Genderink- Women in Mythology

Women

in Mythology

Designer- Aastha Bairolia

- Kinjal Mehta We have grown up listening to the stories of Rama & Sita, Shiva & Parvati, Laxmi & Vishnu. What do they have in common?

They are stories of men with majestic powers. Stories that depict the routine issues of ordinary people and are observed by all with every tick of the clock. Issues that relate to family such as problems in marital life and parent-child conflicts.

Mythology is ideally all about the stories which are passed down in the form of folklore from one generation to the other, a pass down of what we call today as Indian culture and tradition. “Within infinite myths lies the eternal truth Who sees it all?

Varuna has but thousand eyes, Indira has hundred, You and I, only two. “ - Devdutt Pattanaik Myths may not satisfy the demands of rationality or science, but they contain profound wisdom, provided one believes in its truth and is willing to find out what they communicate.

Myth = Belief = subjective truth = cultural Assumptions.

Mythology = stories, symbols and rituals that communicate myth.

If mythology is a pass down of culture, tradition & way of life in the earlier times then we should look at it from a feminist perspective. Role of women in the earlier ages… Women in Mythology. How women played vital roles in different mythology from all over the world, and how many are not even recognized with their true powers and nature.

Our Hindu mythology conveys us the message through our folklore & scriptures is that Gender plays a vital role in our lives.

Everything has a meaning to it and Genders too. Like male & female has their own set of roles in the society. No gender is superior or inferior. Male form is called Purusha & female is called Prakriti. Purusha means “Man” & “Culture” while Prakriti means “Woman” & “Nature”. Both compliment each other. In Hindu words, Man is equal to culture & Woman is equal to nature. Such interpretation reinforces the popular belief that the Hindu world is patriarchal, with Men deciding how the world should be, but the Veda’s and Upanishad were not concerned with gender politics or social issues. While these did influence their thoughts, the primary motivation for these scriptures was metaphysics. Purusha and Prakriti exist after the androgynous being splits itself informs us that neither does Purusha create Prakriti nor doe Prakriti creates Purusha. They come into existence simultaneously neither can exist independently. Purusha needs Prakriti & Prakriti needs Purusha.

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Lullaby

-Mati Rajput After God created Adam, who was alone, Adam said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone.’ God, then created a woman for Adam, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said, ‘I will not lie below you,’ and he said, ‘I will not lie beneath you, but only on top.

For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.’

Lilith responded, ‘We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the Earth.’ But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air.

Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: ‘Sovereign of the universe!’ he said, ‘the woman you gave me has run away.’ At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof, to bring her back.

Said the Holy One to Adam, ‘If she agrees to come back, what is done is good. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day.’ The angels left God and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the Egyptians were destined to drown. They told her God’s word, but she

did not wish to return. The angels said, ‘We shall drown you in the sea.’

‘Leave me!’ she said. ‘I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.’

When the angels heard Lilith’s words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: ‘Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant.’ She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels’ names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers. _Book of Genesis_ 2:18 So Lilith was Adam’s first girlfriend? Yes! That’s right. I hope I enlightened you with Adam’s love affair which didn’t work out (clearly).

The origins of looking at procreation with a feminist approach can be traced down to Christian mythology. It’s evident why Lilith is considered a class of winged female demons that attacks pregnant women and infants. All she asked for was equality. She remained to be a demon while Adam and Eve, according to Abrahamic mythology, are ancestors of humankind.

The word lullaby is derived from shunning Lilith away. Mothers everywhere sing Lullabies to protect their child from Lilith or Laila in fear that she’ll kill their child. A mythological case of pitting women against each other. Lilith asked for equality, and the so called angels could not accept it, not even as a myth. Talk about women asking for privacy, they get threatened to be drowned in the sea.

