| Peacock Princess | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Folk tale | |
| Name | Peacock Princess |
| Mythology | Hinduism Tai peoples |
| Region | Southeast Asia South China Craton |
| Origin Date | Middle Ages |
| Published in | 1960 |
| Related | Manimekhala |
The Peacock Princess or Chao Sisouthone and Nang Manola [1] is a Tai legend. [2] This story features in the folklore of Myanmar, Cambodia, [3] Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, northern Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and China. [4] [5] [6] [7]
The tale originated within the people of the Dai ethnic group who worshiped peacocks. [8] [9] The Dai people worship peacocks as being messengers of peace, kindness, love and beauty. [10]
The Pannasjataka, Pali text written by a Buddhist monk/sage in Chiangmai around AD 1450-1470, also told the story of Sudhana and Manohara from ancient India. [11] There are also many similar versions told in China (where it is known as Chinese :悅意; pinyin :Yuèyì), Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, including the Chinese story of the Princess and the Cowherd. In these stories, seven women who can fly descended to earth to take a bath, the youngest and prettiest of whom was captured by a human, and subsequently became a wife of a male human (either her captor or the prince-hero of the story). Later in the stories, the heroine put on some magical thing that enabled her to fly or transform into a bird, and flew away; prompting the quest by the hero in pursuit of his flying wife.
Typically referred to as Princess Manohara and Prince Sudhana, [12] the legend appears in the Divyavadana and is documented by stone reliefs at Borobodur. [13]
Shows a fantasy story of a young prince who falls in love with the peacock princess and they marry. On their wedding night, the evil wizard puts a spell on the king and starts war. The young prince leaves for battle and while he is gone his princess is sentenced to death by the king. Before she is killed she takes on peacock form and escapes. When the prince returns he kills the evil wizard and releases the king from the spell, everyone lives happily ever after.
Manohara, the youngest of seven daughters of the Kinnara king, lives on Mount Kailash. One day, she travels to the human realm. She is caught by a hunter (using a magic noose in some versions) who gives her to Prince Sudhana. Son of King Adityavamsa and Queen Chandradevi, Sudhana is a renowned archer and heir to the Panchala kingdom. The prince falls in love with Manohara, and they get married.
Later, when the prince is away in battle, Manohara is accused by the royal counselor of bringing bad luck to the city and is threatened with death. She flies away, back to the Kinnara kingdom. She leaves behind a ring and the directions to reach the Kinnara kingdom so that Prince Sudhana can follow her.
Prince Sudhana returns to Panchala and follows her. From a hermit, he learns the language of animals to locate the Kinnara kingdom, and the necessary prayers to win back the princess. The journey takes seven years, seven months, and seven days. Along the way, Sudhana confronts a Yaksha (ogre), a river of flames, and a gigantic tree. After the long and arduous ordeal, he meets the Kimnara king who asks the prince to prove his sincerity with various tests assessing strength, perseverance, and wit. In the first test, Sudhana is made to lift a stone bench in the garden. The second task tested his skill with the bow and arrow. The final test is to identify which of seven identical women is Manohara, who he recognizes by the ring on her finger. Satisfied, the Kinnara king consents to their marriage and the couple returns to Panchala.
Ngày xưa, ở nước Lào có một hoàng tử tên là Phonnavong, rất đẹp trai, tài giỏi và có đạo đức. Vua và hoàng hậu rất yêu quý.
Em là Kinnari, con gái út vua nước Champa ; Còn tôi là Phonnavong con trai vua nước Lào. Gặp nhau đây âu cũng là duyên trời, tôi muốn cùng nàng kết nghĩa vợ chồng. Chẳng hay nàng có vui lòng không ?
Ở nước Champa có tục lệ ai bị xử tội chết đều được mặc áo lông công múa hát chúc phúc cho mọi người ở lại. Xin phụ vương ban ơn cho con được theo tục lệ đó.
