Identifier: mythsofmexicoper01spen (find matches)
Title: The myths of Mexico and Peru
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955
Subjects: Indians of Mexico Indian mythology Indians of Mexico Indians of South America Indian mythology Indians of South America
Publisher: New York, T. Y. Crowell company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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for a night each, but escaped from both. Butthey were not so lucky in the House of Bats. Asthey threaded this place of terror, Camazotz, Ruler ofthe Bats, descended upon them with a whirring ofleathern wings, and with one sweep of his sword-likeclaws cut ofFHun-Apus head. (See Mictlan, pp. 95, 96.)But a tortoise which chanced to pass the severed neckof the heros prostrate body and came into contact withit was immediately turned into a head, and Hun-Apuarose from his terrible experience not a whit the worse. These various houses in which the brothers wereforced to pass a certain time forcibly recall to ourminds the several circles of Dantes Hell. Xibalbawas to the Kiche not a place of punishment, but a darkplace of horror and myriad dangers. No wonder theMaya had what Landa calls an immoderate fear ofdeath if they believed that after it they would betransported to such a dread abode ! With the object of proving their immortal natureto their adversaries, Hun-Apu and Xbalanque, first226
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In the House of Bats William Sewell 226 THE HOUSES OF THE ORDEALS arranging for their resurrection with two sorcerers,Xulu and Pacaw, stretched themselves upon a bier anddied. Their bones were ground to powder and throwninto the river. They then went through a kindof evolutionary process, appearing on the fifth dayafter their deaths as men-fishes and on the sixth as oldmen, ragged and tatterdemalion in appearance, killingand restoring each other to life. At the request of theprinces of Xibalba, they burned the royal palace andrestored it to its pristine splendour, killed and resusci-tated the kings dog, and cut a man in pieces, bring-ing him to life again. The Lords of Hell were curiousabout the sensation of death, and asked to be killedand resuscitated. The first portion of their request thehero-brothers speedily granted, but did not deem itnecessary to pay any regard to the second. Throwing off all disguise, the brothers assembledthe now thoroughly cowed princes of Xibalba, andannou

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