The Classic Tales

A couple weeks ago on The Classic Tales, B.J. Harrison did an excellent reading of my favorite childhood story, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” by Rudyard Kipling.  Before and after the story, he mentioned Harry Potter, noting the name link between Nagini and Nagaina, the evil female snake in the story.

I admit I had completely forgotten the names of the snakes in “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” and had never made the link.  In Harry Potter & Imagination, I linked Nagini to her predecessors in Hindu mythology.  That Kipling was aware of the Nagas of Hindu mythology is a certain just from reading the story.  I found it interesting that Rikki-Tikki was able to catch up with and defeat Nagaini because a bird, Darcy’s wife, swooped down and delayed her.

If you’re not familiar with “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” you haven’t revisited it in a while, or you just want to hear a great reading of it, do listen to B.J. Harrison’s reading.  It’s accompanied before and after by excellent and insightful thoughts on myth and the hero’s journey.

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