Hôm bước lên giàn thiêu, Kinnari mặc áo lông công lộng lẫy múa điệu Lào Phên chúc phúc cho mọi người và nói lên nỗi oan ức của mình. Điệu múa uyển chuyển và giọng hát du dương làm cho người xem ai cũng mê say và xúc động. Bất thình lình, thuận đà, nàng vỗ cánh vút lên cao, nhắm hướng nước Champa bay thẳng.
| Figures | India | Kampouchea | Laos | Siam | China | Korea | Annam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock Princess | Manohara | Neang Kev Monorea នាងកែវមនោរាហ៍ | Nang Manola | Mani Mekkhala มโนราห์ | Nán Mùchuònà 喃穆婼娜 | Arang 아랑 | Nhồi Hoa |
| The Prince | Sudhana | Preah Sothun ព្រះសុធន | Chao Sisouthone | พระสุธน | Zhào Shùtún 召樹屯 | Mudal 무달 | Lê Tư Thành |
| The Hunter | Halaka | ? | ? | พรานบุญ | Yánkǎn 岩坎 | ? | Tiều phu |
| The Wizard | Brahmin ब्राह्मण | Brahmin ព្រាហ្មណ៍ | Brahmin | Brahmin พราหมณ์ | Yayan the Wizard 羅門巫師 | ? | Tể tướng |
| Water God | Nagaraja नागराज | Reachnahka ណាហ្គារាជ | ? | Rajanaga ราชานาค | Lóngwáng 龍王 | Yongwang 용왕 | Hà bá |
| Seven kinnari princesses | Kinnaur किन्नर | Kenorei កិន្នរី | ? | Kinrī กินรี | Xiānnǚ 小仙女 | Seonyeo 선여 | Tiên nữ |
| The King | Adityavamsa | Atichakvong | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| The Queen | Chandradevi | Chantea Devi | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Sites | India | Kampouchea | Laos | Siam | China | Korea | Annam |
| Earth | Pañcāla पञ्चाल | Oudor Bangchal | Mɯ́ang Bangchal | Mɯ̄ang Bangchal | Měng Bǎnzhā 勐板扎 | The village | An Nam |
| Central Plains | Ocean | Lake | River | River | Heavenly lake 天池 | Heavenly lake 천지 | River |
| Heaven | Mount Kailash कैलास | Phnom Preah Someru ភ្នំព្រះសុមេរុ | Champa | Mount Meru | Heavenly kingdom 天國 | Enchanted mountain 금강산 | Champa |
The tale of Manora was adapted as play in Burma (Myanmar), where the character was known as Mananhurry, one of the nine royal daughters that live in a silver mountain, located after "a belt of prickly cane", "a stream of liquid copper" and a "Beloo". Her future husband, Prince Sudhana, was translated as "Thoodanoo", the Prince of Pyentsa. [15] In this version, the princesses fly by the use of an enchanted girdle, and the Manohara-like maiden is captured by a magical slipknot. [16]
The characters of the tale are also known in Southeast Asia as Kev Monorea and Preah Sothun. [17]
The tale was also found in the Sanskrit Buddhist literature of Nepal, with the name Story of Suchandrima and a Kinnarí, where the main couple were named Mahonará and Sudhanusha. [18] In another version from Nepal, Kinnarí Avadána, hunter Utpala captures a Kinnari (unnamed in the tale) with a magical noose. Prince Sudhana of Hastiná arrives with his hunting excursion and falls in love with the Kinnari. [19]
Another translation named the prince as Sudhanu and the kinnari as Manohara, daughter of King Druma. [20]
According to James R. Brandon, the story of Princess Manohara and Prince Sudhana is a popular theme in Southeast Asian theatre. [21] It may have inspired the Manora [22] type of drama dancing, performed in Thailand and Malaysia. [23]
The Mayilattam (மயிலாட்டம்) is an artistic and religious form of dance performed in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and Kerala [24] in reverence to Lord Subrahmanya. Mayilattam performers wear costumes from head to toe like peacock with beak, that can be opened and closed using a thread, and perform specific dances. The performers dance on a tall piece of wood attached at the end of their feet. This art requires extensive training and practise. This dance is performed in all Murugan (Lord Subrahmanya) temples as a tradition during festivals. But due to the difficulties in practise and less amount of wages for the dancers, the number of Mayilattam performers is decreasing. [25] [26]
The peacock dance or peafowl dance is a traditional Asian folk dance that describes the beauty and the movement of peacocks. There are several peacock dance traditions developed in Asia, among others are peacock dances of Myanmar, and in the western and northern parts of Cambodia, West Java in Indonesia, also peacock dances of Indian subcontinent in Southern India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. In Indonesia it is known as the peafowl dance (Merak dance or Tari Merak) and originated in West Java. It is performed by female dancers inspired by the movements of a peacock and its feathers blended with the classical movements of Sundanese dance. its one of new creation dance composed by Sundanese artist and choreographer Raden Tjeje Soemantri around the 1950s. [27] This dance performed to welcoming honourable guest in a big event also occasionally performed in Sundanese wedding ceremony. This dance also one of Indonesian dance performed in many international events, such as in Perahara festivals in Sri Lanka.
