Rache Writes

For my storybook, I'm planning on telling three origin stories of Kali, which I listed in more detail in a previous post . One is where Kali emerges from Durga, one includes Pavarti becoming Kali, and the last involved the gods combining forces to create her. The two main sources I'm using as references are Wikipedia and Ancient History Encyclopedia , although I'm sure I will be pulling in more sources once I begin writing. In terms of storytelling style, I think I'm wanting to write these from a first-person perspective. When I took Intro to Hinduism I felt overwhelmed by all of the new information and names and gods that I wasn't familiar with due to my Christian background. I think that telling the story from a distant third-person perspective would overwhelm someone reading my storybook who isn't coming in with assumed knowledge of Hinduism. I think by making the reader Kali herself, it will allow for a clearer and more immersive experience. I al...

After some more research and hearing Laura's feedback, I've decided to focus on the Hindu goddess Kali. I really love the dual understanding of her nature and the recent feminist retellings. As I've said before in one of my blog posts, I really love origin stories. It just so happens that Kali has three different origin stories, so I decided to research those as a starting point. 1.  In the first version, the goddess Durga was in a battle and became so angry that her rage burst Kali forth from her forehead. Once on the battlefield, Kali ate all the demons she encountered, stringing their heads on a chain that became her famous and horrifying necklace. This is also the story where the famous image of Kali stepping on Shiva comes from, as his putting himself in his path is the only thing that stops her rampage. 2. There's a couple of versions where Parvati becomes Kali, but the one I'm most interested in is when the gods were trying to defeat Daruka, who could onl...

Here are some potential topics I'm considering: 1. Stories from China This is such a broad category that I'm not totally sure what direction I would go with this yet until I do more research. However, due to my time spent in China, I would love to pursue this further. I haven't decided if I would prefer to focus on a human narrative or an animal/nature one, or what morals I want to hone in on. A potential approach could be focusing on China's only female emperor, Wu Zetian , as the narrator of a story. I might also create a story about the origins of the Chinese zodiac calendar and its affiliated animals. 2. Hindu goddess Kali I've gotten to take a couple of classes on Hinduism at OU and one figure that's always fascinated me is Kali . Some people refuse to have images of the goddess in their homes because she is thought to bring violence and bad omens. However, others see her as a loving motherly figure. I think exploring the two sides of the godde...