06-22-2016, 01:54 PM
<small>[[this comes from the Wiki and was a collaboration between Ivan and Zoya. Amana was reborn as Zoya Bocharov and Viracocha as Ivan Sarkozy]]</small>
Meso-America
Many of the gods of Meso-America made the lives of their people miserable. Aside from the usual domination and exploitation, some of the Mayan Lords of the Underworld, called Xibalba, would cruelly challenge the people to Ollamaliztli, the Meso-American ballgame. The game was difficult and the stakes high. The team that lost the game also lost their heads. And yet players had no choice to do their best against beings for whom the 9 pound rubber ball moved through the air as if by magic. One-Death and Seven-Death, in particular, were especially avid players and enjoyed victory after victory.The other Mayan Lords had their own fun playing “tricks” on people.
South America
In South America, though, some of the gods were much more benevolent. Amana, in particular, was a mysterious goddess who inhabited the river valleys of Venezuela. She deeply cared for her people and made sure they were safe from outside threats. Among her tools was an ancient object she'd discovered, an artifact that could be activated by her power. It subtly shifted the region it was in so that it was no longer exposed to outsiders. It was a hidden realm.
Gradually the villages she watched over became the stuff of legend. A person could walk along the river and catch partial glimpses of homes and smoke, but when approached, there would be nothing there. Other travelers told of taking a particular path and suddenly finding the jungle strangely different. One could walk for hours and seem only to move a short distance. Whenever such travelers inevitably turned back to leave that bewitched place, it seemed like almost immediately they were back in their normal forest where they had begun their journey. But the strangest thing of all was that though some claimed to have only walked for a short time of minutes or hours, when they came out they found that days or weeks had passed. Legends grew about these lands and the goddess who watched over them.
Further southwest lay the mighty Inca empire, founded and ruled over by Viracocha. Viracocha had been born in a tiny village by the sea. He taught his people to domesticate the native alpaca and to spin their wool into fibers. He taught them the quipu, the corded strings to record the stories of his people. He showed them the potatoes and oca and how to store these to get them through the lean times. But in all this time, Viracocha never took a mate.
That continued to be true for many years until one day Viracocha himself was on a trip through Venezuela's river valleys and came upon that enchanted jungle. As he walked up the river he began to feel to the strange effects. He refused to leave, though, wanting to understand this strange phenomenon. He pressed on until at last he came to a village. The people were frightened. They had seen no outsiders in centuries. Runners were sent and beautiful Amana showed herself to him. She was stronger than he was and took him her captive. She wanted to learn what threat he represented to her people. His interrogation became conversation as the weeks went by. And gradually Viracocha become her captive no longer, but rather her friend and then her lover.
They were bonded to each other in the power and in ceremony, their minds and hearts merging into a unity neither thought possible. They were both happy. And yet Viracocha had been gone for what seemed years to his own people. He keenly felt his responsibility until finally he knew he could stay no longer. However, he persuaded Amana to come with him to his own kingdom. When they returned together to the Inca heartland, she was hailed as Mama Qucha, goddess of the sea.
Amana missed the quiet rivers of her home, but found some solace in the endless and peaceful waves of the sea and in her dear Viracocha. Eventually, she bore two sons, Tamusi and Tamula. They were happy. But, as time went by, Amana too felt her people's need. She could not abandon them simply for her own happiness' sake. Painful as it was, she decided to return home, taking their two sons. She would spend part of the year watching over her lands, and part of the year with Viracocha; a painful arrangement for them both. For Viracocha, those months she spent at her home amounted to years without her and his sons. But they were gods, and their responsibilities were more important than their needs. It was enough that they had the time together they did.
Many of the gods of South America were similar to Amana and Viracocha. These watched over their people, or at least, did not torment them; and so, the people were content.
The Lords of Xibalba and Civil War
If it were not for the Lords of Xibalba and a foolish game, things would have stayed that way. One-Death and Seven-Death had become jealous of the growing influence of One-Hunahpu and Seven-Hunahpu. These younger gods were powerful and discovered many new uses of the power. They even walked the land of Xibalba, the Underworld itself, the world of dreams. and which the Lords of Xibalba claimed as their own. Many battles in that world were fought and the people lived nightmares as they slept, some never to awake. Finally, One Death and Seven Death challenged One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu to the ballgame with their lives as the prize. With the secret aid of Seven Macaw, One Death and Seven Death defeated the two gods and their heads were taken in victory.
