Hindu/Muslim Mythical Creatures

Mythological Creatures Folklore Collection Project

Hindu/Muslim Mythical Creatures

By: Nipun Dua

Ravana

Description

Ravana is a 10-headed demon monster who kidnapped the wife of Rama. In most contemporary fairytale books, he is depicted in a human-like form, wearing traditional Indian clothing, usually black, carrying a sword and a shield. However, unlike ordinary human beings, Ravana has ten heads.

Rama

Description

Rama is the king of Ayodhya who defeated the demon king Ravana to rescue his wife Sita. Some Hindus believe Rama was the reincarnation of God, while others consider him to be an ordinary human being. People in India associate qualities such as virtue, loyalty, and bravery with Rama.

Lakshmana

Description

Lakshmana is the younger brother of Rama. Lakshmana follows Rama into exile and battles alongside him to rescue Sita. He represents the importance of family ties and the bond between brothers.

Cultural Background

Informant Name: Nipun Dua [myself]

Informant Age: 21

Informant Gender: Male

Informant Birthplace: New Delhi, India

Informant Current Residence: New Jersey

Informant Ethnicity: Indian

Informant Religion: Hindu

Informant Background: I was born and raised in New Delhi, India, where I lived until I was 10 years old. Around my fifth birthday, during the Hindu festival of Dusshera, my family took me to a park near our house, where thousands of people had gathered around a giant, 15-feet-tall statue. The statue was of what looked like a human with ten heads [I later found out that this was the representation of Ravana]. There was a crown on each head, and the body was covered with traditional Indian clothing. On one hand of the statue was a shield, on the other, a sword. At 10:00 P.M., after all the people in the audience had taken their seats around the statue, the celebration of Dusshera began. Two men, wearing clothing traditional kings wore, went up to the statue and started chanting words in Sanskrit [I later found out that these two men represented Rama and Lakshmana]. Immediately after, one of the men took out his bow, lit an arrow on fire, and shot it at the statue. The statue lit up in flames, at which point everybody in the audience jumped up and clapped. For the rest of the night, everybody in the park stared at the giant burning statue. The next day, I asked my mom what that was about. Then, she told me the story of Ramayana, which goes as follows:

Folktale/Epic/Myth [Some people consider this story to be an epic, for others it’s a myth. According to my family, it is a fairytale]

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Ayodhya, there was a great king named Dasharatha. Under his rule, the land was peaceful and prosperous. However, Dasharatha was getting old. He needed someone to inherit his throne. He had three wives and four children. The children’s names were: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. When Rama was a teenager, an old sage took him to lands far away to battle demons. In each expedition, Lakshmana followed his older brother. After Rama, a brave and valiant warrior, killed off all the demons, the old sage gave his daughter’s hand to Rama in marriage. Rama and Sita, his wife, loved each other greatly and lived happily in Ayodhya.

            One day, king Dasharatha decided that his time was near. He wanted to give up his throne to Rama before dying. Everyone was happy with this decision except Kaikeyi, the youngest of Dasharatha’s three wives. She wanted her son, Bharata, to become king. Using her power of persuasion, she convinced Dasharatha to make Bharata the king and exile Rama from Ayodhya for fourteen years. Lakshmana, fulfilling his duty as a brother, and Sita, fulfilling her duty as a wife, followed Rama into exile. The three left their home in search of a land far away from everyone.

            Years passed, during which Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita lived in a peaceful forest far away. Rama and Lakshmana continued to kill demons and monsters from every land. Ravana, the king of demons, became aware of his soldiers being killed by Rama. So, he decided to take revenge. One day, Ravana used his magic to create a deer, which he sent running away near Rama’s new home. Wanting the deer for herself, Sita begged Rama and Lakshmana to go get it for her. Rama went off to get the deer. After some time passed and Rama did not return, Sita got worried. She told Lakshmana to go and see if his brother was safe. He did not want to leave her alone; but Sita insisted on him leaving to ensure the safety of Rama. So, he drew a magic circle and told Sita to stay inside the circle at all times.

