during my trek in the jungle, our tribal guide took us to a spot that local legends claimed was a rakshasa's fort. it was so indistinguishable from the surrounding forest that we'd have missed it if he hadn't pointed it out to us. the 'fort' was just some roughly strewn boulders and trees that vaguely resembled a circle of about 7-8 meters diameter.
he told us that the rakshasa had been a 'protector of the forest'. indeed.
(for the uninitiated, rakshasa is sanskrit for 'demon'. the word literally translates as 'eater of human flesh'.)
indian (or more broadly, HINDU) mythology is full of these gigantic, fearsome, forest-dwelling creatures who had a tendency to eat humans. there are vivid descriptions of these monsters with horns on their heads, large teeth protruding out of their mouths, wearing animal skin and decorated with ornaments made out of bones.
let's try to look at these 'demons' from the anthropologist's perspective: forest-dwelling tribals who lived in small communities and occassionally resorted to cannibalism when the need arose (they still do, in the remoter forests of the world where 'civilisation' hasn't reached yet).
the fearful appearance is easy to explain: survival in the wilderness calls for a tall, well-toned body that can chase animals, climb trees and is hardened to withstand the elements. clothes and ornaments the byproducts of whatever was left over after a good meal of animal/bird flesh.
magnify all these features with the fervid imagination of the 'lucky' villagers who 'got away from their clutches' ("he was at least 10 feet tall, i swear!"), and we have the whole story.
okay, enough of the scholarly thesis (which i'm sure has been done by worthier, more qualified people). this is where i get to the interesting part:
once upon a time, a tribal walked out of the jungle, got himself educated in the ways of the 'civilised' folk and soon rose to power because of his talents and natural flair for leadership. it helped that he had a body that would put a greek god to shame, and exuded the whiff of an alpha male that made him quite irresistible to the ladies.
"intolerable!" cried the aristocracy (read 'gods') and sent forth its true-blooded champions to show the upstart his 'right place'.
after innumerable humiliating defeats at the hands of the 'outsider', and as his powers grew to threaten their positions, the 'righteous ones' got together to 'liberate the innocents' and 'defend the honour' of their women from the 'evil demon'.
epic battle follows; 'villain' defeated; righteousness wins. the end.
sound familiar?
No comments:
Post a Comment