Week 3 Story: Single Sita
Sita was upset, to say the least.
It had been years upon years, and all her father wanted was for some guy to show up and lift Shiva's bow so he could marry her off. This would be without her consent and without her opinion at all - literally just lifting a bow.
Sita knew she was special. Not because she was royalty (she thought that was pretty illogical - she didn't have to do anything to be born, so she didn't deserve special treatment simply because of luck) but because she could lift Shiva's bow with her little finger. In fact, she did it all the time: it was the only object heavy enough to be useful for her finger strength training. She often wished she was Greek instead of Indian so she could be an Amazon, now THOSE women had it made! They lived in their own society as rulers, judges, warriors, and more. There were no limits, no gender roles, no suitors, nothing of the kind. Sita had been polite and patient for all of her life, but this endless tirade of suitors was getting tedious, and she felt she could do so much more with her life.
One day, as Sita dozed off watching a line of a hundred men attempt to lift Shiva's bow, she felt the air crackle. As the hairs rose on her neck, she instantly snapped to attention, and she was horrified by what she felt and saw. A behemoth of a man, cruel and harsh, stepped up to the bow. As he heaved mightily, the impossible happened: she saw movement. This was simply unacceptable. Sita knew she would never marry this man, so she had to act. Moving away from her throne, she began moving her arms and hands with incredible speed. This generated wind gusts with the power of a cyclone, and she directed this burst straight at the feet of the man. BOOM. The man let out a yell as he lost his balance, and Shiva's bow fell directly on top of his abdomen. Of course, no other man could help, so he struggled in vain against the bow.
Sita saw this as a sign to act. Charging toward the man, she hoisted the bow off his stomach with her little finger, as easily as scooping up a cup of flour. As onlookers gasped in astonishment, Sita turned to her father and declared: "No man will ever be worthy of my strength. Only I can lift Shiva's bow, and thus I will remain single. I am going out on my own, and I will bring this bow to protect me. No man who dares challenge me will survive."
And that was the last India ever saw of Sita. Interestingly enough, around the same time, Greek historians noticed a new figure emerge in Amazon legends: a foreigner who earned her way into the ranks of the women warriors.
Author's Note: I read the stories relating to the marriage test for Sita, which involved lifting a bow. Sita herself was capable of lifting the bow, which stood out to me. I did not understand why a woman as powerful as Sita would just wait to marry someone who could do the same thing she could do as the only criteria for marriage, so I rewrote the stories to give her independence. In the original story, Ravana comes and almost lifts the bow; he just happens to fall. I changed this to make Sita responsible for pushing him over to exert a choice in her fate. I also changed the end result from her marrying Rama to her leaving as a single woman to join the Amazons in Greece!
Bibliography: Tiny Tales from the Ramayana by Laura Gibbs, Part A, Page 5
Sita is really independent in this story and I am a fan. It is definitely the opposite of the original Ramayana where Sita typically just follows others. Sita seems more humane in this version which is a nice change. You conveyed her mindset really well expressing what she despises and longed for. The contrast between Greek and Indian is really interesting to as you placed them in the same universe. I wonder if Sita has strength for everything heavy or is it just specifically this Shiva's bow. I did not know the man in your story was Ravana until I read your author's note. The ending was a really nice twist to the original Ramayana, especially considering what really happens to Sita at the end of Ramayana. In a way, this is a happy ending for Sita. If you want, you could add an image of an amazon warrior to really sum up the ending.
ReplyDeleteHi! I really love the way you wrote this story! I love how you provided a window into Sita's emotions and made her a powerful , independent woman who makes her own decisions and refuses to settle for someone. My favorite part is the ending! I love how you completely changed it and made it to where she goes off on her own, showing her true strength and independence. This was really well written and fun to read. You really advocated for Sita's character and showed who she is on the inside instead of just marrying her off to a man. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Rob!
ReplyDeleteThis story was so fun to read. I loved the twist you had at the end and it definitely surprised me. I think my favorite part was how connect Indian mythology to Greek mythology. Instead of her just disappearing forever she found her own story to tell, not Rama's or Vishnu's, but Sita's. If Sita could lift the bow then there was nothing but her father from stopping her from becoming a great woman. The only suggestion that I have is the placement of your image. It breaks the story up when that is a place where it seems like it should flow. Other than that, well done!