ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF VEDIC STUDIES (EJVS) Vol. 12 (2005) Issue 1 (March 1) : 1-69 (©) ISSN 1084-7561 Editor's note This issue discusses an intriguing problem in Vedic mythology that has been on my backburner for long, at least since the conference on mythology organized by Phyllis Granoff at McMaster University in 1993 (see http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/%7Ewitzel/mwbib.htm), where I presented a comparison between a prominent Vedic myth and its counterpart in the oldest Japanese texts, the Kojiki and Nihongi (712, 720 CE). Having been aware of these similarities for a long time, I took advantage of a blissful year-long research stay at Kyoto University (Jimbunkagaku Kenkyujo, 1989-1990) to explore this question in more detail, and proceeded to write a first draft of a book on comparative mythology; it is in the final stages of selection of materials and writing now. A first overview was presented at Kyoto University on June 30, 1990. While living in the heartland of old Japan, the Yamato plains, I made many trips to the famous locations of myth and legend reported in the texts, and later on visited other important areas (such as Izumo Taisha, in 1999). A summary of the theory involved was published in Mother Tongue VI (2001), see the link to a pdf at: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/%7Ewitzel/compmyth.htm At long last, I present the detailed outcome of some of these studies, though the present issue is still focused on just one myth, the emergence of the Hidden Sun. It is found from Japan to Vedic India, and from Greece, Rome, and the Baltic to Southern China, S.E. Asia and beyond: in the Americas, from the Inuit to the Incas. Other, related studies are to follow here and elsewhere, in due course. Importantly, the comparison of the various forms of the present (and many other) myths indicate that the Eurasian and Native American (thus, Laurasian) mythologies follow the same general plan (story line), from creation to destruction of the world, a structure that cannot be found in Sub-Saharan Africa and Papua-Australia. Laurasian mythology therefore is the most important sub-set of myths emerging out of Africa at c. 75-50,000 BCE; it has become the dominant pattern of most of the world’s mythologies to this day, that is, from west to east: the Germanic Edda, Hesiod’s Theogony, the heavily Zoroastrian-influenced Hebrew Bible (and its Christian, Mormon, Islamic and secular offshoots), old Egyptian and Mesopotamian mythologies, old Indo-Iranian texts (the Zoroastrian Avesta, the Vedas and their diverse offshoots), old Chinese and Miao/Hmong myths, the Kojiki/Nihongi, Polynesian (Kumulipo), Meso-American texts (Aztecs, Maya: Popol Vuh) and many tribal mythologies. In this context, I draw the readers’ attention to a new web list, Indo-Eurasian, that will be made available soon and that will provide space to discuss Eurasian mythology, archaeology, texts, canon formation, genetics and other important aspects of early Eurasian cultures. Pertinent and focused feedback about this paper is, as always, encouraged and welcomed. The author’s address is: witzel@fas.harvard.edu. [The issue will be available in a few hours. NB: additional pictures and maps at: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/Vala-Iwato-pics.pdf ] MW ***** ANNOUNCEMENT Madhu Kishwar has asked me to publicize the Second International Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilization, to be held at New Delhi in December 2005. The Indic Studies Network (IsNew) based at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in collaboration with Manushi - A Journal about Women and Society and supported by Infinity Foundation invites participation in the Second International Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilisation to be held from December 17-20, 2005 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. For details visit http://www.indicstudies.org/ Madhu Purnima Kishwar Convenor ============================================================= EJVS Vol. 12, 2005, Issue 1 : 1-69 Michael Witzel Vala and Iwato: The Myth of the Hidden Sun in India, Japan, and beyond ============================================================= COLOPHON Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies ========================= Editor-in-Chief: Michael Witzel, Harvard University Managing Editor: Enrica Garzilli, University of Macerata Assistant Editor: Makoto Fushimi, Harvard University Technical Assistance: Ludovico Magnocavallo, Milano Editorial Board: Madhav Deshpande University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Harry Falk Freie Universitaet Berlin Yasuke Ikari Kyoto University Boris Oguibenine University of Strasbourg Asko Parpola University of Helsinki ------------------------------------------------------------------------ email: ejvs-list@shore.net http://users.primushost.com/~india/ejvs witzel@fas.harvard.edu European mirror: http://www.asiatica.org or http://www.asiatica.org/publications/ejvs/ (©) COPYRIGHT NOTICE ISSN 1084-7561 The Materials in this journal are copyrighted. 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