The twins who tricked the Maya gods of death - Ilan Stavans

[@Alkalus]

"They survived the House of Cold by lighting a fire." *Simple problems require simple solutions.*

[@gardenhead92]

"They survived the House of Hot by eating ice-cream"

[@Heyimjustriver]

“They survived in the house of dark by turning on the light”

[@hystericalbroad]

"They survived the House of Death by living."

[@MAR_abisal]

"They survived the House of Hunger by eating."

[@Alkalus]

@@MAR_abisal This...this is the best one I've seen so far.

[@cyrlllzz__ed]

Twins : play with ball The Gods: *And we took that personally*

[@jaars.7532]

Jajaja. En the story the gods are anoyed because they made to much noise playinh

[@akshayakaivalya3452]

Nice meme

[@The-wo4du]

Because They Had the balls to play the ball

[@TheChamp820]

@@jaars.7532 Zeus making lots of noise:haha thunder go boom

[@kanrup5199]

this is normal. like, you go past two little kids on street throwing up a ball and screaming fury, and you get annoyed...like...why aren't they paying taxes?!? >:(

[@number1kenyan]

0:36 ‘’The skull spat on her hand, and impregnated her’’ *Zeus: Not bad kid*

[@crimsoninsight97]

Zeus: check this out Zeus: *impregnates a girl while transformed into a pile of gold coins*

[@ZOCCOK]

Zeus: check this out Zeus: *impregnates a girl while transformed into a ant*

[@S0NAL_]

Zeus: check this out Zeus: impregnates a girl while transformed into a snake

[@suapanpina]

Zeus: check this out Zeus: impregantes a girl while transformed into a water molecule

[@derpatel9760]

LOLLLL. DUDE, YOU MADE ME CRY FROM LAUGHTER!!!

[@fnchwzrd3143]

I love how the narrator manages to keep what sounds like a straight face while saying things like "his skull spat on his hand an impregnated her" that's professionalism eight there.

[@Saint_DayBreak]

The Gospel of jesus christ kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6Krhoatottmnck

[@colleen9493]

Right, not eight

[@Saint_DayBreak]

@@colleen9493 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6Krhoatottmnck The Gospel of jesus christ

[@monochromeart7311]

@@Saint_DayBreak do you have the Gospel of your lizard overlord, Mark Zuckerberg? Edit: typo

[@Saint_DayBreak]

@@monochromeart7311 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6Krhoatottmnck

[@sixthcavalier]

I read this story in highschool, since here in Guatemala you used to be obligated to take mayan language and culture classes and theyd make us read the popol vuh. Its nice to see it narrated and animated. also small correction; the X in mayan languages is pronouned like a SH sound

[@sixthcavalier]

@@feitme he said it pretty much perfectly asides from just that minor detail about the X. so basically "ishb-alankeh" with the - representing a glottal stop. there might be variations to his name though, since mayan dialects can vary greatly

[@373Claudia]

You used to study Mayan language in high school? I mean, culture and history sure, but language as you would study English or French? Really interested

[@enki_guate]

@@373Claudia yes, but only certain private schools and some poor schools in the high mayan population cities you can learn it as other language. In the capital you won't learn them un a good way in school. The government said we should know any mayan language but the education system doesn't allow to learn it correctly (English or other international language could be learn better in a private language school but not in the public system) at least since my own experience.

[@enki_guate]

@@feitme the "x" in mayan words you must say the "sh" sound like "she" or "shadow" instead of "ks" like "exit". Ex: Xela (it is a nickname for Quetzaltenango, a big city in the west side of the country) so you should say: "shela" instead of "ksela". That is because in the 16th century the spanish language used to mark the sound "sh" with the letter "x"

[@itismethatguy]

@@373Claudia it’s kinda normal. Why would they study French… English is used more internationally but why French

[@grannyscookies5720]

Ixb'alanke: OMG your head, Junajpu... him: *replaced his brother's head with a squash and stick the skull back to his brother's body* Junajpu: Thanks man-

[@MuhammadHanif-bx4pb]

no problem!

[@fadilrahadiansyah4223]

thanks bro

[@Smartshortsdaily]

Oh no! Anyways-

[@SeBa-xb3jn]

Nice

[@dylanwang2669]

You’re welcome!

