top of page
ACROSS TIME AND SPACE
JOIN
VOLUME ONE
Madra Kingdom
KIRAN
ASHA
&
The Book of Many Suns
VOLUME THREE
Delphi
VOLUME TWO
Mount Kithairon
01. SAVITRI & SATYAVAN
02. ECHO & NARCISSUS
03. THE ORACLE OF DELPHI
THE LEGENDS SO FAR
TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING
FOLLOW KIRAN AND ASHA
SAVITRI & SATYAVAN
DETAILS:
Vana Parva, Mahabharata
Madra Kingdom, India
400BCE
​
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Mahadivya
The Hindu
TEDxED
​
The legend of Savitri and Satyavan primarily follows the heroine Savitri, a princess of the Madra Kingdom.. Named after the Hindu goddess Savitri, she too grew up with unrivalled beauty and wisdom - characteristics that intimidated any potential suitor from asking for her hand in marriage. Thus, she set off to find her own husband. As she traversed the lands, she came across Satyavan, a fallen prince of a neighbouring kingdom. Satyavan was an honest, brave and wise man, and they both fell in love quickly. Savitri rushed home to tell her father of the news, and their marriage was supported by her father and his counsellors. The king then turned to his most trusted advisor to get his opinion, from whom they heard the terrible prophecy that Satyavan was destined to die a year from their meeting. Savitri declared that regardless of what the prophecy stated, she would not marry any one else, and so they were wed. The year passed, and the day had arrived – Satyavan passed away in her arms. The god of death, Yama, arrived to personally transport Satyavan’s soul to the underworld. And as he left, so Savitri followed. As she trailed behind Yama, she spoke of Satyavan, and impressed by her devotion, he granted her one wish. She asked for the healthh to be returned back to Satyavan’s parents, and her wish had been granted. She continued following Yama, and was given two more wishes, for which she asked for the restoration of Satyavan’s kingdom, as well as to be the mother of a century of heirs that continued her and Satyavan’s lineage. Without realizing the implications, Yama agreed. It was then that Savitri reminded him of Satyavan’s death. Impressed by Savitri’s wit and intelligence, he granted life back to Satyavan. And so, the two lived together again happily ever after!
ECHO & NARCISSUS
DETAILS:
Metamorphoses
Mount Kithairon, Greece
8 AD
​
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Greek Legends & Myths
The Collector
TEDxED
​
The story of Echo and Narcissus reveals the tragedy of love to the point of obsession. Echo, a mountain nymph from Mount Cithaeron, under the order of Zeus would distract his wife, Hera, by talking to her for hours whilst he engaged in his many adulterous activities. Having learned of Echo’s role in obscuring Zeus’ affairs, Hera cursed her to only be able to repeat the words of others – stripping Echo of her own voice. Meanwhile, Narcissus, a young man from the city of Thespiae,, had received a prophecy when he was still a child that he would live a long life as long as he did not know himself. Growing up to be one of the most beautiful people to roam the land, he had admirers that spanned both the mortal and heavenly realms. One day, Echo, after having been cursed by Hera came across Narcissus and fell in love instantly. Unable to call out, she watched him from afar, until he sensed that he her presence and called out, asking who was there. With no voice of her own, all Echo could do was relay the same words he spoke back to him. Soon, she left her hiding place and faced Narcissus, only to be cruelly rejected by a man who could love no one but himself. Heartbroken, Echo ran away, living the rest of her life in the mountain woodlands from where she came. Echo, not being the first or last of Narcissus’ spurned lovers, inspired Nemesis – the greek goddess of retribution – to intervene. Thus, as Narcissus came to a pool of water to drink, he finally met his own reflection. Unable to divert his attention from the beauty that reflected back to him, he was filled with sorrow as he was unable to be with the only other being that was worthy of his love. And so, he laid by the pool, withering and wasting away, until finally, he took form as a Narcissus flower.
THE ORACLE OF DELPHI
This legend follows Aristonike, a Pythia or High Priestess for the Greek god Apollo at Delphi. As one of the highest positions of the ancient world, her job as Pythia was to distribute advice and information that ranged from topics of war strategies to questions of marriage, or work. She was said to have received such divine wisdom from the lips of god Apollo himself, and so, though her words may have been harsh or displeasing, they were seen as truth. And once Aristonike is chosen to be a Pythia, she would serve under this position for life. The process of receiving the divine knowledge from the Oracle, was a challenging one. For starters, the Oracle would only be consulted one day a month, and only within the warmer months of the year – thus, consultations occurred on only 9 days a year. Furthermore, additional rituals would have to be taken to ensure whether Apollo would provide any knowledge on that day. And so, to gain an audience with the Pythia, one had to follow many rules and rituals before they could enter the sanctuary. The Pythia herself, on consultation days, would have to bathe in the Castalian Spring that was near the sanctuary, after which she would burn laurel leaves and barley as a sacrifice to Apollo. Once she has taken her seat at the innermost sanctum of the temple, she is said to enter a sort of trance during which the words of Apollo are spoken through her.
The Book of Many Suns is a comic book series that follows two teenagers, Kiran and Asha, who find a magical storybook that takes them on adventures through time and space, and into the myths and legends that are recorded within the book.
​
Follow along as they journey side-by-side with the protagonists of the myths we’ve come to know and love!
bottom of page