PUFFIN BOOKS THE PUFFIN BOOK OF WORLD MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Anita Nair is the author of the best-selling novels The Better Man and Ladies Coupé. Her books have been translated into twenty-one languages around the world. This is her first book for children and is part of a two-book series on myths and legends.
The Puffin Book of
World Myths and Legends
ANITA NAIR
Illustrations by Sujasha Dasgupta
PUFFIN BOOKS
For Maitreya Joy to the world and me
And for Dhanush, Siddarth and Sugar
Why People Began to Live in Houses A Zambian Legend
1
The Story of Nanna, the Moon A Mesopotamian Legend
5
How Marshlands Came to Be A Siberian Myth
11
The Hungry Ghost A Legend from Borneo
17
The Story of Dhruva An Indian Myth
23
The Hare on the Moon A Buddhist Myth from India
29
The Snake's Secret An Ethiopian Legend
35
How the Sky Went So High A NorthAmerican Legend
41
The Story of Taliesin A Welsh Myth
47
Clouds in the Sky A Papuan Myth
53
How the Ping River and Moon River Came to Be 59 A Thai Myth
Why All Living Creatures Began to Weep A German Legend
67
Why the Warau Indians Seldom Bathe A Guiana Legend
73
The Story of the Sun and the Moon An Alaskan Myth
79
The Noble Dog A Jataka Tale from India
85
Horus, the Dutiful Son An Egyptian Legend
91
Ossian's Sorrow An Irish Legend
97
Wishpoosh and Coyote A North American Myth
103
The Eagle's Egg A Finnish Myth
109
How Isis Became a Constellation An Egyptian Legend
113
Why the Day Always Returns A Myth from the Amazon Basin
119
Why Man Did Not Become Immortal A Mesopotamian Legend
125
Why We Have Spit in Our Intestines A Siberian Myth
131
How Japan Became the Land of the Rising Sun A Legend from Japan
137
How Death Came to Stay A Myth from Rwanda
141
Why the Bear's Tail Is Just a Stump A Swedish Legend
145
The Balance between Life and Death A Myth from Japan
151
Talking Brought Me Here A Nigerian Legend
157
How Food Came to Be Cooked A Myth from the Admiralty Islands in the Pacific Ocean
163
How Mount Fuji Became a Volcano A Japanese Legend
169
How Whales, Seals and Fish Were Born An Eskimo Myth
175
Acknowledgements
As reference pointers I have drawn from:
A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion by John Dowson, Rupa & Co., India;
A Dictionary of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell, Book Club Associates, London;
Swedish Folk Tales and Legends edited by Lone Thygesen Blecher and George Blecher, Pantheon Books, New York;
The Serpent Prince: Folktales from Northeastern Thailand told by Kermit Krueger, The World Publishing Company, New York and Cleveland;
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Sister Nivedita, George G. Harrap & Company.
Dear Child,
Just as the myths and legends in this book are slowly losing their place in our lives, many animals too will soon disappear from our forests. With this book, it is my endeavour to do my little bit for keeping alive both the animals and the myths. I hope you will enjoy reading this collection of myths from around the world . . . and I'm sure you will treasure the thought that by buying this book you have helped in preserving some of the endangered species of Indian wildlife. [A certain amount of the sum you pay to acquire this book will go to the Wildlife Trust of India.]
I'm glad you have joined hands with me in this project.
Happy Reading.
Bangalore January 2004
Anita Nair
All the people on earth get together to push the sky up with giant poles because it is too low and they keep bumping their heads against it. The crafty snake gets to know God's secret message to man and becomes immortal by shedding its skin. An emperor's sorrow bursts forth as flames and lava and turns Mount Fuji into a volcano.
These are just some of the fantastic and magical myths and legends from all over the world—Africa to Japan and Thailand to Alaska—that have been brought together in this exquisite collection. Charming and simple, yet profound in their wisdom, the stories encompass a diverse range. Some recount unforgettable tales of love and adventure, of dutiful sons and scheming gods, of enchanted lands and giant serpents. Others tell us how the world was created, why the sun and moon never meet each other though they live in the same sky, how clouds appeared to save mankind from the sun's scorching rays, and why living creatures shed tears when they are in pain.
A Puffin Original