Author: Anita Nair
Publisher: Penguin/Puffin
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 178
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143335871
Description
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 head 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.
Retold here by best-selling author Anita Nair, these timeless stories come alive with a freshness and exuberance that is sure to delight and captivate.
Contents
Why People Began to Live in Houses
The Story of Nanna, the Moon
How Marshlands Came to Be
The Hungry Ghost
The Story of Dhruva
The Hare on the Moon
The Snakes’s Secret
How the Sky Went So High
The Story of Taliesin
Clouds in the Sky
How the Ping River and Moon River Came to Be
Why All Living Creatures Began to Weep
Why the Warau Indians Seldom Bathe
The Story of the Sun and the Moon
The Noble Dog
Horus, the Dutiful son
Ossian’s Sorrow
Wishpoosh and Coyote
The Eagle’s Egg
How Isis Became a Constellation
Why the Day Always Returns
Why Man Did Not Become Immortal
Why We Have Spit in Our Intestines
How Japan Became the Land of the Rising Sun
How Death Came to Stay
Why the Bear’s Tail Is Just a Stump
The Balance between Life and Death
Talking Brought Me Here
How Food Came to Be Cooked
How Mount Fuji Became a Volcano
How Whales, Seals and Fish Were Born