In India, there is a Hindu god named Indra who brings rain and ensures the health of the land. This mighty warrior god has an archnemesis in the powerful demon Vritra.
A snake so large his head reached into the clouds, Vritra is the demon of drought, a title he gained by stealing all of the world’s water. He channeled all of the water in the world and kept it contained in a mountain without concern for the people of the world who were dying of starvation and thirst. Despite how terrible the drought was, no warriors wanted to challenge Vritra - but Indra rose to the challenge. He armed himself with several lightning bolts and rode an elephant to Vritra’s mountain. There, the young storm god fought the great snake for many hours. Vritra clawed at him, and he threw lightning at the dragon. Finally, Vritra came too close to Indra and Indra struck at his legs, severing them. As Vritra let out a terrible cry, Indra finished the dragon by cutting him in half. He then released the water back into the world.
In this sneak peek of our illustration, you can see the water gushing out of Vritra’s mouth. Rachel’s drawing of Vritra takes inspiration from both Indian statues and the bizarre horned toad species of Southeast Asia, pictured below.
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