[@rogyx2289]

It's good thing that *literal Gods* couldn't just put their heads back on, like normal human beings can, or the story would have had a different ending

[@severalcakes3267]

Uh, they’re not gods, they’re lords of the underworld 😏 Big difference. (This is a joke)

[@RandomPerson-dr4py]

The reason the lords of the underworld couldn’t do it was cus they don’t got flex seal family of products

[@RandomPerson-dr4py]

To show you the power of flex Seal family of products I cut this head in half and reattached it using flex seal family of products

[@kompatybilijny9348]

@@RandomPerson-dr4py To show you the power of flex tape, I SAWED THIS GOD IN HALF!

[@RandomPerson-dr4py]

@@kompatybilijny9348 lol

[@Root3264]

So basically the gods of death screwed the rules and so the twins responded by making up random stuff. Sounds like ancient children's card games to me lol

[@ElChicoBush]

This was Space Jam back then

[@Liberablubly]

It's time to ddddddddddddddddduel!

[@litrim1285]

Heh. “Thousands of years ago, people were very bored because card games hadn’t been invented yet. So in order to pass the time, they started killing each other with magical powers.” Then again, even in a world of card games, there’s still danger. Case in point: “I can’t believe I’m actually gonna die in a show about ******* card games!” 😆

[@spoony8485]

Sounds like 2 kids playing with action figures. “I chopped your guys head off so he’s dead.” “No I replaced his head with a squash and put it back on so hes alive now.”

[@gardnerhill9073]

The original game of Calvinball.

[@greenchapstick7564]

Remember kids: Don't let Satan challenge you to a game of basketball.

[@Luffy_wastaken]

Thanks for the advice man, almost got killed lmao

[@danielladuarte8890]

Ty but he just challenged me to a game of soccer

[@greenchapstick7564]

does he have goat legs? if he doesn't, he won't be good at kicking the ball

[@dissapointment]

what about beer pong

[@greenchapstick7564]

you're on your own on that one, bud

[@FinancialShinanigan]

So the whole kissing a girl making her pregnant is true because damn, saliva is dangerous!

[@zawwin1846]

Don’t forget hand holding.

[@prathmeshbhatnagar5527]

@@zawwin1846 did you mean h*nd h*lding

[@maidenlessbehaviour9135]

@@zawwin1846 please refrain from saying that, there are kids here

[@Minetendo_Fan]

So that's where that myth came from, this story

[@Mariana16562]

I'm Mexican, I remember they taught us this story in school. This was the Mayans giving the origin story for football soccer. Mexican lore is so cool and dramatic. Like we had gods that threw rabbits at the moon, serpents with feathers that are meant to represent goodness (one of the few mainstream cultures where the snake isn't the bad guy), and a whole lot more weird-sounding stuff that made sense because of course they did.

[@dreamcanvas5321]

That's so cool, thanks for sharing! You know, ancient Egyptians loved cats, partially because cats are native to Africa but hunted many threats to human civilization. For example, rodents that spread disease. Do you know if snakes were celebrated in Mayan culture because those were the main animals that hunted rodent pests or something?

[@ConcerninglyWiseAlligator]

Well, that's not Mexican lore. The Popol Vuh is the Ki'che version of the creation myth. You have to consider that Mayan civilization collapsed long before the Spanish arrived. And the cultures of each tribe started to diverge. Since the Popol Vuh is the only remaining document about the creation myth, and the Ki'che are from what today is Guatemala, we can't really know what the Mayans in Yucatán believed down to as much detail as we do for the Ki'che. So the Mexican Mayan lore might not agree with what was discussed in the video. Same for the Honduran and most of the Guatemalan Mayans as well.

[@Mariana16562]

@@ConcerninglyWiseAlligator oh I didn't know that. That's so interesting, do you have any more reliable resources I can watch, I am very interested in learning more about my roots :)

[@ConcerninglyWiseAlligator]

@@Mariana16562 if you want to watch exclusively, the National Geographic has done great documentaries.

[@Mariana16562]

@@ConcerninglyWiseAlligator ooo, and do you have any book recommendations?

[@wesleybantugan5604]

I love casually resurrecting my twin by putting his head back on. It happens all the time 🙄

[@maheshmestry5371]

#relatable !

