Popol Vuh

by

Dennis Tedlock

The Four Hundred Boys Character Analysis

The Four Hundred Boys are a group of boy gods. When they try to trick Zipacna and kill him, they fail miserably: Zipacna ends up tricking and killing them. Hunahpu and Xbalanque avenge the boys' death and later, they ascend to the sky along with the twins to become the stars.
Get the entire Popol Vuh LitChart as a printable PDF.
Popol Vuh PDF

The Four Hundred Boys Character Timeline in Popol Vuh

The timeline below shows where the character The Four Hundred Boys appears in Popol Vuh. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Two
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
...shifts to Seven Macaw’s son Zipacna. One day, as he bathes on the shore, the Four Hundred Boys pass by dragging a log to build their hut. When Zipacna asks the boys what... (full context)
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
After Zipacna leaves, the Four Hundred Boys speak amongst themselves. They decide that what Zipacna does is evil, and they should kill... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
The Four Hundred Boys throw another massive log down into the hole and then hide themselves. They reason that... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
On the day that the Four Hundred Boys ' drink is finished, the boys all get drunk and lie languidly throughout their hut.... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
Hunahpu and Xbalanque are very sad to hear that their friends, the Four Hundred Boys , are dead. They decide that since Zipacna is greedy and spends every day eating... (full context)
Part Three
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
...agrees. As the louse scuttles in fits and starts, it comes across a toad named Tamazul. When the louse tells Tamazul that it has a message for Hunahpu and Xbalanque, Tamazul... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Rather than run like he promised he would, Tamazul hops leisurely in the direction of the ball court. Along the way, he meets a... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
...the falcon's eye, which heals it. The falcon promptly vomits up Zaquicaz, who then vomits Tamazul. (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
When Hunahpu and Xbalanque ask Tamazul to tell them his message, he says that his message is in his stomach. He... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
...and Xbalanque ascend to the sky to become the sun and the moon, and the Four Hundred Boys climb up as well to become the stars. (full context)