Sri and Sedana and Sita and Rama: Myths of Fertility and Generation
By Robert Wessing, Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Asian Folklore Studies, Volume 49, 1990: 235-257
ABSTRACT
In the Indo-Malaysian archipelago, the area comprising the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia, including southern Thailand (BELLWOOD 1985, I), two sets of mythologies are found that, while ostensibly dealing with
rather different matters, have several important elements in common. These mythologies are the Rama-type state mythologies on the one hand and the Sri-oriented agricultural ones on the other. In this paper I will discuss these two mythologies, showing the common elements, followed by a discussion in which I will point out some wider patterns in which they may be placed.
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