© 2023 JETIR April 2023, Volume 10, Issue 4 www.jetir.

org (ISSN-2349-5162)

NAVIGATING THROUGH FOLK-TALES,

MYTH, AND HISTORY: A FEMINIST INSIGHT
Dr. Priyanka Shrivastava
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Arya Kanya Degree College, Prayagraj, India

Abstract: Folk tales play an important role in understanding the socio-cultural context of any society. However, they served as the
finest examples of igniting human imagination, capable of creating fantastic worlds of magic and reality with beautiful words based on
human experience in relation to social and natural/supernatural worlds. From ancient times folk tales have enriched the social and
cultural traditions of India. Interesting stories instill the human psyche with wisdom and knowledge and provide a better
understanding of the complex matrices of our society. Various motifs are incorporated through various narrative skills in order to set a
background for folk tales. My attempt is to study the roles of women in folktales, myths, and stories that I grew up listening to and
explore distinct narrative skills, repetitions of motifs, and their impact on female psychology and consciousness.

IndexTerms - Folk tales, Myth, History, Female-consciousness, Culture, Tradition, Human Relations, Women’s Place and Space.

I. INTRODUCTION
Indian folk stories are replete with a vivid range of themes like fantasy, magic realism, disguise, and travel
narrative in order to bring unique informative sources from myth and history. Folktales and stories are deeply
embedded in human psychology. Fairy tales, adventurous stories of prince-princess and kings-queens, marriage,
reunion, separation, abandonment, stepmother, single mother, devotional love stories for the fulfilment of
spiritual love, faith, loyalty, female virtue, morality, chastity and loss of memory, the conflict between good and
evil, disguise, infidelity, trail, friendship, generosity, use of supernatural elements many more themes serve as
the medium for release of human emotions such as fear, anxiety, etc. These emotions are directly or indirectly
interwoven in the intricate narrative of folkloric tradition. Folktales are sometimes inspired by mythical stories
and reinforce the motif in order to continue with the particular traditions, symbols, and patterns. Folktales are
capable of capturing the human psyche, inspiring it in subtle ways, and influencing the listener in shaping and
extending his own rational horizon and thus enabling him or her to create a new story out of the old. These tales
sometimes coincide with the present experience of a listener leaving him or her in bewilderment. Folktales offer
a vivid range of images and motifs that set a code of conduct for society.
“Tales are manifestations of desires to name and conceptualize their place in the cosmos. It provides a
culturalnarrative framework for such things as its vision of itself and its homeland or for expressing its
conceptions of its ancestors and gods.…a tale is a medium through which a culture speaks for itself, perpetuates
its own values, and stabilizes its own identity. The old speaks to the young through the tales.”(Britannica)
Folk tales in India seem to suggest multiple narrative discourses resulting in an intellectual debate sometimes
a curious subject for research for preserving ancient knowledge for future generations. Keeping this in view I
went through a number of literary articles dealing with folk tales, narratives, songs, stories myths, and history
that compelled me to write and understand their cultural significance.Myth and history seem to be inextricably
interlinked and determine the narratives in folklore.Stone writes that myth leaves a deep impression on the
human psyche.
“Myths present ideas that guide perception, conditioning us to think and even perceive in a particular way,
especially when we are young and impressionable…they define good and bad, right and wrong, what is natural
and what is unnatural among the people who hold the myth as meaningful. It was quite apparent that the myths
and legendsthat grew from, and were propagated by, a religion in which the deity was female, and revered as
wise, valiant, powerful, and just provided a very different image of womanhood from those which we are
offered by the male-oriented religions of today”(Stone-4-5) https://digitalcommons.bard.edu..pdf

