Saturday, March 6, 2010

Mothers risk to create a hero who returns

Our story begins as a narrative concerning a young boy from a village just south of the Kumgang Mountains in Korea. The village had been terrorised by a white tiger that lived in said mountains. the young boys father had been missing ever since he was a baby. His father was a great hunter and gunman and went to hunt the tiger but never returned. It was thought that said father was devoured by the tiger. Since said father was a gun man one can say the tail was told after the invention of the gun and since this happened in the orient during the feudal age the tale is no older than the 1200s.
Since being young the boy dreamed of killing the tiger that murdered his father and as soon as he could hold a gun and be allowed to use one he trained to become as proficient in shooting as was his father. at fifteen he said to his mother "Mother, I'm ready now to set out for the Kumgang Mountains to find the White Tiger and defeat him. Please, let me go." Tearful she said, "Even a famous marksman like your father was lost to the terrible White Tiger. Please, son, quit dreaming about such nonsense and stay safe here at home." the mother then replied "Very well, as you wish. But first let me ask you one thing. Your father used to have me stand with a water jug on my head. Then he would shoot off the handle of the water jug from one mile away without spilling any water. Can you do the same thing?" So eagerly he had his mother stand with water jug on her head to see if he could shoot it. After aiming carefully he shoot and missed. He gave up his idea of going after the tiger till he could succeed in shooting the jug off his mothers head as he realised he was not ready to face the tiger Why did the mother risk being shot? What key is she to the story, what does she represent?

I will analyze the fable of the white tiger and start a new myth next week. If there are any suggestions send me a comment, I will pick an epic if I can, something longer

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