My love affair with mythology

Till i complete my bisexual research, i thought i would do a small post about my mythology fetish. I loved listening to the stories my parents told me as we went on family road trips when we were younger. Have you heard the one about a place in the Himalayas where Sita still stays with a abunch of fairies? Mountain legend has it that whoever goes there and spots Sita, loses their eyesight or their mind forever. Another story that really got me excited was the one that said Sita actually never went to Lanka. She stayed at this kutia near Pune all the time, and the Sita that went with Ravan was one made of magic. Mythology makes me crave for more and as i have read more and more, i have realised that our texts, especially the Mahabharat and the Ramayana, aim to teach us the real truths of life. My interest peaked after i read Devdutt Pattnaik's Pregnant King, which tells the tale of a childless king, who accidently drinks the potion meant for his queens and hence delivers a baby boy, who grows up to be a great king. Why it fascinated me was that through mythology, the author discussed an important modern theme - of gender differences and how one must treat the "one who lies in between", who is neither a man nor a woman, neither straight, nor gay. When i spoke to the author later for an interview, he said, "We need to srcatch the urface to really understand mythology and learn from it." Another book that really captured me was The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devakurni, which was the Mahabharat retold through the eyes of Draupadi, who could be credited for changing the course of history. And this is where i discovered the real hero of Mahabharat - Karna. I realised that i respected Karna the most as he lived for others. He supported Duryodhan because he had supported him even when his brothers did not, he was a real man not scared to take a stand. Did you also know that he loved Draupadi? True or not, it's a romantic notion I adore. My tryst with mythology is far from over because i still need to understand how Ram could give up everything for his kingdom, how the dharma follower Yudhuister could lose his wife gambling, and why Duryodhan is a hated man (because i actually see him as the wronged one). Do let me know what you think of mythology. Trust me, it's a conversation worth having.
Cheers
Aastha