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India is such a country whose soil is infused with the accumulated wisdom of folk stories. The ancient tale of
the great warrior Rudrama Devi in South India who fought bravely and become a martyr is indeed the epitome
of indomitable courage and bravery.Rudrama Devi, also known as Maharani Rudramma Devi, was a brave
queen of the Kakatiya Dynasty in the Deccan Plateau from 1263 to 1289 (or 1295) until her death. She was
among the women to rule as monarchs in India and promoted a male image. This was a significant change and
one that was followed by her successor and also by the later Vijayanagar empire( Wikipedia) Her stories will
keep inspiring millions of Indian women. Women hold a unique place in Indian folklore. There are many
instances of their bravery where they are shown as an embodiment of goddesses of war. One can marvel at their
active participation as they walked hand in hand with their counterpart on the battlefield. However, there are
many examples of women participating in the war. Rani Chennamma, Rani Durgawati, Rani Avantika, and
Rani Laxmi Bai have followed them and seemed to inspireby these legendary women. In Indian myth, many
goddesses seemed to fight the demons after the invocation of gods and sages. These stories are enough to
provide food for thought that once upon a time Matriarchy/matrisatta would have existed in India. If we take
examples from other cultures and religions, we will find similar examples. Roman goddesses Venus and, Queen
Elizabeth, Cleopatra’s stories of love and candid expression ofher desires show her strong character.
If we talk about myth Kaikeyee was given credit for the Devasur Sangram for holding the wheels of chariots
with her hands; this shows the power she was not bestowed withbirth rather,she was a trained warrior. It might
have taken years toshape herself as a warrior,for that one needs rigorous training and practice. She appeared to
be a perfect combination of wit, valour, and beauty.
Princess Chandra Kanta from Devakinandan Khatri’ sheart-throbbing love story, Chandrakanta Santati
cherished deep-seated love for the prince of her enemy state, is unforgettable. Despite the rivalry between the
two royal states, she seems to protest against his father’s wishes. She chooses her heart rather than her family
and since then becomes a guiding figure for the devotees of lovers.
If one can categorize the folk tale between the classes; the upper-class women seem to be more vocal and
revoltingand also got a place in poetry and epic. Women who come from the lower class or middle class might
have been courageous or fightersbut rarely get a chance to be mentioned in history or literature. Generally,
beautiful women from the middle classseem to be shy, docile obedient daughters and wives, whose lives are
limited/restricted inside the fore-walls of domesticity. Women who were advanced in their times were either
criticized or banished.There are many stories where women are depicted in negative shades. They were
relegated to the status of an object, a tool for men’s desires. Gradually women’s status declines with the
rampant practice of polygamy.Lack of female bonding and confrontation among women were the result of
polygamy.One can find the prevalent practice of polygamy for various political and economic reasons. Many
folk stories resonate with the clash due to polygamy in ancient and medieval periods.
Polygamy seems to be accepted as quite a prevalent normand was in practiceworldwidefor centuries.
“Traditionally a woman’s value lies not in her intellectual and creative capacity but in her biologicalfunction as

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reproducer” (Grace-1) It reminds me of the story of the nameless sister who suffered torture and abuse
bytheirsisters-in-law in absence of their seven brothers. There aremany stories of nameless women who face
trials due to their protest against patriarchy. The story of crow-scarer/ kawvahankni again depicts a woman
victim of polygamy loses her children and her home.

