Adam, lonely in the garden, received a rooster, then a dog, but remained dissatisfied. God created Eve from Adam’s rib. A snake split its skin trying to climb the garden wall, marking snakes’ lifelong shedding. After leaving the garden, Adam struggled to clear land but feared bleeding trees. God’s messenger helped, planting maize and other crops through divine effort, establishing sustenance for humanity.
Source
Ethnology of the Mayas of
Southern and Central British Honduras
by John Eric Thompson
Field Museum of Natural History
Anthropological Series, Pub.274, Vol.17.2
Chicago, 1930
► Themes of the story
Creation: The narrative describes the origins of humanity, the formation of Eve from Adam’s rib, and the establishment of agriculture, detailing how the world and human life began.
Origin of Things: The tale explains natural phenomena, such as why snakes shed their skins, attributing it to the snake’s attempt to climb the garden wall and splitting its skin in the process.
Harmony with Nature: The story emphasizes the importance of understanding and working with the natural world, as seen when Adam learns to cultivate the land with divine guidance, leading to a fruitful and sustainable existence.
► From the same Region or People
At first Adam was alone in the garden. He was lonely and wanted a partner and asked God for one. God gave him a rooster, but Adam complained that the rooster was never there. Then God sent him a dog. Adam still was not satisfied, saying that the dog could not talk except by wagging his tail. Then when he was sleeping, God took out one of his ribs and made Eve. There was a wall around the garden, and the snake, trying to get over the wall, split his skin. From that time snakes have always cast their skins. Adam and Eve left the garden and found a large stone house, where they lived. They had no machetes, and the only food to eat was tsib. Adam wanted to make a plantation.
► Continue reading…
The messenger of God gave him an axe and a machete, telling him to fell the four trees that stood at the four corners of the plantation. When he went to cut down the first tree, the tree called out to him, “Don’t cut me down.”
Adam made a small cut, and blood started to come out of the tree. Adam was afraid and went away. Later the messenger came and asked him why he had not cut down the four trees. Adam told him what had happened, and that he was afraid, but the messenger replied, “That is the way all over the world.” The messenger then chopped down the four corner trees, one cut to each side of the trunk. When the four corner trees fell, all the other trees in the plantation fell as well. When the plantation was dry, Adam burnt it off, but he had no seed to sow. The messenger of God promised to sow it. He took a stick and sharpened the point. He took corn in one hand, and thrust the stick into the ground. He was sweating, so he took the sweat and threw it into the hole. Then he placed a little earth on top of the hole. In this way he made holes at all four corners of the plantation, and one in the center. At the end of a week the field was full of maize, beans, squashes and all the fruits of the world.
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Dreamtime Whispers 