The Aztec myth of the unlikeliest sun god - Kay Almere Read

Translator: Zahra Wijaya Reviewer: Ade Indarta

Nanahuatl, weakest of the Aztec gods, sickly and covered in pimples,

Nanahuatl, dewa Aztek yang paling lemah, culun dan penuh jerawat,

had been chosen to form a new world.

telah dipilih untuk membentuk dunia baru.

There had already been four worlds, each set in motion by its own “Lord Sun,"

Empat dunia baru sudah dibentuk, masing-masing digagas oleh "Dewa Matahari"

and each, in turn, destroyed:

tersendiri, dan semuanya hancur:

the first by jaguars, the next by winds,

yang pertama akibat jaguar, yang kedua karena angin kencang,

the next by rains of fire, and the fourth by floods.

yang ketiga sebab api, dan yang keempat akibat banjir.

To establish the Fifth Sun,

Untuk membentuk Matahari Kelima,

Lord Quetzalcoatl, the “Feathered Serpent,”

Tuan Quetzalcoatl, sang "Ular Berbulu,"

had gone to the underworld and returned with the bones of earlier people,

pergi ke dunia bawah dan kembali dengan tulang-tulang manusia awal,

nourishing them with his own blood to create new life.

memeliharanya dengan darahnya sendiri untuk menciptakan kehidupan baru.

But for them to have a world to live in,

Namun, agar mereka memiliki dunia,

another god had to leap into the great bonfire and become the fifth sun.

dewa lain harus melompat ke dalam api besar dan menjadi matahari kelima.

The Lord of Sustenance and the Lord of Fire had chosen Nanahuatl for this task,

Dewa Rezeki dan Dewa Api telah memilih Nanahuatl untuk tugas ini,

while the Lord of Rain and the Lord of the Four Quarters

sementara Dewa Hujan dan Dewa Empat Perempat

had picked their own offering: the proud, rich Tecciztecatl.

memilih jagoan mereka: Tecciztecatl yang kaya dan sombong.

First, the chosen ones had to complete a four-day fasting and bloodletting ritual.

Pertama, mereka harus menyelesaikan ritual puasa dan pertumpahan darah selama 4 hari.

Nanahuatl had nothing but cactus thorns with which to bleed himself,

Nanahuatl hanya memiliki duri kaktus untuk menumpahkan darahnya,

and fir branches to paint with his red offering,

dan batang fir untuk melukis dengan sesajian merahnya,

but he resolved to try his best.

tetapi ia memutuskan untuk mencoba yang terbaik.

Meanwhile, Tecciztecatl flaunted his riches,

Sementara, Tecciztecatl memamerkan kekayaannya,

using magnificent jade spines and branches adorned with iridescent quetzal feathers

menggunakan giok dan batang yang dihias dengan bulu burung berwarna warni

for his own blood offering.

untuk sesajian darahnya.

When four days had passed, the fire was roaring high.

Saat empat hari berlalu, api membara dengan panas.

Four times proud Tecciztecatl approached the flames,

Empat kali Tecciztecatl yang sombong mendekat ke perapian,

and four times he pulled back in fear.

empat kali ia mundur ketakutan.

Humble Nanahuatl stepped forward.

Nanahuatl yang rendah hati maju.

The other gods painted him chalky white and glued feathers to him.

Dewa-dewa lain melukis Nanahuatl menjadi putih pucat dan memasangkan bulu padanya.

Without hesitation, he threw himself into the flames.

Tanpa ragu, ia melompat ke dalam api membara.

A fire-blackened eagle swooped over the fire,

Burung elang hitam terbang di atas api,

grabbed Nanahuatl and carried him into the sky.

mengambil Nanahuatl dan membawanya ke langit.

There, Lord and Lady Sustenance bathed him,

Di situ, Dewa dan Dewi Rezeki memandikannya,

sat him on a feathered throne, and wrapped a red band around his head.

mendudukkannya pada tahta berbulu, dan mengikat pita merah pada kepalanya.

Inspired by Nanahuatl,

Terinspirasi oleh Nanahuatl,

Tecciztecatl threw himself into what was left of the fire: cooled ashes.

Tecciztecatl melompat ke sisa-sisa apinya: abu-abu.

