Topic Archive

Myths about Ice

Explore myths connected by the recurring theme of Ice across cultures, characters, and sacred places.

98 myths currently featured for Ice.

Ghatotkacha's Final Expansion

🕉️ Hindu MythologyKurukshetra, Haryana, IndiaGhatotkacha • Bhima • Hidimbi

During the fourteenth night of the Kurukshetra War, the half-Rakshasa warrior Ghatotkacha wreaked havoc on the Kaurava forces using his magical powers. Faced with total destruction, Karna used his ultimate weapon, the Vasavi Shakti, to kill him. In his final moments, Ghatotkacha expanded his body to a massive size, ensuring that his falling corpse would crush a vast portion of the enemy army.

Bhima Delivering a Cart of Food and Slaying the Maneater Bakasura

🕉️ Hindu MythologyEkachakra (Bhairabkunda), Assam, IndiaBhima • Bakasura • Kunti

During their exile, the Pandava brothers and their mother Kunti lived in disguise in the village of Ekachakra. Upon learning that a local family was forced to sacrifice a member to the ravenous demon Bakasura, Bhima volunteered to take their place. He engaged the rakshasa in a titanic struggle, ultimately slaying the beast and freeing the villagers from their long-standing reign of terror.

The Goddess Ganga Drowning Her First Seven Sons to Free Them from a Curse

🕉️ Hindu MythologyRiver Ganges, Hastinapur, IndiaGanga • Shantanu • Vasishtha

This myth details the celestial incarnation of the Goddess Ganga as the queen of King Shantanu of Hastinapur. Bound by a strict condition never to be questioned, Ganga drowns her first seven newborn sons to release them from a sage's curse that forced them into mortal existence. The story explores the conflict between earthly attachment and divine duty, culminating in the preservation of her...

King Yayati and the Sacrifice of Puru

🕉️ Hindu MythologyPratishthana (Prayagraj), IndiaYayati • Devayani • Sharmishtha

King Yayati is cursed to old age after betraying his wife Devayani with the princess Sharmishtha. Desperate for youth, he asks his sons to trade their vitality for his infirmity, a request only his youngest son Puru accepts. After a thousand years of sensory indulgence, Yayati realizes that desire can never be satisfied by fulfillment, returns Puru's youth, and retires to the forest.

Kacha Swallowed by His Teacher but Learning the Secret to Revive the Dead

🕉️ Hindu MythologySomnath (Prabhas Patan)Kacha • Shukracharya • Devayani

To gain an advantage in the eternal war between gods and demons, the young sage Kacha journeys to learn the secret of resurrection from the demon-preceptor Shukracharya. After multiple attempts on his life by jealous demons, Kacha is eventually ground into ashes and consumed by his own teacher in a cup of wine. To survive, he must learn the secret mantra from within his teacher's stomach,...

The Sacrifice of Sage Dadhichi and the Forging of the Vajra

🕉️ Hindu MythologyNaimisharanya, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaDadhichi • Indra • Vritra

When the demon Vritra stole the world's waters and became invincible to all known weapons, the gods sought the help of the sage Dadhichi. Realizing that only a weapon made from the bones of a pure soul could defeat the evil, Dadhichi willingly gave up his life. His sacrifice allowed Indra to forge the Vajra, defeat Vritra, and restore life to the parched universe.

King Harishchandra Working as a Corpse Burner to Uphold His Truthful Vow

🕉️ Hindu MythologyManikarnika Ghat, Varanasi, IndiaKing Harishchandra • Queen Shaivya (Taramati) • Rohitashwa

King Harishchandra, legendary for his unwavering commitment to truth, surrenders his kingdom, family, and freedom to fulfill a promise to the sage Vishvamitra. He ends up working as a lowly cremation ground assistant at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, where he is forced to demand a fee for his own son's funeral to maintain his integrity. His ultimate sacrifice leads to divine intervention...

Karna Peeling off His Invincible Skin-Armor to Give to Disguised Indra

🕉️ Hindu MythologyKarna Lake, Karnal, HaryanaKarna • Indra • Surya

In an unparalleled act of generosity, the warrior Karna sacrificed his divine, skin-integrated armor (Kavacha) and earrings (Kundala) to the god Indra, who had disguised himself as a Brahmin. Despite knowing that losing this protection would make him vulnerable in the coming Kurukshetra War, Karna chose to uphold his vow of charity. This legend is deeply tied to the city of Karnal, where...

Drona Cruelly Demanding Ekalavya's Right Thumb as His Teacher's Fee

🕉️ Hindu MythologyEkalavya Temple, Khandsa, GurugramEkalavya • Dronacharya • Arjuna

Ekalavya, a young tribal prince, was rejected by the master archer Drona but continued to learn in secret by practicing before a clay statue of the teacher. When Drona discovered that Ekalavya had surpassed his royal students, he demanded the boy's right thumb as Guru Dakshina to ensure his favorite pupil, Arjuna, remained the greatest. Ekalavya unhesitatingly severed his thumb, demonstrating...

The Wrath of Kannagi and the Burning of Madurai

🕉️ Hindu MythologyMadurai, Tamil Nadu, IndiaKannagi • Kovalan • King Neduncheliyan

After her husband Kovalan is wrongfully executed by the King of Madurai for a theft he did not commit, the virtuous Kannagi proves his innocence in the royal court. In her immense grief and divine rage, she curses the city and tears off her right breast, summoning a fire that consumes Madurai while sparing the innocent. This story, from the epic Cilappatikaram, establishes Kannagi as a...