I would like to introduce "Cat who could feel the movement of stars." from the picture book "Story of cosmic forest." which I produced before I started my activities at the Mithila Museum.
Cat who could feel the movement of stars.
Once upon a time many small countries existed beside river Nile of Egypt.
Fikelos, one of those countries was ruled by young king called Atthela.
People suffered from big famines and the floods of river Nile.
King Atthela invited the elite astronomers from nearby countries and
asked them to find out about the premonition of coming calamities but
nobody could give a correct prediction.
One morning the king ordered his messenger to go and call Kantala who was a
great astronomer and told him that he dreamed the shining star which he
never had seen before. The king asked if the dream was a prewarning of some
calamity coming. Kantala thought for a while and then he told him about
a strange story told recently. It was about a cat who lived in a forest of desert.
Name of the cat was Jiverus. It was a country where dwarfs lived.
The story was whenever Jiverus, the cat, made a strange gesture as if she felt
something unusual happened, the silvery shooting star appeared in sky.
King decided to send his messengers to the country.
They started for a long journey of desert carrying many gifts and golden headdress
for the cat.
Several months later dark skinned young boy Tirus and Jiverus with golden headdress travelled toward the country near the river Nile.
Tirus played a single stringed harp, and Jiverus sang whenever stars shined.
Jeetala Tokina,
Jeetala Tokina,
Safyu Takina
Mayfi Fina
When they reached the country of Fikelos, whole country was filled with joy.
The king went out of his palace to welcome them while drums were beaten.
The sound was so loud it went over the river Nile to reach the neighboring countries.
The young boy Tirus was shocked to find many weak and weary people.
King invited them and a party was held in their honor.
King spoke to Tirus about famines. Bards also started to sing the
unfortunate calamities happened to the country.
On the same night. Tirus a young boy promised King he would stay in this country with Jiverus.
Inside the garden of the palace, a house was built with leaves Jiverus favored and they started staying in the house.
The duty of the boy was to inform astronomers if Jiverus, the cat felt something odd about the stars.
Three years passed.
Jiverus and Tirus, young boy, were playing on the grass as usual.
The day when big red sun was directly above the country of Fikelos
Jiverus, the cat, behaved unusually and looked up the backward of sky
Tirus ran to astronomers in hurry
Hearing the news, Kantala informed king immediately.
The King was happy and ordered to beat drums.
Countrymen of Fikelos gathered around the palace to know
what was happening. King told them that Jiverus, the cat, was responding to
some strange happening in sky. He ordered people to look up the sky when
stars appeared.
Everybody in the country of Fikeros looked up the starlit sky that night.
They found a magnificently shining small star beside a big star called
Tares.
Several years later, Kantala and other astronomers found out the relation of
the newly found star and famine.
No big famines ever occurred afterwards.