She’s Greek and Latin to them -Tanisha Mehta I fell in love with Greek Mythology after reading the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. After finishing a book I would go on Wikipedia and read more about the Gods and Goddess’. The women in Greek mythology are divided into Goddesses, Nymphs, Mortals, Amazonians and Monstresses. In myths, the most importance is given to the Goddesses as they had the greater power over the others.

One of my favorites is Artemis.

Artemis holds a very important position in Greek mythology as well as in women’s life. The reason for her importance is her nature & power that she had. Artemis is known as the goddess of the hunt and is one of the most respected of all the ancient Greek deities. It is thought that her name, and even the goddess herself, may even be pre-Greek. She was the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and the Titaness Leto and she has a twin brother, the god Apollo. She asked her father Zeus to grant her the ability to help women in the pains of childbirth. One of her symbols is the Bow and Arrows, which reflected her love for hunting. She is often portrayed as an independent and strong goddess who loved athletics and hunting. Being a virgin goddess, she had a deep attachment with the maidens, especially her own maidens who travelled with her during hunts. Artemis was a victim to various stalking and rape, but she managed to punish the culprit in a brutal manner. One such instance,includes that of Bouphagos who thought of raping her. When she reads his wicked intentions, she strikes him at Mount Pholoe. In another incident, a young hunter Acatean who wandered the forests with his hounds

stumbled upon Artemis and her maidens who were bathing in a stream. Instead of going away, he stayed there and continued to watch them. Artemis turned him into a stag for committing this sin. His hounds couldn’t recognize him and thus gobbled him up. How many of us wished we had powers like Artemis so we could make such people pay for their sins? I bet a lot of us do!

Nike, the goddess of victory, speed and strength played a major role in helping Zeus overthrow his father Kronos and the Titans. She took the form of his Divine Charioteer and brought success in this epic battle where Zeus gained control of Mount Olympus and became the Supreme Olympian. In the myths, A winged Nike would always appear carrying a palm branch and wreath which would signify the glory or victory of a person in Athletic competitions or the Wars. Not a lot has been mentioned about Nike but her significance of being a powerful goddess has been well appreciated till date, which can be seen in her commonly portrayed figures on ancient coins.

Hestia, the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, is the goddess of hearth, architecture and domesticity. Hestia received marriage suits

by Poseidon and Apollo but she rejects them both and takes an oath to perpetual virginity. She opposes the Love Goddess Aphrodite’s values and does her own thing. Priapus, a lesser god of fertility, tries to rape Hestia, but gets hit by the braying mule.

Her selfless, kind and wanting-to-stay-outof-family-drama, nature is seen when she gives up her throne for the Twelve Olympians to Dionysus.

Demeter, the goddess of harvest, fertility

and agriculture is considered as one of the most dynamic mother figures in Greek mythology. When her daughter, Persephone was abducted by the god of Underworld, Hades, she continued to search for her even during this period of grief and sadness. This affected the seasons on earth, which were a reflection of her emotional turmoil during her daughter’s absence. In one hymn, it is mentioned that Hecate, the powerful goddess of mythology, magic and religion helped Demeter to find Persephone, thus becoming her Underworld Attendant.

Even though these powerful goddesses, have influenced many, there have been instances of women who were subjugated to oppression and couldn’t do anything about it. They had to face the wrath of the Gods,even if it wasn’t their fault. This can be seen in the story of beautiful Medusa who was turned into a Gorgon with the venomous snakes in place of hair by Athena because Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Such occasions have been sited in various stories which only brought about a fear towards the Gods. I believe that it is extremely necessary to be aware of the negative aspects of these myths, but always better to get inspired from the positive ones!

Chang’e, The Moon Goddess -Nayonika Banerjee Just like today, the women in the mythological era also were said to be the strongest. Even then, they had to pass through tough paths in order to achieve respect and greatness. Few of them possessed powers, which included them under the title, ‘goddess’. The Chinese mythology is one of its kinds. Like every other mythology that exists, the Chinese mythology has its own story to tell. These myths are found in the historic geographical area of China.

