IAFOR Journal of Literature & Librarianship

Volume 12 – Issue 2 – 2023

Apotheosizing Rain: An Eco-Critical Reading of Select Indian Folktales
Deborah Ann P.
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, India
Stephen Foster Davis
Scott Christian College, India

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Folktales are a source of enlightenment and amusement for the teller and the listener. Folk tales,
before the advent of media and communication systems, served as vital sources of informationthat helped in acquainting people with their origins, and aided them in the preservation of theirtraditional practices. Folk tales are told as bed-time stories to children, and for educating theyoung members of a group, tribe or community. Mishra (2015) writes that story-telling by
farmers1 at the threshing floors at night kept the harvested paddy from being stolen. Tales are
narrated in accordance with the circumstances, and they vary based on the narrator’s intention(Thundy, 1983). In spite of the modern-day obsession with umpteen gadgets of technology, thefolktale continues to amuse, educate and spark the interest of researchers worldwide.
The paper titled “Apotheosizing Rain: An Eco-critical Reading of Select Indian Folktales”
explores rain in its various facades, as a natural source, as 2 God’s gift for humans and theirsurvival, and the deification of rain. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how rain ispresented through oral literature, its personification through deification, its association withhuman beings, and how myth and folklore are fused for the sake of ecological awareness andthe importance of human affinity with nature.
The tales selected for the present study are “Kadavul’s Wedding” and “The Rain King’s Wife”.
“Kadavul’s Wedding” is taken from Speaking to an Elephant and Other Folktales from theKadars, which is a collection of oral tales told to Manish Chandi and Madhuri Ramesh by the
Kadars of the Anamalai and Parambikulam3 hills that run along the borders of Tamil Nadu andKerala in southern India. The second folktale “The Rain King’s Wife” is taken from A
Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India, a collection of tales told by the Kannadaspeaking natives of Karnataka compiled by the late poet and folklorist A. K. Ramanujan. The
tales are chosen owing to their function in educating listeners (and readers) on the importanceof rain.
History and Significance of the Select Folktales
The events and characters in “Kadavul’s Wedding”4 can be traced to an earlier anthology titled
Speaking to an Elephant and Other Tales from the Kadars compiled by Thundy (1983) whichis the first book on Kadar folklore. Thundy attributes all the collected tales to the Kadars. In
Thundy’s collection, “Turtles”5 is a tale about the wedding6 of the Sun7 God and the Moon
goddess, although it is not associated with rain. The final section of the tale mentioned is similar
to the events described in “Kadavul’s Wedding”. Speaking to an Elephant and Other Tales
from the Kadars is the only collection available on Kadar folklore since Thundy. “Kadavul’s
Wedding” and the other tales in Speaking to an Elephant were told to Chandi and Ramesh by1

From Folktales of Odisha (Mishra, 2015).
The Universal Creator or Supreme Being.
3
A section of the Western Ghats.
4
Tamil word for God.
5
Tale no. 7 in Thundy’s compilation which gives a mythical account of why turtle-shells have suture designs.
6
The marriage of sun and moon, irrespective of their relationships is a common folklore motif (A164.1, A222.0.2,
A735, A736.1.3).
7“God” as mentioned by Thundy.
2

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Kadars from various settlements8 by the hills. “The Rain-King’s Wife” from A Flowering Treeand Other Oral Tales from India was told to Ramanujan by a Ms. Shanta in the year 1968 at
Dharwar9 (Ramanujan, 1997). The theme of the tale is based on the10 rain god-human conflict(Madeleine, 2019; Mishra, 2015).
Rain in Literature
The Tamil saying “Maatham mumaari” which translates to “raining thrice a month” in Viveka
Cintamani (n.d./2023) which is an anonymous work11, associates rain with morality in thesociety. The author writes: “Rain pours three times a month, one time for the Brahmins whorecite the Vedas, one time for a just king and one time for chaste women” (Viveka Cintamani,p. 8). However, it rains only thrice a year when people live immoral lives. The author of Viveka
Cintamani implies that the reason behind lack of rain is a nation’s immorality. Thiruvalluvar
writes in the second chapter of his Tirukkural, “The Excellence of Rain”: “When water fails,
functions of nature cease, you say; Thus when rain fails, no men can walk in ‘duty’s orderedway’” (Pope et al., 2002, p. 4). The world cannot exist without water for which the source israin. Moreover, it is inevitable to perceive rain as separate from the divine. Christ, in “The
Sermon on the Mount” says, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, andsendeth rain on the just and the unjust” (The King James Version Reference Bible, 1994,
Matthew 5: 45). The Prologue to the play The Fire and the Rain states that “a seven-year longfire sacrifice… is being held to propitiate Indra, the god of rains” (Karnad, 1998, p. 1).
Evidences from the above quoted literature illustrate the significance of rain. However only
Christ’s stand on rain and Karnad’s mentions show how natural resources are attributed to
God12 or gods13 respectively, which the present study analyses through the selected tales.
Myths on Rain Gods
Hamilton (1942) states that myths show how the human race thought and felt ages ago. Myths
helped mankind live in close companionship with nature. Frazer (1926) on the worship of thesky states that the sky as a universal and impressive natural phenomenon found a place in men’s
religion. Prior to the discovery of the weather phenomenon, people of ancient cultures sensed
that the periodical showers from the sky saved them from droughts, dryness and starvation,
which caused the apotheosizing of rain resulting in myths.
In Greek mythology, Zeus was the sky god who controlled rain, thunder and lightning. His
counterparts in Indian Hindu mythology are Varuna and Indra (Dowson, 1903; Frazer, 1926).
8

