Cuando alguno sobre su casa oía charrear a la lechuza, tomaba mal agüero. Luego sospechaba que alguno de su casa había de morir o enfermar, en especial si dos o tres veces venía a charrear allí sobre su casa. Tenía por averiguada que había de ser verdadera su sospecha. Y si por ventura en aquella casa donde venía a charrear la lechuza estaba algún enfermo, luego le pronosticaban la muerte.
\nDecían que aquél era el mensajero del dios Mictlantecuhtli, que iba y venía al Infierno. Por eso le llamaban yautequihua, que quiere decir mensajero del dios del Infierno y diosa del Infierno, que andaba llamar a los que le mandaban.
\nY si juntamente con el charrear le oían que escarababa con las uñas, el que le oía, si era hombre, luego le decía: "Está quedo, bellaco oxihondido, que heciste adulterio a tu padre." Y si era mujer la que oía, decíale: "Vete dahí, puto. ¿Has agujerado el cabello con que tengo de beber
\n","citation_key":"citation_lopez_spanish_transcription","citation":{"en":["Spanish by López Austin & García Quintana 2000"],"es":["Español por López Austin & García Quintana 2000"]}},{"id":"619c287a-3cb0-4bb3-8189-d9dbe6791468","choice":{"en":["Spanish-to-English by García Garagarza 2023"],"es":["Español-al-inglés por García Garagarza 2023"]},"type":"translation","type_label":{"en":["spanish translation"],"es":["traducción al español"]},"column":"spanish","language":{"en":["English"],"es":["Inglés"]},"language_code":"eng","subtitle":"(García Garagarza 2023)","markdown":"#### Fifth chapter: On the bad omen that they interpreted regarding the screech of the barn owl\n\nWhen someone heard a barn owl screeching over his house, he would take it as a bad omen. He would then suspect that someone in his household would either die or fall ill, particularly if [the owl] came screeching right over his house two or three times: then he would be certain that his suspicions would prove to be right. And if by chance there happened to be a sick person in that house where the barn owl had come screeching, they would then predict that [this person] would die.\n\nThey said that that [barn owl] was the messenger of the god Mictlanteuctli and that it went back and forth from hell. That is why they called it _yaotequihuah_, which means “messenger of the god and goddess of hell,” coming to call those whom they [Mictlanteuctli and Mictlancihuatl] had summoned.\n\nAnd if they heard [the barn owl] also scratching with its claws as it screeched, the one who heard it, if he was a man, would then say to it, “Keep quiet, you sunken-eyed scoundrel, you who have committed adultery [with your mother] against your father.” And if the one who heard it happened to be a woman, she would say to it, “Get out of here, you whore![^5] Have you made a hole in the hair with which I have to drink \n\n\n[^5]: “Whore”: _puto_. Sahagún translates the Nahua insult _cuilonpole_, which alludes to the passive partner in a gay male relationship, as _puto_.","html":"When someone heard a barn owl screeching over his house, he would take it as a bad omen. He would then suspect that someone in his household would either die or fall ill, particularly if [the owl] came screeching right over his house two or three times: then he would be certain that his suspicions would prove to be right. And if by chance there happened to be a sick person in that house where the barn owl had come screeching, they would then predict that [this person] would die.
\nThey said that that [barn owl] was the messenger of the god Mictlanteuctli and that it went back and forth from hell. That is why they called it yaotequihuah, which means “messenger of the god and goddess of hell,” coming to call those whom they [Mictlanteuctli and Mictlancihuatl] had summoned.
\nAnd if they heard [the barn owl] also scratching with its claws as it screeched, the one who heard it, if he was a man, would then say to it, “Keep quiet, you sunken-eyed scoundrel, you who have committed adultery [with your mother] against your father.” And if the one who heard it happened to be a woman, she would say to it, “Get out of here, you whore!1 Have you made a hole in the hair with which I have to drink
\n“Whore”: puto. Sahagún translates the Nahua insult cuilonpole, which alludes to the passive partner in a gay male relationship, as puto.↩
No yoan netetzaujloia, tetzaujttoia, in chiquatli: anoço chichtli yn jquac aca, itlapanjxquac tzatzi: tzatzitiqujça,
\nin qujtoa: cuel, ic qujneltocaia, ca ie aca mjqujz: ic ceme mjqujzque in chaneque: ie ceme cocolizcujzque. Auh intla ie oppa, ie expa tzatzitiqujça: in çan ie vncan, in tlapanjxquac, anoço in calipan, ic cenca momauhtia, motemmati: vel ic qujneltocaia, ca amo çan tlaneoa: ca vel neltiz, injc inpan otzatzic chiquatli.
\nNo ioan, intla ie aca mococoa, in jpan tzatzitiqujça, qujtoaia ca aiocmo qujçaz: ca ticcaoazque.