            As soon as Lakshmana left, Ravana, who had been hiding behind a tree the entire time, came out. He transformed himself into an old man and stood outside crying for help. Although Sita did not want to leave the circle, she also did not want to ignore the helpless old man. So, she ignored Lakshmana’s warning and stepped outside the magic circle. As soon as she did that, Ravana transformed into his demon form and grabbed Sita. He then flew in his magic chariot to Lanka, the land of demons.

            When Rama and Lakshman returned, they found Sita missing. Rama knew immediately that the king of demons Ravana had taken his wife. He decided to build an army to battle Ravana. To gather soldiers, he went to Sugreeva, the king of the monkeys. When Rama told Sugreeva his story, the monkey king replied that he too had been exiled from his land by his brother. “If you help me regain my kingdom,” said Sugreeva, “I will help you battle Ravana.” So, Rama and Lakshmana battled and defeated Sugreeva’s brother. In return for their help, Sugreeva and his army of monkeys decided to help Rama and Lakshmana in their battle again Ravana.

            Months passed, during which the army trained. Finally, it was time to march to Lanka and free Sita. The monkey army marched and marched across the lands and oceans until they reached Lanka. Then, a great battle began between Rama, Lakshmana, and the monkey army against Ravana and the demon army. After days of battle, Rama succeeded in defeating Ravana. He then rescued Sita and returned to Ayodhya with Lakshmana. Rama was crowned king and lived happily ever after with his family.  

Interpretation

According to my family, Ravana, Rama, and Lakshmana represent good and evil in this world, and their battle signifies good’s victory over evil. During the festival of Dusshera, the burning of the statue of Ravana gives people hope that although there are bad things present in this world, humanity will overcome these calamities and succeed.

Ganesha

Description

Ganesha is the Hindu God of Success. In visual representations, such as pictures and idols, he is a man with an elephant head, who is usually sitting on a lotus flower. Many Hindus pray to Ganesha to bring success and prosperity to their families. There are many explanations for why Ganesha has the head of an elephant. I interviewed my mother to learn about the story behind the elephant head.

Cultural Background

Informant: my mother

Informant Age: 45

Informant Gender: Female

Informant Birthplace: New Delhi, India

Informant Current Residence: New Jersey

Informant Ethnicity: Indian

Informant Religion: Hindu

Interview Place: Telephone conversation

Interview Date: May 10, 2014

Informant Background: My mother was born and raised in New Delhi, India. She moved to the United States when she was 30 years old. She grew up in a Hindu household, and learned about Hinduism from her parents. She first learned about Ganesha when she was 10 years old. Her family went to a Hindu temple in New Delhi, where there were idols of many gods. At the temple, my grandmother explained to my mom who each god was and their origins. The story my mom found the most interesting was of Ganesha, which explains the origin behind why he has the body of a human being but the head of an elephant. Here is the story translated from Hindi to English as narrated by my mom:

Folktale

“Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a young boy who lived with his mom. The boy’s name was Ganesha. One day, Ganesha’s mother was taking a shower. She told her son to keep watch and not let anyone inside the house until she was finished. While Ganesha was standing outside, Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction, walked up to the door and asked to be let in. Neither one knew who the other being was. “I cannot let you in,” said Ganesha to Shiva. “Move out the way,” replied the God. Not wanting to disobey his mother, Ganesha stood ground and refused to let Shiva inside. Shiva’s eyes filled with anger. He took out his sword and cut Ganesha’s head off.

After Ganesha’s mother was done with her shower, she walked outside to see her son lying on the ground with his head cut off. “What did you do!” she cried to Shiva. “You just cut the head off your own son.” “I had no idea,” replied Shiva. “I’ve been gone for so long, I did not know this was Ganesha.”

Right then, Shiva saw an elephant walking by. He cut its head off and put it on Ganesha’s body. This is the story of why Ganesha has an elephant’s head.”

Interpretation

According to my mom, Ganesha’s story is a representation of a son’s duty to his mother. Ganesha stood guard for his mother even when faced with a threat. He fulfilled the duty of a child, which is to obey his mother.

