Beneath the Moon

by Yoshi Yoshitani

  The next morning, everyone discovered Hinemoa and Tutanekai had been married. The chief accepted and blessed the couple, and the pair lived happily ever after.

  The Woman Who Was Kind to Insects

  ALASKA, INUIT FABLE

  One year as winter approached, an old woman was left behind in her tribe’s summer campground. She had few teeth left to eat with, she could no longer make leather goods to sell, and she moved too slowly to make the journey to the new hunting ground. As the rest of her people moved on, they left behind a few insects in a basket for her to eat.

  The old woman looked at the insects and thought to herself that the poor insects were still very young and she was very old. She thought that she did not have much time left to live, but these insects still had their whole lives in front of them, and maybe they would even have children as she had done. And so she decided to not eat them but to set them free.

  The insects all flew or crawled or skittered away from the old woman, but they did not forget her. Soon they sent a small fox to the old woman’s camp. After sniffing her a few times, the fox jumped on her and began to bite her in a strange manner. Though the old woman initially thought her death had arrived, she realized that the fox was biting just at the edges of her skin, almost creating seams around the length of her body. The fox nipped and bit away until the old woman was able to shuck off her skin like a coat. Stepping out of her old skin, she saw the skin underneath was fresh and soft, like that of a much younger woman. She ran to the water and saw in her reflection that she had become young again.

  The insects she had freed now gathered around her and thanked her for letting them live. She thanked them for giving her new life. And so she followed them back to their home and, it is said, married a blowfly who was very kind to her.

  The Boy and the Dragon Pearl

  CHINA, CHINESE LEGEND

  Dragons in China are very powerful. They are symbols of strength, mystery, and good fortune. They can make themselves as small as silkworms or as large as the universe. They can live in heaven or deep in the ocean and control typhoons, tidal waves, floods, and rain. They can travel far distances, and some have even been known to favor men in mountain retreats. They are often known to carry a pearl that contains much of their magical power. Dragons are so magnificent, there is even an expression in Chinese that means “to hope one’s son will become a dragon.”

  There once was a little boy who lived in a small village that was starving from years of drought. Nothing would grow, and even the wild animals were suffering. When the boy saw a fat rabbit, he followed it to its home. There he found a small patch of greenery that was flourishing, which, when he dug it up, was growing around a giant pearl. Thinking he could sell the pearl for food, the little boy and his mother put it in a rice jar that night and slept peacefully. In the morning, they found the once-empty rice jar overflowing. The same miracle repeated itself again with the rice jar, an oil jar, and then with a box of money. The boy and his mother realized the pearl was magic and were able to stop worrying about food. But their newfound luck was noticed by greedy men who smashed the boy’s house in order to find whatever they had.

  The little boy grew terrified, and in his fear swallowed the pearl whole. He began to feel unbelievably thirsty. He drank a whole jug of water, then a whole well, then he plunged himself into the river. He emerged as a giant dragon, swishing his tail back and forth, and frightened the men away. The boy-turned-dragon looked at his mother and she at him, and they knew he could never be changed back. So instead he became the protector of the river, and his mother visited him often.

  Mwindo

  DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, NYANGA MYTHOLOGY

  A long time ago in the village of Tubondo, the evil chief Shemwindo threatened his wives to give birth only to daughters. His first six wives gave birth to baby girls, but the seventh wife, Nyamwindo, gave birth to a son from the tip of her middle finger. The boy was named Mwindo, and he was born with a magical flyswatter, an adze-axe, and a bag of fortune with a long rope inside. Shemwindo soon found out about his son and sought to kill him by sealing him in a drum and throwing him in the river.

  The drum easily floated, and Mwindo decided to take the opportunity to visit his aunt Iyangura. His journey was met with many obstacles, including gods who barred his way, but he also met gods who decided to help him. He eventually earned the allegiance of his aunt, and she helped him enlist his uncles to forge a magical suit of armor so that he could return to Tubondo to challenge his father. A great battle ensued, ending only when Mwindo summoned lightning from the god Nkuba to destroy Tubondo. Mwindo resurrected the village with his flyswatter, only to realize Shemwindo had escaped down a secret hole that was a portal to the underworld.

