Draft:Urpi Wachaq

Urpi Wachaq (also as: Urpay Wachaq, Urpihuachac or Urpihuachay) was the mother goddess and creator of birds and fish in Inca mythology. She is named in the Huarochirí manuscript as the wife of the god Pacha Kamaq.

Etymology
The name of the goddess Urpi Wachaq is composed of the Quechua Urpi (dove) and Wachaq (that which gives birth).

Its name can be interpreted as "the one who births pigeons" or "the dove that gives birth." This interpretation enhances the powers of the goddess as the creator of birds; and although the name of the goddess does not explicitly allude to fish, in Huarochirí Urpi Wachaq is also established as the goddess creator of these animals.

Familia
Within the mythology of Huarochirí, various mythical events are narrated that are starred by a host of gods and / or huacas, mythical beings, etc..

In the area of gods, the story of the goddess Urpi Wachaq is narrated and the members of her family are made known.

The Ñamca sisters
The goddess Urpi Wachaq was part of a group with her other sisters. In total, there were five sisters, which are: Chawpi Ñamka (the eldest), Llacsa Watu, Mira Watu, Urpi Wachaq and Lluncu Wachaq (possibly the youngest).

In some Huarochirí texts, Urpi Wachaq is often mistakenly confused with the goddesses Kawillaka and Lluncu Wachaq.

Pacha Kamaq
According to the manuscript, Urpi Wachaq was the wife of the god Pacha Kamaq and both possessed their own islands; however, when Urpi Wachaq makes his first appearance in the Kawillaka story, Pacha Kamaq was limited to only being mentioned during those events.

The daughters of Pacha Kamaq
The goddess Urpi Wachaq and the god Pacha Kamaq were the parents of the two women who inhabited the Pacha Kamaq islands. The name of both women is a mystery, as one can only be discerned from the other according to their age.

Likewise, the manuscript mentions that the powerful Quniraya had swum towards these islands to look for his beloved Kawillaka. When he arrived, the god ended up in a part of the island where the two daughters of Pacha Kamaq were.

The god Quniraya wanted to take revenge on Pacha Kamaq, because he thought that Pacha Kamaq was responsible for taking him away from Kawillaka.

To consummate his revenge, during Urpi Wachaq's absence, Quniraya went so far as to defile his eldest daughter. When he wanted to do the same with the younger daughter, she transformed into a dove and flew away from the angry Quniraya.

Auca Atama
Other sources name a son of the goddess called Auca Atama. The latter was venerated in Cajatambo as the god of fertility.

Representation
The goddess Urpi Wachaq was described as a woman who possessed the features of a bird and a fish.

In the town of San Francisco de Mangas (Cajatambo), some ayllus such as Chamas and Nanis worshipped her in the form of a bone dove and, through this representation, they asked the goddess for the rain to fall. To obtain the favor of the goddess, she was offered with gold and silver, mullu and chaquiras (beads of thorns carved from mullu).

The origin of fish
One of the most interesting mythical events narrated in Huarochirí is about the origin of fish.

According to the manuscript, in primordial times, fish did not exist in the sea, as they were only raised by Urpi Wachaq. This was so until, after a series of events, these animals were thrown into the sea and thus multiplied by the thousands.

The following is narrated below:

It is said that, in ancient times, the god Quniraya Wiraqucha, transformed into a poor-looking man, walked around with his cloak and his cusma in rags. Without recognizing him, some men treated him as a ragged beggar. However, this man gave life to all the communities. With his word alone, he prepared the ground for the farms and consolidated the terraces. With nothing more than throwing a reed flower called pupuna (an object compared to a spear), he would open an aqueduct from its source.

In this way, Quniraya performed all kinds of feats and made the other gods and/or local huacas pale with his wisdom.

Once upon a time there was a woman named Kawillaka who was also a huaca. The said Kawillaka was still a maiden and was the owner of captivating beauty. As she was very beautiful, all the huacas and huillcas longed for her fervently; however, this goddess always rejected them.

It happened that this woman, who had never been touched by a man, was weaving under a lucuma tree. The cunning Quniraya, who was nearby, turned into a bird and flew to the top of the tree. As there was a ripe lucuma there, he deposited his seed in it and made it fall near the woman. Seeing the appetizing fruit, the goddess Kawillaka, happy and free of suspicion, ate it. Thus she became pregnant without any man having reached her.

Nine months later, as women are wont to do, Kawillaka also gave birth, even though she was still a maiden.

For a year or so, she raised her son alone, breastfeeding him. Curiosity was always present in the goddess, for she wondered whose son he could be.

When the child was one year old, which was the time when the child was already crawling, Kawillaka called all the huacas and huillcas to find out who the father was. When they heard the message, all the huacas rejoiced greatly and came dressed in their choicest clothes, each one convinced that he was the one Kawillaka was going to love. This meeting took place in Anchicocha.

When they arrived at the place where this woman resided, all the huacas and huillcas sat down; then she spoke to them: "Look at him! men, gentlemen, recognize this child! Which one of you is the father? And she asked each one if it had been him.

None of the huacas present claimed to be the father of her child.

Quniraya Wiraqucha, as the very poor usually do, had seated himself to one side; despising him, Kawillaka did not deign to ask him, for it seemed impossible to him that his son could have been begotten by that poor man, there being so many graced males present.