Besides, Robam Moni Mekhala (Khmer : របាំមុនីមេខលា, also known as Robam Mekhala-Reamesor) is a Khmer classical dance that portrays the story of Moni Mekhala and Reamesor. It is part of the buong suong dance suite that is among the most sacred of Khmer classical dances, serving a ceremonial purpose to invoke rain upon the land. [28] In Thailand, the Mekkhala–Ramasun dance was performed as a boek rong ('prelude dance') introduction before main performances of lakhon nai or khon dances. [29] [30]
The legend was made into a Chinese film in 1963 and 1982 with the same title.
Reamker is a Cambodian epic poem, based on the Sanskrit's Rāmāyana epic. The name means "Glory of Rama". It is the national epic of Cambodia, along with the less famous version of the Trai Bhet. The earliest mention of this epic's manuscript in Cambodia dates back to the 7th century based on Veal Kantel inscription (K.359). The surviving text of Reamker dates from 16th century. Reamker adapts the Hindu ideas of the Ramayana to Buddhist themes and shows the balance of good and evil in the world. More than just a reordering of the epic tale, the Reamker is a mainstay of the royal ballet's repertoire. Like the Ramayana, it is a philosophical allegory, exploring the ideals of justice and fidelity as embodied by the protagonists, King Rāma and Queen Sītā. The epic is well known among the Khmer people for its portrayal in Khmer dance theatre, called the Lakhon, in various festivals across Cambodia. Scenes from the Reamker are painted on the walls of the Royal Palace in Khmer style, and its predecessor is carved into the walls of the Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei temples. It is considered an integral part of Cambodian culture.
Thai literature is the literature of the Thai people, almost exclusively written in the Thai language. Most of imaginative literary works in Thai, before the 19th century, were composed in poetry. Prose was reserved for historical records, chronicles, and legal documents. Consequently, the poetical forms in the Thai language are both numerous and highly developed. The corpus of Thailand's pre-modern poetic works is large. Thus, although many literary works were lost with the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thailand still possesses a large number of epic poems or long poetic tales —some with original stories and some with stories drawn from foreign sources. There is thus a sharp contrast between the Thai literary tradition and that of other East Asian literary traditions, such as Chinese and Japanese, where long poetic tales are rare and epic poems are almost non-existent. The Thai classical literature exerted a considerable influence on the literature of neighboring countries in mainland Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia and Burma.
The Khmer people are an Austroasiatic ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 95% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Austroasiatic-language family alongside Mon and Vietnamese.
Avadāna is the name given to a type of Buddhist literature correlating past lives' virtuous deeds to subsequent lives' events.
Dance in Cambodia consists of three main categories: classical dance of the royal court, folk dance which portrays cultural traditions, and social dances performed in social gatherings.
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia is a classical Khmer dance renowned for its graceful hand movements and luxurious costumes. The ballet has been closely associated with the Khmer court for over a thousand years and would traditionally accompany various royal ceremonies, including coronations, weddings, funerals, and Khmer holidays. The ballet's repertoire encompasses various ancient Khmer legends.
