma')'i;an, Clarence, 113. Maikham, C. R., 46, 176, 177, 191. Melgar, J. M., 125. Mendii'ta, Qcroniino de, 08, 69, 91, 92, 96, 117, 126, 140. Mendoza, G., 102. Molina, Alonso de, 69, 78. Molina, C. de, 172, 173, 174. 175, 192, Montejo, Francisco de, 144. Motolinia, Padre, 91, 121, 129. Motul, Diccionario de, 153, 164, 166, 166, etc. MUller, Max, 23. NiEREMHEtto, E. de, 109, 118. Nobrega, E., 225, 220. Ollanta, drama of, 191, 192. Olmos, Andre de, 25. Orozco y Berra, Senor, 92. Oviedo, G. F. de, 160. Pachacuti, J. de, 183, 187, 190. Pech, Nakuk, 167. Perrot, Nicholas, 41, n. Petitot, P. E., 228, 229. Piedrahita, L. T., 221, 234, 235. Pinientel, F... 206. Pinart, A. L., 26, n. Pineda, E., 216. Pio Perez, J., 154, 164, 166. Popol Vuh, the 74, 77, 84, 138, 162, 111, 217. Porto Seguro, V. de, 226. Prescott, W. H., 200. Kau, Charles, 165. Rea, A. de la, 208. Rialle, G. de, 72, 206, 206. Roman, H., 149, 236. Roskoff, Gus'av, 18. Ruiz, A., 226. Sagard P^re, 53. Sahagun, B. de, 65, 70, 71, 84, 85, INDKX. 243 8!), 06, 100, 109, 11«, 120, 120, 128, 140, 235. Sanchez, ,Te,su.«, 165. Siintillan, P. de, 235. Schoolcraft, H. R , 47, 50, 52. Schiiltz-Sellack, Dr. C, 72, n 81, 131, 155. SchwartB, F. L. W., 151, 204. Short, J. T., 148, n. Simeon, Remi, 81. Simon, P., 223. Sotoinayor, J. de V., 168. Squier, E. O., 124, 197, 201. Stephens, J. L., 156, 162, 164. Strachey, William, 45. Tanner, John, 50, 52. Taylor, S., 206. Techo, N. de, 224, 226. Ternaiix-Compans, M, 72, n. Tezozomoc, A., 83, 119, 134, 136, 137, 139. Tiele, C. P., 34, 59, 60, 67, 127. 134. Tobar, .an dc, 69. Toledo, t\ do, 175. Torquemada, Juan de, 72, 90, 96, 118, 121, 128, 131, 134. Trumbui;, J. H., 23, 43. Taclnidi, J. J. von, 193, 198, 202. Uricoechka, E., 161, 222. Valkka, Blas, 193. Vega, aareillaso, de la, 173, 178, 188, 191, 193, 200. Vega, Nunez de la, 215. Veitia, 67, 86, 88, 96, 127. Waitz, Th., 206. Wiener, C, 196, 197, 201, Williams, Roger, 43, n., 238. Xahila, F. E. a., 85. Zkoarra, a. P., 187, 191. II. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Ahancay, in Pern, 107. Abstract expressions, 25. Aoan, Maya ftollation of, 75. (ruanacaure, n\ountaiu of, 181. Guaranis tribe, 224. Guayniis, tribe of Darien, 26. Guazacoalco, 117. Gucumatz, god of Kiches, 210. Hachacccxa, 176. Harrnachis, tlie sun-god, 67, n. Heart, symbol of, 217. Honotheisn\ in religions, 28. Hermaphrodite deities, 127, n. Hermes, Greek n)ytli of, 81, 132. Hill of Heaven, the, 92, 95. Hobnol, deity of the Mayas, 151, 152. Homonomy, 21. Huanacauri, 187. Huastec« the, 109, n. Huarochiri Indians, mji;h of, 46. Huayna Cupac, Inca, 194, 199. Huehuetlau, town of. 214. Huemae, a name of Quetzalcoatl, 109, 137. Hueytoepatl. an Aztec deity, 80. Hue Tlapallan, 89, 135. Hueytonantzin, an Aztec deity, 81. Huitzilopoehdi, Aztec deity, 73; birth of, 73 ; 77, 81, 106, 113, 181. Huitznahna, Aztec deity, 81. Hunchbacks, attendant on Quetz- alcoatl, 115, 137. Hunhunahpii, a Kiche deity, 77. Hunpictok, a Maya deity, 49. Hurons, myth of, 517. Hurukan, god of Kiehes, 211. Idea of Goo, evolution of, 18, 236. Ilia, mime of Viracocha, 170, 163. Incas, empire of, 169. Indra, 51. loskeha, the myth of, 53. " derivation of, 59. Iroquois, their location, 37. " hero