The Waste Paper Basket Man - Part Four

 

To practice hearing the sound of his own voice, Chobei shouted ‘Waste paper’ all day. 

The boys laughed at him and thought that Chobei was mad and threw stones at home.

Chobei went home that day and he was discouraged.

Chohachi laughed when he heard what had happened. “Chobei, rich people do not sell waste papers. Talk to women and flatter them and then suggest to them that they may have papers to sell.”

So Chobei tried again. He went to the poorer streets.

The women here worked and the old women were talking and children played around the pavement.

Chobei smiled and bowed at the women. “May the Sun Goddess smile upon you. I am very pleased to meet you.” Chobei spoke well and finally studied the women. “Do you have any waste paper to sell?”

The women were thrilled to hear his words. They searched hard in their house for waste paper and gave it to him.

He came to be called as Knightly Waste-Paper Man and soon Chobei came to have good trade.

Chohachi helped him spend the money carefully.

By this time, Chobei and O Tsuis San had a daughter. 

Chobei made good money and took good care of his family.

This went on for some time.

The Knightly Waste-Paper Man was calling out in the streets and there Chobei saw a man who fell down the road.

The others thought the man was a beggar.

But Chobei felt sorry for the man and helped him.

Adapted from Japanese Folktales

The Waste Paper Basket Man - Part Three

At Chohachi’s place, O Tsuis San recovered from her fatigue and Shindo’s wound also healed.

Then Chahachi told Shindo something important. “You are always welcome at my home, but my rice pot is enough to feed four people.” Chohachi studied Shindo. “Do you have any skills that can make the pot boil?”

Shindo sadly shook his head. “I have no skills.”

Chohachi was worried. “Can you teach men to fence?”

Shindo shook his head. “I have no skill as a swordsman.”

“Can you teach writing?”

Shindo shook his head again.

Chohachi wondered what task he could give the man before him that would earn money. The task had to be easy and something that the man could do easily. 

Finally, Chohachi figured it out. He wanted Shindo to be a Waste-Paper man. It was such an easy job that even a simpleton could do it.

Chohachi called Shindo as Chobei because Shindo did not seem the right name for a waste-paper man. After that, Chohachi purchased a pole of bamboo with baskets at both ends and gave it to Chobei.

Chobei went the next day to start his work.

However, the first day, Chobei lost his way. It was so bad that Chobei had to pay a man to guide him to the tradesman’s home.

He brought no waste-paper and Chohachi scolded him. “You have to call out. If you walk silently, how will anyone know what you want?”

Chobei anxiously listened to the words of the tradesman because he did not want to depend on the trader all the time. Moreso Chobei was worried because O Tsuiu San was at home trying her hand at embroidery to earn some coins.

Adapted from Japanese Folktales

The Waste Paper Basket Man - Part Two

Shindo woke up with a start. But even before he could think it out, he placed his wife behind him and pulled out his sword.

No sooner had this happened, two robbers attacked him.

Though Shindo fought fiercely, the two thieves overpowered him. He was injured too and there was blood from a wound in his arm.

Then suddenly a ronin appeared there. A ronin is a samurai who has lost their lord and is not employed anymore.

The ronin came and helped Shindo and it was because of his help that the robbers ran away from there.

Shido and Tsuiu thanked the ronin whose name was Bun-yemon.

The ronin studied the two people. “I can see that some misfortune has brought you here. Who are you and where are you going to go?”

The samurai looked sad. “I have very little yen and it would probably not be enough to buy breakfast for my wife.” The samurai then told the ronin his entire story.

The ronin heard the samurai and then nodded. “I cannot do anything for you by myself.” The ronin however pointed at a faraway city where the roof was gleaming in gold in the morning sun. “That is the towers and temples of Yedo. There lives a tradesman called Chohachi. He is poor, but he has a good heart. Tell him that I sent you to him.”

With these words the ronin walked away. “My path is different and so I will leave you now.”

Shindo and Tsuiu hurried to Yedo and found Chohachi.