A kinnara is a creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are described as part human and part bird, and have a strong association with music and love. Believed to come from the Himalayas, they often watch over the well-being of humans in times of trouble or danger. An ancient Indian string instrument is known as the Kinnari vina. Their character is also clarified in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, where they say:
We are everlasting lover and beloved. We never separate. We are eternally husband and wife; never do we become mother and father. No offspring is seen in our lap. We are lover and beloved ever-embracing. In between us we do not permit any third creature demanding affection. Our life is a life of perpetual pleasures.
Üliger, tale is the general term given to tales and popular myths of the Mongols of north-east Asia. They are an important part of the oral traditions among the Buryats and other Siberian tribes, and among other functions, were used to orally transmit Buddhist birth stories. The tales are significant in Mongolian literature, given its long-standing tradition of passing stories on by word of mouth.
The gourd mouth organ is a free reed mouth organ played across East and Southeast Asia. It consists of a gourd wind chest with several bamboo or bronze pipes inserted on top of it, the numbers of pipes differing from region to region.
Manohara is the kinnari heroine of one of the Jataka tales. Typically referred to as Manohara and Prince Sudhana, the legend appears in the Divyavadana and is documented by stone reliefs at Borobodur. Versions of the story are reported in the literature of Southeast Asian countries, and similar stories about a bird maiden and a mortal man can be found in East Asia.
Cambodian literature, also Khmer literature, has a very ancient origin. Like most Southeast Asian national literatures its traditional corpus has two distinct aspects or levels:
Sbai or phaa biang is a shawl-like garment worn by women in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand to cover the breasts, while in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, the same term is used to describe a cloth hanging from the shoulders. The sbai was derived from the Indian sari, the end of which is worn over one shoulder.
Menora or Manora, sometimes shortened as Nora is traditional Siamese theatrical, musical, and acrobatic dance performance originated from the southern regions of Thailand. Having similar plots adopted from Jataka tales of Manohara, this kind of performance is related to the Lakhon chatri (ละครชาตรี), another Siamese arts performance originating from central Thailand. Over five hundred years old, Nora is performed in Thailand's local community centres and at temple fairs and cultural events, and is passed on through training by masters in homes, community organizations and educational institutions. In Malaysia, the practice of Menora has significantly declined since it has been banned by the government of Kelantan, which considers this kind of cultural performance as haram for being involved with polytheism.
Manimekhala is a goddess in the Hindu-Buddhist mythology. She is regarded as a guardian of the seas, namely the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea as part of the mythology of Southeast Asia. She was placed by Cātummahārājika to protect virtuous beings from shipwreck. She appears in several Buddhist stories including the Mahanipata Jataka, in which she rescues Prince Mahajanaka from a shipwreck.
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are characters found in Chinese mythology and appear eponymously in a romantic Chinese folk tale. The story tells of the romance between Zhinü and Niulang. Despite their love for each other, their romance was forbidden, and thus they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river. Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for a single day. Though there are many variations of the story, the earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to a poem from the Classic of Poetry from over 2600 years ago:
Pan-Thaiism is an ideology that flourished in Thailand during the 1930s and 1940s. It was a form of irredentism, with the aim of political unification of all Thai people within Thailand, Burma, Malaya, Cambodia, and Laos into a greater Thai state, sometimes referred to as the Great Thai Empire
Vorvong and Sorvong is a long tale of the Khmer sāstrā lbaeng tradition about two Khmer princes who fall into disgrace and, after a series of ordeals, regain their status. Vorvong and Sorvong was revealed to a Western audience for the first time when it was put into writing by Auguste Pavie at the beginning of the 20th century.
Neang Kakey is a Khmer sāstrā lbaeng tale and the best-known work composed as a melodrama in verse by future King of Cambodia Ang Duong in 1815 during the time he resided at the Royal Court in Thailand. The novel became a classic in modern post-Independance Cambodia and was incorporated in the curriculum for Khmer high schools.
Preah Khan Reach – the Khmer Royal Sacred Sword – is a double-edge straight sword, with a chiseled steel blade sheathed in a jeweled gold scabbard. Though it has disappeared since 1970, it was considered the symbol of Khmer sovereignty and legitimacy to the throne for whoever possessed it.
Champa Si Ton or Campa Si Ton is a folktale from the Lao people.