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

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Kristina Radosavljević

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

Nanauat, najslabiji astečki bog, bolešljiv i prekriven bubuljicama,

had been chosen to form a new world.

odabran je da stvori novi svet.

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

Već su postojala četiri sveta

koje su pokrenuli zasebni „gospodari sunce“,

and each, in turn, destroyed:

i svaki je redom uništen:

the first by jaguars, the next by winds,

prvi su uništili jaguari, sledeći vetrovi,

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

naredni kiše vatre, a četvrti poplave.

To establish the Fifth Sun,

Da bi se uspostavilo peto sunce,

Lord Quetzalcoatl, the “Feathered Serpent,”

gospodar Kecakoalt, „pernata zmija“,

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

otišao je u podzemlje i vratio se sa kostima ljudi iz prošlosti,

nourishing them with his own blood to create new life.

hraneći ih svojom krvlju kako bi stvorio novi život.

Ali da bi imali novi svet u kome će živeti,

But for them to have a world to live in,

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

još jedan bog je morao da skoči u veliku vatru i postane peto sunce.

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

Gospodar održanja i gospodar vatre izabrali su Nanauata za ovaj zadatak,

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

dok su gospodar kiše i gospodar četiri kvartala

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

odabrali svoju žrtvu: ponosnog, bogatog Teksistekata.

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

Prvo su odabrani morali da obave ritual četvorodnevnog posta i puštanja krvi.

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

Nanauat je imao samo trnje kaktusa da bi sebi pustio krv,

and fir branches to paint with his red offering,

i jeline grane koje bi obojio kao svoj crveni dar,

but he resolved to try his best.

ali rešio je da dȃ sve od sebe.

Meanwhile, Tecciztecatl flaunted his riches,

Za to vreme se Teksistekat razmetao svojim bogatstvom,

using magnificent jade spines and branches adorned with iridescent quetzal feathers

koristeći veličanstvene bodlje od žada i grane ukrašene prelepim ptičjim perjem

for his own blood offering.

za svoju krvnu žrtvu.

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

Kada su prošla četiri dana, vatra je plamsala visoko.

Four times proud Tecciztecatl approached the flames,

Ponosni Teksistekat je četiri puta prišao plamenu

and four times he pulled back in fear.

i četiri puta ustuknuo u strahu.

Humble Nanahuatl stepped forward.

Skromni Nanauat je istupio.

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

Drugi bogovi su ga obojili u belo i izlepili perje po njemu.

Without hesitation, he threw himself into the flames.

Bez oklevanja, bacio se u plamen.

A fire-blackened eagle swooped over the fire,

Orao pocrneo od vatre sručio se iznad vatre,

grabbed Nanahuatl and carried him into the sky.

zgrabio Nanauata i odneo ga na nebo.

There, Lord and Lady Sustenance bathed him,

Tu su ga gospodar i gospodarica održanja okupali,

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

postavili ga na pernati presto i obavili mu crvenu traku oko glave.

Inspired by Nanahuatl,

Inspirisan Nanauatom,

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

Teksistekat se bacio u ono što je ostalo od vatre: ohlađeni pepeo.

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

Jaguar je skočio iznad vatrišta,

ali nije mogao da odnese Teksistekata u nebo.

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

Kada je Teksistekat dosegao horizont, grupa boginja ga je obukla u dronjke.

Still, he shined just as brightly as Nanahuatl.

Ipak, sijao je isto kao Nanauat.

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

Ali pošto je pokazao daleko manje hrabrosti

i mnogo više ponosa,

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

jedan od bogova je uzeo zeca i bacio mu ga u lice,

dimming his light.

čime mu je prigušio svetlo.

But the fifth world still wasn’t truly established.

Ali peti svet i dalje nije zaista bio utvrđen.

Nanahuatl, Lord Sun, shined for four days straight

Nanauat, gospodar sunca, sijao je četiri dana bez prestanka

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

a da se nije pomerao nebom kao što su to činila prethodna sunca.

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

Kod kuće, u Teotivakanu, bogovi su počeli da se brinu.

They sent Obsidian Hawk up to ask what was wrong.

Poslali su opsidijanskog sokola da pita šta nije u redu.

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

Nanauat je odgovorio da, kao što se on žrtvovao da postane gospodar sunca,

he now needed the nourishing blood of the other gods

sada mu je potrebna hranljiva krv drugih bogova

in order to move through the sky.

kako bi se kretao nebom.

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

Razjaren zbog ovog predloga,

gospodar zore je iskoračio i gađao gospodara sunca strelom.

Lord Sun shot back,

Gospodar sunca je uzvratio,

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

i njegove strele sa ptičjim perjem pogodile su gospodara zoru u lice,

turning him to frost.

pretvorivši ga u mraz.

Before anyone else could act rashly,

Pre nego što još neko reaguje nepromišljeno,

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

ostali bogovi su se okrenuli jedni drugima kako bi razmotrili šta da rade.

Of course, no one wanted to sacrifice themselves,

Naravno, niko nije hteo da se žrtvuje,

but nor did anyone want to act like Lord Dawn.

ali niko nije hteo ni da postupi kao gospodar zore.

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

Osim toga, Nanauat je održao svoj deo pogodbe da hrani zemlju,

how could they refuse to nourish him in return?

pa kako mogu da ga odbiju da zauzvrat hrane njega?

They remembered how even the wimpy Tecciztecatl

Setili su se kako je čak i kukavica Teksistekat

had eventually managed to emulate Nanahuatl's bravery.

naposletku uspeo da oponaša Nanauatovu hrabrost.

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

Napokon, petoro drugih bogova pristalo je da se žrtvuje.

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

Jednog po jednog, gospodar smrt ih je ubadao u srce

nožem od vulkanskog stakla,

offering their bodies to their new Lord Sun.

prinoseći njihova tela kao žrtvu novom gospodaru suncu.

As the last god made the sacrifice,

Kada se poslednji bog žrtvovao,

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

gospodar Kecakoalt je raspalio žar povrativši veliku vatru,

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

i sunce je konačno počelo da se kreće po nebu,

ushering in the fifth age.

uvodeći peto doba.

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

Zahvaljujući bubuljičavom slabiću

čija je hrabrost inspirisala sve ostale bogove,

the sun moves along its daily path,

sunce se kreće svojom dnevnom putanjom,

the rabbit-faced moon following in its wake.

a sledi ga mesec sa licem zeca.