[@hanzlouisfeliciano8268]

uhh underworld?

[@TheTurt1e9]

It’s the third time this week, and it’s only Monday...

[@joditiarsutrisno5556]

This but a scratch

[@CodexTestsYT]

That's just a Monday for you as it is for me

[@Dara-lu5ql]

My grandfather told me this story when I was young. I remember there was a time we were sitting around the fire, and listen to Mayan myths. I'm shocked by seeing this story comes to life. From my grandpa to me, Mayan blood flows inside my vein .

[@DavidAguilar-wo6ho]

Dará YOU ARE CAMBODIAN! Stop lying 🤣

[@DavidAguilar-wo6ho]

@Mike bro, he’s Cambodian, he’s only teasing me since I sent him the video lol

[@ZAND4TSU]

Whoa guys settle down

[@magshdz]

Why is everyone freaking out?? Chill everyone!!

[@dropkickcorpse]

2:09 Maya-kyuu, the greatest sports anime. Complete with the rival team's deception, trials, and the power of brotherly teamwork!

[@muhamadirfanisamily7663]

Cartoon anime

[@BallotBoxer]

**screenwriter takes notes** "Space Jam 3 is gonna be wild!"

[@S0NAL_]

lmao

[@serpentmaster1323]

That’s what I thought! it’s actually just space jam. Human(s) travel to an other world of immortals to play a ball game where the immortals cheat but the humans win anyways through skill and smarts? It’s actually just spacejam, but thousands of years old and with mosquitoes and rivers of puss.

[@SupahTrunks7]

I can't believe the Mayans invented space jam. Truly such an advanced culture.

[@dexter12x70]

The animations and the narration man, it just liven's up my day !

[@elishabansode4317]

Thankyou😁

[@TheBlueArmageddon]

No idea what the Mayan mythology writers were smoking when they made this, but I want some

[@yourowndealer]

Ok then writers of Abrahamic, Sumerian, Hindu, Shinto, Aztec, Egyptian, Chinese and more... were also smoking. Surely the ones who wrote "God created humans from soil" smoked as well 😂

[@ZaxorVonSkyler]

It's like dream logic that only makes sense when your dreaming.

[@jakebriggs2292]

Probably some datura or mushrooms grown in their jungles that are used for ceremonial/religious events. I mean if you look at the art on their buildings, they look very detailed and intricate like other civilizations across the world.

[@nai1729]

@@yourowndealer humans return to dust when they die tho so it wasn’t too off

[@yourowndealer]

@@nai1729 And? After humans died, that's basically it, if cremated their ash is lifeless and cannot be brought back to life and if buried, their molecules enter other organisms not staying in soil.

[@zlates]

0:36 ‘’The skull spat on her hand, and impregnated her’’ Zeus: Our battle will be legendary!

[@dannyhoberman5384]

Bruh if I had a penny for everytime the gods of death were tricked I wouldn't be rich, but I'd have quite a lot of pennies...

[@moisesinfantes2797]

Only 2 I can recall. This one and Sisyphus.

[@muktamalakar5771]

Savitri and Satyavan tale from India

[@bonzopippinpaddleopsicopolis]

@@moisesinfantes2797 there were many

[@kv-2537]

The medic tricked satan in a tf2 comic

[@gustavovillegas5909]

I absolutely love the Popol Vuh, it’s a miracle the story hasn’t been lost to us. Thank you for uplifting the stories of our ancestors

[@aliciac3123]

I just want to appreciate how TED-Ed posts almost every day

[@smoregaming]

Yes

[@jonsparks3430]

More like every three days

[@combogalis]

What I love about this is you can figure out their next steps yourself if you just think about it. "oh the gods are gonna burn them to death? hmmm, they've just got to make sure their ashes are dumped in a river so they'll resurrect." It's what I would have done too. Completely logical.

[@grayemerald5159]

The bat that snatched Hunahpu's head actually had a name, he was called Camazotz, and he was no ordinary bat, he was the god of all bats.

