From the folklore of the Hill Saora
In the days when the whole world was covered with water a gourd floated on the surface. At that time the Sun and the Moon were pregnant. The gourd was blown to and fro by the wind. Then the Sun and Moon gave birth to their children. The Sun had seven sons, but the Moon had a great multitude of children. They were all girls except two, the stars that they called Twins, the morning and the evening stars.
The seven Suns rained great heat upon the earth and the water covering its surface dried up and dry land appeared. The gourd settled on the ground and Kuraitusum came out of it. He looked round and saw nothing but desolation. “How can I live here alone?” he asked. The Sun replied. “You are Kittung. You can do what you will. Create men and animals to keep you company.”
Kuraitusum went back into his gourd and created a tiger. It came out of the gourd, but it began to burn on account of the great heat of the seven suns. It gave a mighty roar and the Sun and Moon were so frightened that they rushed up into the sky. The tiger went back into the gourd and Kuraitusum saw that it was covered with stripes, which it still has in memory of the day when it was burnt.
Kuraitusum healed its wounds, “But,” he said, “everything I create will be burnt by the seven Suns.” So he persuaded the Moon to conceal her children in her hair and to tell the Sun that she had devoured them all. The Sun, hearing this, ate his own seven sons and this filled him with great heat, yet it was less severe than it was before. When the seven sons had been eaten, Kittung brought the tiger out again and they looked round the world. They saw nothing but desolation and the tiger said, “Where is the jungle for me to live in and what am I to do?” Kittung pulled out the hair from his body and threw it over the world and grass and trees sprang up, and he sent the tiger to live in their shade. Then he created the red-face monkey which is the tiger’s younger brother. Then Bimma was born, but he was afraid to go into the jungle. In this way Kittung created men and animals.
Last of all Kittung created fire and burnt his gourd. He went away and made his camp on a great hill. In the end, he went up to live in the sky.
Source:
Chapter 1, Tribal Myths of Orissa, Verrier Elwin, 1954
Kotharian Lightning 