Wayob facts for kids
Wayob are special beings in Maya beliefs. The word comes from the Yucatec Maya word way, which means 'sleep'. But it also means a person who can turn into an animal while they are sleeping. They might do this to cause trouble. Or way can mean the animal they turn into. Even long ago, in the time of the Classic Maya, these way animals were important. They could be recognized by a special symbol.
Wayob in Maya Stories
In Yucatec Maya stories, a person often turns into a common farm animal. But they can also become a ghost or a strange creature. For example, some stories talk about a creature with wings made of straw mats.
Long ago, in the 1500s, people also believed these shapeshifters could turn into wild animals. These included jaguars or grey foxes. There was also a special kind called the ah uaay xibalba, which means 'underworld transformer'. It was sometimes thought they made a special deal to gain these powers.
Other Maya groups have similar beliefs. For example, among the Tzotzil people, a way (called wayihel or chanul) is often an animal friend. It can also refer to powerful things like meteors or lightning. In Tzeltal Cancuc beliefs, this animal friend is thought to cause sickness.
Other names for these beings include:
- lab
- labil
- wayixelal or vayijelal
- way
- wayxel or wayjel
Wayob in Ancient Times
Ancient Maya writings show a special symbol that experts read as way. This symbol often looks like a face that is half covered by a jaguar's skin. This helps us know it means way.
Many way animals in ancient art have special features:
- They might wear a cape or scarf tied in the front.
- They often have jaguar spots or other jaguar features.
- They might carry an upside-down 'jar of darkness'.
- They can have fire elements.
The ancient wayob could take many more shapes than those told in modern stories. They included many mammals, especially jaguars, and birds. But they also included strange creatures and ghosts. Some were hybrids, like a mix of a deer and a spider monkey. Others were walking skeletons or a young man made of fire.
The animal wayob were likely humans who changed their shape. The walking skeletons were probably the 'underworld transformers'. Sometimes, the name of a way was followed by a symbol that showed which Maya kingdom it belonged to.
Images for kids
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A jaguar way wearing a scarf