myth of, 53. Itzamal, city of, 147. Itzamna, the Maya hero god, 33, 35, 146. " his names, 153, 157. Itzas, a Maya tribe, 163, 168. Itztlacoliuhqui, Aztec deity, 81. Ix-chebel-yax, Maya goddess, 151. Ixehel, the rainbow goddess, 148, 151. Ixcuin, an Aztec deity, 80, 81. Izonri, error for Itzamna, 149. Iztac Mixcoatl, 92. Jupiter, the planet, 187. KABinoNOKKA, the North, 45. Kabil, a name of Itzamna, 168. Kabun, the West, 45. Kiehes, myths of, 74, 77, 83, 85, 152, 210,217. INDEX. 247 Kinich ahau, a name of It/amna, 16;{, 158, Kinich iihaii Iiaban, 158. Kinich kakino, a name of Itzam- na, 158. Kukulean, myth of, 15!), •* meaning of name, 161, Languages, sacred, of priests, 26, •' American, 21, 28, 25, 204. Laws, native •Amerioaii, 235. liif, the Teutonic, 30. Liglit, its place in mythology, 29, Light-god. the, 29, 80, 222. " . color of, 33. Light, woman of, 228. Lucifer, worshiped by Mayas, 165. Maize, origin of, 52 Manco Capac, 178, 186. Mani, province of, 166. Marriage ceremonies, 127. Master of life, the, 40. Mat, the virgin goddess, 34. Ma Tlapallan, 118. Mayapan, destruction of, 144. " foundation of, 162. Mayas, myths of, 143, sqq. *' language, 218. " ancestors of, 216. " prophecies of, 167, 237. Meconetxin, a name of Quetzal- coatl, 95. Meztitlan, province of, 80, 95, 105. Michabo, myth of, 38. *' derivation of, 41. Michoacan, 207. Mictlancalco. 115. Mirror, the magic, 104, 114. Mirrors, of Aztecs, 71. Mixcoatl, a name of Tezcatlipoca, 94. Mixes, tribe, 218. Moneiieipii, a name of Tezcatli- l)()ca, 70, Monotiieism in Peru. 175, 179. Moon, in Algonkin myths, 47. " in Aztec myths, 71. Moquecpieioa, a name of Tezcat- lipoca, 70. Morals and religion, 232. Morning, house of the, 179. Moxos, myths of, luO. Moyocoyatzin, a name of Tezcat- lipoca, 70. Musk rat, in Algonkin mythology, 30, 42. Muyscas, myths of, 150,' 220. " kws of, 235, 238. Nahuatl, the language, 64. Nanucatltzatzi, an Aztec deity, 80. Nanih Way eh, 93. Nanihehecatle, name of Quetzal- coatl, 121. Narcissus, the myth of, 106. Nemtentqueteba, name of Bo- chica, 223. Kezahualcoyotzin, Aztec ruler, 236. Nezaualpilli, a name of Tezcatli- poca, 70. Nicaraouans, myths of, 160. Nonoalco, 99, 101. Nuns, houses of, 130. Oaxaca, province of, 219. Occhuc, town, 215, n. Ocelotl, the, 119. Odin, the Norse, 61, 142, 212. Ojibway dialect, the, 47; mvth, 60. 248 INDEX. Oinfitochtii, an Aztec doify, 105. Orolbale, Athalm.span, deity, 228 Osiris, the myth of, 33, 69, 141. Otomies, 'J I, 212. Otosis, ill myth buihliri«r. 22. Ottawtts, an Alponkiii trihc, 39. Owl, as a Hymhoi of the wind, 52. Oxomuco, in Aztec myth, 74, 12G. F\\fAUiNA, the, in Pmu, 17G. Piicnri tam|.n, 179, 180, 185, 186. Puchacanmc, 195. Paohayatluiclii, epithet of Vira- cocha, 173. Palenque, the cross of, 155. *' hiiildinK of, 214. Pantccati, Aztec deity, 81. Paniico, province of, 109, n. Papachtic, u name of Quetzal- coatl, ()9. Puriacaca, u Peruvian deity, 46. Paronyms, 21. Parturition, symbol of, 128, 223. Paths of the jjods, 220, 225. Pay zume, ji hero-<,'od, 224. Perseus, 30. Personification, 21. Peten, lalc(>, 108. Phallic emblems, 130, 131, 156. Phoibus, 30. I Pinahua, a Peruvian deitv, 178. i Pirhua, 181. Pirua, 187. Pochotl