Djinn

Description

A Djinn is an antithesis of an angel in Islam. These creatures can take form as any human being. Whereas Angels have no free will and are bound by their duties to God, Djinns can do whatever they desire, including both good and evil deeds.  

Cultural Background

Informant Name: Haider G.

Informant Age: 21

Informant Gender: Male

Informant Birthplace: Massachusetts

Informant Current Residence: Massachusetts

Informant Ethnicity: Pakistani

Informant Religion: Muslim

Interview Place: Dartmouth College

Interview Date: May 10, 2014

Informant Background: Haider was born and raised in Massachusetts. However, his family is from Lahore, Pakistan. Hence, Haider grew up in a traditional Muslim household. When Haider was a young boy, his dad told him a story about creatures in Islam. Here is my interview with Haider, which includes his description of the mythical creature and the story his father narrated to him about 10 years ago:

“In Islam, there are Angels and Djinns. Angels are perfect and have no free will. They follow Allah, the Muslim God. On the other hand, Djinns are humans, and hence can make their own choices. [Pause] The most famous Djinn is Shaitan, known as Satan in Christianity. There are a lot of superstitions around Djinns. [Pause] For instance, Djinns like to take the form of humans and other objects in the world. When my dad was young, his spiritual leader told him a story of his encounter with a Djinn:

So, one day, my dad’s spiritual leader was walking around a food market picking out groceries. He had been there for about five minutes or so, when another man came up to him and introduced himself. Then the man started asking questions about the spiritual leader’s religious beliefs. It seemed like he was interested in what my dad’s spiritual leader had to say about his religious life. Half way through the discussion of Allah, the man asked if the spiritual leader was thirsty. The spiritual leader nodded his head, at which point the man stretched his arms over 10 feet to fetch a pitch of water across the market. That’s when the spiritual leader knew he was not interacting with a man, but rather a Djinn. So, he chose to end the conversation and leave.

That’s the story my dad told me about Djinns. He also said that not all Djinns are bad. Some pray alongside human beings and do good deeds.”

Interpretation

According to Haider, the story of the Djinns represents the presence of creatures other than human beings in this world. An ordinary human would be unaware of the existence of these supernatural beings because they can take any form and blend in with society. As such, only once in a while does a person have the opportunity to encounter Djinns, just like Haider’s father’s spiritual leader did.

Eklavya

Description

Eklavya is one of the most famous warriors in Indian folktales. He is known for his sacrifice to his master and demonstrates the sacred relationship between teacher and student.  

Cultural Background

Informant: my father

Informant Age: 49

Informant Gender: Male

Informant Birthplace: New Delhi, India

Informant Current Residence: New Jersey

Informant Ethnicity: Indian

Informant Religion: Hindu

Interview Place: Telephone conversation

Interview Date: May 18, 2014

Informant Background: My father was born and raised in New Delhi, India. He moved to the United States when he was 34 years old. As a child, my father heard many tales and myths from his parents. Here is the story about Eklavya translated from Hindi to English as narrated by my dad:

Folktale

“Long, long ago, there was a child named Eklavya. He was the son of a tribal chief of a small province named Nishadha. As a child, Eklavya had trouble making friends. While all the other kids his age would go around playing games, Eklavya would sit alone in the corner. One day, his father asked him, “What’s wrong, son? Why aren’t you happy?” “I want to study archery, father, under Guru Dronacharya” replied Eklavya. Guru Drona was the greatest known teacher of archery and martial arts in all the lands. So his father started making preparations for Eklavya’s journey to the land far away where Drona taught.

            After traveling for years, Eklavya reached Drona’s school. He approached Drona and said, “Guru, I would be honored to learn the art of archery under you.” “Who are you,” asked Drona. “I am Eklavya, son of the tribal chief of Nishadha.” “I’m sorry, son,” replied Drona. “As a Brahman, I cannot teach anyone of a lower caste.”

