Apauk-kyit Lok

Apauk-kyit Lok In Burmese mythology, an old man responsible for bringing death into the world. Though old, Apauk-kyit Lok had renewed his life nine times because there was no death in the world. One day he went fishing and saw an animal (either a monkey or squirrel) that had fallen asleep on a branch and was floating in the river. He placed the animal in a basket and covered it with his clothes; then he disappeared. It was announced (though the myth does not tell us how) that he was dead. All of his neighbors came to see, but no one dared remove the coverings. When the lord of the sun heard what had happened, he sent some messengers to investigate. They took the form of dancers at the funeral. As they danced, they removed the clothes that covered the basket, revealing the fraud. Because of this the lord of the sun caused Apaukkyit Lok to die, and people have been dying ever since.

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow-Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante

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