Savitri (Wikimedia) |
- Savitri is a princess. Her father had begged the goddess of the same name for an heir and she was the result. She was good and kind. She falls in love with Satyaban, the son of a blind and exiled king. They see each other across a river and fall in love at first sight.
- Savitri wants to marry Satyaban, but apparently his fate is to die within one year, so her father is against the union. Eventually, she is able to convince him that she could never be happy with anyone else and that she will never marry anyone else. Her father is forced to allow the marriage.
- Savitri goes off to live in poverty with her new husband and his parents for reasons that make absolutely no sense. Why can't Satyaban's parents just come live with them in the palace? He's blind and their both old. There is literally zero reason that it makes sense to keep them living in a hovel in the forest, with little to no food, when they could be living in comfort being well cared for. That's just dumb.
- The day of Satyaban's fated death comes and Savitri goes with him into the forest. He dies. Savitri follows Yom, the Lord of Death, after he comes to take Satyaban's body. She tricks him into bringing him back to life.
- This story is essentially saying that when love is great enough it can overcome death. That theme could be used to tell just about any story, but I think that it would make a good fairy tale.
Bibliography: Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee. Web Source.
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