The meat of the story of the Ramayana is Rama's quest to rescue Sita from the rakshasa Ravana, but this begins when Rama and Lakshmana mock and then maim a rakshasi named Shurpanakha. (Glossary of terms and names at the bottom.) Shurpanakha turns out to be Ravana's brother, and he vows revenge. He and his … Continue reading Ramayana 3: Latent and Not So Latent
Tag: heroes
“How Mosquitoes Came to Be” Thoughts on a Tlingit Myth
I don't know how universal the myth of the dragonslayer is. I'm skeptical of analyses of myths that become so general as to be meaningless (Joseph Campbell)—I'm neither alone nor original in feeling this way. The dragonslayer is certainly popular, of course, and that is why stories that break its rigidity in clever ways are … Continue reading “How Mosquitoes Came to Be” Thoughts on a Tlingit Myth