[@allanchiquincc9667]

Good job there! But just a few things: 1) The names of the parents of the twin heroes were Hun Hunahpu and Vucub hunahpu. 2) They sent the mosquito to know their names because the Xibalba lords change the names to confuse and thus humiliate them more. 3) It was not a turtle, it was an animal called coati who gave them the pumpkin. In the end they took the head of their father and planted it on the ground where the first corn plant comes out and they turned into the sun and the moon being hunahpú the sun and ixbalanqué the moon. It is one of my favorite stories because everything happened in my city and its surroundings due to the archaeological finds that are being discovered, there is a ball court in a city called Chisec where it is believed to be the ball court where they played. Many believe that this story is a metaphor to describe the maize planting cycle. ^^

[@b.f.2461]

Virtually every Mayan centre has its own ball court, although the dimensions differ. I imagine it would make the strategy of the game much different on a big court compared to a small one.

[@MarcoAdventures]

You could transition this story into the "You me gas station" script and I wouldnt notice, I love it. I love history.

[@sapphirefire7630]

This screams "Two heads are better than one" love the story and animation!

[@jessicajayes8326]

My sister is expecting twin boys. Maybe they'll be heroes!

[@zawsrdtygbhjimokpl6998]

or god-slaying necromancers

[@frostincubus4045]

@@zawsrdtygbhjimokpl6998 why not both?

[@kukothree]

@@zawsrdtygbhjimokpl6998 or really good basketball players

[@IRosamelia]

who spat on her?

[@Missmalefique]

@@IRosamelia her boo

[@smolkeed]

The art style is so cute! I like how the artist drew the twins, they look so adorable!

[@abthedragon4921]

I was introduced to these guys during an expansion of Civilization 6. Great to see their story in much more detail.

[@wicodragon4296]

Yeah me too

[@zorinzorinzorin5243]

What happens in Civ 6?

[@alex2005z]

@@zorinzorinzorin5243 the twins were added into the game as a hero unit

[@zorinzorinzorin5243]

@@alex2005z cool, thanks.

[@dreamcanvas5321]

I love how much unique culture stuff I pick up in Civ 6. I always liked the game series in general, but 6 makes it feel like a celebration of all humanity. (It's still a little heavy on conquest as a part of gameplay but I think they've improved a lot in giving other options etc.)

[@casparvoncampenhausen5249]

I like how the lords didn't worry about him having his head back until they realised that what was hanging from the goal was a squash

[@quetzalcoatl3242]

Beautiful 🤩. Just a small correction: Ixbalanque is pronounced “ISHbanakeh” no “iksbanalkeh” 😉 It means “little jaguar“ in Maya

[@classicle420]

0:12 Imagine balling so hard you summon devils

[@gotemvideos8220]

It’s demons

[@schlinderrojas8555]

@@gotemvideos8220devils, Demons same thing

[@jibberwocky4054]

always amazing content from TED-ED. i’m glad we live in an age where we can receive external education like this :)

[@mistingwolf]

This was a great tale! Loved the malicious compliance with the torch. XD

[@firewall5189]

wow, this brings me back: i used to be super into world mythology when i was younger, and the mayans' tales were amongst my favourites. i completely forgot about this story up until now!

[@pyrofreezer]

1:32 Next time, bring a mosquito when you wanna play hide and seek

[@user-lt3nz8yr8t]

One word "wow", with no doubt this video is professionalism at its finest. I loved it! 👍

[@chesstactics5796]

3:17 Was not expecting that. You are telling me that he was alive with out his HEAD?? And he fixed it like a screw being rotated to drill into a wall?? So these people are like demigods or something? No disrespect intended, but it just doesn't add up!!

[@karlacastillo6838]

They were God's, don't know why Ted Ed led that detail out

[@SrMurci]

Maybe because they were in the god's domain, because it said that there were different rules in that place.

[@b.f.2461]

They’re children of the Maize God, destined to become the Sun and Moon, so yeah, they don’t play by normal biology.

[@Luisa-xr2jf]

1:22

[@theguystealingyourinternet3712]

ah yes I hate when my game of basketball gets interrupted by the death gods

[@fluxasyt]

"So how did you guys die?" "Random gods where pissed of us becaus where playing ball"

[@preeyanshtibrewal7397]

This whole story can be made into a series! I would love to watch it!!

