Learn Names / Mosquito Leg Hair

Then they left, each with his blowgun, and descended to Xibalba. They quickly
went down the steps, passing through various river canyons. They passed through the
midst of many birds. “Flocks” was the name of the birds.

And again they passed over Pus River and Blood River. In their hearts, the
Xibalbans had intended these as traps. But they were not troubled. They just passed over
them, floating on their blowguns.

When they came to the four crossroads, they already knew the roads of Xibalba—
the Black Road, the White Road, the Red Road, and the Blue/Green Road.

Then they sent an insect named Mosquito. They sent him on ahead to obtain for
them what he could hear:

“You shall bite each one of them in turn. Bite the first one seated there and then
keep on biting them until you have finished biting all of them. It will be truly yours then
to suck the blood of people on the road,” the mosquito was told.

“Very well then,” said the mosquito.

So then he went along the Black Road until he alighted behind the effigies of
carved wood. The first ones were all dressed up. He bit the first one, but there was no
response. Then he bit the second one seated there, but he did not speak either.
Next he bit the third one seated there, who was One Death—“Ouch!” said each
one when he was bitten. “What?” was their reply:

“Ow!” said One Death.

“What, One Death? What is it?”

“I am being bitten!”

“It’s just . . . Ow! What was that? Now I am being bitten!” said the fourth one
seated there.

“What, Seven Death? What is it?”

“I am being bitten!”

Next, the one seated fifth said, “Ow! Ow!”

“Flying Scab,” asked Seven Death, “what is it?”

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Then the sixth one seated there was bitten. “Ow!”

“What, Gathered Blood? What is it?” asked Flying Scab.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Next, the seventh one seated there was bitten. “Ow!” he said.

“What, Pus Demon? What is it?” asked Gathered Blood.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Then the eighth one seated there was bitten. “Ow!” he said.

“What, Jaundice Demon? What is it?” asked Pus Demon.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Then the ninth one seated there was bitten. “Ow!” he said.

“What, Bone Staff? What is it?” asked Jaundice Demon.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Then the tenth one seated there was bitten. “Ow!”

“What, Skull Staff? What is it?” asked Bone Staff.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Then the eleventh one seated there was bitten. “Ow!” he said next.

“What, Wing? What is it?” asked Skull Staff.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Next, the twelfth one seated there was bitten. “Ow!” he said.

“What, Packstrap? What is it?” asked Wing.

“I am being bitten!”

Next was bitten the thirteenth one seated there. “Ow!”

“What, Bloody Teeth? What is it?” asked Packstrap.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Then the fourteenth seated one was bitten. “Ow!”

“What, Bloody Claws? What is it?” asked Bloody Teeth.

“I am being bitten!” he said.

Thus their names were named. Each of them revealed the name of the other. Each
of the individuals in order of their rank had his name revealed by the one who sat next to
him. Not one of their names was missed until all of the names were named when they
were bitten by a hair that Hunahpu had plucked from the front of his knee. It wasn’t
really a mosquito that had bitten them. And so Hunahpu and Xbalanque heard the names
of all of them.

Thus they came to where the Xibalbans were.

“Hail these lords who are seated there,” said a tempter.

“These are not lords. These are merely effigies carved of wood,” they said. Then
they hailed each one of them:

“Morning, One Death. Morning, Seven Death.
Morning, Flying Scab. Morning, Gathered Blood.
Morning, Pus Demon. Morning, Jaundice Demon.
Morning, Bone Staff. Morning, Skull Staff.
Morning, Wing. Morning, Packstrap.
Morning, Bloody Teeth. Morning, Bloody Claws,” they said when they
arrived there.

All of them had their faces revealed, for all of their names were named. Not one
of their names was missed. When they were called upon, they gave the names of each one
without leaving any of them out.

“Sit down here,” they were told, for it was desired that they sit on top of the
bench. But they didn’t want to:

“This isn’t a bench for us. It is merely a heated stone,” said Hunahpu and
Xbalanque. Thus they were not defeated.


- Popol Vuh