Topic Research: Asian Mythology

 The Spirit-Guarded Cave

I was originally only planning to focus on just one region of Asia, but all of my favorite stories were so spread out that it was difficult to pick just one country!  This Laotian folklore reminded me of one of my favorite episodes from a show I used to watch as a kid so I think it would be fun to do a retelling that incorporates both versions while making my own changes to the plot and fates of the characters.  I tried to find out if those themes from the show were based off of this story at all, but I found nothing connecting the 2, so it must have just been a lucky coincidence. 

The Noppera-bō and the Koi Pond

As I did more more research I found myself digging a deeper and deeper hole into the cultural and mythological history of this show, Avatar: The Last Airbender.  I watched this show for the first time when I was 7 or 8 years old, but I have always appreciated how well south and east Asian history and culture were represented in an American kids' show!  Noppera-bō was the inspiration for one of my favorite characters in this show, Koh, and it also inspired other modern media figures like No Face from the Spirited Away movie and Slender Man.  Noppera-bō and other supernatural monsters in Japanese mythology actually have fairy neutral morals.  They may seek vengeance for those who have wronged but also offer wisdom for those who inquire it.  This ambiguity makes them easy to misinterpret as solely "good" or "bad."  Slender Man is a good example of a derivation of Noppera-bō that was made a villain.  

Nüwa Mends the Heavens

This story is about the Chinese Goddess who saves the heavens from falling by cutting off the legs of the giant turtle, Ao, to hold up the sky.  There are also myths unrelated to Nüwa that portray "world turtles" who held the world on the back.  I think it would be interesting to write a story about what would have happened if Nüwa hadn't killed the giant turtle, and somehow combine these two myths into the same universe.  The ancient "world turtles" are also represented in Avatar: The Last Airbender, so all 3 of the stories would have similar origins despite being very different stories.  

The Hindu Earth (1877), Source