The Jade Emperor held a very supreme position in the Chinese mythology and the three main realms that it involved were “heaven”, “hell” and the “realm of living”.

The Chinese Dragon was the most significant mythical creature according to this mythology and said to be the most divine and mighty creature as well as the controller of all waters.

One of the most significant characters in Chinese mythological history was the legend, Chang’e. Chang’e was a beautiful girl who worked and lived in the Jade emperor, a palace in heaven, where all the perennials and the fairies lived. Due to accidentally breaking a precious porcelain jar, she was sent to earth to live with the ordinary as her punishment. She could only return on one condition, that she had to make a valuable contribution on earth. She was transformed into a member of a poor family. A young hunter named Hou Yi from another village laid his eyes on her and got her to be his wife after being friends.

One day suddenly a weird phenomenon occurred where there were ten suns in the sky blazing the earth instead of one. He successfully shot down nine of them and saved the earth and was called the hero by the people. But never imagined by the

people, he grew into a dictator, a tyrant, an authoritarian. He became greedy & ordered to create an elixir, a pill that would elongate his life. But accidentally or purposely, no one knows, Chang’e swallowed the pill.

This became the reason of his anger and as soon as she took the pill, she jumped out of the window and instead of falling; she floated into the sky toward the moon.

King Hou Yi tried to shoot her down with arrows, but without success. Once on the moon, Chang’e became a three-legged toad, as punishment from the Queen Mother. Her companion, a rabbit, is said to constantly pound the elixir of immortality.

Thus, the Chinese believe, and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on the full moon night of the eighth lunar month. An open-air altar is set up facing the moon along with some cakes and sweets for the worship of Chang’e and in hopes of seeing her.

The world of Power, World of Woman. HINDU MYTHOLOGY -Kinjal Mehta Hindu mythology our very own mythology, story, culture to look up to, because that’s what our grandmothers do right? Parents tell us about how our Gods & Goddess have created this world & gave us stories to understand our problems, learn to solve them through their mistakes. A very familiar concept to us, as it’s our culture & stories that we all have at least once in our lives heard. For me it was more of a reality.

One more thing that our mythology conveys is the power, equality & meaning a gender holds.

Women in Hindu mythology holds a very powerful place, as she is “Janani” the one who gives birth or mother, thus she is the Mother Goddess, she is the protector of her children in many different forms, goddess who provides food “ Annapoorna”, who provides water “Ganga”, who provides knowledge “ Saraswati”, provides wealth “Laxmi”, The mother earth “ Bhoomi”, and she is the destroyer too, when the time comes she incarnates into “kali”.

Goddess Shakti, is the part of shiva.

Wife of Mahadev which incarnates several times after God Brahma during the time of creation ask Shiva for Goddess shakti for helping him in creation of the nature.

There comes Goddess Laxmi & Goddess Saraswati from Shakti & later the Rives, mountains, leaves, plants & all other living beings and every different species of all kinds.

Gauri, also known as Annapoorna, giver

of food, is fair, dressed as a married woman in a green sari with green bangles and hair tied in a knot with strings of flowers.

Gauri sits on Shiva’s lap, enjoying his attention. In Gauri, sex and violence are contained to satisfy the needs of her family.

She is nature domesticated. She is everything that the dark, naked, bloodthirsty Kali is not.

Kali’s bloodthirsty, naked and unbound form is indicative of the wild and raw state of the Goddess when God is indifferent to her. Kali represents nature, the darkest recesses of the unconscious that can overwhelm culture when discipline gives way to desire and the social fabric collapses.

Sita, reincarnation of Goddess Laxmi,

she Is Rama’s wife. We all know she is very humble, kind, clam & understanding.

