Question

Which three sentences in the story indicate that that the passage is an ex nihilo type of creation story?
Behold the first word and the first discourse. There was as yet no man, nor any animal, nor bird, nor fish, nor crawfish, nor any pit, nor ravine, nor green herb, nor any tree; nothing was but the firmament. The face of the earth had not yet appeared—only the peaceful sea and all the space of heaven. There was nothing yet joined together, nothing that clung to anything else; nothing that balanced itself, that made the least rustling, that made a sound in the heaven. There was nothing that stood up; nothing but the quiet water, but the sea, calm and alone in its boundaries: nothing existed; nothing but immobility and silence, in the darkness, in the night.

Alone also the Creator, the Former, the Dominator, the Feathered Serpent—those that engender, those that give being, they are upon the water, like a growing light. They are enveloped in green and blue; and therefore their name is Gucumatz. Lo, now how the heavens exist, how exists also the Heart of Heaven; such is the name of God; it is thus that he is called. And they spake; they consulted together and meditated; they mingled their words and their opinion. And the creation was verily after this wise: Earth, they said, and on the instant it was formed; like a cloud or a fog was its beginning. Then the mountains rose over the water like great lobsters; in an instant the mountains and the plains were visible, and the cypress and the pine appeared. Then was the Gucumatz filled with joy, crying out: Blessed be thy coming, O Heart of Heaven, Hurakan, Thunderbolt. Our work and our labor has accomplished its end.

Answer 1

Answer:

The three sentences that shows that this passage is an ex nihilo type of creation story:

1. There was as yet no man, nor any animal, nor bird, nor fish, nor crawfish, nor any pit, nor ravine, nor green herb, nor any tree; nothing was but the firmament.
2. Lo, now how the heavens exist, how exists also the Heart of Heaven; such is the name of God; it is thus that he is called.  
3. And the creation was verily after this wise: Earth, they said, and on the instant it was formed; like a cloud or a fog was its beginning.

Explanation:

Ex nihilo is a Latin phrase which means out of nothing. Ex nihilo is a belief that the creation of earth is made by God and that He created it out of nothing. Nothing existed before from which God created the earth.

The whole passage given tells that the given excerpt is an example of ex nihilo. The first passage describes the story from the very beginning when nothing existed before. No man, animal, bird, fish, tree, mountain, absolutely nothing.

In the second passage, it introduces to the Creator whose name is Gucumatz. Gucumatz is the god of Popol Vuh. He is a feathered serpent of blue and green color. Gucumatz created the earth with other gods. Just by speaking the word "Earth" the earth started forming. First clouds, then mountains, trees, etc. And he blessed the creation afterwards.