Thursday, Jul. 14, 2011
Ravana
The main antagonist of the Ramayana, an ancient Hindu epic from India that has offshoots across Southeast Asia, is Ravana, king of the isle of Lanka, remembered most vividly as a multi-headed demon. His powers though are far greater than sheer monstrosity: he can shake mountains and twist seas, and has a real lust for rapine and destruction. He changes shape and disguises as a wandering holy man before stealing off with the wife of Rama, the epic's demi-god hero. Rama's campaign against Ravana eventually wins out, but not before great trials and battles.