The Legend of Prince Yamato Takeru

The legendary son of the legendary 12th emperor Keiko, Yamato Takeru was supposedly responsible for expanding the territory of the Yamato court. His adventures appear in th4e chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. In one of the stories, he subdued two uncouth Kumaso warriors by cleverly disguising himself as a woman. Prince Yamato put on the rich silk robe his aunt, who was high priestess of the Ise shrines, had given himself a good luck. To complete his disguise, Prince Yamato let down his hair, struck a comb, and decked himself with jewels. Mingling among the servants he entered his enemies’ tent during a banquet where Kumaso warriors were feasting and drinking. Kumaso beckoned to the prince disguised as a fair serving woman, bidding him to serve wine as quickly as possible. When

Kumaso had become drunk, the prince stabbed the two Kumaso warrior brothers to death. As the brother of Kumaso lay dying, he demanded to know who the prince really was, and the bandit then bestowed upon the prince that the title Yamato Takeru, meaning “The Bravest of Yamato”.

Prince Yamato Takeru is today revered as a folk hero for his courage and ingenuity. His tomb in Ise is known as the Mausoleum of the White Plover.

The Folktale of Heer Ranjha

One of the popular tragic romances of the Punjab is the tale of two young lovers Heer and Ranjha. It recounts how Ranja, forced to flee his ancestral home and village because of cruel treatment by his ancestral home and village

because of cruel treatment by his jealous sisters- in-law, falls in love with Heer at first sight .

Mesmerized by his flute playing, she hired him as a cow herder on her father’s rich estate. They began meeting secretly, but Heer’s uncle Qaido discovered them and in an effort to avoid any shame, the family hastily arranged Heer’s marriage to a wealthier, older man. With great difficulty and after much suffering, Heer eventually obtained her parent’s consent to marry Ranjha. Her uncle, however, cannot accept her disobeying the strictures of a patriarchal society that emphasize parental choice in marriage. Believing that by falling she has destroyed the family honor, he poisoned her on what would have been the lover’s wedding day. Ranjha arrived too late to save her as she had already eaten the poison and

died Brokenhearted once again, Ranjha took the poisoned laddu which Heer had eaten and died by her side. Heer and Ranjha are buried in Heer’s hometown, Jhang.