Stories of Meera, a 16th-century Indian princess (1498-1547) taught us about the gradual acceptance
ofspiritual and divine love ingrained in our myth and culture. Radha could not marry Krishna in her
lifetimewhile Meera faced many trials and social restraints from her family.Her life story presentsa magnitude
of human struggle, social struggle against her personal aspirations, and attainment of her life purpose. She felt
pity for customs, traditions, laws, society, and gender discrimination but without uttering a single word against
anyone she led her life as a silent revolutionary.( Linkdin.com/pulse/meera-bai-silent-revolutionary- Dr.
Meenakshi P.) Our land originates love at every walk. Stories of abduction and kidnapping also tell us that evil
forces were trying to forcibly abduct women. Supernatural elements dealing with the sorceress, black magic,
and witchcraft unfold women who were banished and known as bad women. A new line of debate starts on
mutual reciprocation and dedication and respect for love. Dowry is sometimes discussed in these tales as an
inevitable part of arranged marriage. Rati applauded and was famous for her beauty, however; sustained the
pain of betrayal when her husband Indra went in disguise to defame Ahilya, showing the fickle, licentious
nature of Indra. One canrecordthe painfuljourney of Shakuntala, an abandoned woman, and a betrayed mother
due to the curse of Durvasa. She is portrayed as a self-sacrificing mother like Sita who brought up and tutored
his son in absence of her husband, Lord Rama. However, the happy ending of the story can never help one
forget the pain, humiliation of separation, and alienation she has undergone. The story of Kuntiwho was the
mother of Karna and Pandava again records a misery of a mother who left her newborn baby due to fear of
shame and humiliation. It reveals the dark truth that how storiesplay an important role in setting the norms of
society and popular culture. “Religion has always perpetuated the tradition of sexual control through time”
(grace)
The story of Sonwa rani, the golden queen who was in love with the great warrior Alha another tale of a
woman’s protest and courage and unfolds the conventional traditions of morality. It is said that she was weighed
every morning in flowers to ensure that she should always remain chaste and pure by saving her virginity. She
fell in love with a warrior after listening to the stories of his valour and wit. One night while she was walking on
her terrace the warrior noticed her beauty and fell in love with her. He used to visit her secretly. After that
meeting,she put on weight. The king ordered her trial and decided if she was found impure, she will be given
punishment. Her trial began. A saint was called to witness the whole event. Before the courtesan, a hot cauldron
was prepared. However, her prince charming came in disguise as a saint and holds her hand before the trial and
said if the princess has ever touched any male except him. She will be burned in the fire. The oil of the cauldron
become cool itself and the princess was saved from humiliation and shame. Such narratives help the patriarchy
to decide the code of conduct for a womanand exert inhuman laws even today. Ironically no such code of
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conduct existedfor men. Such stories prove that women were not allowed to choose their husbands. Even Sita
and Draupadi were not given choices. According to the vow of the Kingsthat whoever will be victorious after
fulfilling the vow of the king will be the respected groom for their daughters. In Sita and Ram’s cases and in
Draupadi’s and Arjun’scases it was sheer luck that they got their soulmate whom they actually love. The
daughters used to be obedient and silent observers of the whole rituals and traditions. Sita and Shakuntala as
single motherrearing and educating their sons to become the emperor of Bharata/ Aryavarta are inspiring tales
of women’s determination to fight back against the patriarchal setupand the spirit of survivalin odd
circumstances. Men and women both are responsible forestablishing moral values and creating an ideal society.
If we view Rama as a husband who never forced Sita to go with him nor stopped her after her argument and
wish to accompany him to the forest. His love for Sita, who despite her three mothersrefused to marry for a
second time set an example of his principles, sacrifice, and mutual cooperation. Sacrifice is essential for sacred
marriage and piety. Legendary characters from tales and mythsplay an important role in fixing the archetypal
motif for the next generations and influencing the lives of the common man. Women who are mothers, sisters,
daughters, caregivers, lovers, and friends are actually neither weak nor fickle-mindedfrom their birth nor hold a
secondary position. With the changing times/ yugas, they gradually become subordinate. Rishika Sulabha,
Apala, and Ghosha are famous scholars of philosophy who used to defeat and argue the great sages and scholars
in conferences. This universe is created and run by Shiva and Shakti. We must adopt a more corrective measure
in deciphering the meaning of these tales. Citing such examples from myths and legends and tales portraying
women in a natural huethan lowering and disgracing them as weak and indecisivecreatures born to be
caregivers. One must think about analyzing folk tales from a humanitarian perspective. Growing consciousness
about her identity, rights, and realization of pain, forced responsibility and a subdued protest and intense desire
can be noticed in folk tales, folk songs, maxims, proverbs, and paintings. Women express themselves, and their
inner urges while communicating with friends, animals, or their soul mates. We need to adopt a selective
measure while passing tales to the young generation. It should be good vs evil/bad or categorize them in such
orders. A society is framed with people who are good or bad or have inherent human traits, anger, passion,
revenge, domination, cheating, betrayal, cruelty, jealousy, etc. We should focus on cleansing evils from the
society and emphasize tales enriching relations and transferring values. Kansa confining her own sister,
Duryodhana misled by Shakuni, humiliating his sister-in-law, or forcing Pandavas to keep Draupadi as a pawn
still raises a serious question and shows the wickedness and perverse human psyche and constant struggle to
achieve power leaving a woman in a state of misery and shame. It also symbolizes the ‘male ego’ to relegate the
‘female self’. This motif is so strongly ingrained in our culture and remindsstories of a number of women being
misused by their husbands to attain desirable positions or benefits. Many films have been made on such topics.
“Through myth and institutionalization of cultural beliefs and practices, religion has created a foundation for
women’s subordination.”(Grace-2)
I found that women’s condition and position change continuously with their class, background, and caste,
particularly in the case of India. Similarly, most of the tales from myth depict either goddess having imminent
power, as a manifestation of shakti, or celestial apsaras bestowed with magic and beauty or princess, queens,
rich women/Sethani, wives of Priest sage, saints, etc. but one can get a vast landscape to assume and imagine
that women who would have belonged to lower or middle classes might have a different role to play or have not
shared the similar liberty or fate.
Girish Karnad (1938-2019) is undoubtedly one of the prominent Indian English playwrights who
experimented with folk stories and presented them in a very interesting manner. He has a clear vision to portray
crucial issues related to life. Naga Mandla (1988), shows Karnad’s vision concerning women’s subjugation and
exploitation. The play deals with the story of Rani an innocent girl married to Appanna who accidentally gets a
lover in the guise of a Naga.She permits the Naga to live in her house forever and after its death, she asked her
son to perform the rituals. The story of rani depicts a character in the form of Rani a docile, weak girl
developing into a smart and independent woman.Rani also symbolizes the same primal, elemental energy which
runs through the body of Padmini and that cannot be restrained. She is depicted as Prakriti complete in all her
essence.She is conscious of her sexuality and her feminine self.
Grace Brandmaierin her book Patriarchy and the Power of Myth: Exploring the Significance of a Matriarchal
Prehistory (200 ) very candidly writes the myth of male supremacy is reinforced instories;he says the myth of
the Betrayal in the garden of Eden was the beginning of the sexual shame(Stone,218). There is guilt and shame
inwomen’s identificationwith Eve, a dehumanization of the femalethrough dominance. In this myth, the blame
for the Loss of Paradise falls on Eve and subsequently upon all women forever after. (Grace, 6)
Greda Learner, a Professor and 19th-century historian from the United States, shared her research on
women. She claims that feminist theories have issues because they are “ahistoric”. She contends that there is a
significant distinction between history andthe unrecorded past of humanity. She stresses that influential
intellectual men have distorted reality by choosing biased events and giving them their own interpretation and
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significance. Women’s actions and experiences have gone unrecorded, uncared for, and unconsidered in
interpretation.(Learner,4) Learner considers patriarchy to be a historical system that can only be overthrown
through historical processes.(Grace-10) One can observe that tales are twisted and people are misrepresented at
every turn to create a conventional narrative that strengthens the patriarchal structure.

