Mythologyforthemillennial

Mythology for the Millennial: On Devyani, a sage's daughter, and Kacha, an undying man who would not commit

This is the story of one emotional f*ckwit, all the way back in ancient India, when the world was divided into devas, the gods, and the asuras, the demons.

Mythology for the Millennial: The magical power of an old woman's story, and a baby girl who heard it

In this edition of Mythology for the Millennial, a look at a Telugu folktale about an old woman telling stories in praise of the sun god — and the consequences of not listening to her. Ramanujan's English version is called A Story In Search of an Audience but really, it could also be called You Too Could Be An Influencer, Just Follow This Easy Step.

Mythology for the Millennial: Narada may be a trickster, but he deserved better than a life of illusions

While the Norsemen have Loki as their trickster, Hindu mythology has its very own Narada, not a god, but a sage hobnobbing with the who's who of the divine world.

Mythology for the Millennial: From vetalas to chudails, terrifying supernatural creatures abound in Indian lore

I love a good scary story — and I think this is universal, because mythology is full of random supernatural beings who are legit terrifying. I took a closer look at some of the more spooky ones, because apparently, I'm a sucker for punishment and now I might never sleep again. Here's my list of the most horrific creatures in Hinduism:

Mythology for the Millennial: This Holi, it's time to re-examine the story of the seemingly villainous Holika

The myths around Holi have a lot more to do with hubris than with evil women, and yet the festival is named after a wicked aunt whose only crime was to help her brother get what he wanted.

Diwali card parties' origins in Hindu mythology: How Shiva-Parvati's gambling game prompted a festive tradition

It's the one legend that actually sanctions playing cards with your family over Diwali, because hey, if the gods can do it, you can too