Topic Research: Epic Twins
Story #1: Absolving the Original Sin
Yama and Yami represent the Lord of Death and the Lady of Life; in some myths, they are also said to be the first humans. There is a tributary of the sacred Ganges River known as the Yamuna, which is worshipped as the Goddess Yami. It is said that drinking and bathing in these waters removes sin. The fact that Yama and Yami are referred to as the first humans prompted me to think about Adam and Eve, and the Judeo-Christian story regarding the creation of the first man and woman. I think it would be interesting to write a story that combines these two religious traditions. What if Adam and Eve encountered the twins after their tragic fate with the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and Yami offers them the chance to absolve their sin by drinking her waters? There is a catch, however. In order to go to the River Yamuna, they must leave the Garden of Eden forever and promise to start news lives along the bank of the Ganges, building the foundations of human civilization there.
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Story #2: An Offering of Mischief
The Ashwinis are the twin Gods of medicine and healing. They are said to have extensive knowledge of plant life and ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine in India. They are also tricksters, and there are several stories that recount their mischievous ways. One of these stories involves them disguising their identities as another woman's husband in an attempt to seduce her, and another involves replacing the severed head of Dadhichi with the head of a horse. Staying in the vein of my first story idea, perhaps a precursor to the absolvement of the original sin could involve the Ashwinis being the ones to trick Eve into eating from the tree of knowledge. They would impress her with their expertise on plant life, selling the fruit as the elixir of all understanding. They might even claim that their learnedness was gained from biting into the same fruit. Though they intend no harm, their enjoyment of weaving tales and inventing pranks gets the better of them, and they eventually convince Eve to commit the sin of eating the fruit.
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Story #3: A Womb of Weeds
In keeping with the theme I have going in my first two stories, I would like to re-work another traditional Indian epic by incorporating European religious traditions. In this story, Eve is barren. Despite their efforts and longing for a child, she and Adam cannot conceive. However, because she was destined to help build the foundation of the human race, destiny intervenes. She hears about a Saint called Shardwana, and seeks out his help. However, after gazing upon the beautiful Eve, Shardwana is overcome with desire and removes himself to the forest to avoid such a distraction that threatens his celibacy. His semen falls into a bed of weeds, where they split into two, forming a boy and a girl. Passing through the forest later that evening, Eve spies the children and realizes they have been created through Shardwana's desire for her. She takes the children with her and raises them as her own.
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The Ashvin twins: Vedic Gods of medicine. Source: Wikimedia Commons
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