  Mwindo chased his father to the doorstep of Muisa, God of the Dead, and Muisa’s daughter, Kahindo. Mwindo befriended Kahindo, and she helped him defeat her father’s many tricks, including growing and harvesting a banana plantation in one night. But by the time Mwindo defeated Muisa, Shemwindo had already escaped out of the underworld and up into the sky. Mwindo followed him and gambled with the Sky God, Sheburungu, for possession of his father. Mwindo eventually won and took his father back to Earth.

  Once back in Tubondo, Mwindo rebuilt the city and married a human woman. He had three brass thrones built, which floated ten feet off the ground. His aunt sat on the right, a strong adviser; his father sat on the left, a silent prisoner; and Mwindo sat in the middle, a wise and powerful king.

  Tale of Tàj al-Mulúk and the Princess Dunyà

  IRAN, ARABIC FOLKTALE

  Prince Tàj al-Mulúk, son of King Sulayman, Shah of the Green Land and the Mountains of Isfahan, was eighteen when he met Aziz, a merchant from a distant land. Aziz showed Tàj al-Mulúk his many wares, but most stunning of all was a piece of linen depicting graceful prancing gazelles. He went on to tell the prince that the work was created by the hands of the beautiful and clever Princess Dunyà of the Camphor Islands. Without having met her, Tàj al-Mulúk became infatuated with the princess, so he had his father send a delegation to her to ask for her hand in marriage. However, Princess Dunyà told them she hated men and threatened to kill any husband she was forced to marry.

  Undeterred, Tàj al-Mulúk, his vizier, and Aziz snuck onto the Camphor Islands in the guise of merchants and set up shop selling fabric in the bazaar. Soon after, an old woman came to their store to purchase fabric for Princess Dunyà. Tàj al-Mulúk gave her the fabric as a gift and slipped her a letter to give Princess Dunyà. And in this way, Tàj al-Mulúk and Dunyà exchanged many letters. Tàj al-Mulúk fell more deeply in love with her, and she began to feel affection for him also, but she refused to change her mind about marriage. The old woman told Tàj al-Mulúk that the princess once had a dream of a female pigeon who was trapped in a net and whose mate did not come to save her. The princess concluded she could never trust men.

  Tàj al-Mulúk took this knowledge and commissioned a painting in a garden the princess visited regularly. The painting depicted a female pigeon trapped in a net and her mate caught in the claws of a kite. When Dunyà saw this, she realized she had misinterpreted her dream. So when Tàj al-Mulúk presented himself, she fell deeply in love with him. They consummated their love, and Tàj al-Mulúk remained hidden in the women’s quarters, disguised as a young lady for many months. The vizier, not knowing what had happened to Tàj al-Mulúk, summoned the king and his army to rescue the prince. The king arrived, the prince was revealed, and an official marriage was arranged between the lovers.

  Boitatá

  BRAZIL, BRAZILIAN MYTHOLOGY

  Legend has it that long ago there once was a night that did not end. Deep in the Amazon forest, the night went on and on, lasting days and weeks and months. In this darkness, the people began to starve because they could not grow crops for food. It was too dark to see anything, too dark even to chop wood to make into torches to burn. It became oppressive, and all the anima
ls and people began to grow scared. Then it began to rain.

  The rain went on and on with no end in sight. The forest began to flood, and many of the animals and people, weak with hunger and cold, drowned in the endlessly rising waters.

  It was then that a huge snake sleeping on a log deep in the forest woke from its slumber. It woke feeling very hungry. It slithered easily through the wet forest because it knew how to swim and was accustomed to darkness. It began to eat all the dead floating animals, filling its belly to bursting. Eventually, because there were so many animals, the snake was able to feast on only its favorite part—the eyes. The eyes of the animals gleamed bright with the light of the last rays of sun the animals had seen, so with each eye the snake swallowed, the brighter the snake itself became. It ate so many eyes full of light that it became fire and, with its brilliance, banished the rain and the night and brought warmth back to the forest. The snake became known as the Boitatá.