sonofQuetzalcoatl,12g,n, Polyonomy in myth building, 23. Prajers, purpose of, 19. to Quetzalcoatl, 128. to Viracocha, 172. Proper names in American lan- guages, 2:J. Prophecies of Mavas, 167. i. Prosopopeia, 21. Puhpie, inythseonceruing, 95,101, 105, 109, 123. Qahauii,, g,„l ofKiche.s, 210. Qquichna language, 25, 169. Q(luon!i, Peruvian deity, 197, Quatecziz(pie, priests so-called, 128. Qnauhtitlan, 114. Qu^tzalcoatl, identified with the Kast, 65 ; meaning of the name, 32, 66 ; as god, 73 ; contest with Tezeatlipoca, 64, 74 ; the hero of Tula, 82; worshij)ed in Cho- lula, 90 ; born of a virgin, 90 ; his bath, 97; as the planet Venus, 120 ; as lord of the winds, 120; god of thieves, 132; represent- ations, 132, Quetzalpetlatl, 101, 102, n. Ka, the Sun-god, 67, n., 191, n. Rabbit, the giunt, 38, in Algonkin myths, 38. in Aztec myths, 99, 105. 106. Rainbow, as a deity, 149, 151,223. Rains, gods of, 49, 51, 65, 121, 154, 196, 200. Red Land, the, see Tlaj.allan. Religions, classifications of, 18. the essence of, 19. and morals, 232. Repose, the place of, 187. Reproduction, myths concerning, 106. Resurrection, belief in, 201, 221. Romulus and Remus. 67. Saxd, place of, 89. (1 INDEX. 249 Sarnina mid Surau cyfts, a Sim- Ncrit myth, 81. Serpent Hymbol, the, CO, 180, 181, 161, 222. ScrpeiilH, thtian tieity, 00. Skunk, sacred to Tezeatiipuca, 71. Similsholl symbol, 128, Sogamoao, town, 220. Soma, the intoxicating,'. 105. Sons of the elonds, 84, 133. Sterility, relief from, 128. Sua, name of Boehica, 223. Sun worshij) in I'(!ru.l7«. " ill America, 230. Sun, the city of, 89. Suns, the Aztec, 78. Surites, deity of Tarascos, 208. Tahuantix Siiyu kapac, 180. Tampucpiiru, 180. Tamu, a hero-god, 223. Tapirs, 214. Tarascos, 91, 207. Taripaca, ei)ithet of Viracocha, 173, 182. Tawiscai-d, in Iroquois mvth, 35, 61. Tecpancaltzin, a Toltec king, 94. Teepatl, an Aztec deity, 49. Tehotennhiaron, Iroquois deity, 01. Tehunatopec tribes, 218. Tcimatini, aname of Tezcatlipoca, 70. Telephassa,mother of Cadmus,32. Telpochtli, a name of Tezctli- poca, 70. Tentetcmic, an Aztec deity, 80. Teocolhuacan, 92. Teonietl, the, 109. Te.xcalapan, 111, n. Texcaltlauhco, 111, u. Teyocoyani, a name of Tezcatli- l)oca, 70. Tezcatlachco, 118. Tezcatlipoca, Aztec deity, 09 : his names, 70, 90; derivation of name. 71 ; as twins, 73 ; eon- te.sts with QuetzaleoatI, 79,87, 97 ; slays Ometoohli, 105 ; dressed in the tiger skin, 120. Tezcatlipoca-Camaxlli, 08, 90, 91. Tezcuco, 230. Tharonhiawakon, in Iroquois, 60. Thieves, patron saint of, 31, 182. Thomas, Saint, in America, 05, 224. Thunder, myth of, 49. Tiahuanaeo, myth concerninjr. 184. Ticci, mime of Viracocha, 170, 195. Tiger, as a symbol, 119, 211. Titieaea lake, 169, 189, 192, 201. Titlacauan, a nami; of Tezcatli- poca, 70, 100. Tizapan, the White Land, 135. Tlacauepan, 106. TIaloc, Aztec deity, 75, 121, 123. Tlalocan, 124. TIamatzincatI, a name of Tezcatli- poca, 70. Tlanqua-cemilhuique, a name of the Toltecs, 87, n. Tlapallan, 89, 103, 135. TIatlallan, the fire land, 103. Tlillan, the dark land, 108. 250 INDEX. Tlillapa, the murky land, 134. 