The tellers are from Erumaparai, Nedunkundru, Kavarkal, Eethukuzhi, and Udumanparai settlements in
Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India.
9
A city in North-Western Karnataka, South India.
10
Rain caused to fall in certain place by rain god, a common folklore motif (D 2143.1.0.1).
11
There is more than one edition of Viveka Cintamani available in the Tamil language. Neither edition mentions
the author. The 1914 edition is referenced.
12
The Judeo-Christian God.
13
Deities in polytheistic religions.

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For the Vedic Indians, it was a symbiotic relationship in which the gods sent down rains tofacilitate a good harvest which in turn helped them to perform sacrifices and make offerings offood to the gods (Jayaram, n.d.). Thor, in Norse mythology, is the wielder of lightning and thegod who dealt out both sunshine and rain to men; the Anglo-Saxons worshipped Thunor, thethunder god (Davidson, 1990). According to the myths of the Namibian Herero Bushmen of
Africa, Mukuru was the bringer of rain (Sherman, 2008).
Some of the origin tales of the Kadars mention Sun God, Moon goddess, Bhadrakali and Lord
Siva14 as deities, of which the names “Lord Siva” and “Sun God” are used interchangeably(Thundy, 1983). Of the selected folktales for the present study, Kadavul, the prominent
character, is the deity of the Kadars (Ramesh & Chandi, 2018). In “The Rain King’s Wife”, theidentity of the rain god, one of the major characters, is obscure. The god might either be Indraor Varuna. The teller mentions two characters namely Gangakka and Gaurakka15 as the wivesof the rain god. However, Ganga and Gowri are believed to be the consorts of Lord Shiva(Somayaji, 2018).
Rain Presented in Myth-Inspired Folklore
Tribal cultures across the world continue to recognise the divine in nature and its constituents;
therefore, veneration and protection of nature is a practice among the indigenes. Manes (1996)
writes that in animistic cultures, people who ignore nature’s voice are prone to peril. The
various myths on rain, therefore, have remarkably shaped folklore. According to a Greek lore,
Zeus is believed to have punished mortals with drought when they refused to pray to him(Madeleine, 2019). In Cambodia, “Moni Mekhala Ream Eyso” is a sacred dance performed
annually by the Khmer people as they believe that the fight between Moni Mekhala and Ream
Eyso created the thunder, lightning, and rain (TED, 2018). “Tackling a Famine” is an Odia16
folktale in which the sky god Indra holds back rain for twelve years until he is deeply movedby the efforts of an old man teaching his sons to plough the river bed because of the parched
condition of the fields (Mishra, 2015). Rural farmers in Japan believe that the villagers’ effort
and concern about droughts result in the gods bringing rain which is a sustaining of myth inreal life (DeCoker, 2017).
Analysis of the Select Folktales
Selection Criteria“Kadavul’s Wedding” and “The Rain King’s Wife” are the only relevant rain tales from theirrespective collections. They are identical in the way they present 17 God’s union with mankind.
Besides deeming rain as a natural source of food, the characters in the tales perceive rain as a
14

Mentioned by Thundy.
"Akka" means "elder sister" in both Tamil and Kannada
16
Language spoken in Odisha, a state in Eastern India.
17
Not pertaining to a specific religion.
15

