days he ascended to the sky, and every seven days he followed the path to the abode of the dead; every seven days he put on the nature of a serpent and he became truly a serpent; every seven days he put on the nature of an eagle and again of a tiger, and he became truly an eagle and a tiger; every seven days also he put on the nature of coagulated blood, and then he was nothing else but coagulated blood."[1]
Men and women alike might possess this magic power. This is shown in a curious little native story heard by Dr. Berendt in the wilds of Yucatan from a native woman, who told it to prove the value of salt as a counter charm to the machinations of these mysterious beings. The doctor wrote it down with scrupulous fidelity and added a verbal translation. As it has never been published, and as it is at once an interesting bit of authentic folk-lore, and a valuable example of the Maya language, I give it here in the original tongue and with a literal, interlinear translation:—
A MAYA WITCH STORY.
Huntu hxib tsoocubel yetel huntul xchup; ma tu yoheltah uaix
A man married with a woman; not did he know (her) as
uay. Hunpe kin tu yalahti: "Huche capel mut taab." Tu
a witch. One day he said to her: "Mix two measures (of) salt." She
huchah paibe, ca tu katah: "Baax tial tech?" Hunpel akab
mix'd (them) first, then she asked: "Why this (wishest) thou?" One night
pixaan hxibe ca tu yilah u hokol u yatan. Ca tu chaah u mazcabe
woke the man and he saw go out his wife. Then he took his axe
ca tu mucul thulbelah tu pach ti kax. Ca kuchioob ti chichan
and secretly followed behind (her) to the wood. When they arrived at a little
chakan, yan u zazil uh, ca tu mucuba hxib tu booy nohoch
meadow, there being a bright moon, then hid himself the man in the shade of a great
yaxche. Ca tu pucah u nok xchup tu pach, uaan xmabuc tu
seiba tree. Then threw her garments the woman behind (her), standing naked in the
tan uh: ca tu sipah u yothel, ca culhi chembac. Ca
face of the moon: then she stripped off her skin, and remained mere bones. Then
naci ti caan. Ca emi tucaten, ca tu yalahi: "Zazaba
she rose to the sky. When she came down again, then she said to him: Wouldst thou
xtac caan?" Hemac ma uchuc u nacal tucaten, tumen tu thootal
reach to the sky?" But not could she ascend again, because of the throwing
taab.
(of) salt.
- ↑ Popol Vuh; le Livre Sacré des Quiches, p. 315 (Paris, 1864).
