Week 12 Lab: Storybook Research
I wanted to take a moment to do a brief moment of research for my project! For my next story, I'm looking at Sita's swayamvar. I know how the story goes, but I want o make sure that I'm using the terms correctly! I don't know a lot of background information for a regular swayamvar, so I'd like to start there.
Wikipedia describes a swayamvar as a wedding ceremony that led to the bride choosing her groom from a list of potential suitors. This sounds like the set up for a fun dating show to me! Swayam in sanskrit translates to self. and var or vara means groom. The lady gets to decide the terms here and then it is told to neighboring kingdoms! The potential suitors then come flocking, hoping to meet her standards by completing the task that she and her family have chosen.
The Ramayana uses this to help show how strong Rama is. Because none of the other suitors were able to string the bow and he was, it further emphasizes his power against the others. My sources for this story use this ceremony in the traditional way, mostly because this is a tradition from ancient times. I'm not sure what ancient means in this context, but I'm assuming it doesn't keep up with today's marital practices in India?
I was born in India, but my parents weren't, so I'm not really up on any of the traditions. I don't believe many people use this anymore, but it is nice to look back on. The Modern Day Swayamvara posted on Women's Web, talks about how women today approach this topic. It says that family is most important and put them first, something I agree with. I also think in a modern context it presents different issues for today's women. It's definitely an interesting read.
Overall, I'd like to approach my next story with a traditional view, maybe from Rama's perspective. Since he is the one with the most to lose here, it might be interesting to play with that. It's the last story, so I'm going to conclude with Shiva and Pinaka as well, so I hope it turns out well!
Wikipedia describes a swayamvar as a wedding ceremony that led to the bride choosing her groom from a list of potential suitors. This sounds like the set up for a fun dating show to me! Swayam in sanskrit translates to self. and var or vara means groom. The lady gets to decide the terms here and then it is told to neighboring kingdoms! The potential suitors then come flocking, hoping to meet her standards by completing the task that she and her family have chosen.
The Ramayana uses this to help show how strong Rama is. Because none of the other suitors were able to string the bow and he was, it further emphasizes his power against the others. My sources for this story use this ceremony in the traditional way, mostly because this is a tradition from ancient times. I'm not sure what ancient means in this context, but I'm assuming it doesn't keep up with today's marital practices in India?
I was born in India, but my parents weren't, so I'm not really up on any of the traditions. I don't believe many people use this anymore, but it is nice to look back on. The Modern Day Swayamvara posted on Women's Web, talks about how women today approach this topic. It says that family is most important and put them first, something I agree with. I also think in a modern context it presents different issues for today's women. It's definitely an interesting read.
Overall, I'd like to approach my next story with a traditional view, maybe from Rama's perspective. Since he is the one with the most to lose here, it might be interesting to play with that. It's the last story, so I'm going to conclude with Shiva and Pinaka as well, so I hope it turns out well!
Rama breaks the bow (Source)
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