The tradesman welcomed the two of them and there the two remained until they recovered from the fatigue of the journey.

Adapted from Japanese Folktales

The Waste-Paper Basket Man - Part One

There was once a Samurai called Shindo. Shindo had offended the lord for whom he worked and so Shindo had to leave the province and go away.

His wife Tsuiu accompanied Shindo.

Neither Shindo nor Tsuiu knew any work and so they could not find any work.

Shndo was very sad to see his wife suffer because of him.

However Tsuiu was kind and she did not complain. She sounded optimistic as they walked on.

The two of them walked for some time but they found no place to rest.

However, as night came, Tsuiu became nervous. She came closer to Shindo because in the dark, she felt like she saw thieves behind every tree and bush.

Shindo smiled at her. “Sleep under this sendai tree. Use my mantle to cover yourself and use my arm as your pillow. I will watch you as you sleep.”

Tsuiu was tired and soon fell asleep.

Shindo watched her for some time.

However Shindo was tired and soon his eyes closed.

Shindo had a strange dream. In his dream, there came two huge dragons who had come to eat him. Shindo cried out aloud in his dream for the safety of his wife, when a bigger dragon came and ate the first two dragons.

Shindo’s dream ended with him and his wife escaping from the two dragons.

Adapted from Japanese Folktales

Zeus and Typhon - Part Four

As soon as Typhon climbed up Mount Olympus, the other Greek Gods began to tremble in fright.

Some Gods like Hera, Demter and Apollo turned themselves into animals and fled the place in terror.

Zeus being the king of the Gods had to defend his realm.

On seeing Zeus, Typhon hurled mountains at him.

There were roars and thunderbolts all across the skies and the very cosmos trembled.

It was such that for a brief period of time, Typhon even bested Zeus in the fight.

Typhon tore out Zeus’ sinews and rendered Zeus helpless. After that, Typhon hid Zeus in a cave.

Hermes is the Messenger God of the Greeks. Hermes and Aegiapan, another God, entered the cave where Zeus had been held captive.

The two Gods brought Zeus’ sinews and restored him to full strength.

After Zeus had become powerful, he angrily went out of the cave and attacked Typhon.

Zeus took out his most powerful weapon - the thunderbolt.

Zeus relentlessly fired thunderbolts at Typhon.

Typhon was unable to fight the continuous barrage and finally he was defeated.

Then Zeus trapped Typhon under Mount Etna.

The Ancient Greeks believed that the volcanic eruption of Mount Etna was because of Typhon’s breath who was trapped there.

Adapted from Greek Mythology

Zeus and Typhon - Part Three

 

Typhon was a huge and terrible monster to look at. 

Typhon was so huge that his head brushed against the very stars of the sky. 

From the top of his waist Typhon looked like a human, but below it Typhon had two coiled serpents in the place of his legs. His fingers had a hundred serpent heads and his eyes flashed fire.

Some versions mention that Gaia the Earth and Tartarus were the parents of Typhon.

However, some other versions mention that Hera prayed to Gaia, Uranus and the Titans so that she could give birth to a son stronger than Zeus.

Soon after that, it is said that Hera gave birth to Typhon.

It was believed that Python was the dragon that lived in the centre of the earth. The Ancient Greeks believed that Delphi was the centre of the earth.

So the Python resided at Delphi.

It is said that Hera gave Typhon to Python and asked Python to raise Typhon.

One of Typhon’s wives is Echidna. 

Together, the two of them were responsible for creating many monsters including Hydra, Chimera and even the three-headed dog of hell called Cerberus.

Whatever be his origin, Typhon realized that he was the enemy of Zeus. So Typhon began his ascent to Mount Olympus to fight Zeus.

Adapted from Greek Mythology

Zeus and Typhon - Part Two

The Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare and handicraft is Athena. There are many stories regarding the birth of Athena.

Some mention that just like Zeus feared that what had happened to Cronos would happen to him as well. 

