The Khasi People
The Khasi people live in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya with populations in the neighboring state of Assam and some regions of Bangladesh. They evolved their own unique mythology and folklore and created many wonderful folktales that attempt to explain different aspects of the natural world. There are all sorts of stories featuring monkeys, tigers, lynxes and other wild animals. The domestication of some animals is also dealt with telling how dogs, cats, goats and oxen came to live among humans and give explanations of cosmic creation and natural phenomena. The Khasi divinities, such as the twin goddesses Ka Ngot and Ka Iam, who gave their names to the rivers Ngot and Lam respectively, are found along with other divine beings. All this and more can be found in Folktales of the Khasis by Mrs. K. U. Rafy (1920) and presented here is a retelling of the story What Makes the Lightning?
What Makes the Lightning?
The story begins in the young days of the world when animals socialized with people. They spoke their language and tried to copy human customs and manners. Every thirteen moons the people held a great festival where there were many sports and events. People competed against each other and demonstrated their abilities in many different activities and one of the most popular was the sword dance. All the people from the hills and the forest would come and take part and it was a gay and happy time. The animals loved this event and would watch the people competing, dancing and having fun and the younger beasts began to ask the elders for a festival of their own. After considerable thought the elders agreed and said that the animals should appoint a day when their own festival should be held.
U Pyrthat’s Drum
With great enthusiasm the animals learnt all the skills and rules for the competitions and all the moves and steps for the dances. When they were ready they set a date for the festival to begin, but no one knew how to let everyone know the event was taking place. Someone suggested that perhaps U Pyrthat, the thunder giant, would beat his drum to tell everyone the event was beginning. U Pyrthat agreed and began to beat his drum summoning all the animals to their great festival. His drum could be heard in the farthest of hills and the most remote places of the forest and the animals flocked towards the sound excitedly and a soon a great multitude gathered around U Pyrthat and his drum.
The animals had gone to great trouble to prepare grooming and preening themselves to look their very best. Each one carried either a musical instrument or a weapon relevant to how they intended to participate in the festival events. There was much merriment when the squirrel marched in banging on a small drum followed by a small bird called the Shakyllia playing a flute, who was followed by a porcupine clashing cymbals together. It was a very happy day and all the animals were jolly and laughing, sharing a jokes and having fun. The mole looked up and saw the owl trying to dance but because her eyes were not used to daylight she kept bumping into objects. The mole laughed so much his own eyes became narrowed and his vision unclear and that is how we find him today.
The Sword Dance of U Kui, the Lynx
When the fun and merriment reached its height U Kui, the lynx appeared carrying a most splendid silver sword which he had lavished a lot of money on. He had bought it just for the festival because he wanted to show off his skills in the sword dance. Calling everyone to attention he began his dance leaping and stepping with energy, grace and precision. Everyone cheered and admired his elegance of movement and technique but his success went to his head and he began to see himself as better than the others.
U Pyrthat’s Sword Dance
U Pyrthat, the thunder giant, saw the performance of the lynx and was full of admiration for his dancing skills and was very impressed with the silver sword. He had not brought a sword himself as he had brought the drum he used to summon everyone. Thinking that he should like to try a dance or two wielding such a fine sword he asked the lynx if he could borrow it as a favor. U Kui was reluctant to allow the thunder giant to borrow his silver sword not only because it was so fine and expensive but because he did not like the idea that he might be upstaged. The crowd seeing his reluctance began to shout,
“Shame! shame! shame!”
and booed and hissed thinking that it was rude and ungracious of him to refuse being as the thunder giant had beat his drum to summon them all. In the end the lynx was shamed into lending the the giant his sword and reluctantly the handed it to him.
Taking hold of the magnificent silver sword the thunder giant prepared himself to dance. When he was ready he suddenly burst into life leaping high and whirling the flashing blade in circles all around him. He danced so furiously and leapt high and the flashing blade dazzled everyone. As he danced he beat on his drum so hard the earth shook and the animals fled in terror.
Thunder and Lightning
U Pyrthat was inspired by the silver sword and danced faster and faster, leaping higher and higher. Carried away by his dancing and the wonderful blade he leaped right into the sky with the silver sword flashing all around him while he beat on his drum, the sound rumbling and crashing down to earth. At times, the noise of the drum and the flashing of the sword are still heard and seen by people all around the world. They called it thunder and lightning, but the Khasis people know that it is the drum of U Pyrthat, the thunder giant and the stolen sword of U Kui, the lynx, that the people hear and see.
U Kui’s Heartbreak
U Kui was heartbroken at the loss of his fine silver sword. Folks say that afterwards he made his home near a great hill and would sit and look at the sky when U Pyrthat danced. He kept piling stones upon the hill hoping one day to make it high enough to reach the sky where he hoped to to reclaim his sword from the dancing thunder giant.
© 13/03/2019 zteve t evans
References, Attributions and Further Reading
Copyright March 13th, 2019 zteve t evans
Under the influence! 
