Origin: India
Book: Indian Fairy Tales
Author: Joseph Jacobs
Published: 1892
It is said that just as the world has many different countries, the sky has many different lands. One of these lands is called the Dark Land as it is submerged in total blackness without any light from any sun or any moon. The people of this world have always had to live in a blackened world which was very uncomfortable.
The King of the Dark Land felt really sorry that his people could only live in darkness. The king constantly thought about a way to get rid of the darkness. After thinking about this, the king decided to steal either the sun or the moon from the world of humans. He decided one of his Fire Dogs, the strongest animal in the Dark Land, was the perfect animal to bring back light. The King of the Dark Land selected the strongest and the quickest of the Fire Dogs and commanded her to steal the sun.
The Fire Dog sought out the sun, saw an opportunity, and quickly grabbed it in her mouth. However, the sun was so very hot that she couldn’t carry it and vomited it up. The Fire Dog tried several times to grab the sun, but it was so hot, she couldn’t stand it and couldn’t do anything other than spit it up. The Fire Dog returned to the king, task undone, and confessed that the sun was just too hot.
The King of the Land was mad to the roots of his hair and became unreasonable. Then he thought about the moon. Since moonlight was cloudy, he thought, the moon would not be hot like the sun. So, the king commanded the Fire Dog to steal the moon and thought he had set the dog an easy task.
The Fire Dog sought out the moon and grabbed it. However, the moon was so could it felt like ice. Her teeth became so cold she couldn’t stand it. So, she vomited up the moon. Every time the Fire Dog tried to grab the moon, it was so cold that she had to spit it right back out.
When the King of the Dark Land heard the news, he was furious. It is said he sent several dogs over the ages to steal the sun or the moon, but was never successful.
As before, it was impossible for the Dark Land to be bright. It is submerged in blackness. But, the King of the Dark Land keeps trying. If you ever see an eclipse of the sun or the moon, know that it is A Fire Dog trying to grab it. But, because the sun is so hot and the moon is so cold, the Fire Dog can only hold it in her mouth for a brief moment.