| Deep in the sacred epic literatures of Judaism and Hinduism, the reader comes across two surprising female figures. Both of these entities flout the predominant scholarly view that these are misogynist or man-centered texts in two important ways. Firstly, by standing in extreme moral contrast to many of the male characters around them, these female characters are unmistakable (mostly) as exemplary representatives of authorial vision and values. Secondly, each figure plays a pivotal role in the development of the central male figure in each text, making her a necessary presence in the epic narrative.;In the Hebrew Bible, we encounter Tamar---a complex of characters stretching from B'Reshit 38 to 2 Shmuel 13 and into the book of Ruth. Five characters constitute this entity: Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar, David's daughter Tamar, Absalom's daughter Tamar, Naomi, and Ruth. The biblical text explicitly connects these five characters to one another, inviting us to examine their stories as chapters in a single tale. In the Mahabharata, we find Damayanti, a character who appears in a secondary story told in the Book of the Forest called "Nala" (her husband's name).;All six of these female characters have in common the ultimate goal of erotic and relational union with a worthy man. In the course of pursuing this goal, each female character is challenged to internalize and integrate qualities and roles that had previously been carried for her by various male characters. The degree to which she able to accomplish this integration determines her own level of worthiness for intimate relation.;These characters serve didactic purposes. Their stories present to male characters and to male audience members the notion that what women carry into culture and into relation is necessary to human flourishing. In addition, the specific nature of their stories teaches all of us that the quest to unify the masculine aspects of our being with the feminine is fundamental to the spiritual visions of each epic. |
