Eternal Flame

In the Kingdom of Thallos, residents and guests from all around flooded the streets. People of all ages crowded about, swathed in the finest of cloths and covered with jewels. The prince of the kingdom had recently come of age, and he had proposed a trial to determine who might be worthy of his marrying. The prince was very moral and kind. He knew many women might be deceitful so that they could share his power and wealth. He decided that his future wife needed to be put to the test before he chose her for his partner.

The kingdom was well known for something unusual. A great fire burned in a pit in the courtyard of the palace. But this flame was special, for it burned continuously. A strike of lightning had erupted the pit, and the inferno continued to burn there for years despite snow or rain. Many believed the gods themselves had sent it as a gift. The prince knew that the gods would be guiding any person who was able to extinguish the flames. So, he sent an open invitation to any woman who might try her hand at completing this task. Thousands gathered to watch and take part in the ceremony.

The prince kindly greeted the women and thanked them for coming. He seated himself behind the blaze and asked the first girl to step up to the eternal fire. The blaze must have been ten feet tall, but she puffed out her chest and confidently strode toward the flame with a pail of water in each hand. She smiled as she threw the water from the first pail into the fire. When it blazed on, her face fell a bit. She carefully aimed the second one at the base of the fire. Again, the water did not work and the girl stood there confused, and then angry. Two guards carried her away while she screamed about the trial being unfair. More girls brought larger quantities of water which sloshed all over their nice dresses and the ground. It became muddy and some women even tried throwing this mud into the fire. A few others gave milk a shot at quenching the flames. Thick blankets and other cloths were used as well, but the fire burned through the fibers effortlessly. Others tried using stone and metal coverings to suffocate the flame. This carried on for days. The prince began to grow tired and hopeless that he might find his wife.

On the seventh day, the prince declared it would be the final day. After this, he thought, he might have to come up with an alternative trial. Perhaps he was wrong about the gods. Then, a startlingly beautiful young woman stepped to the front of the line. She wore a scarlet dress of silk, that, when she moved, looked like flames. Rubies dripped from her ears and throat. Her golden eyes glanced up at the prince before focusing on the fire.

Though the inferno reached high above her head, she raised her arms as if to push it down. The flames began to shrink down lower and lower. She pressed her hands into the top of the blaze and did not wince. Moments later, her fingers touched the dying embers of the pit and extinguished the fire. The normally raucous crowd was silent as she raised herself up from the ground. She dusted off her hands and raised her eyes back to the prince. They had a new glisten in them. Almost like her irises now housed the flames she had smothered.

The prince raced from his seat and kneeled before the mysterious woman. He took one of her hands in his and it was cool to the touch–somehow unmarred by the fire. He knew she must have been sent to him for an important purpose. She was very special, and would no doubt make an incredible wife for the prince and ruler to Thallos. He quietly proposed that she might marry him. For the first time since entering the courtyard, she smiled brilliantly. At the very moment she accepted his request, the pit erupted into a blaze even higher and stronger than before. Many from the crowd yelled in surprise, but the prince only stared at his new fiancée with amazement.

That evening, the prince and the fire girl were able to get to know one another. One of his first questions was to ask how she was able to control the eternal flame. She explained that when her mother was a young woman, she prayed to the sun god, Surya, for good fortune. Surya responded by giving her a daughter. Although it was not what the woman had expected, the child did bring luck and happiness to all those around her. Even at a young age, she’d had a special affinity for fire. When she had heard of the trial involving the eternal flame, she felt that it might be the reason for her ability and was inexplicably drawn to the event.

Author’s Note:

In the original version of this story, prince Rama stumbled upon a beautiful princess named Sita. Sita’s father tells Rama that if he can break his sacred bow, he can marry Sita. No one before Rama has been able to even lift the bow, but he is able to pass the trial. This means Rama must be a little bit divine or at least blessed by some deity. Therefore, he is fit for marrying Sita and they live happily ever after (kind of). I also pulled a little bit of Kunti's story from the Mahabharata for the mystery girl's background. Kunti was impregnated with a son from the sun god, but she gave the child away since she was unmarried and ashamed. I felt the the sun god's involvement in the fire girl's birth would make perfect sense.

I wanted to do a bit of a gender swap, so that my prince is the one searching for a wife. I noticed that the number 7, fire, and the testing of women’s moralities (especially with fire) were common themes in the Ramayana, so I tried to find ways to include those. I also chose for the prince to be the one responsible for the trial. I wanted the prince to be concerned with his future spouse instead of his father. I've decided to keep the fire girl nameless because I feel there is more mystery about her that way.

Image Information:

Sparks, Source: Pixabay

Flames, Source: Pixabay

Embers, Source: Pixabay

Bibliography:

"Sita" from Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee

Ramayana PDE

"Kunti and Her Son" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)