  Now the Boitatá is considered a protector of the forests and fields. Its bright eyes can see perfectly in the dark, and it will kill anyone who tries to set fire to the forest, eating their eyes. Anyone who has the misfortune to see the snake will go blind, go insane, or even die.

  Tatterhood

  NORWAY, NORWEGIAN FAIRY TALE

  There once was a queen who wanted a child but was never blessed with one. Eventually she found a beggar woman who told the queen to pour her bath water under her bed. In the morning, she would find two flowers growing there. The beggar woman warned the queen to eat only the pretty flower. However, the queen found the pretty flower so delicious that she had to eat the ugly one, too. Nine months later, an ugly and wild baby girl was born wearing a tattered cloak, riding a goat, and wielding a wooden spoon, followed shortly by the birth of a sweet and beautiful baby girl.

  The queen was horrified by her hideous child, named Tatterhood, but charmed by the lovely twin. The family grew up happily until the day when trolls came to harass the kingdom. Tatterhood bade her family wait inside while she dealt with the trolls. She got on her goat and began beating the trolls so soundly with her wooden spoon that they howled with fright. This caused the lovely twin to stick her head out to see what was happening. Quick as a flash, the trolls yanked off her head and replaced it with a calf’s head before running away.

  Tatterhood grabbed her sister and followed them across the sea. Arriving at the trolls’ home, Tatterhood beat them all up and rescued her sister’s head. After swapping the heads back, Tatterhood brought herself and her sister to a neighboring kingdom, where she demanded the king come meet her. The curious king came to see what the ruckus was about and instantly fell for the sweet princess. The princesses agreed that the lovely princess would marry the king if the ugly Tatterhood would marry the prince. The prince didn’t agree to these conditions, but his father forced him to marry Tatterhood.

  On the day of their wedding, Tatterhood told her prince to ask about her tattered cloak, her beaten spoon, and her shaggy goat. As he inquired after each, they changed to a beautiful gown, a regal scepter, and a noble stallion, transforming the once ugly Tatterhood into a gorgeous princess. They then lived happily ever after.

  King Arthur

  BRITAIN, CELTIC LEGEND

  A long time ago, Britain was invaded by the Saxons and its king deposed. Into this chaos a prophecy arose that only the one true king would be able to pull a sword from an ancient stone, a king who would reunite Britain and banish the Saxons. Young Arthur was that one true king, and when he pulled out the sword effortlessly, the people rallied behind him. Aided by a wise old magician named Merlin, King Arthur gathered together the best knights in the kingdom and sat them down at the Round Table in his castle of Camelot.

  King Arthur repelled not only the Saxon forces but also supernatural threats, such as the giant cat-monster Cath Pulag, the enchanted and venomous boar Twrch Trwyth, the Cynocephali dog-headed people, the giant Cribwr Gawr, and many more. In one of his more notable adventures, King Arthur journeyed to the lake surrounding the magical Island of Avalon after his sword was damaged. Taking a barge out into the waters, he was greeted by the Lady of the Lake, a magical nymph-like woman named Nimue. She rose out of the water to offer him the enchanted sword Excalibur, granting him more power to banish the dark forces that plagued Britain.

  After King Arthur and his knights slew every outside force and vanquished every evil, they were able to reign with peace and prosperity. King Arthur and his queen, Guinevere, ruled fairly and compassionately. They never had any children.

  Unfortunately, the peaceful rule came to an end when King Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan le Fay, aided the evil Mordred and attempted to usurp the throne. King Arthur managed to slay Mordred but was mortally wounded during the battle. With his dying wish, he commanded that his sword Excalibur be given back to the Lady of the Lake.

  Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

  INDIA, BUDDHIST BODHISATTVA

  Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, felt compelled to liberate all creatures from suffering. Able to manifest as many different genders, ages, and shapes, Avalokiteshvara looked out upon all the beings in the universe and saw how many of them were embroiled in their sufferings by their attachments and delusions. Being chained to their egos trapped them in the cycle of death and rebirth, and the creatures of the universe were unable to achieve enlightenment.

  The bodhisattva was filled with sorrow and, with tears flowing from their eyes, asked the many Buddhas, those who had achieved enlightenment and escaped the perpetual cycle of death and rebirth, to advise them on how to aid all the beings who suffered. The Buddhas told Avalokiteshvara that if they wished to help all the creatures of the universe, they must be motivated by kindness, love, and compassion and must never give up or grow tired of the work. Avalokiteshvara vowed to use compassion to liberate every being in the universe. They used their powers to manifest into the forms needed to aid each individual, including minor kings, generals, monks, beggars, wives, young maidens, children, animals, dragons, monsters, and more.

  Avalokiteshvara worked tirelessly and helped many people escape from suffering. But when the bodhisattva looked around, they realized the number of beings suffering had not diminished at all, for the number of creatures was infinite. With that, their head broke into eleven heads, ten with benevolent faces and one with a wrathful face, because sometimes tough love is needed, to better spread the message of enlightenment. Then their arms broke into a thousand arms, each with an eye in the palm, to better see and do the work needed to spread enlightenment.

  Note: Avalokiteshvara were the most popular and famous of the bodhisattvas. And it is believed that everyone has been touched by them at some point in their life.

  Beaivi-nieida

  SWEDEN, SAMI DEITY

  High up north in the Arctic Circle, the winter is long and dark with the sun remaining dim and hidden for long stretches of time. There the Sami people have lived and herded reindeer while waiting for the return of the Sun Goddess, Beaivi, and her daughter, Beaivi-nieida. Deep in the winter, the absence of Beaivi and Beaivi-nieida and the long darkness negatively affected the mental health of those on Earth. During this time the goddesses became weak, so sacrifices of white reindeer were made to give them the strength to return. Female reindeer, which are the fastest, were the best offerings.

  In the spring, Beaivi returned to the sky. Frozen butter melted, the world bloomed, and the reindeer flourished. She blessed those whose mental health deteriorated during the winter. She and her daughter, Beaivi-nieida, rode high into the sky in a sled made of antler horns, and they brought fertility and life to the earth. In the summertime, the reindeer gave birth to their calves, and a porridge made with rich, fatty reindeer’s milk was offered to the goddesses in thanks.

  There was once a time, long ago, when Beaivi-nieida left her mother in the sky and went to join the people on Earth. She was light and goodness and shared her knowledge of many things
with the people. At first the people appreciated her and enjoyed learning storytelling, embroidery, button-making, sea songs, and many, many other skills. But eventually they grew bitter and jealous of her endless talents and sought to kill her. They trapped Beaivi-nieida and crushed her beneath a giant rock, so she returned to the sky to be with her mother, the Sun Goddess. She hasn’t come back since.

  Sedna

  CANADA, INUIT MYTHOLOGY

  There once was a beautiful woman named Sedna who lived in the far northern snows. There came a time when Sedna was old enough that her family wished for her to be married. But Sedna did not want to get married. She found fault with every one of her suitors and threatened to marry a sled dog instead.

  Her father was furious with her. So when a handsome and mysterious hunter appeared in their village asking to marry Sedna, he readily agreed. The unknown hunter promised to give the family plenty of meat and furs in exchange for her hand, and Sedna decided to consent. After they married, he took her away to his island. Once there, he revealed to her that he was not a man at all, but a bird that had been disguised as a man. Sedna was livid with this deception and even angrier because, as a bird, he was not a very good hunter. He caught and fed her only fish, so she had no meat or furs. But she was stuck on the island, and she tried to make the best of it.