﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  315 
  

  

  MYTHOLOGY 
  AND 
  LITERATURE 
  

  

  Myths 
  and 
  legends. 
  — 
  The 
  Inca 
  tales 
  that 
  have 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  us 
  

   are 
  all 
  either 
  origin 
  myths 
  or 
  historical 
  legends; 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  indication 
  

   in 
  the 
  chroniclers 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  animal 
  fables 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  modern 
  

   Quechua 
  and 
  Aymara 
  tell. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  

   case 
  for 
  the 
  European 
  origin 
  of 
  these 
  animal 
  fables, 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  common 
  motives 
  and 
  the 
  silence 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  older 
  writers, 
  

   but 
  the 
  question 
  is 
  better 
  left 
  open. 
  Peruvian 
  scholars 
  in 
  particular 
  

   are 
  taking 
  a 
  new 
  interest 
  in 
  folklore, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  their 
  

   work 
  will 
  produce 
  fresh 
  evidence 
  bearing 
  on 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  doubtful 
  

   points. 
  

  

  Inca 
  origin 
  myths 
  are 
  attempts 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  natural 
  

   objects, 
  shrines, 
  and 
  human 
  customs, 
  and 
  from 
  their 
  very 
  nature 
  they 
  

   varied 
  greatly 
  from 
  one 
  village 
  to 
  another. 
  The 
  best-known 
  series 
  

   is 
  that 
  current 
  at 
  Cuzco 
  in 
  the 
  16th 
  century, 
  which, 
  except 
  as 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  indicated, 
  is 
  given 
  here. 
  Garcilaso 
  is 
  not 
  cited 
  because 
  his 
  testi- 
  

   mony 
  on 
  religion 
  and 
  history 
  is 
  extremely 
  untrustworthy. 
  The 
  mass 
  

   of 
  source 
  material 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  space 
  permits 
  only 
  brief 
  summaries 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  myths. 
  

  

  The 
  Creation 
  by 
  Viracocha. 
  — 
  Viracocha, 
  the 
  Creator 
  (i. 
  e., 
  Ilya 
  

   tiqsi 
  wiraqoca 
  pacayacaciq) 
  , 
  made 
  a 
  world 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  sky 
  and 
  

   left 
  it 
  in 
  darkness. 
  Then 
  he 
  decided 
  to 
  make 
  people 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  it, 
  so 
  

   he 
  carved 
  statues 
  of 
  stone 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  giants 
  and 
  gave 
  them 
  life. 
  

   After 
  a 
  while, 
  when 
  the 
  giants 
  displeased 
  him, 
  he 
  destroyed 
  them 
  by 
  

   turning 
  some 
  to 
  stone 
  at 
  Tiahuanaco, 
  Pucara, 
  and 
  other 
  places, 
  and 
  

   overwhelming 
  the 
  rest 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  flood 
  (ono 
  pacakoti, 
  "water 
  

   cataclysm"), 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  saved 
  only 
  two 
  assistants. 
  

  

  Then 
  he 
  created 
  a 
  new 
  race 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  size 
  to 
  replace 
  the 
  giants 
  he 
  

   had 
  destroyed. 
  First 
  he 
  gave 
  the 
  world 
  light 
  by 
  causing 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  

   moon 
  to 
  emerge 
  from 
  the 
  Island 
  of 
  Titicaca. 
  The 
  moon 
  was 
  origi- 
  

   nally 
  brighter 
  than 
  the 
  sun, 
  but 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  jealous 
  and 
  threw 
  a 
  

   handful 
  of 
  ashes 
  in 
  the 
  moon's 
  face, 
  which 
  obscured 
  her 
  brilliance. 
  

   Then 
  Viracocha 
  went 
  to 
  Tiahuanaco, 
  where 
  he 
  modeled 
  animals 
  and 
  

   men 
  out 
  of 
  clay, 
  each 
  species 
  and 
  tribe 
  in 
  its 
  proper 
  shape. 
  On 
  the 
  

   models 
  of 
  men, 
  he 
  painted 
  the 
  clothes 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  wear. 
  Then 
  

   he 
  gave 
  men 
  their 
  customs, 
  food, 
  languages, 
  and 
  songs, 
  and 
  ordered 
  

   them 
  to 
  descend 
  into 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  emerge 
  from 
  caves, 
  lakes, 
  and 
  

   hills 
  in 
  the 
  districts 
  where 
  he 
  instructed 
  them 
  to 
  settle. 
  Viracocha 
  

   himself 
  set 
  out 
  toward 
  the 
  north 
  with 
  his 
  two 
  assistants 
  to 
  call 
  the 
  

   tribes 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  obeying 
  his 
  commands. 
  

  

  Viracocha 
  took 
  the 
  central 
  route 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  Inca 
  moun- 
  

   tain 
  highway, 
  and 
  sent 
  one 
  assistant 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  Coast 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  to 
  inspect 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  forests. 
  Many 
  people 
  along 
  

  

  