The Vatnsdaela
Saga and the Legend of Ponnivala both have a prominent woman who
becomes mother to a set of male heroes in the next generation. We
know very little about Vigdis except that she is a strong and good
woman who undergoes (at least one) childbirth alone in a forest under
difficult circumstances. Tamarai is a similarly strong and heroic
female. In her case there is much more information provided by the
story tellers. She undertakes several difficult journeys on her own
and she has a keen perception of situations. Her ability to “intuit”
what will happen clearly surpasses any parallel ability exhibited by
her husband Kunnutaiya. Tamarai’s determination to bear children
is exceptional and sends her on a twenty one year quest to speak with
Lord Shiva himself. When Tamarai eventually does give birth to
triplets (two heroic sons and one daughter) this birthing scene forms
a memorable moment that becomes etched on this epic’s broad
canvass. As fatherhood is remembered through leadership and social
status, so motherhood is honored in both epics through rich scenes
describing courage, self-sacrifice and, in particular, the precious
moment dedicated to birthing the next generation.
In the Ponnivala
story a gender difference can be noted in the birth stories of the
key male and female characters of each generation. Kunnutaiya,
father of the final set of heroes, is born under a large pile of
rocks. Even his name likens him to a large rock pile or “kuundru.”
His wife Tamarai, by contrast, is born in the middle of a lotus
flower found growing in a pond. Her name is equally significant. It
means “lotus flower.” The lotus is a very significant and
symbolic plant that grows up from the mud, to reach the surface of
the water that nurtures it. The lotus plant has a single flower
that sits atop a long stem, as if on a pillar trying to reach into
the sky. Tamarai is described as sitting on a pillar for twenty one
years, later in her life, trying to reach Lord Shiva’s heavenly
Council Chambers.
In the next generation we again see a
gender contrast in the birth stories of the twin males Ponnar and
Shankar, and their sister Tangal. The two men are born first,
exiting the womb in a magical fashion with Lord Vishnu’s knife
allowing them to emerge directly from Tamarai’s two sides. At
birth these boys can already walk, and jump. They carry small metal
weapons, are clothed in shorts. They are also instantly able to
speak. By contrast, their sister, born after these two males leave
the scene, enters the world in a totally “natural” way. She
simply emerges from under her mother’s sari-skirt. Tangal looks
like a normal, nude human baby. She does not hold any magical
objects nor can she speak. This little sister is quickly swaddled in
a simple white cloth and handed to her mother to hold. She is nursed
by her mother. The two boys, on the other hand, are whisked off to a
secret cave situated under the temple of the family goddess. There
they are raised for five years by a “divine” female who feeds
them tiger’s milk. In both generations, then, the male heroes
births are described through visual metaphors that rely on “hard”
images (stones, knives and vicious tigers) while the females become
immediately associated with “soft” images like flowers, white
clothes and mother’s milk.
There
is a long tradition, seen in many cultures, of women acting as
intermediaries in both these stories. There is one good example in
the Vatnsdaela Saga and many in the Ponnivala Legend. In Vatnsdaela
there is enmity between the hero Ingimund and the father of the woman
he wishes to marry. This is because Ingimund earlier murdered this
man’s son, his hoped-to-be-bride’s brother. But the bride’s
mother then intercedes on Ingimund’s behalf and manages to tame her
husband’s animosity. The wedding proceeds.
In the Ponnivala case
a direct intercession by a female advocate also occurs. Now this
lobbying occurs mainly at the level of the gods. For example we see
the goddess Parvati speaking to her husband Shiva at the request of
her brother Vishnu and also the local goddess Celatta (a form of
Parvati) speaking with Vishnu on behalf of the hero Kunnutaiya.
Later in the story Kunnutaiya’s wife Tamarai “advocates” on the
behalf of beggars, persuading her husband to soften his resistance to
her spending the family fortune. She is determined to give all of
them alms. This pattern of providing go-between services is less
pronounced in the next generation where both key females (Tangal and
also her hunter counterpart Viratangal) operate more as visionary
advisors. Each seeks to collaborate with their brothers rather than
to be an advocate of the interests of another. As sisters rather
than wives their role is limited to handing along useful information
to a key male who will (in a sense) act on their behalf. As “seers”
both these Ponnivala women have visionary access to situations that
have evolved at a distance, outside the palace. Speaking abstractly,
we can see both these young women “mediate” between outside and
inside points of view.
~ Brenda E. F. Beck
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