About
Lewis Spence's long "Popol Vuh" piece from 1908 is one of the earliest expressions of interest in the Mayan collection of myths and legends. Spence was an occult folklorist and journalist who likely helped bring attention to the Father Francisco Ximénez manuscript from ca. 1700-1703; which, by 1947, would result in serious scholarly interest in the work.
Source: OMNIKA
Access
Read for free
External sources
Primary
Myth
Deities first created the world and made humans from clay, then wood. These humans were emotionless and destroyed by the deities in a flood, who turn them into monkeys. Later, the first four people are made and named after the Jaguar animal.
Belief system
Mayan religion refers to the spiritual beliefs and customs of some indigenous people from Mesoamerica, mainly Mexico and Guatemala.
Myths cited
It looks like only the main myth was referenced in this work.
Belief systems cited
It looks like only the main belief system was referenced in this work.
Artifacts cited
Contributor
Cite this work
ChicagoSpence, Lewis. "The Popol Vuh: The Mythic and Heroic Sagas of the Kiches of Central America," Popular Studies in Mythology Romance & Folklore, no. 16 (New York, NY: AMS Press, 1972): 210-271. [Reprint of first edition: London, England: David Nutt, 1908]