But One Hunahpu had two sons, Xblanque (“Jaguar Sun”) and Hunahpu. These gods were powerful, having been taught all they knew by their father and uncle, and they wanted revenge. They rallied many other younger gods to their sides. The Age of the Lords of Xibalba and the other older gods was over. It was time for a newer generation to rule. The ensuing war spread from Xibalba into the real world and the land grew bloody as it was wracked by battles. The chaos spread across Meso-America, as Aztec and Tlaxacalan gods followed the Mayan rift and split along lines of age, gender, or anything else that hid resentment and envy, hatred and lust. Thus, fire spread across Meso-America.
Civil War in South America
The gods of South America looked uneasily at the chaos to the north. Refugees poured across the isthmus into their lands, seeking shelter and relief. Amana and her sons were with Viracocha at the time when the news of the refugees reached them. Amana, along with Tamusi and Tumula, immediately began their journey home, to protect her homeland. Viracocha could not leave his people undefended, however, and stayed behind.
He attempted to rally the other South American gods to take preemptive steps to keep the chaos from spreading. But he did not realize that the gods in the south were just as susceptible to the lure of ambition and opportunity for vengeance. Not all of them, true. But enough. Viracocha watched in sadness as his own land fell into the chaos. People tried to escape the ensuing carnage and Viracocha begged Amana to take his people. And she, his dear beloved wife, opened her lands.
Amana, along with Tamusi and Tamula, used their power to modify the device that created their protected realm. The object was pressed far beyond its limits and required constant control by Amana and her sons to keep it running safely. They divided the day into three shifts and each took turns. And yet the refugees just kept coming and the device was strained further
Viracocha fought the other gods, trying to stem the chaos that was spreading. Two goddesses, Mama Killa and Pachamama, hated Viracocha. Long ago he'd banished them from his lands when he discovered them exploiting his people. These two brought forth giants and monsters to wreak havoc and to defeat Viracocha. He defeated them by releasing the waters of Lake Titicaca and causing the great flood Unu Pachakuti. But the waters had done great damage.
The Death of Amana
The refugees continued to pour into Amana's lands as she and her sons strained to keep the machinery running. Sadly, it had never been designed to protect so large an area over such a long period of time. The northern half of the entire continent had been shifted and contained inside a bubble, but that bubble was tenuous and fragile. Finally, it could stay stable no longer. It popped! The ensuing back-blast killed Amana, Tamusi, and Tamula in an instant, reverting those protected lands to normalcy.
Viracocha felt their deaths hundreds of leagues away and his heart died in that moment. He drew on the Power in rage and grief and threw all his might at those gods that had taken his family and spread death and destruction across the once beautiful and peaceful land. But, in doing so, even as he killed them, Viracocha drew too much of the power and burned himself out. The loss of the power, however, was as nothing compared to the devastation felt in his heart.
Dead inside, Viracocha found himself back in the small fishing village that had seen his birth. There he was killed by a man; a man who had lost his own family in the violence; a man who had been taught that one day the gods would begin to oppress the people; a man that believed it was time for men to defeat the gods. This man and others who followed that tradition, took advantage of the chaos. Soon the people were warring directly with the gods, and eventually, after decades and centuries, the gods were defeated.
Epilogue
Still, the memory of those gods remained. People passed on the stories and remembered their deeds. Yet, as with all stories that test the passing of time, details were changed and facts forgotten. Amana’s story spread from Venezuela to the Guyanas as her people moved out across the land. She became the eternal goddess of the rivers, thought by the Cariña Caribs to protect her people as she cooled the fearsome heat of the sun each night. It was said that her sons helped her with this task.
Many legends spread about Viracocha. Some credited him with the creation of mindless giants that displeased him. In these legends, he used the flood to rid the world of these beasts and start the world and life anew. He then sent his sons Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo to bring civilization to the rest of the world. In other stories, his sons were named Imahmana and Tocapo.
In the end, Viracocha was said to have walked across the waters, disappearing on the horizon the Great Ocean to he wander the earth disguised as a beggar, teaching his new creations civilization and working miracles. Some still believe that Viracocha will return in a time of trouble.
Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 23 2016, 09:46 AM.
Meso-America
Many of the gods of Meso-America made the lives of their people miserable. Aside from the usual domination and exploitation, some of the Mayan Lords of the Underworld, called Xibalba, would cruelly challenge the people to Ollamaliztli, the Meso-American ballgame. The game was difficult and the stakes high. The team that lost the game also lost their heads. And yet players had no choice to do their best against beings for whom the 9 pound rubber ball moved through the air as if by magic. One-Death and Seven-Death, in particular, were especially avid players and enjoyed victory after victory.The other Mayan Lords had their own fun playing “tricks” on people.
South America
In South America, though, some of the gods were much more benevolent. Amana, in particular, was a mysterious goddess who inhabited the river valleys of Venezuela. She deeply cared for her people and made sure they were safe from outside threats. Among her tools was an ancient object she'd discovered, an artifact that could be activated by her power. It subtly shifted the region it was in so that it was no longer exposed to outsiders. It was a hidden realm.
Gradually the villages she watched over became the stuff of legend. A person could walk along the river and catch partial glimpses of homes and smoke, but when approached, there would be nothing there. Other travelers told of taking a particular path and suddenly finding the jungle strangely different. One could walk for hours and seem only to move a short distance. Whenever such travelers inevitably turned back to leave that bewitched place, it seemed like almost immediately they were back in their normal forest where they had begun their journey. But the strangest thing of all was that though some claimed to have only walked for a short time of minutes or hours, when they came out they found that days or weeks had passed. Legends grew about these lands and the goddess who watched over them.
Further southwest lay the mighty Inca empire, founded and ruled over by Viracocha. Viracocha had been born in a tiny village by the sea. He taught his people to domesticate the native alpaca and to spin their wool into fibers. He taught them the quipu, the corded strings to record the stories of his people. He showed them the potatoes and oca and how to store these to get them through the lean times. But in all this time, Viracocha never took a mate.
That continued to be true for many years until one day Viracocha himself was on a trip through Venezuela's river valleys and came upon that enchanted jungle. As he walked up the river he began to feel to the strange effects. He refused to leave, though, wanting to understand this strange phenomenon. He pressed on until at last he came to a village. The people were frightened. They had seen no outsiders in centuries. Runners were sent and beautiful Amana showed herself to him. She was stronger than he was and took him her captive. She wanted to learn what threat he represented to her people. His interrogation became conversation as the weeks went by. And gradually Viracocha become her captive no longer, but rather her friend and then her lover.
They were bonded to each other in the power and in ceremony, their minds and hearts merging into a unity neither thought possible. They were both happy. And yet Viracocha had been gone for what seemed years to his own people. He keenly felt his responsibility until finally he knew he could stay no longer. However, he persuaded Amana to come with him to his own kingdom. When they returned together to the Inca heartland, she was hailed as Mama Qucha, goddess of the sea.
Amana missed the quiet rivers of her home, but found some solace in the endless and peaceful waves of the sea and in her dear Viracocha. Eventually, she bore two sons, Tamusi and Tamula. They were happy. But, as time went by, Amana too felt her people's need. She could not abandon them simply for her own happiness' sake. Painful as it was, she decided to return home, taking their two sons. She would spend part of the year watching over her lands, and part of the year with Viracocha; a painful arrangement for them both. For Viracocha, those months she spent at her home amounted to years without her and his sons. But they were gods, and their responsibilities were more important than their needs. It was enough that they had the time together they did.
Many of the gods of South America were similar to Amana and Viracocha. These watched over their people, or at least, did not torment them; and so, the people were content.
The Lords of Xibalba and Civil War
If it were not for the Lords of Xibalba and a foolish game, things would have stayed that way. One-Death and Seven-Death had become jealous of the growing influence of One-Hunahpu and Seven-Hunahpu. These younger gods were powerful and discovered many new uses of the power. They even walked the land of Xibalba, the Underworld itself, the world of dreams. and which the Lords of Xibalba claimed as their own. Many battles in that world were fought and the people lived nightmares as they slept, some never to awake. Finally, One Death and Seven Death challenged One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu to the ballgame with their lives as the prize. With the secret aid of Seven Macaw, One Death and Seven Death defeated the two gods and their heads were taken in victory.