            Disappointed, Eklavya left the school and began traveling far away. He reached a forest and took some mud from a nearby river. From the mud, he built a statue of Drona and prayed to it. Then, every day, Eklavya practiced archery. Years passed, and Eklavya became the most extraordinary archer in all the lands.

            One day, while practicing, Eklavya heard a dog barking repeatedly. He wanted to quiet the dog, but did not want to kill him. So, he fired five arrows rapidly in such a way that the dog stopped barking but was not hurt at all. The dog wandered away and reached Drona’s school. Impressed by the archery, Drona decided to find out who this exceptional archer was. He followed the dog back to Eklavya. “Who taught you archery, son?” asked Drona. “You did, Guru,” replied Eklavya, bowing down and touching Drona’s feet [among Hindus, touching an elder person’s feet is a way of showing them respect and receiving their blessings]. Then he showed Drona his statue and explained to him the entire story.

            “If I am your Guru, where is my Guru Dakshana?” asked Dronacharya. [Guru Dakshana is the gift a student gives a teacher after he has learned the art]. “I would be honored to give you whatever you want, Guru,” exclaimed Eklavya. “Then, give me your thumb,” replied Drona. Without hesitation, Eklavya cut off his thumb and gave it to Guru Dronacharya, knowing that he will never be able to shoot an arrow again. And that is the story of the greatest student and archer there ever was.”

Interpretation

According to my father, Eklavya is a story about the relationship between a student and a teacher. A teacher imparts all of his/her knowledge upon a student so that the student can move forward and be successful in life. In return, a student must always appreciate his teacher. By giving a Guru Dakshana, a student shows that appreciation.

Hanumana

Description

Hanumana is a half man, half monkey Hindu mythical creature. He is a warrior who helps Rama battle Ravana and rescue Sita. His weapon is a mace, which he carries with him at all times. Also, Hanumana has the ability to transform from human-size to a giant version of himself.

Cultural Background

Informant: Anonymous

Informant Age: 19

Informant Gender: Male

Informant Birthplace: Mumbai, India

Informant Current Residence: Mumbai, India

Informant Ethnicity: Indian

Informant Religion: Hindu

Interview Place: Dartmouth College

Interview Date: May 24, 2014

Informant Background: I interviewed a friend from Mumbai, India who currently studies at Dartmouth College. He grew up in a Hindu household, and as a child, he saw many idols of Hanumana around his house. One day, he asked his mom who this half-human, half-monkey mythical creature was, and she told him about this warrior. Here is his description of Hanumana:

“Hanumana is the half-human, half-monkey who helps Rama in his battle against Ravana. When Rama goes to Sugreeva to gather an army after his wife, Sita, has been kidnapped, one of the warriors of Sugreeva is Hanumana. Hanumana immediately becomes an ardent devotee of Rama. He vows of serve his life to Rama. So, when the battle against Ravana begins, Hanumana kills many of Ravana’s demons. However, after the first day of the battle, many of Rama’s soldiers are severely injured. At this point, it seems like Rama is going to lose the battle. So, Hanumana flies to the Himalayas and brings the mountain to Rama. On the mountain are hundreds of herbs, which Rama uses to cure his soldiers. After Rama defeats Ravana and rescues Sita, Hanumana becomes their devout servant and continues to serve them forever.”

Interpretation

According to my friend, Hanumana is a representation of duty. His family taught him that every person in this world has a duty. Fathers have duties toward their sons, brothers have duties toward their sisters, friends have duties toward their friends, etc. Hanumana, as a devotee of Rama, had the duty to always protect his idol. 

Conclusion

India and Pakistan are home to over a billion people. As a result, these countries are filled with rich folklore. Folktales, myths, legends, epics, and other forms of folklore are prevalent throughout the regions. After speaking to all my informants and learning about numerous forms of folk narrative, I had a chance to get a glimpse of this.

            Most of the mythical creatures I collected were associated with a story or folktale. Each story/folktale holds significance to the informants because it was narrated to them by someone important in their lives to teach them a lesson. By collecting these stories, I was able to learn numerous life lessons.