This week I went with a Cambodian tale. The Goddess and the Ogre tells the tale of the Goddess Moni Mekhala and the Ogre Ream Eyso. Both the goddess and the ogre go a hermit to learn magic. At the end of their learning the hermit decides to give them a test. He sends them out to fill glasses with dew. The ogre decides to wake up early to squeeze the dew out of the leaves. While the goddess is smarter and lays out a cloth to gather the dew. The goddess returns to the hermit before the ogre and is gifted with an orb studded with jewels. The ogre is upset to learn that he has lost but he is gifted with a golden ax. The ogre coveted the orb and went after the goddess. He threw his ax at her and missed causing the heavens to shake and thunder. The goddess threw her orb in the air which caused a streak of light that blinded the ogre and by the time he could see again she was gone.
This is one of those tales that tells the origins of thunder and lightning. It was a different one for me and I quite enjoyed it. Though it did bug me that the thunder came before the lightning. Which we all know now is not the case. I've heard before tales of it being different gods fighting but this was interesting because a simple man (the hermit) has magical abilities. The fact that ogre and the goddess have to go to him to learn magic is unique. Usually it is man who seeks out the gods or mythical creatures to learn magic not the other way around.
Thursday's Tales are hosted by CarolsNotebook. Stop by and see what she has read this week or better yet join in and read your own tale this week.
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