The following is part of the creation story from the mayan sacred book called the popol vuh: . \"then came the word, like a lightning bolt it ripped through the sky, penetrated the waters, and fertilized the minds of the earth-water deities, tepeu and gucumatz.\"—popol vuh, part i. public domain. based on this excerpt, what strongly influenced the formation of the earth and water gods? . the sky. the water. the word. the lightning.