Kunti
Indian mythology · queen · endurance, terrible choices
Mother of the Pandavas, who could summon any god to father a child. Her secret firstborn, Karna, abandoned in a basket on the river, grew up to fight his own brothers.
Stories
The Marriage of Draupadi
Drupada's contest demands a shot no ordinary archer can make: five arrows through a revolving fish's eye seen only in reflection. Disguised as a brahmin, Arjuna makes it while Karna is refused a chance; by Kunti's unwitting word, Draupadi becomes wife to all five brothers.
Kunti's Secret
On the eve of war Kunti goes to the enemy's greatest warrior and tells Karna the truth: he is her firstborn, son of Surya, brother of the men he has sworn to kill. He refuses to switch sides, but grants her this: whatever happens, she will still have five sons.