'I'lil|>()h)ii<(ui, a naino of Quotzal- <'()atl, lau. Tocapo, epithet of Viracoclm, 174, 178, 181. Toh, a Kiclie deity, 49. Tokay, epitiiot of Viracocha, 174, 178. Tollan, see Tula. Toilau-Cholollan, 8«. Tollan TIapallan, 57. Tollantzineo, 86. Toltecs, the, 85,86, 88, 111, 118, 126. Tonalan, 83. Tonatlan, 88. Tonaca cihuatl, an Aztec deity, 73. Tonaca teciitli, Aztec deity, 73, 90, 95. Topiltzin, a name of Quetzalcoatl, 90, 117. Toltec, an Aztec deity, 188. Totems, origin of, 40. Toveyo, the, 109. Tree of lift;, the, 122, 125. Tree of the Mirror, 75. Tualati, myth of, 79. Tukupay, epithet of Viracocha, 174. Tula, the mythical city of, 82, 83. Turn, Egyptian deity, 134, n. Tume. a hero-god, 282. Tuuapa, name of Viracocha, 182. Tupac Yupanqui, Inca, 194. Tupi-Guaranay tribes, 22.S. Twins, in mythology, 30, 45, 54, 67, 73, 92. Two brothers, myths of, 55, 64, 227. Tzatzitepec, the hill of shouting, 84. Tzendals, hero-myth of, 212. Tzinteotl, Aztec deity, 78. Ttzitzimime, Aztec deities, 78. IJ.V(; m(!tuii ahau, a name of It- zamiia, 153. Ualura ehivim, 216, Ualuni uotan, 218. Urcos, temple of, 193. Usapu, epithet of Viracocha, 173. Utatlan, province of. 211, 285. Vahk, lord of the, 165. Venus, the [danet, in myths, 46, 103, 120. Viracocha, myth of, 169. " meaning of, 190. " statues of, 193. " worship of, 280. Virgin cow, the, in Egypt, 33. Virgin-mother, myth of, 28, 34. 47, 54, 77, 90, 91, 211. Virgins of tlie sun, in Peru, 34. Votan, hero-god of Tzendals, 212. Wabawang, the morning star, 47. Wabun, or the East, 44, 45. Water, in mythology, 58, 72, n. " gods of, 59, 72, 75, 124, 150, 165, 209, 215. West, in mythology. 30 47. West wind, the, 47, 50. Wheel ef the months, 153. " of the winds, 121. White hero-god. the, 29, 59, 66, 96, 192, 220, 223. " land, 92. " serpent, 92. Winds, gods of, 46, 49, 51, 55, 120, 154, 199. World-stream, the, 97, 112. TNDEX. 361 X.vr.Ac, 89. Xhalaufiuo, hero-Rod of KichoH, 211. Xicapoyuu, tlu; bath (.f Quet/nl- coiifl, !>7, n. Xili.tziii, son of Quotznlcoatl, 12!». n. Xiu, Maya fumily of, 105. Xiiiiikiiiic, in Kichi! myth, 74. Xochid, tho maiden, 94. Xofhitlycacun, the rose garden, !>5. Xochiqiietzftl, an Aztec deity, 73, 74. YACAcoMirnQUi, Aztec deity. 131, Yarutecptli, Aztec deity, 131. Yahualii ehecuti, aname of Qnot- zaleoatl, 121. Vahihau, deity of Tzemhils. 215. Yale, deity of the D5nfe, 228. Yamqucsupa, lake of, 184. Yaotlnecoc, a name of Tezcatli- poca, 70. Yaotzin, a imme of Tezcatlipoca, 70. Yaqui, derivation of, 85, n. Yax-cociihmut, a name of It- zamna, 153. Yel, deity of Dfenfe, 228. Ymamana Viracocha, 173, 181. Yoalli checatl, a name of Tezcat- lipoea, 70, Yoamaxtii, a name of Tezcatli- poca, 90. Yocl of th(' winds, 121. Yolciiat Qiietzalcoat. 85. Yucatan; 96, 143, 144. Yunca hmguage, 169. Yupanqui, Iiiea, 236. Zaciax, 101. Zapala, epithet of Viracocha, 174. Za|)otec8, tribe, 218, 220. Zeus, the (Jreek, 32, 61. Zipaena, a Kiehe diety, 77. Zitacuarencuaro, a festival, 208. Zivena vitzcatl, 85. Zo(|ues, tribe, 218, 220. Zuhe, name of iJochica, 223. Zume, a iierogod, 223. Ziiyva, Tolian in, 85. LI BRARY OF ABORIGINAL AMERICAN LITERATURE, General Editor and Publisher: DANIEL G. BRINTON, M. D., 116 B. Beventh Bt.. Philadelphia. Tim Jtitn of tliis piililit'atioii is to put witliiii tln' njttch of sclmlars Hiitlii'titic iiiiiti'rixls for tli<- slinly of tli