Rama bending the bow of Shiva
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Reading Diary A: Ramayana
So far, the Ramayana has been very interesting and does a good job at drawing the reader in from the start. While reading through this story, I can't help but be reminded of so many other stories I have read that have similar plot lines. In particular, when Rama receives the magical weapons whose spirits speak to him after defeating the Rakshasi, reminds me of The Hobbit, where Bilbo Baggins receives his magical sword, Sting. Also, when the 60,000 sons are burnt to ash by Kapila, this reminded me of the dragon in The Hobbit which slayed thousands of dwarves and men in a similar fashion. I am a big fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy so seeing a similar connection to these stories in the Ramayana was very exciting. Another part of the story which led me to think of another similar story was when Rama bent Shiva's bow in order to marry Sita. Only one worthy of bending the bow would be able to marry her, and many brave men attempted to do so but failed. I couldn't help but think of the Sword in the Stone where only the noble Arthur could actually pull it. I really enjoy catching parts of stories that allude to other stories in history because it is entertaining t ofollow along with and I feel like it brings out my more creative side.
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Tucker, this is great! I'll go record this for the Monday post. I really like all the comparisons... and what's especially cool is that the Ramayana is the oldest, by far, of those other similar legends. Magical weapons with names of their own are a big part of the Indian epics tradition - you will meet lots more of those to come!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your thoughts that inspired your storytelling post! I also thought of the sword and the stone when I first read this. Isn't it fascinating how different cultures can all tell stories that share common themes?
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