[@StarBoundFables]

Wow, what an awesome tale 😃 There's some serious depth in this 1 & I love the message at the end about not tormenting the people of the surface world to feel a need of performing ritualistic sacrifices ❤🙏🏽

[@josecarvajal6654]

Really interesting how recurrent twins are in native American mythology. The Taino from the Caribbean had fourtuplets, TEDed also made a video about them

[@tokyo5351]

2:43 The fire music in the background

[@Hoozelfitz]

I think I'm most amazed by Lord's of Death being impressed by resurrection Like, you have one job, death, and seeing it undone made them so happy they got tricked to death

[@enbyfrogz6766]

this is an absolute acid trip of a story, and i love it

[@Yitze-l6v]

Hunahpu: "Mom, how are babies made?" Xquic: "Well..."

[@BuildinWings]

Ok this feels like a MUCH longer story than what we have here. Thanks for the starting point, this looks cool & I'ma dig into it now.

[@craftyartist6091]

Wait... so let me get this straight. Twins were playing with a ball so the gods got mad at them? Also, awesome video! Love all the mythology episodes :)

[@b.f.2461]

Unfortunately a lot has been lost that wasn’t written in the Popul Vu. For example, there are repeated scenes of someone setting fire to the “Baby Jaguar God” in Mayan art, but we don’t know the context for this myth. Imagine trying to recreate the basis of Christian theology if we had nothing but artwork to go by.

[@Hakorai]

These Gods are Karens xD

[@e.k.d6181]

Not exactly gods. They are kind of bullies of the town.

[@amadeus6987]

1:17 animator totally played hades

[@vipwirelesscominthru]

OMG, the timing! I just finished school and we were learning about Maya myths!!!

[@krochetwithkrissy]

1:06 "knowing what had happened to their fathers"... Do you mean father and uncle? I just want to make sure.

[@yourowndealer]

Only one father, cause they both twins...

[@NikhitaPrabhudesai]

Yup it was father and uncle.

[@yourowndealer]

@@NikhitaPrabhudesai Yep

[@richardlopez2932]

This is the best rendition of the Aristocrats I've heard yet! Keep up the great work!

[@ahmadburhanhabibi]

Great post by Ted Ed as usual ! Maya's culture is fascinating 🤩

[@tristanrouse6150]

I've been waiting for this one! These are always amazing, and I just knew that you guys would do this one! You should do High John the Conqueror next!

[@pr3ll351]

Wait, so that game in Eldorado was real? Huh, cool to know

[@Differentstuff112]

Bruh when i saw the thumbnail i thought about eldorado

[@sarahledig1216]

Tulio! The hip!

[@Egbert758]

00:20 well that was fast

[@Ramosd87]

The Popol Vuh is an amazing piece of literature.

[@gigiology]

Who's here after watching Ashikai's video about Natlan

[@LiuElmeira]

Searched the newest comments just for this lol

[@catstailbartender3866]

I watched this before back at 2020 and now I'm back with genshin lore in mind lol

[@Lad871]

I really hope the Genshin's Xbalanque is playable.

[@justsomeguy2211]

This story takes the cake - weirdest and most illogical myth I ever heard!

[@NiffirgkcaJ]

I just love the mind-bending physics and logic mythologies of countless civilizations have. XD

[@SkyBrightGames]

0:47 I can't prenounce the names myself.

[@yourowndealer]

I can 😏, possibly because I speak a "consonant rich" language.

[@TheFirstAifos]

This was almost certainly the legend that inspired the story of Hunoch & Xiboch in Indivisible! Pretty nifty to find their origins!

[@IonsonMars]

Love the Mythological series Ted-Ed :)

[@men_del12]

Wow, our stories full of tricking Death & Firemakers. Loki must be proud seeing all of these.

[@2im36]

In all of the worlds' myths, there's one thing that remains constant: Death is very incompetent.

[@azeemusshaan5836]

Amazing video, as always Ted ED

[@sidm1993]

Amazing story and intriguing animation! 😍♥️

[@letsdoodlesomethinghome3404]

Twins: *casually playing with a ball* Lords of the underworld: did you just personally attack me?!?!

[@MasterCivilEngineering]

Its the God who always Tricks us!

