Of Imagined Spaces and Realities: An Archetypal Reading of the Legends of Khasak

Abstract

The Legends of Khasak is O V Vijayan’s recreation of his own iconic Malayalam novel Khasakkinte Ithihasam. It is a literary work which has achieved a cult status in the history of Indian Literature. It has been studied from different perspectives, yet is so multi-layered that it holds scope for newer readings. This paper seeks to look at the novel from the angle of Archetypal Psychology and explores the myth-making in the novel as the creation of an imagined reality where healing takes place. It touches upon concepts like polytheistic myth and mundus imaginalis, besides attempting to read the text as quantum fiction. It tries to explore the different myths, archetypes and symbols which the author has, consciously or otherwise, made use of in the work.