Similarities Between Popol Vuh And Genesis

The dawn of life has always interrogated the truth of humanity, the true origins of what actually occurred. Many religions lay upon interpretations for the beginning, one of which are the Quiché Maya. Written in the mid-1500 period, the holy scripture, Popol Vuh, of the Mayas contain their beliefs of the creation. The Popol Vuh can often be referred as the Mayan version of the Bible, which in fact, has similarities in Mayan view to the Christianity aspect. Through the interpretations of each story, Popol Vuh and Genesis, the creation in the Christian bible, each accommodate many resemblances in the stories of mans beginning.

Popol Vuh begins with the idea of empty divination; the Maker and the Feathered Serpent. The world was filled with no one, then the Word came, spoken by Maker and the Serpent. They first brought the land, creating a plate of earth. Then came the first creation, the animals. They were told to praise Their names. Deers, birds, panthers and serpents, but none could praise. They twittered, chattered, could not talk like the Gods, so they were

brought low. They will serve and not lead. The second creation then came, the first human form, made of wet mud. They looked bad, fell apart and didn’t look like it was Them who created it. Unsatisfied, They let the mud men melt on the watery sea. The third creation would be carved from wood, but still in the form of man. They walked, they talked, but didn’t remember the heart of creation. They overlooked the Maker and the Serpent. A huge flood was brought upon them, a great flood made to destroy them. The final creation was the true beginning of man. Humans born from maize, added with flaws, and their limitations of power. The final creation was finished, satisfying the Maker and Serpent. However, in Genesis, God formed the earth from a formless wasteland that was covered in darkness. God constructed everything in seven days. With separation of the land and waters, the dominion of animals, and in the last days, He replicated man in his image. God created the first man, Adam, from dust, along with his partner Eve. The Fall of Man explained the betrayal of man to God, creating original sin. After further exploitation, God sent a huge flood for humans to endure, to repay original sin. God left the earth how it was, establishing his covenants for his promise to never do again what he did.
In a like manner, there are clear connections between both stories of the beginning. One and the other begin to explain the idea of earth’s origin, referencing a God who created everything. Both emphasize a God, or Gods, who created everyone one and everything on the planet. A plate of the sea was put to separate the land and water; plants, trees, valleys and mountains began to advance within the first days. The God’s introduced animals to world, telling them humans will have dominion over them. Man was the last creation, created as an image of God, but with imperfections, so neither would have equal power as the Gods. In both literary works, the all-knowing beings portrayed their displeasure of the worlds, especially on the humans. With Popol Vuh, it took four tries to create a pleasuring human form. Each time, they weren't close to what they imagined. Even on the last creation with the people of the maize, they were given flaws, they could not have an equal power than the Gods themselves. With Genesis, after the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God withdrew the knowledge of the human race, he gave them disadvantages within nature, and the knowledge of good and evil was now apprehended.
The disasters of flood are also found in both works.

In Genesis, God is upset with the world, especially with the corruption and the amount of sin that has spread within the people; as a result, God spares Noah, who is worthy of salvation, to build an ark, survive the waters, and witness the death of the humans. The flood was used as a symbol of Gods regret; He had not been satisfied with the first wave of humans, so the flood was used to start over again. In Popol Vuh, the flood was used similarly like a punishment and cleansing. The Maker and Serpent carved the third creation of wood. They looked like people, talked, walked and multiplied, but they had no minds. They forget the heart of creation. They did not remember the Maker and Serpent, so they brought upon them a flood, made to destroy them. The presence of floods used to wipe humanity is a similar catastrophe used within both works of

creation.
There is a great deal of similarities within both works of literature, but both are priceless documents in many ways. The Quiché Maya was a thriving culture in northern-central parts of ancient Guatemala, with the Popol Vuh, it offered an insight into the ancient culture. The Holy Bible is the foundational truth of the origin of sin, explanation for death, and contains life-changing messages and so on. Each literary texts delivers a chance to allow a person to find spiritual truth and make moral right decisions. The similarity of creation allows a person to understand why I am her, what happened and why. Both works represent an element that has connected races and societies, giving a meaning for life, and a chance for the hopeless.