\nIpampa iuh qujtoaia, qujlmach, in iehoatl chiquatli: intitlan, intlaioal, in mjctlan tecutli: yoan mjctecacioatl: ommat in mjctlan, ic qujtocaiotiaia, iaotequjoa: ipampa ca inteancauh, intenotzcauh, in mjctlan tecutli: ioan mjctecacioatl.
\nAuh in jquac, qujcaquja tzatzi: ioan in mozticacalatza njman conaoa, conjluja in toqujch: ma xitlamattiuh nocne, tixtecocoiocpul: monan ticieco. Auh in cihoa conjluja, injc
\n","citation_key":"citation_anderson_nahuatl_transcription","citation":{"en":["Nahuatl by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Náhuatl por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]}},{"id":"41824363-1e52-4487-a886-e1051b9d7011","choice":{"en":["Nahuatl-to-English by Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"],"es":["Náhuatl-al-inglés por Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982"]},"type":"translation","type_label":{"en":["nahuatl translation"],"es":["traducción al náhuatl"]},"column":"nahuatl","language":{"en":["English"],"es":["Inglés"]},"language_code":"eng","subtitle":"(Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982)","markdown":"#### Fifth Chapter, in which is told what was the omen of the screech owl.[^1]\n\nLikewise all held and regarded the screech owl[^2] as an omen, when it screeched from the front of someone’s roof terrace, and went screaming.\n\nThey said: so, therefore, they thought that now someone would die; now some of the householders would die; now some would sicken. And if now twice or thrice it passed screeching, in the very same place, the front of the roof terrace or upon the house, so much were they frightened and filled with dread, that verily they believed that because of this, [misfortune] would not miss its mark—that in truth it would come to pass as the screech owl screeched at them.\n\nLikewise, if someone were already sick when it let out a scream at him, they said that now he would not issue forth; now we would take our leave of him.[^3]\n\nFor they said this: it was thought that this screech owl was the messenger, the envoy, of Mictlan tecutli and of Mictecaciuatl. It knew the land of the dead. Hence [the gods of the underworld] named it “seasoned warrior”; because it was the one who called and summoned people for Mictlan tecutli and Mictecaciuatl.\n\nAnd when they heard it screech and rasp its claws,[^4] then the men chid it and said to it: “Go quietly, O knave, thou with the big eyes sunk deep! Thou hast lain with thy mother!” And the women said to it, and thus \n\n\n\n\n[^1]: Seler, *op. cit*., Vol. IV, p. 52, says that the *chiquatli* is a smaller owl, the screech owl. Santamaría, *op. cit*., Vol. I, p. 484, says of *chicuate* that it is *”nombre vulgar de un ave de la clase de los bubónidos, llamada también* lechuza llanera *y* chicuatotol (Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea *Ridgw*.).”\n\n\n[^2]: *Chiquatli* and *chichtli* are interchangeable terms. See corresponding Spanish text and Molina, *op. cit*.\n\n\n[^3]: Corresponding Spanish text: *”luego le pronosticauan la muerte.”*\n\n\n[^4]: *Ibid*.:* “ecaruaua con las uñas.”*","html":"Likewise all held and regarded the screech owl2 as an omen, when it screeched from the front of someone’s roof terrace, and went screaming.
\nThey said: so, therefore, they thought that now someone would die; now some of the householders would die; now some would sicken. And if now twice or thrice it passed screeching, in the very same place, the front of the roof terrace or upon the house, so much were they frightened and filled with dread, that verily they believed that because of this, [misfortune] would not miss its mark—that in truth it would come to pass as the screech owl screeched at them.
\nLikewise, if someone were already sick when it let out a scream at him, they said that now he would not issue forth; now we would take our leave of him.3
\nFor they said this: it was thought that this screech owl was the messenger, the envoy, of Mictlan tecutli and of Mictecaciuatl. It knew the land of the dead. Hence [the gods of the underworld] named it “seasoned warrior”; because it was the one who called and summoned people for Mictlan tecutli and Mictecaciuatl.
\nAnd when they heard it screech and rasp its claws,4 then the men chid it and said to it: “Go quietly, O knave, thou with the big eyes sunk deep! Thou hast lain with thy mother!” And the women said to it, and thus
\nSeler, op. cit., Vol. IV, p. 52, says that the chiquatli is a smaller owl, the screech owl. Santamaría, op. cit., Vol. I, p. 484, says of chicuate that it is ”nombre vulgar de un ave de la clase de los bubónidos, llamada también lechuza llanera y chicuatotol (Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea Ridgw.).”↩
Chiquatli and chichtli are interchangeable terms. See corresponding Spanish text and Molina, op. cit.↩
Corresponding Spanish text: ”luego le pronosticauan la muerte.”↩
Ibid.:* “ecaruaua con las uñas.”*↩