But One Hunahpu had two sons, Xblanque (“Jaguar Sun”) and Hunahpu. These gods were powerful, having been taught all they knew by their father and uncle, and they wanted revenge. They rallied many other younger gods to their sides. The Age of the Lords of Xibalba and the other older gods was over. It was time for a newer generation to rule. The ensuing war spread from Xibalba into the real world and the land grew bloody as it was wracked by battles. The chaos spread across Meso-America, as Aztec and Tlaxacalan gods followed the Mayan rift and split along lines of age, gender, or anything else that hid resentment and envy, hatred and lust. Thus, fire spread across Meso-America.
Civil War in South America
The gods of South America looked uneasily at the chaos to the north. Refugees poured across the isthmus into their lands, seeking shelter and relief. Amana and her sons were with Viracocha at the time when the news of the refugees reached them. Amana, along with Tamusi and Tumula, immediately began their journey home, to protect her homeland. Viracocha could not leave his people undefended, however, and stayed behind.
He attempted to rally the other South American gods to take preemptive steps to keep the chaos from spreading. But he did not realize that the gods in the south were just as susceptible to the lure of ambition and opportunity for vengeance. Not all of them, true. But enough. Viracocha watched in sadness as his own land fell into the chaos. People tried to escape the ensuing carnage and Viracocha begged Amana to take his people. And she, his dear beloved wife, opened her lands.
Amana, along with Tamusi and Tamula, used their power to modify the device that created their protected realm. The object was pressed far beyond its limits and required constant control by Amana and her sons to keep it running safely. They divided the day into three shifts and each took turns. And yet the refugees just kept coming and the device was strained further
Viracocha fought the other gods, trying to stem the chaos that was spreading. Two goddesses, Mama Killa and Pachamama, hated Viracocha. Long ago he'd banished them from his lands when he discovered them exploiting his people. These two brought forth giants and monsters to wreak havoc and to defeat Viracocha. He defeated them by releasing the waters of Lake Titicaca and causing the great flood Unu Pachakuti. But the waters had done great damage.
The Death of Amana
The refugees continued to pour into Amana's lands as she and her sons strained to keep the machinery running. Sadly, it had never been designed to protect so large an area over such a long period of time. The northern half of the entire continent had been shifted and contained inside a bubble, but that bubble was tenuous and fragile. Finally, it could stay stable no longer. It popped! The ensuing back-blast killed Amana, Tamusi, and Tamula in an instant, reverting those protected lands to normalcy.
Viracocha felt their deaths hundreds of leagues away and his heart died in that moment. He drew on the Power in rage and grief and threw all his might at those gods that had taken his family and spread death and destruction across the once beautiful and peaceful land. But, in doing so, even as he killed them, Viracocha drew too much of the power and burned himself out. The loss of the power, however, was as nothing compared to the devastation felt in his heart.
Dead inside, Viracocha found himself back in the small fishing village that had seen his birth. There he was killed by a man; a man who had lost his own family in the violence; a man who had been taught that one day the gods would begin to oppress the people; a man that believed it was time for men to defeat the gods. This man and others who followed that tradition, took advantage of the chaos. Soon the people were warring directly with the gods, and eventually, after decades and centuries, the gods were defeated.
Epilogue
Still, the memory of those gods remained. People passed on the stories and remembered their deeds. Yet, as with all stories that test the passing of time, details were changed and facts forgotten. Amana’s story spread from Venezuela to the Guyanas as her people moved out across the land. She became the eternal goddess of the rivers, thought by the Cariña Caribs to protect her people as she cooled the fearsome heat of the sun each night. It was said that her sons helped her with this task.
Many legends spread about Viracocha. Some credited him with the creation of mindless giants that displeased him. In these legends, he used the flood to rid the world of these beasts and start the world and life anew. He then sent his sons Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo to bring civilization to the rest of the world. In other stories, his sons were named Imahmana and Tocapo.
In the end, Viracocha was said to have walked across the waters, disappearing on the horizon the Great Ocean to he wander the earth disguised as a beggar, teaching his new creations civilization and working miracles. Some still believe that Viracocha will return in a time of trouble.
Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 23 2016, 09:46 AM.