There is an other side of sight in Valmiki’s Adbhut Ramayana, which is not a very well-known story. After the death of Ravana, when Rama, Sita & Lakshmana comes back to Aayodhya. There in Aayodhya was under attack by a Rakshasa named Sahastra Ravana, who has 100 heads, which is indication of him being ten times more stronger than Ravana. Here Sita is not the demure, helpless victim waiting for her husband to rescue her. In fact, when Rama falls wounded and unconscious on the battlefield, she assumes the fierce form of Kali and wreaks havoc upon the earth. Sita is eventually pacified by the gods, Rama’s consciousness is restored and the story moves on.

Saraswati is the Goddess as an embod-

iment of knowledge. She is the world that informs and inspires. She wears no jewels or cosmetics & drapes herself in a plain white sari with no desire to allure. She must be sought out. She rides on heron,

the symbol of concentration, or a gander, the symbol of intellectual discrimination because it is believed to possess the ability to a book, a pen, and a string of memory beads. Difficult to acquire yet eternally faithful, she is the container of all answers.

Mahadevi, The Goddess is often shown placing her foot on human heads or wearing a garland of human heads. The heads are invariably male and moustached. The male moustached head represents the ego.

The ego seeks validation and approval from the external world. It seeks to control the external world to ensure this validation and approval. This quest for validation, approvals and control stems from a failure to understand the world is the Goddess infinite and impermanent- existing to direct the mind towards the divine within, God, formless, nameless, permanent. While the Jiva is on a journey of self discovery, mahadevi nurtures it with her fertility. But when the Jiva attempts to control her fertility in the pursuit of self actualization, she strikes it down violently.

Durga, my most favorite. The embod-

iment of Adi-Maya-Shakti, Durga is the invincible one. She is at once bride and warrior. The one that establishes home, provides pleasure, produces children and offers food. The other rides into the battle and kills, defeating those who submit to her, destroying those who challenge her.

She will tame and ride the lion, the lord of the jungle. Her hair will never be bound.

World of Isis & Tefnut -Zainab Noorbhay Egyptian mythology has been a major inspiration for ancient Egyptian culture, norms & Art work. Through the Egyptian mythology, the scriptures describe the actions of the Egyptian gods and goddess as a means of understanding the world.

Some gods & goddess were identified with particular animals. There was often a connection between the god and goddess and the animal like The goddess of war named Sekhmet was sometimes shown with the head of a lioness to show that she was ferocious.

Women in ancient Egypt had a status that significantly contrasts the status of many modern women because they occupied power in ways that women commonly do not in contemporary societies. Although men and women in Egypt had traditionally distinct powers in society, there was no insurmountable barrier in front of those who wanted to deviate from this pattern. Egyptian society recognized women as equal to men, but as having an essential complementary, expressed especially in the action of producing children. This respect is expressed clearly in the ancient Egyptian theology and morality. They had the opportunity to rule the country and have the same position in the society as men.

Tefnut The name Tefnut translates to “she of moisture” she was connected to both the moon and the sun & was the goddess of moisture, that’s where her name comes from. She often appeared as a human hybrid where she was represented as half human and half animal. When she appeared in this hybrid state, she usually had the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. Mythology says that Atum is the father

of Tefnut and Shu, the god of air. The list of facts below will give greater insight into who the goddesses Tefnut is, what legends say about her, and why it was believed that her father’s tears turned into the first humans.The reasons Tefnut holds an important position in Egyption Mythology is because Tefnut was one of thirty nine gods and goddess’s of ancient Egypt that played a special role in the mythological history of ancient Egypt as well as the core of ancient Egyptian religion.Ancient Egyptians often portrayed Tefnut holding Ankh, the symbol of eternal life, in ancient tombs, relics and temples.This goddess is said to have been the left eye of the sun god, Atum Ra while her brother was said to have been the right eye.Tefnut had four grandchildren according to Egyptian mythology. They were Set, Osiris, Nephthys, and Isis.. One legend says that Shu and Tefnut’s father believed they disappeared into the waters of nun, a directionless abyss of water. When they returned, he was so happy to see them that he cried and his tears turned into the very first humans.Another legend states that Tefnut and her father had several disagreements leading to her leaving Egypt, where she’d been living with her father.

She set out for Nubia and took with her the moisture and the water for all of Egypt. She eventually returned bringing the moisture back with her and in turn, joy to the people there.The Egyptian female counterpart of the sun god Ra was the Eye of Ra. It is said that Tefnut was given the ability to function in this role as an authoritative figure as well as mother, sibling, and daughter of the sun god.

Tefnut according to the mythology has responsibility of moisture, weather, heaven and hell, moon, order, justice & time.

Goddess Isis One of the most famous gods of ancient Egypt is Isis. This important goddess, who

is prominent in the myths and legends of Egyptian Mythology, was one of their most important gods. This ancient civilization built numerous temples to honor her.

Like many ancient gods of Egypt her role changed throughout the centuries and varies based on region. Isis was associated with many different things. What she was most associated with was protection, healing, motherhood, children, fertility, and nature.Isis was seen by the Egyptians as both a protector and mother of the Pharaohs.

Like most of the gods, the ancient people of Egypt worshipped, Isis was believed to have supernatural powers. They believed she had the power to heal and in one myth is said to heal her son Horus from a scorpion sting.One of the most famous legends involving Isis is where her husband (and brother) Osiris is killed by their brother Set who was jealous of them. There are several versions of this myth, but in one popular version Isis brings Osiris back to life.After ancient Egypt was absorbed, by ancient Rome, Isis continued to be worshiped extensively throughout the Roman Empire.

Evidence, including temples and inscriptions, of her being worshipped throughout the ancient world have been discovered.

These areas include Italy, Spain, Pannonia, Britain, Germany, Asia Minor, and Portugal.Early art depictions of Isis show her wearing a long dress and wearing a crown bearing the hieroglyphic symbol for a throne.This goddess is often shown holding a symbol called the Ankh; which looks Together with her sister Nephthys; Isis is depicted on numerous ancient coffins. It was believed they would help protect the deceased against evil.

Amaterasu (Japanese Sun- Goddess) - Ilhaam Motlekar Japanese Mythology also like other mythologies plays a very crucial role in their religion context. The mythology of Japan has a long history dating back more than 2,000 years. It became part of two major religious traditions:” Shinto”, an indigenous religion, and “Buddhism”, which developed in India and came to Japan from China and Korea.

Japanese mythology includes a vast number of gods, goddesses, and spirits. Most of the stories concern the creation of the world, the foundation of the islands of Japan, and the activities of deities, humans, animals, spirits, and magical creatures.

Some myths describe characters and events associated with particular places in Japan. Others are set in legendary locations, such as the heavens or the underworld.

Amaterasu is the sun goddess, the most important deity of the Shinto religion and ruler of Takama no Hara (the High Celestial Plain), the domain of the kami or spirits.

The reason why Amaterasu holds an important position in Japanese mythology is because, The most important stories in Japanese mythology deal with creation and the goddess Amaterasu. Deeply rooted in nature, they vividly describe the formation of the landscape and the origin of forces such as fire, wind, and light.

Touched the land of the rising sun That morning light, which brings warmth and life is Amaterasu, the benevolent Goddess of the sun.

Less so are her brothers, namely Susano-o, bringer of storms, whose jealousy of his sister’s popularity drove him to burn her golden rice fields and scatter the sacred looms of her people. Grief stricken at

the destruction, Amaterasu sealed herself inside a deep cavern. Her people suffered and the realm fell into crushing darkness.

For an unknown time, she stayed there hidden away from the atrocities of the world.

Until, one day, came a thumping from outside. At first, she tried to ignore it, but curiosity called. Moving aside the great stone sealing the cavern, she peered cautiously out, only to stare into a polished bronze mirror. Blinded by her own reflection, Amaterasu was forced to creep further out to find the source of the sound. Hands grabbed her from either side and pulled her free of the cave. Gathered around were hundreds of friends and loved ones. Atop a wide tub danced Usume, Goddess of Mirth, creating the erratic drumming to the joy of all. Amaterasu smiled and the light came back to the world.