A jaguar jumped over the fire pit, but couldn’t carry Tecciztecatl into the sky.

Seekor jaguar melompat di atas apinya, tapi gagal membawa Tecciztecatl ke langit.

When Tecciztecatl reached the horizon, a band of goddesses dressed him in rags.

Saat Tecciztecatl sampai ke cakrawala, sekelompok dewi-dewi datang

dan memakaikan gombal padanya.

Still, he shined just as brightly as Nanahuatl.

Namun, ia bersinar sama terangnya dengan Nanahuatl.

But since he had shown far less bravery and much more pride,

Namun, karena ia menunjukkan lebih banyak ketakutan dan kesombongan,

one of the gods picked up a rabbit and tossed it in his face,

salah satu dewa mengambil kelinci dan melemparkannya ke muka Tecciztecatl,

dimming his light.

meredupkan cahayanya,.

But the fifth world still wasn’t truly established.

Tetapi dunia kelima masih kurang mantap.

Nanahuatl, Lord Sun, shined for four days straight

Nanahuatl, Dewa Matahari, bersinar selama empat hari,

without moving through the sky like all the previous suns had moved.

tanpa bergerak di langit seperti matahari-matahari sebelumnya.

Back in their home, Teotihuacan, the gods began to worry.

Di tempat tinggalnya, Teotihuacan, para dewa mulai cemas.

They sent Obsidian Hawk up to ask what was wrong.

Mereka mengirimkan Elang Obsidian untuk menanyakan apa yang terjadi.

Nanahuatl replied that just as he had sacrificed himself to become Lord Sun,

Nanahuatl menjawab bahwa sebagaimana ia mengorbankan diri

untuk menjadi Dewa Matahari,

he now needed the nourishing blood of the other gods

ia sekarang memerlukan darah dewa-dewa lain

in order to move through the sky.

agar bisa bergerak di langit.

Enraged at this suggestion, Lord Dawn stepped up and shot an arrow at Lord Sun.

Saking marahnya dengan saran ini, Dewa Fajar menembakkan panah ke Nanahuatl,

Lord Sun shot back,

Dewa Matahari membalas,

and his quetzal-feathered arrows struck Lord Dawn in the face,

dan anak panahnya mengenai Dewa Fajar di muka,

turning him to frost.

mengubahnya menjadi es.

Before anyone else could act rashly,

Sebelum ada yang bertingkah gegabah,

the other gods turned to each other to discuss what to do.

dewa-dewi lain berdiskusi dengan satu sama lain.

Of course, no one wanted to sacrifice themselves,

Tentu saja, tidak ada yang mau mengorbankan diri,

but nor did anyone want to act like Lord Dawn.

tetapi tidak ada yang mau bertingkah seperti Dewa Fajar.

Besides, Nanahuatl had held up his end of the bargain to nourish the earth—

Nanahuatl juga telah menepati janjinya untuk memelihara bumi—

how could they refuse to nourish him in return?

bagaimana bisa menolak untuk memeliharanya kembali?

They remembered how even the wimpy Tecciztecatl

Mereka mengingat bagaimana bahkan Tecciztecatl yang lemah

had eventually managed to emulate Nanahuatl's bravery.

akhirnya mampu mencerminkan keberaniannya Nanahuatl.

At long last, five other gods agreed to sacrifice themselves.

Akhirnya, lima dewa merelakan diri untuk dikorbankan.

One by one, Lord Death stabbed them in the heart with an obsidian knife,

Satu per satu, Dewa Kematian menikam dewa-dewinya dengan pisau obsidian,

offering their bodies to their new Lord Sun.

menyajikan tubuhnya ke Dewa Matahari yang baru.

As the last god made the sacrifice,

Saat dewa terakhir dikorbankan,

Lord Quetzalcoatl blew the embers of the great fire back to life,

Quetzalcoatl meniup kembali bara apinya,

and the sun began to move through the sky at last,

dan matahari mulai bergerak melalui langit,

ushering in the fifth age.

memulai masa kelima.

Thanks to a pimply weakling whose fortitude inspired all the other gods,

Akibat keberanian si culun jerawatan yang menginspirasi semua dewa lain,

the sun moves along its daily path,

matahari bergerak di langit,

the rabbit-faced moon following in its wake.

bulan bermuka kelinci mengikutinya.