Wal Katha Mom And Son Top — Sinhala

When juxtaposed with Tamil Pattukatha or Malayalam Parayanam traditions, Sinhala mother‑son tales display a stronger emphasis on reciprocal karmic reward rather than the heroic quest typical of North Indian epics. This difference may be rooted in the island’s historical reliance on agrarian reciprocity and Buddhist moral economy.

The analysis confirms Abeyratne’s (1975) typology of the “self‑sacrificing mother” as the dominant archetype in Sinhala Wal Katha. This figure operates as a conduit for Buddhist virtues—karuṇā (compassion) and upekkhā (equanimity)—and serves to legitimize the hierarchical family structure. sinhala wal katha mom and son top

| Author / Year | Work | Relevance to Mother‑Son Motif | |---------------|------|------------------------------| | De Silva, H. (1928) | Folklore of Ceylon | First systematic catalogue of Sinhala Wal Katha; includes “The Milk‑Giving Mother” and “The Clever Son”. | | Wickramasinghe, M. (1954) | Sinhala Folk Tales | Provides English translations and thematic notes on filial piety. | | Abeyratne, S. (1975) | Mothers in Sinhala Folklore | Focuses on maternal archetypes; identifies three core types: the nurturing mother, the self‑sacrificing mother, and the magical mother. | | Perera, N. (2002) | Oral Traditions and Gender | Argues that folk narratives subtly negotiate gender power, especially through mother‑son interactions. | | Fernando, L. & Gunawardena, D. (2014) | Buddhist Ethics in Folk Narrative | Links Buddhist concepts of mettā (loving‑kindness) and kamma (karma) to mother‑son story outcomes. | | Silva, R. (2020) | Digital Archives of Sri Lankan Folktales | Offers a searchable corpus that enables frequency analysis of motifs (e.g., “mother’s sacrifice”, “son’s gratitude”). | | Jayasinghe, P. (2022) | Post‑colonial Re‑readings of Folk Tales | Discusses how colonial‑era collection practices shaped the representation of women in Wal Katha. | When juxtaposed with Tamil Pattukatha or Malayalam Parayanam

Synthesis: The existing scholarship underscores the didactic purpose of mother‑son tales, yet few studies have combined quantitative frequency data with a nuanced thematic analysis. This paper fills that gap. This figure operates as a conduit for Buddhist