Seeing all those that depended on her, all those that loved her, Amaterasu vowed never again to hide away from calamity.

She would, instead, face it, just as the dawn rises each new day.

Amaterasu is a very revered and powerful who is divinely feminine, however, that is not seen an obstruction to her status. Her attitude to learn from her past mistakes and to face life head on is empowering and inspiring. Her willingness to accept help from those that love her does not in any way weaken her as an individual but on the contrary strengthened her resolve. This is an important lesson that is often forgotten in today’s individualistic and calculative world.

did you know?

Shiva and Parvati have a daughter, Ashoksudari. There are so many people obscure by the fact that Shiva has a family, a wife and is a father of two sons but there is no reference to their daughter. Ashokasundari was created from the wish-fulfilling tree Kalpavriksha when Parvati wished for reducing her loneliness.

The words in her name derive from her creation. “Ashok” refers to the easing Khof Parvati’s “shok,” which means adja b. Khuwaylid, sorrow, while “sundari” means Even before her famous mar“beautiful girl”. riage to the Prophet Muhammad, she was an important figure in her own right, being a successful merchant and one of the elite figures of Mecca. She played a central role in supporting and propagating the new faith of Islam and has the distinction of being the first Muslim. As the Prophet Muhammad himself is believed to have said in a hadith preserved in Sahih Muslim: “God Almighty never granted me anyone better in this life than her. She accepted me when people rejected me; she believed in me when people doubted me; she shared her wealth with me when people deprived me; and God granted me children only through her.”

There is a difference between Gods, Goddess & god & goddess.

“Gods” & “Goddess” are the Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva, Goddess Durga (Parvati), Goddess Laxmi, & Goddess Saraswati.

Rest all the gods and goddess for example; Indra, Ganga, Varuna,Vayu etc.

Hathor was one of the most important and complex goddesses of ancient Egypt. A mother goddess who created and maintained all life on earth, Hathor was also worshiped as goddess of the sky, fertility, music, and dance and as the symbolic mother of the pharaoh, or ruler. The Egyptians associated the goddess with sexual love, and her festivals included singing, dancing, and drunken ceremonies. The ancient Greeks identified Hathor with their own goddess of love, Aphrodite.

Indeed, another of the most important women of early Islam, Fatima al-Zahra’, was the daughter of the Prophet by Khadija and it is only through Fatima (especially through her two sons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn) that the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad is preserved. These facts make Fatima and her mother Khadija among the most revered female personages in Islamic history.

There is no reference of Arrange marriages in Vedas. Yes, even in both epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, it’s the woman who chooses the husband rather than their parents. There is a clear written reference of woman being independent and free to choose who they want to marry.

Shiva is Shakti, Shakti is shiva. Shiva is as powerful as Shakti , Shakti is equally powerful as Shiva, but shiva can never be Durga. Yes, it’s confusing!

Let us explain it to you.

It’s the story of creation of Goddess Durga. When the world was troubled by the powerful Asura “Mahishasura” & all the gods went to shiva & Vishnu for seeking help, the Gods came to a conclusion to put all their powers into a pot. So all the Male gods put all their power into a pot. Embodying their collective energy , came a light forming a lady like figure, a divine deity who had Trident of shiva, the Sudarshana chakra of Vishnu, Knowledge of Brahma, Vajra of Indra (thunder bolt), she is both derivative from the male divinities and the true source of their inner power. She is also greater than any of them. Born fully grown and beautiful, Durga presents a fierce menacing form to her enemies. She is usually depicted riding a lion and with 8 arms which indicates 8 directions & each holding the special weapon of one of the gods.

There is a menstruating Goddess, Kamakhya Devi, nestled high up on the Nilachal Hill, in the West of Guwahati, Assam.