As no one would admit that the boy was his son, he told the boy to go himself to recognize his father; first, he explained to the huacas that, if the father was present, his son would climb on top of him.

The child crawled from one side of the assembly to the other, but did not climb on top of anyone present. He crawled until he reached the place where his father was sitting. Immediately, very happy, he climbed up on his legs.

When his mother saw him, very angry, she cried out, "Woe is me, how could I have borne the child of such a wretched man?" and with these words, carrying her little son, she went to the sea.

Then Quniraya Wiraqucha said: "Now he is really going to love me!" and he dressed himself in a golden suit and began to follow her; when he saw her, all the local huacas were very frightened.

Quniraya called her saying: "Sister Kawillaka, look here! Now I am very beautiful" and she straightened up illuminating the Earth.

However, the goddess Kawillaka did not turn her face towards him; she went towards the sea with the intention of disappearing forever for having given birth to the son of such a despicable and unclean man; she arrived at the place where, in fact, two stones that resembled the shape of human beings are still found, in Pacha Kamaq offshore.

The very moment she arrived there, she was transformed into stone.

As she believed that Kawillaka was going to see him, that she was going to look at him, Quniraya Wiraqucha followed her from a distance, shouting and calling her insistently.

At this point, Quniraya encounters various animals, which, depending on the answer they give him, the god rewards or curses them.

He asked all of them about Kawillaka's whereabouts.

The animals that showed him the path to the desired goddess and encouraged him were rewarded by Quniraya. Among them are: the condor, the puma and the hawk.

The animals that responded negatively and discouraged him were cursed by Quniraya. Among them are: the skunk, the fox and the parrot.

In this way, the god reached the seashore; from there, Quniraya swam towards the Pacha Kamaq islands. When he arrived, Quniraya ended up in a part of the island where the daughters of Pacha Kamaq were; which were guarded by an Amaru.

Quniraya wanted to take revenge on Pacha Kamaq; for he thought that Pacha Kamaq was responsible for taking him away from his beloved Kawillaka.

Shortly before, the goddess Urpi Wachaq had entered the sea to visit Kawillaka.

Taking advantage of the mother's absence, Quniraya raped the older daughter. When she wanted to do the same with the youngest daughter, she transformed into a dove and took flight. It is for this reason that the goddess was called Urpi Wachaq (the one who gives birth to doves).

At that time, fish did not yet exist in the sea. Only the goddess Urpi Wachaq raised them in a small pond inside her home.

Upon learning that Urpi Wachaq had gone to visit Kawillaka, Quniraya, furious, threw all the fish into the sea. In this way, the fish began to multiply by the thousands. It is for this reason that the sea is full of fish.

When his daughters told him how Quniraya had raped them, Urpi Wachaq, furious, pursued him.

Seeing that she could not reach Quniraya, the goddess wanted to deceive him and crush him with a huge rock that she herself made grow. However, the cunning Quniraya escaped unharmed from the deception and managed to escape.

About Quniraya Wiraqucha
Some scholars support the interpretation that establishes the god Quniraya Wiraqucha as the personification of the Sun and the day.

Likewise, this interpretation considers that the movements of the sun king are personified by Quniraya in the myth; since, at the beginning of the story, Quniraya is shown as a man of ragged but powerful appearance (dawn).

Upon being identified as the father of Kawillaka's son, the god Quniraya shone a burnished suit of gold and, while pursuing Kawillaka, the god straightened up and illuminated the world (noon). The transit of the chase is from east to west (evoking the daily journey of the Sun).

Once he reaches the coast, the sea, he is neither defeated nor defeated by Urpi Wachaq (nightfall).

Like the Sun, Quniraya fertilizes, but not directly, but indirectly. This establishes a new present associated with agriculture. The complementary pair of this divinity of strong times is Kawillaka, who of course represents the Pachamama (Earth). The myth determines the deep need for her to be on the coast transformed into an island (metonymic representation of Pachamama): she is the one desired by the most powerful, a desire that forces him to look for her daily, determining the transit of the Sun. Her quality of divinity is connected with the Andean agrocentrism.

The fact that both Quniraya and Urpi Wachaq were not defeated by each other possibly alludes to the Yanantin duality. This is interpreted as the forces of both deities do not prevail by defeating each other; otherwise it would imply a cosmic catastrophe.

On the origin of fish
Possibly, the goddess Urpi Wachaq was worshipped with other names; in this way, this deity can be understood as a dove, as her name indicates, to whom they offered mullu, marine food for the gods (especially the gods linked to water). However, according to María Rostworowski, its name was always related to the sea. This author points out that this knowledge can be divided into two stages; one related to fish and lagoons, when boats were not known; and the second stage referred to the multiplication of fish, when apparently some type of boat was already in use.

On the absence of Pacha Kamaq
Regarding the absence of Pacha Kamaq, the god can be understood as multifaceted, since he has multiple attributions according to the myth exposed within the perception of each Ayllu.

One of these attributes is his quality as a god representing the night. This implies the formation of a link between two opposing cosmic forces with Quniraya, which represents the day. This is translated with the appearance of Quniraya (day) after the disappearance of Pacha Kamaq (night) and vice versa, being the main reason why both gods fail to meet.