The Pandavas have given Draupadi…

No joy, no sense of victory
No honour as wife
No respect as mother
Only the status of a Queen…
But they all have gone
And I'm left with a lifeless jewel
And an empty crown …
My baffled motherhood
Wrings its hands and strives to weep".

The long poem "Kurukshetra", written by Amreeta Syam, reveals the suffering of Panchali (Draupadi), born
from the fire goes through an everlasting trial destined by destiny and executed by her own family. Draupadi
was a heroic princess in the epic Mahabharata. One who was firm and a woman with an adamant will. The
Proud and angry heroine of the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi has remained an enigmatic woman of
substance.Draupadi was the daughter of Drupad, the king of Panchala, and the wife and queen of the five great
Pandavas, famous alike for her beauty and her indomitable will.

CONCLUSION:

Folktales provide an opportunity to understand human relations and their dealings with human society.
However, it also deals with a vivid range of folk stories/tales and tries to define women’s restricted place and
space in Indian society. Folk tales offer a plethora of colourful renderings with delicate human emotions and
serve as the gateway to women’s empowerment, transformation, and liberation.

REFERENCES
1- https://www.britannica.com/art/folk-tale
2- THE POLITICS OF THE GODDESS: Feminist Spirituality and the Essentialism Debate
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23166525Kathryn Rountree, Social Analysis: The International Journal of
Anthropology Vol. 43, No. 2, BACKWATERS RUN DEEP: Locating New Zealand Social Anthropology
(July 1999), pp. 138-165 (28 pages) Published By: Berghahn Books
3- Draupadi, the Woman: Epitome of Feminity and Feminism (dollsofindia.com)
4- https://www.google.com/search?q=rudrama+devi+real+photo&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN1004IN1004&sxsu
QUG_x3pTvf0H0MBHIpR-qMQ%rf=ALiCzsbtfr3A1670144414777&ei=nmGMY86SL7CRseMP5dW
5- Rountree, Kathryn. “THE POLITICS OF THE GODDESS: Feminist Spirituality and the Essentialism
Debate.” Social Analysis: The International Journal of Social and Cultural Practice, vol. 43, no. 2,
1999, pp. 138–65. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23166525. Accessed 12 Dec. 2022.
6- Meerabai image from google from Krishna Art

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