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source of life from their respective deities, inspired by their myths and beliefs. The principal
difference between the two tales lies in the characters’ varied responses towards rain. The
characters in the Kadar tale have a sense of longing for rain, whereas the princess (one of themain characters in the Kannada tale) shows absolute rejection towards rain, in spite of her
knowledge of the rain god’s power and authority.
Depiction of Rain in the Select Folktales
In “Kadavul’s Wedding”, Kadavul18 celebrates his wedding by inviting every animal and birdin the forest and surrounding areas to gather on a sheet of rock on the tallest hill in the Anamalai
region. The narrator says, “It [Kadavul’s wedding] was just Kadavul, announcing to all his
creatures that the time had come for earth and sky, rain and soil, to mix” (Chandi & Ramesh,2019, p. 26). The metaphor of Kadavul’s wedding as he connects with man through rain isperceived in the tale. The tale also depicts the Kadar belief that rain is Kadavul’s gift for theirsurvival. The section of the tale in which Kadavul provides for Aamai19 who falls off mid-way
while holding on to the Hornbill flying to attend Kadavul’s wedding, is associated with rain.
As soon as the unfortunate Aamai falls down and breaks its shell, Kadavul stitches together the
broken pieces of the shell, which according to the Kadars, explains the pattern on a tortoiseshell. Kadavul provides for the Aamai by scattering a few left over rice grains from the wedding
feast on the forest floor. The narrator says: “those grains of rice changed into the delicate white
kumin mushrooms that all tortoises like to eat. And so is that in the Kadar forest, even now,
the kumin mushrooms last just one day—the day of Kadavul’s wedding” (Chandi & Ramesh,2019, p.32). The Hornbill in the tale represents rain and rain forests, which is a narrative
strategy employed by the Kadar narrator for the conservation of the bird species (Bonta, 2011;
Jagdeesh, 2020; Shaji, 2019). The Hornbills are also threatened by habitat loss caused bydeforestation, government projects, poaching and climate change (Shaji, 2019). Thus, in thetale, the forest beings wait for rain and are satiated, and they acknowledge Kadavul’s gift.
On the contrary, the princess in “The Rain King’s Wife” is disappointed when she sees darkclouds gather during her play-time in the palace orchard. She does not want the rain to spoil
her pleasure. With the knowledge that it is the rain god who sends showers, she prays: “O Rain
King. ... Instead of now, couldn’t you come at night?” (Ramanujan, 1997, p. 145). The rain god
answers her prayer, and his visit is portrayed as a romantic episode that affects the later eventsin the tale. The rain god as an immortal being connects with the mortal princess through rain.
Following the trick20 played by the rain god’s wives Gangakka and Gaurakka, the princess
refuses to talk to the rain god, following which he turns into a jealous lover who is furious overthe princess, which is interpreted here as the princess’ refusal to acknowledge the deity’s powerover lightning, thunder and rain. He threatens the princess: “Look here, think carefully. If you
do this to me, you’ll wander like a beggar and eat other people’s leftovers for food. Think about
18“Kadavul” is the Tamil word for “God”.The Kadars (in Speaking to an Elephant) believe in Kadavul as theircreator and provider. The use of the word “God” does not specifically refer to the Judeo-Christian God.
19
“Aamai” is the Tamil word for “Tortoise”.
20
The jealousy of co-wives, a folklore motif (K 2222).

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it” (Ramanujan, p. 146). Despite his forewarning, the princess remains firm in her decision toignore him. The initial displeasure shown by the princess towards rainfall is understood as acommon attitude of humans as it alters routine events. The continuous rejection by the princess
is a metaphor for modern-day practices of clearing forest lands for material purposes.
Deforestation causes greenhouse gas emissions, disruption of water cycles, soil erosion anddisrupted livelihoods (WWF, n.d.). Regardless of the impacts of mutilating nature, suchactivities continue in the name of globalization and technological development. The tale thus
projects how the rain god reacts to dishonor and rejection from humans.
Ecological Motive in Fusing Myth, Folklore and Reality“Kadavul’s Wedding” is a narrative of a natural phenomenon called rain, but the indigenous
teller associates reality with his/her deity, bringing in flora and fauna which is a characteristicof the indigenous folktale. “The Rain King’s Wife” also presents rain in its normality, and goeson to project rain in its mythical form as the rain god. The teller fuses both myth and reality
through folklore. The amusing aspects of folklore such as jokes played on deities (Ramanujan,
1991) assist the teller in capturing the listener’s attention. By doing so, the listening group is
informed, educated and entertained. The teller also succeeds in imparting to the listener/s theimportance of rain, its life-sustaining nature, and the need for conserving natural components
such as forests, and forest habitats that sustain the lives of animals and birds. Through narration,
the teller puts forth the message that all natural resources that sustain humans and other living
creatures are gifts of the divine, and its realization should lead to respect and reverence fornature so that it is not taken for granted.
Conclusion
The tales analyzed in this study take the listeners and readers back to a time when human beings
lived in harmony with nature (Hamilton, 1942). The study brings out the ways in which elders
might have appealed to their listeners to prefer earth-centeredness to human-centeredness. In
the context of the tales, it is the need of the hour to invite rain into life’s routine by emulating
the Kadars, and not hope for rain to go away, like the mortal princess in the Kannada tale who
cites inconvenience as a reason (Nascimento, 2019). Human attitude towards rain varies
according to its intensity. Rains are expected during their seasons and are yearned for andwelcomed during unbearable periods of heat. People also get tired of continuous rain as it
breaks regularity. Besides sustaining lives on earth, rain also becomes a type of natural disastersuch as floods destroying crops, and causes the unfortunate loss of many lives. On a positivenote, however, caring for the natural environment through eco-centric practices, andacknowledging nature’s part in the sustenance of human and animal lives are highly necessary
and of great relevance in the present times.

Acknowledgement
The authors are grateful to Dr Sidney Shirly, Associate Professor of English, Scott Christian
College (Autonomous), Nagercoil, India, for her guidance and support.

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Corresponding author: P. Deborah Ann
Email: debiann95@gmail.com

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