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Phra Aphaimanih (พระอภัยมณี)
Thai.
‘Jewel of Forgiveness’.
A Thai epic story in verse written by
Sunthorn Phu
(fig.).
It is his most celebrated work and narrates the story of a prince who was exiled
by his father.
Phra Aphaimanih was sent away
for an education in martial arts, yet he choose to study how to play the flute
instead, believing that music can stop anger and violence and hence deeming it
to be more befitting for a future king. This enraged his
father so much, that he expelled his son from his kingdom. At first, his brother
Sri Suwan accompanied
him, but then Phra Aphaimanih
is abducted and confined in a cave by a love struck giantess, named
Nang
Phi Seua Samut (fig.),
who ruled over a submerged kingdom. She is able to beget a son of the prince,
who is named
Sin Samut.
The son and his father are then helped to escape from the giantess by a mermaid
named Nang
Ngeuak
(fig.),
who moved the rock in front of the cave in which they were held captive. The
mermaid helps the prince to escape to the island of Samet
(map
-
fig.), where he defeats the female giant by playing
his magical flute (fig.).
Then, she takes him to the
island Koh Kaew Pitsadahn (เกาะแก้วพิสดาร),
i.e. ‘Queer Crystal Island’, where
they produced a son of their own, whom they named
Sut Saakhon
(fig.).
Later, Phra Aphaimanih was helped by
Thao
Sinraat (ท้าวสิลราช), the King of
Meuang
Phaleuk (ผลึก), i.e. ‘Crystal
City’,
and falls in love with his daughter,
Nang Suwanna Malih (fig.), whom he
marries with the help of the
ugly yet
intelligent
Nang
Wali (fig.),
as Nang Suwanna Malih had in fact already been engaged to
Prince
Utsaren
from the Island of
Langka,
whom she nevertheless didn't
love.
This consequently started a conflict that developed into a full-scale war
between the two islands, that lasted for many years and lead to may deaths,
including that of Utsaren. The long war
only ended when
Nang Laweng (fig.),
the younger sister of Utsaren and daughter of the King of Langka, eventually fell in love with Phra Aphaimanih
and became his second (human) wife. After the
war, Prince Phra Aphaimanih ordained as a monk and Nang Suwanna Malih and Nang
Laweng both follow him in his ascetic life.
Compare the magical
flute of Phra
Aphaimanih
with that of
Han Hsiang Tzu. See also
Jone Surang.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS
(1),
(2)
and
(3), and
THEMATIC STREET LIGHT.
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