The village of Socotz once thrived peacefully until an enraged sorcerer sought revenge by burying nine black wax dolls to curse the land. Though another sorcerer uncovered seven, two dolls remained hidden, becoming harbingers of evil winds at dawn. The villagers, in fury, killed the sorcerer, but the curse persisted. To this day, the two evil winds bring sickness to Socotz.
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
Divine Punishment: The villagers suffer from a curse due to the sorcerer’s actions.
Revenge and Justice: The villagers retaliate against the sorcerer for cursing them.
Conflict with Nature: The villagers face illness brought by evil winds, representing a struggle against natural forces.
► From the same Region or People
Formerly the people of Socotz lived happily and free from those numerous maladies caused by evil winds. These good times came to an end when a certain sorcerer became enraged with the inhabitants of the village and plotted their destruction. In order to accomplish this, he made nine dolls of black wax (qes), which he buried under the ground, one close to each of the gullies that meander through the village. Luckily for the future of the community another sorcerer divined the wickedness that was contemplated. With the help of some of his friends he searched for and found seven out of the nine dolls. Search as they would, they could not find the remaining two images.
► Continue reading…
Feverishly they searched all through the night, but in vain. They knew that at dawn the two dolls, if not found and destroyed, would come to life, and start their evil tricks. When the sun had risen, and the evil was past remedy, they informed the elders of the village of the danger that threatened the community. The infuriated villagers sought out the evil sorcerer, and, dragging him and his family into the neighboring woods, murdered the lot. But the evil had been done, and to this day Socotz suffers from the two evil winds caused by the two wax images that escaped. These two evil winds are the source of much of the sickness in Socotz.
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Dreamtime Whispers 