One of the many places of pilgrimage in India, what makes Kamakhya Devi different is that it has no sculpture to worship, only Kamakhya’s yoni or vagina.

- Kinjal Mehta Mythology has always been a number one choice of literature. As we move forward & read more and more about it, we’ll understand that it’s the most misunderstood scripture. The reason behind misunderstanding is none other than the people who are suppose to translate & spread these scriptures to the masses, were themselves either not aware of what does it actually mean and were blinded by the earlier generation or they purposely bend the truth about the real Scriptures for controlling people in the name of religion.

Where we talk about Hindu mythology, our very own culture is portrayed & has the most powerful women than any other mythology. Not only in numbers they are many, but also as we see each one of these women have their own powers & hold a very important place in the society.

In contrast to our modern society, women were much more liberated & every human in mythology, “ Vedas, Upanishads” had freedom. It is just that they were bonded towards their Drama & Drama was a way to control & run the society ethically. This aspect of mythology was moulded many a time and it was then that Gods & Goddesses came to earth and tried to remind people their actual purpose and motives of life.

Whether it’s the story of Sita, submissive one who waits for her husband to rescue her, or the story Shiva where his daughter is completely unknown to the world, where

woman were always had choice whom they want to marry & education was available to all even women. Even the people rather than Gods and Goddess had power of their own, which they gain through knowledge and meditation “ Gyan and Tapasiya� itself shows that humans did not need to wait for god all the time for miracles to happen.

This very idea had made us choose this topic, keeping in mind that there are soo many different mythologies in the world & soo many powerful woman and in Mythology like ours where sometimes women are even more powerful then men, inspiring us to tell the story and the real truth about the culture we have passed down & to understand that our world has modified into a place where we have to fight in the name of feminism where truth is, we were always the powerful ones & equal to Men, and we need to realize it especially in the name of Religion, Culture & tradition.

- Aastha Bairolia A few novels give us an insight into how strong females in mythology are. It is not just in today’s world that the females are coming into power but the fact as it remains is that females were always powerful. These books portray how the female characters in our mythology are as powerful as the males and in some aspects even much more powerful.

Let’s take a tour of how female characters have been portrayed by some authors.

MYTH= MITHYA

DEVDUTT PATTANAIK This is a groundbreaking book by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik, one of India’s most popular mythologists. This book seeks an answer to these apparent paradoxes and unravels an inherited truth about life and death, nature and culture, perfection and possibility. We discover why the villainous Kauravas went to heaven and the virtuous Pandavas (all except Yudhishtira) were sent to hell; why Rama despite abandoning the innocent Sita remains the model king; why the blood-drinking Kali is another form of the milk-giving Gauri; and why Shiva wrenched off the fifth head of Brahma. He retells sacred Hindu stories using a unique style of commentary, illustrations and diagrams.

SHIVA TRILOGY AMISH TRIPATHI

One of the bestselling books of modern fictional mythology is Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy. This trilogy depicts a modern version of Shiva and Sati. This book shows us powerful female characters and gives a new perspective to the story of Shiva. This series includes books namely The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras.

7 SECRETS SERIES

DEVDUTT PATTANAIK These are another set of books by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik, which reveal the secrets of our gods and goddesses and show us the real truth behind the hidden lies. Still a controversy as to what the reality is this book makes the way for the people to think in a new direction and open their minds to new theories. This series contains majorly four books named 7 secrets of Shiva, 7 secrets of Vishnu, 7 secrets of Goddess and 7 secrets of the Hindu Calendar Art

KRISHNA KEY

ASHWIN SANGHI The best example of a book that clearly shows us the reality behind mythology is the Krishna Key. It connects the old mythical story of lord Krishna to the present time. For anyone who questions the existence of gods or mythical characters get a clear insight to the truth behind myths.

A wonderful book for the new era.

Editors: Kinjal Mehta and Aastha Bairolia Designed by: Aastha Bairolia

Designer- Aastha Bairolia