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Week 3 Story: The She Demon and the Prince


Newest version here on my portfolio!
https://sites.google.com/view/portfolio-indian-epics/week-3-story-the-she-demon-and-the-prince

There was once a young and handsome price named Rama. He was was married to a beautiful young woman, one of the most beautiful in the land, a woman named Sita. Whilst Rama was known for his beauty, he was also known for his heroism after killing demons in the past.

It was a quiet night and Sita and Rama were taking a walk in the forests next to the place they call home. What they had yet to realize was that demons often lurk in this forest, and one had had her eye on Rama for quite some time.

Shurpa was considered to be the most beautiful of all the demons. She was so beautiful that she had managed to seduce all of the men that crossed her path. Word quickly got around of her presence in the woods and people began to call her a succubus, as men who fell under her spell were never seen again.

Shurpa had been waiting in the forest for Rama all night, knowing it was a common pathway of Rama and his wife Sita. She had know of the tales involving him for quite some time, and hearing of his heroism and good looks, she wasn’t disappointed when he stepped into view. Shurpa couldn’t wait for a better confrontation so she slipped out of the tree she was hiding in to show herself to her soon to be beloved.

“Oh Rama, most handsome and heroic in the land, wont you leave this sad mortal and become my husband for eternity!? Together this isn't any place we couldn't conquer.” she exclaimed.

Rama watched as she asked for his hand, unshaped by her gorgeous body and looks. He grinned slightly while making eye contact with his wife cowering behind him.

“I will belong to no woman besides my beloved wife Sita.” He replied confidently, grabbing the hand of his wife Sita who stood behind him.

Shurpa was not ready for that answer. She hissed and cried and screamed in disbelief that he could deny such a beauty like her, who no man had denied before.

“I may be married oh temptress, but my brother has yet to find a wife, maybe you should ask him to marry you instead.” said Rama.

So Shurpa did, but his brother also rejected her. Lan just to happened to make fun of her desperateness in the process.

 Shurpa vowed to get revenge on the brothers, crawling back to her own brother, a powerful demon with the strength of thousands, to help in her plans for revenge.


Author’s note:This is the story of Rama and Shurpanakha retold in my own memories and words. I emphasized Shurpanakaha’s beauty and gave her a big reputation of seducing men to make Rama’s denial more powerful. 




Rama rejects Shurpanakha,
illustration by Warwick Goble
(Image source)

 Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913),
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Comments

  1. Jack WoodFebruary 4, 2019 at 12:02 AM

    Changing Shoorpankha into a career succubus was an interesting twist. I didn't really think about how she spent her time in the forest before Rama arrived. Did she wade around disguised as a beautiful princess just for a few days, or was she actively looking for unsuspecting men look you depicted her. I think it's just nice to get some answers for why she was there.

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  2. George SoterFebruary 10, 2019 at 4:14 PM

    Hey Callie, I thought this was a super great retelling of this story! I have to commend your use of dramatic irony, I thought that letting us know that Shurpa was stalking Rama long before he laid eyes on her was a really creative way to add to the tension of the story. It also made her devastation at his denial that much more powerful, as clearly she had no doubt in her mind that she would succeed. I wonder what Sita made of all this, I would love to get more insight into her initial thoughts and her reaction when Rama chose her over this temptress. Was Sita aware of who she was or was her identity a mystery to them both? I loved that you mentioned how Lan made fun of her, that could be a great place to add some more dialogue, I'd love to know what you envision him saying to her and how she would respond to two back to back failures! Thanks for sharing this story, it was a great read!

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