Metis was the ancient Goddess of wisdom, counsel and deep thought. However, she was not an Olympian. She was born to Titan Oceanus and Titaness Tethys. 

Metis was the first consort of Zeus.

However, Zeus was afraid of Metis. It had been prophesied that Metis would give birth to a daughter who was more powerful than Zeus.

Zeus wanted to avoid this. So he deceived Metis and made her turn herself into a fly.

As soon as Metis had done this, Zeus swallowed Metis.

However, Metis was already carrying her daughter Athena at that time.

Now that she was swallowed, Metis raised Athena in Zeus’s mind.

It is believed that even now, Metis gives advice to Zeus from the mind.

However, Metis helped her daughter escape. 

When Athena had grown up, Metis gave her an armour, shield and spear and asked Athena to hit the weapons hard against Zeus’s head.

Zeus could not take the terrible headaches and with the help of other Gods, he tried to remove whatever was causing his headache.

That was how Athena emerged from Zeus’ mind - fully grown up and wearing an armour.

Athena became the new Goddess of Wisdom warfare and handicraft.

Zeus now had a new consort - Hera and Hera was angry that Zeus had given to Athena all by himself.

So Hera prayed to Gaia, Uranus and the Titans to give her a son who was stronger than Zeus.

This could be one of the versions for the birth of Typhon.

Adapted from Greek Mythology

Zeus and Typhon - Part One

Zeus was the God of the Sky and he was the king of all the Greek Gods. However, that was not always the case.

The older Greek Gods were the Titans.

Titans were the children of Gaia, the earth and Uranus, the Sky.

The youngest Titan was Cronos, the God of Time.

Cronos overthrew his father and ruled over the ‘golden age’.

However, Uranus prophesied that the same thing would happen to Cronos. “Just as you overthrew me, one of your children will overthrow you too.”

Cronos felt that his father’s words would come true.

So, just to circumvent his father’s prophecy, Cronos swallowed all but the last of his children as soon as they were born.

Cronos and Rhea had six children. 

Their last son was Zeus.

When Zeus was born, Rhea gave a rock for Cronos to swallow and Rhea managed to convince Cronos that the rock was their latest child.

Cronos swallowed the rock and then felt that he had nothing more to fear.

Zeus grew up to be a strong man away from the eyes of his father and subsequently, Zeus got Cronos to throw up all the children that he had swallowed.

Then together with his siblings, Zeus fought a long and hard war against the Titans and finally overthrew his father.

Zeus then became the ruler of the Greek Gods and he set up his kingdom in Mount Olympus. That was the reason that Zeus and his other siblings are called Olympians.

However, during the early times, Zeus’ rule was not without any troubles. 

Zeus was frequently challenged and one of the most intimidating challenges to Zeus came from Typhon.

Adapted from Greek Mythology

The Story of Yagnasoma and Kirtisoma - Part Three

 

“Show this vessel and ask for alms,” the snake told the woman. “And they will give you alms. If they refuse, their head will burst into a hundred pieces.”

Yagnasoma took the vessel and studied the snake. “If what you say is true then give me my husband back, as alms. That is what I ask from you.”

The snake realized that it had no choice and brought the husband out of his mouth and Yagnasoma was alive and unharmed. 

Yagnasoma’s wife was thrilled and her husband was back.

Both Yagnasoma and his wife were shocked when they turned and saw the snake.

The snake disappeared and in its place stood a heavenly being. 

The heavenly being smiled happily at the couple. “I am Kanchanavega and I am a king of the Vidyadharas. By a curse from Gauthama I had become a snake.” The celestial being smiled even more happily at Yagnasoma’s wife. “I was told that when I met a good and clever woman, my curse would end.”

The king of the Vidyadharas then filled the gold vessel in the hands of Yagnasoma’s wife with jewels.

Then Kanchanavega flew up into the skies.

Yagnasoma and his wife went back to their kingdom and this time they lived happiness because the wealth that they had got from the Vidhyadhara king was inexhaustible.

Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara