Nang Sib Song

Nang Sib Song (Thai: นางสิบสอง) is a well known and popular Thai folktale which originally from Sanskrit Tale that also spread to many countries in Southeast Asia such as Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia but in different title. Nang Sib Song means Twelve sisters in English. The story tells about the misery life of twelve sisters in the introduction whoes have meet several impossible and dangerous thing such as a cruel female Giant(yak) who frauded into a beautiful female and adopted the young twelve sisters as her daughters but in the conclusion lived the sad love story about one of the twelve sister's son called Phra Rodasan(Thai: พระรถเสน) with a cruel female giant's daughter named Marie(Thai: เมรี) who finally died together upon a very long and deep beach.

Introduction

A long time ago, there was a rich man and his beautiful wife who lived happily in a big house and had a lot of money that the rich man inherited from his father. Unfortunately, despite all the good fortunes he had in life, he didn't have any children. He often prayed at many places, including the spirit tree for children, and he also bought many medicines for his wife in hopes of having a child faster. However, the beautiful wife had a different idea from her husband she believed that destiny will determine when she will be with child. One day, they went to pray again at a magic tree and took twelve bananas for the god who stayed and looked after the tree. Many months later, the beautiful wife became pregnant and the rich man wished with all his might that the child would be a boy, but his hopes were shattered when his wife gave birth to a girl. However, he did not lose hope because his wife became pregnant again and again. She became pregnant twelve times and each pregnancy produced a daughter. Instead of having the son he desired, he received twelve daughters instead. Everything started to go wrong for him which included his business since the ships that take many goods to sell in another country have been robbed several times. The rich man ended up borrowing a lot of money from his friends to fix his business problems. Yet, no matter what he did his family kept getting poorer and poorer until they were forced to abandon their house and went to live in the woods.

The Problem

Began lived in the forest was difficult, The rich man who now turned into a poor man, made a plan to abandoned his daughters alone in the wood and he hid this plan from his wife but, fortunately,a youngest daughter named Pov heard about it. When Their father abandoned them in The deep forest, The twelve girls lost but Pov said to them to followed her home. They Got home and escaped from the dangerous time. However their father created a new plan and they never came back home again. They walked into the forest deeper and deeper until they arrived the kingdom of giant that lived by a powerful giant named Sandra. When Sandra saw those girls, she transformed herself into a beautiful young queen and adopted these twelve girls as her daughters but the happiness couldn't stay so long as when the girls grow up into a beautiful woman, they unlock Sandra's secret and escaped from this kingdom until they arrived a city where they met a king who married them all as a queen. However when a cruel giant, Sandra found about it, she followed them to the city and put the spell on the king so he will married her as the first queen. To takek her revenge from Twelve sisters, She control her servant to take all twelve sisters's eyes for her medicine. The big problem fells to eleven ladies as both of their eyes have took out except the youngest one just took out only one eye. They,suddenly,all gave birth to the girls but all died. So they chopped their baby's body into Twelve Piece to share each other to eat. Although, Pov gave birth to a beautiful boy who was still alive but she lied to her sisters that her son was dead. Pov looked after her son until he grew up as a young handsome man named Rodasan means powerful guy and kept her stomach including her sisters's full every time. when she told the truth to her sisters, they thank him for his help but not just only Pov's sisters knew. The Giant lady, Sandra knew it and She sent him to her kingdom with a letter when Rodasan passed the fighting's exam. The letter was for Sandra's another adoptive daughter called Marie, a kind and beautiful woman in the kingdom. In the middle way to the kingdom, Rodasan meet an old man called Raisy who gave him a flying house for his transporter but when he slept, Raisy was changing a letter from bad to good as to married Rodasan with Marie at the kingdom.

As he arrived at Giant's kingdom,he gave it to Marie, Marie read about it and she celebrated her wedding with Rodasan very enjoyable in her huges kingdom.

Resolution

Rodasan lived with Marie very happy but he still missed his blind mother and aunted who stayed in a dark deogen. During Their lifetime, Marie had shown Rodsan about many magic medicines in her locker room including Rodasan's mother and aunts's eyes. As he knew about the eyes, he made a plan that he will make Marie slept by drank wine and left her for a while to take those eyes for his mother and aunt. When he Left Marie, he have stolen many medicine from the unlocker room. Marie woke up and looked for Rodasan but when she saw Rodasan rode the flying horse, She followed him with the louldy voice as she grow herself into a giant. To Stop her,Rodasan throw a magic branch that turned into a deep sea and a high mountain. Marie still Cries and scream to stop Rodasan and Rudasan replied that he will back until he finished his big problem. Rodasan flied away and left Marie who now lived with sad and broken heart.

Rodasan arrived his city and killed Sandra with his magic bat. He also made his mother and aunt saw the world again. His mother and aunt have invited to live in the palace again but Rodasan couldn't live with them as he hurries to live with Marie who was waiting for him.

Conclusion

As Marie's long wait and she lost all her tears until it made her blind. before she died, she committed that this life, she had follow Rodasan, the next life, he should follow her. When she finished, she died with her servants and her grandma cries around her.

Rodasan arrived and knew the time had run out. He now just carried his wife's body and he also knew all about her commitment. To his sad and seem lost everything. He,immediately, dropped dead with his wife.

Finally,Their spirit had flying together to the next life.

Cambodia

In Cambodia this legend is known as Puthisan Neang Kong Rei. There is a mountain in Kampong Chhnang Province, whose silhouette of the mountain seen from afar looks like a sleeping lady. According to local folklore this mountain is related to the story.^[1] Kompong Cham province of Cambodia as the temple of the 12 sisters rest in Siemreap, Cambodia.

Films and Lakorns

The story has been adapted to film and lakorn several times such as:

• Puthisen Neang Kong Rey (1972 Film).^[2].
• Nang Sib Song (1979 film)
• Nang Sib song (1983 Lakorn)
• Nang Sib Song (1987 lakorn).^[3].
• Prah Rodasan (lakorn)
• Nang Sib Song (lakorn).^[4].

See also

• Literature of Cambodia

References

1. ^ http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/200105253773/National-news/The-mountain-of-doomed-love.html
2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGsyeKGThGE
3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrydXG03t0Q
4. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WCrQV5Zs4c