Before the Dragon Became Revered as a God
Tonight I want you to listen to another one of my stories.
Cast
Dragon: Lilja Kurtbay
Maiden: Chisa Sasuga
Act I
A long time ago by a large lake in the west lived a dragon. Being of ruthless nature, the dragon often invaded settlements, playfully destroying the crops and attacking people and livestock. Inhabitants of a nearby village brought offerings to the lake to try to appease the dragon, but as soon as the offerings ran out, it flew back to the village and went on a rampage. Moreover, when the dragon was in a bad mood, it sent heavy rain or made the waters of the lake rise, which resulted in floods. Eventually a squad was formed to quell the dragon, but no weapon could match teeth of the giant creature.
As the villagers were struggling to come up with a solution, a lone traveler passed by. He introduced himself as a sorcerer and explained that a human sacrifice was needed to make the dragon obedient.
For many nights the villagers discussed the matter until the decision was reached to offer to the dragon a sole young maiden. That maiden lost her parents as a child and was raised by her grandmother. As the old age had taken its toll, her grandmother became bedridden. And the maiden was blind since the day she was born.
The villagers promised the maiden that if she agreed to be sacrificed they would look after her beloved grandmother. Due to her blindness, the maiden was always concerned that she might not be able to take care of herself, so she readily accepted the offer.
One night she alone headed towards the lake in the west where the dragon lived.
Act II
“Who dares to come here?!”
The dragon asked the maiden intimidatingly as she stood at the entrance of the cave by the lake.
“I came from the village to serve you, oh mighty dragon. I’ll do anything you ask of me.”
The maiden responded with a gentle smile.
“I see. You’re blind, aren’t you? That’s why you have no fear before me.”
Trying to scare the maiden, the dragon roared and slashed the clouds with its large claws. Still, the maiden remained unfazed and entered the cave.
“It smells rather nasty in here. Allow me to start with the cleaning.”
Groping along the walls, she went further inside and began scrubbing, mopping and tidying up the place. Feeling discouraged, the dragon said “You are free to do as you please” and flew out of the cave to hunt.
That night, when the dragon returned, it snorted sarcastically at the maiden.
“The villagers have abandoned you. Therefore, it won’t matter even if I eat you or tear you to pieces.”
“Are you planning to eat me? You can do so whenever you wish, of course, but would you be so kind as to listen to my story tonight?”
And the maiden began to tell the tale of the mysterious forest. She loved daydreaming and thinking up stories. There were over a hundred stories she came up with while taking care of her grandmother. She always wanted to share them with someone else… So she decided to tell them to the dragon.
While the dragon was listening to the maiden’s story it fell asleep.
Act III
Every night since then the maiden told the dragon a story of her own making. At first, the dragon would fall asleep while listening to her, and if it found the story boring it would become enraged and make a mess in the cave or even fly out and attack villages.
However, without realizing it, eventually the dragon started to look forward to maiden’s stories. There was no end to the tales she could imagine. She kept telling them one after the other, so there was never a boring night. Absorbed in the world of maiden’s stories, the dragon soon forgot about attacking villages and causing disasters.
One night the maiden started to tell the dragon the story of her own life in a guise of a fairytale. She spoke of a girl who was blind since birth, of her parents who passed away in her early years, of her bedridden grandmother. And of how that girl made up her mind to go to a dangerous place for the sake of many people.
“She was eager to help others. That’s why she left her grandmother in the care of the villagers and went to that place.”
“She was happy that she finally would be able to make a difference. She only wished she had been stronger, then she could have done more and for more people.”
The dragon listened to the maiden’s story in silence. From the way she spoke and the details she described it could easily guess that that time it wasn’t thought up. And so the dragon came to sympathize with the maiden who was chosen to be sacrificed. But at the same time, the dragon also started to reflect on everything it had done until that point.
“I’m going to apologize to all those I brought harm to… And I’ll send you back to the village.”
With those words, the dragon took the maiden and flew away from the cave.
Act IV
Seeing the dragon in the skies above the village, people tried to hide away in fear, but as they noticed the maiden accompanying it, they stopped to listen to what it had to say.
The dragon expressed its remorse, apologized to the villagers and said it would allow the maiden to go home. However, the maiden refused to return to the village, saying “I wish to stay with you.”
Her response surprised both the people and the dragon. But she just smiled softly.
“After all, there are still so many stories left untold. And the story of you and me has only just begun.”
At that moment maiden’s grandmother came to her with the help of the villagers. She told the dragon that she would allow the maiden to do so, but in exchange the dragon would have to protect the village.
The dragon accepted the offer and became the guardian spirit of the village. With the maiden on its back, it returned to the lake in the west.
Since that day in that village the legend of a maiden and a dragon spirit was passed down from generation to generation.
Aftertalk
Lilja Kurtbay:
“Dragons… They are also well-known in the Northern Europe’s folklore, but Japanese dragons have an especially beautiful appearance.”
Chisa Sasuga:
“It depends on the myth. In Japanese folklore sometimes dragons are dangerous beasts to be hunted down and sometimes they are revered deities.”
Lilja Kurtbay:
“Do you know about them?”
Chisa Sasuga:
“Just a little. They are cool. I would love to be a dragon in my next life.”
Lilja Kurtbay:
“Is that so?.. Since they are so beautiful, I can understand that wish too.”
Chisa Sasuga:
“Many people would follow you and make offerings, so you’d also get food for free.”
Lilja Kurtbay:
“Overwhelming beauty that has the power to captivate and dominate people. That fascinates me.”
Chisa Sasuga:
“Okay, then we should go to the library and find out more about dragons. Let’s go.”