In these pages are some of the first stories from around the world—stories which began when the world first started out, those that were passed down generation to generation, orally at first and eventually, through parchment, papyrus and paper. These stories have evolved over time and taken a life of their own, and maybe changed along the way. That’s how it has always been with oral traditions—a little like that game we call Chinese Whispers. They come to us from a time before time, Dreamtime, as they call it in Australia, when the world was slowly awakening to the sun, moon, stars, seas, rivers, oceans, trees, birds, animals and man.
The stories, for the most part, are rooted in the local culture and traditions of the places from which they evolved. Geography, too, dominates for early people needed answers to the questions about how the world around them had come about. And so, you will find that creation is a recurring theme. As you read the stories, you will willingly suspend disbelief. Let your science and geography lessons take a backseat when you embark on this journey into the magical realm of myths and legends. Let fantasy and imagination be your companions as you travel across continents in times long past and which are lost in memory.
You will also find that unlike in fairy tales, not every story has a happy ending. Life as we know it does not always go that way and these are lessons well learnt. Strangely, these stories are also as real as they can get—lost loves, sibling rivalry, battles, blood and gore, betrayals, adventures and more.
The stories are arranged according to the continents of their origin but you can choose to read them at random. We begin with America’s sun children, the Native Americans, whose lives celebrate the world they made for themselves. From the freezing-cold Arctic climes all the way to the rainbow land, Hawaii, it’s a roller-coaster journey.
Moving on to the British Isles—castles, kings and knights in shining armour await us. There are battles to be fought amidst the highlands and dales where fairy folk and magicians with charms and potions lurk. This is Harry Potter country, no doubt!
Our next stop is that vast continent, Africa. We begin with an Egyptian sojourn, where we linger on the banks of the Nile, paying obeisance to the divine pharaohs, for that great civilization has much to offer us. As we leave the deserts behind and delve deep into the African jungles, it’s fun all the way with cheeky boy heroes Anansi, the spider god, and some poor Bushmen who run at the sight of a rainbow!
Making our way back to Europe, it’s time for some action with the Vikings—Thor, Vainamoinen and Beowulf, heroes all. The Greeks and the Romans shared their pantheon of gods but these assumed different names as they crossed over. I’ve mostly stayed with the Greek heroes and those ethereal nymphs. Unforgettable—that’s what they are, immortalized in a tree, a flower, an echo or a sea bird.
Following the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers to the cradle of civilization in West Asia, Mesopotamia, we explore the Hittite, Sumerian and the Babylonian worlds. We have serpents, dragons and demons to battle and also a very surreal trip to the underworld. From there, we ride across the Central Asian desertscape on the very faithful and very quaint Quarcagai-Alag. If that’s not enough, Mongolia gives you another ride on a flying horse, no less.
After all that heat and dust, it’s time to chill—well, literally—as we explore Russian and Slavic legends. Freezing cold Siberia gives us a Bright Sunbeam while a river manages to run away from a lake. Russian tales are full of Prince Ivans and all of them are not the same. But what is common about their character is that they definitely need some smarter friends to help them succeed; fortunately, they always find some. One of these friends takes us on a wild goose chase to catch an exotic firebird. And here is where you might want to reconsider that rather unfair label we give all wolves—not all are big and bad! My own childhood dreams were haunted by the very frightful Baba Yaga but make what you can of her while you spend a few nights in her house in the deep woods, in a spinning hut on chicken legs.
It is Asia next—a very wide canvas with stories ranging from Hindu to Buddhist to Shinto mythologies. India’s most-loved deity, Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, gets into a spot while a forgotten princess sleeps through an entire epic. The first people in the Eastern world seem to have done a fair amount of sun and moon gazing, according to many of the stories we have of them. And dragons in these parts, you’ll see, are almost always noble, wise and bringing good fortune and wealth. And they keep their cool because most of them live in water. Along the way you’ll learn why the Chinese love the colour red. The gentle and delicate South Asian princesses, be they from the Philippines or Thailand, Japan or China are all confident and capable, never breaking under pressure, despite all the travails they have to go through.
Finally we come to the water world—Australia and beyond. Like the Native Americans who were the original inhabitants of that continent, the aboriginal people were the first people of Australia. They chronicle their origins most vividly with Rainbow Serpent, the mother goddess.The world began in the Dreamtime according to them, when the sacred spirits gave life to creations. And that time has never ended and the dreaming continues even today, or so they believe. This is what gives them their unique identity. It’s truly a fascinating concept that provides them all the answers. They tell us gently that we may not quite understand their concept of dreaming but does it matter? These are pleasant dreams that we’ll be happy to be part of.
If you’ve gotten this far, I’m very, very impressed with your patience, young friend and fellow traveller.
Just a few pointers before we begin: a few of the names, you’ll find, can be quite a mouthful but tongue twisters are definitely a fun exercise sometimes. Some of the stories may leave behind a relic, a remembrance, and it is my hope that some of you may be lucky enough to track it down one day and honour that memory in person.
So let’s press the rewind button and go right back to the time when the world was born . . . I hope you enjoy the time travel as much as I did leading you to that door.
Chennai
November 2015
Reeja Radhakrishnan