[@pallepuaruna6970]

You r amazing Ted and the people who see ur channel are amazing too💖

[@prettycheep]

I can imagine them giggling deciding what performance they’re gonna do like ‘haha okay okay what if- no stop laughing!- you cut off my head, revive me AND THEN- Ixb’alanke stoppp 😆 you’re killing meee’

[@redsparks2025]

A more complete and uncensored version of this Mayan creation myth can be found at the KZbin channel of Phil Harris. The video title is The Popol Vuh : Mayan Creation Myth Animated Full Version. It is one hour long but low quality image and sound.

[@krzysiekbudzisz4572]

"When challanging Death to a game of cards, there is only one thing you should never do: win" - The old man from nowhere

[@sadworms3849]

I’ve never heard this story before but there is a character(s) based on the twins in the video game Indivisible!! That’s so cool!!!

[@meddlecat]

Genshin lore fans flocking to this video after Natlan looking for any possible outcomes

[@mikagesdiary]

REAL

[@Yojiswife]

I literally LOVE THESE VIDS!!!

[@hades2659]

Awe no mention of Camazotz. In the original tale camazotz (another god of the underworld and ruler of the bat demons) was the one that tore off the brother’s head and brought it to the other underworld gods to play a game with it.

[@gideonbrown4215]

1:27 Anyone else notice the totem pole reading TOTEM from top to bottom?

[@randomstuff101]

i love these amazing videos they're posting so frequently 🥰

[@mandevillaredmandevillared4224]

love how the totem pole says "totem." that's some good branding right there

[@callofgears91]

"The Lords of the Underworld challenged the brothers to a match" What's this some kind of Space Jam? "But they trapped and kill them" EXTREME SPACE JAM

[@BongoCongo53]

Yep, having fun with my brother playing ball until literal gods of death come up, seems like a normal day to me.

[@Luffy_wastaken]

And the father is still, till this day, hanging on the tree

[@Snotlingfondler]

Actually the brothers ressurect him, they just didn't include that part. He becomes the god of maize and regeneration.

[@AmitM_15]

Ayo!! Your pfp!!

[@tomk4632]

Glad they put this out there. Teaches people to have a good head on their shoulders

[@vanivanov9571]

4:20 ...Well, THAT sure didn't work out. I guess the blood sacrifices went to other gods. It's interesting, as it hints the Mesoamericans had a love-hate relationship with sacrifice, and possibly it was banned for a while; until the new religion claimed that blood was needed to keep the world turning.

[@Benni777]

This is hilarious since Colleen JUST gave birth to her twins!! 😂😍

[@JohnCena-fd5yw]

the fact that the totem pole at 1:30 actually says "TOTEM" on it is excellent lol

[@joermnyc]

A bat ripped off his head. “It’s but a scratch.”

[@mythologyandbeyond]

Interesting myth, cool animation. Well done!

[@halimalnami1560]

When you play ball with your twin but death says No

[@bitronic1]

Fascinating... But one question remains... How did the brother gain such wisdom being only one generation apart from their father?

[@jjijq]

I love these mythology videos

[@pratibhasharma9679]

Best KZbin channel ever

[@demonic77_77]

Ted-Ed : The twins who tricked the gods of death My Brain : The twins who (tried to) tricked the Goblet Of Fire

[@jalvessica]

3:38 That's literaly the plot of A Dog's Will. I see what you did there, Ariano.

[@psychoticcoconut4047]

Who's fever dream was this😂😂😂

[@davidlloyd3116]

…and all we have is some bloke nailed to a cross and resurrected. This one’s brilliant!

[@Kaizassin]

This sounds very believable, impregnated by a skull, resurrected by puting the head back on the body, and ressurected again by having remains thrown in a river. I'll take this as solid advise as of what to avoid to not get pregnant and how to cheat death, thank you

[@kfdaftsaeroblox]

Ugh...never heard of mythtales?!

[@StarlightNkyra]

This leaves a lot of questions concerning the dead lords of the underworld. What happened to them? Did they go to the underworld 2? If so what would happen if they died again? How many layers are there? If they didn't go to a sub-level of the underworld then wouldn't they just respawn like a video game character? Because if they did this story would have a very different ending.

[@buildertherobloxian4731]

How the Heck does a Game of Ball Result in _THIS!?_