The Worldly - A World Culture Web Magazine and 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization

Original posting: May 2003 Issue

by JENNIFER CHANG, editor-in-chief

Every culture has its own repertoire of legendary heroes, either of myth or of real historical events. Oftentimes, fact and fiction get mixed in the telling of their stories. Not only do cultural heroes provide great tales to entertain children with, but they are also a source of pride and inspiration for those who know of them. Below are the (abridged) stories of five well-known heroes from four different cultures. They are timeless because the people who admire them carry the stories through the generations.

Sundiata
Sundiata was an African King whose story is a mix of history and legend. He was the son of Nare Fa Maghan, king of the Mandingo, and Sogolon Conde – two people who had joined under the prophecy that Sogolon would give Maghan a son who would become the greatest king of Mali. It is said that Sumaguru, the then-king of Mali who raped Mandingo women, taxed his people relentlessly, and terrorized the nation, heard of the prophecy and paid the couple a visit. He killed 11 of their sons, but spared Sundiata because he believed he would die anyway.

Legend has it that when Maghan died, Sundiata stood upright, with a herculean effort and the help of an iron rod, bending the rod in the process. His mother, fearing that he would be killed now that he posed a real threat, took them into exile. During this exile, Sundiata traveled through the kingdoms of the savanna and blossomed into a mighty warrior. There are many stories in Africa of the adventures he had in these years. He amassed an army of recruits from several kingdoms and defeated Sumaguru, later becoming the “Mansa” and restoring peace and order to the Empire of Mali.

The Monkey King
The Monkey king is a fictional character whose adventures and exploits are based around those of a famous monk who journeyed west across China to India in search of the holy sutras. "Monkey King" is an allegorical rendition of the journey, mingled with Chinese fables, fairy tales, legends, superstitions, popular beliefs, monster stories as well as whatever the author could find in the Taoist and Buddhist religions. The text is one of the four great classical works of China, dating back more than 400 years.

As the story goes, the Monkey king was born out of a rock, fertilized by heaven. He developed extraordinary powers, some of which included multiplying himself by plucking out his own hairs and riding clouds across the sky. In addition, he had extraordinary fighting skills – his main weapon of choice being a magic staff that he could shrink and store behind his ear when it was not in use.

The Monkey King, being of rebellious nature, challfenged the heavens, single-handedly waging war against the gods. For his transgression, they imprisoned him beneath a mountain where he remained trapped for 5,000 years before being rescued by Xuan Zang – the monk mentioned before. In gratitude, the Monkey King agreed to help the monk journey to the west in search of the Sutras, along with two other faithful companions – a belligerent pig-man and a former sea-monster.

The tale of the mischievous Monkey King is one that spans several volumes. Though it originated in China, it was so popular that through the span of history, has been adapted by the Japanese and the Koreans as well.

Cuchulain
Cuchulain is one of the great heroes of Celtic myth. Legend has it that he was the son of the god Lugh, but was raised by his uncle, King Conor of Ulster. Early in his life, he was already performing war-like deeds, and it was agreed upon by all that he was destined to be a great hero.

In the land, there was a mischeivous man named Bricriu who wished to create conflict between the great heroes of the time. He invited Cuchulain, along with two others, to dinner where which he posed the question of who should receive “the champion’s portion” of the food. This ignited debate among the three over who was the greatest of the three. To avoid an impromptu, bloody battle, they agreed to submit their claims to the championship of Ireland to King Ailill of Connaught.

Ailill put the heroes to an unexpected test. He brought them together in a dinner hall, into which three magic beasts, in the shape of monstrous cats, were sent by the king. While the other two climbed to a safe spot among the rafters, Cuchulain slay the beasts. Later, Ailill sends the heroes to the castle of Curoi of Kerry – a wise wizard and asked them to defend it. When the trio are faced with a giant monster who attacked the castle with spears made of oak trees, it was Cuchulain who faced him, and the mighty dragon he brought with him.

The final test came when a terrible stranger entered the castle with an ax and threatened to terrorize the inhabitants unless one of the heroes beheaded him with the ax. He warned that if he was beheaded, he would leave, but only under the condition that he would return the next day to claim the head of the hero. One of the heroes accepted the challenge, and upon cutting off the stranger’s head, the beheaded body took the ax, and walked out of the castle. When he returned, fully restored the next day to claim his retribution, the hero was nowhere to be found. This occurred again with the other hero. Finally, it was Cuchulain who beheaded the being, but unlike the others he waited until the next day to receive his punishment. When the stranger arrived and discovers that Cuchulain has stayed the night, he revealed that he was really Curoi in disguise. He not only spares his life, but proclaims him the champion of all of Ireland.

Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl
Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl are two twin god-heroes that exist both in Mayan and Aztec legend. Though the legends surrounding these two heroes vary and often contradict each other, they’re creation of this world is a common theme in all versions.

It is said that Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were twin gods who dwelled in the heavens. At the time, the earth was covered in water, and on it, there only lived the great caiman Tlatecuhtli. The twins gods decided one day to defeat the great caiman, transforming themselves into giant serpents and descending to the waters where Tlatecuhtli dwelled. When they found Tlatecuhtli, each serpent grabbed a hand and a foot. They pulled in opposite directions, tearing the great caiman apart. The dismemberment of Tlatecuhtli resulted in the creation of the Earth.

This daring deed by Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl angered the other deities. To console the mutilated caiman, they decreed that all the tribes of humankind would live on her back, and all plants needed for human life would grow from her body. From her hair were fashioned trees, flowers and herbs. From her skin came the grasses and small flowers. Her eyes became the sources of wells, springs and small caves. From her mouth came the great rivers and caverns, and the bumps on her skin because the mountain ranges and valleys. Through the adventurous exploits of the twin gods, the Earth had been formed.

Sources: http://www.indiana.edu/~chasso/monkey.html,

http://www.mrdowling.com/609-sundiata.html,

www.bartleby.com/182/302.html,

http://www.smokinmirrors.net/tezcatli/tezcatli.html