Kotharian Lightning

From Baiga Folklore

In the days before there was any fire in the world, the cat and the bear were married. All the animals in the world went in the husband’s – the cat’s – marriage-party. The cat was the tiger’s mother’s sister’s son. The animals said, “We’re not going to eat this raw meat. We want something tasty. Let us get fire.”

The panther said, “You go and fetch it.” The hyena said, “No, you get it.” The leopard said, “No, someone else should get it.” At last the tiger said, “Very well, I’ll get it.” And it went off to find fire.

Now the firefly had collected all the fire in the world and was sitting on it. The tiger came and began to fight, but the firefly turned the tiger into a leaf and summoned the wind to blow it into the air. The leaf called on the name of Jhinjha Guru and became a tiger again.

The tiger returned to the fight and now the firefly turned it into dust and the wind blew it about. The tiger called on the name of Binjha Guru and became a tiger again.

The tiger returned to the fight, and this time when he was conquering the firefly she said, “Let me go and I will give you fire.” The tiger let her go and she cut her little finger and let a drop of blood fall on a leaf. The tiger took the blood and went away. It made a bundle of spear grass and let the blood fall on it, whereupon it burst into flames.

The marriage-party cooked their food with the fire. One day the cat went out and came to a village. It saw a house and wondered what it was. It went in and there was a pot of milk. It drank some but did not like the taste. “It ought to be cooked as at home,” it thought. It went back, got a bit of fire in a stick, tied it round its neck, and lit a fire and so boiled the milk. But the people came home and the cat ran away. They drank the boiled milk and liked it and since then men have cooked their food.

Source:

Chapter 4, Myths of Middle India, Verrier Elwin, 1949