A review by fatin
The Ramayana by Vālmīki

4.0

I love readings Epics and old, old mythologies and really making the connections between them all over the world. Icarus burning his wings in Greek mythology to Sampati, the vulture, who burned his wings on account of protecting his brother when they both flew too close to the sun in Ramayana. There are some obvious parallels like this one, or another one between Hindu religion and the Abrahamic faiths that I discovered when talking to a friend. Krishna is carried across a river in a basket when a king starts killing male babies because he hears of a prophecy that one of them will rise to kill him which is so similar to the story of Moses I've heard. The Hindu Gods also resemble the Greek Gods; Indra - Zeus, Vayu - Eurus. But what I really love about Epics is that you can sort of trace back all fantasy fiction to it. You can also see the trend of black and white truths and, of course, the rampant sexism. The part that's always bothered me the most. This one goes on to feminizing the land and calling the King the husband of the land and with his death comes the widowhood of the land.

Random musings:
- All the old myths and epics I've read always describe the Men as beautiful, having slender faces and almond-shaped eyes and smooth complexion. All attributes that are now seen as feminine.
- Ew at the concept of a woman existing to serve her husband. and the idea of a man having several wives and consorts.
- Also had the plotline of a man going near insane with grief on losing his lover.
- I haven't read book 7 of this Epic. I read it in my Norton Anthology of world literature so parts of the previous books + book 7 are missing.