Favourite fables

WE asked our interviewees which Malaysian folktale has had the greatest impact on them:

Adifitri Ahmad: The Fortune-Telling Of Pak Belalang – I love how Si Belalang uses wits and smarts to overcome tricky situations and ultimately win the day.

Daphne Lee: The Princess Of Ledang Mountain/Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup (The Devouring Rock) – The former because I like to imagine what’s not being said in tales about the princess. The latter because, to me, it addresses the frustrations of motherhood.

Golda Mowe: The Princess Of Ledang Mountain – I think that the puteri is a wise and independent woman.

Nin Harris: The Princess Of Ledang Mountain – This wins primarily because I love the image of her wigging out and splintering into about a million women when she realises the Sultan is really going to kill go through with killing his son to win her love!

I love the story because it shows not just the mystique of Puteri Gunung Ledang but also because she has agency, and personal power, and she knows how to say “no”. As a kid reading it for the first time, it made quite an impression on me and I’m glad I had that as a folkloric role model.

Raman Krishnan: Singapura Is Attacked By Swordfish – It’s a very interesting tale, which is very similar to Malaysian politics! The fact that they put the boy to death ... we like to think that those days are over, but are they?

Tutu Dutta: Puteri Sanggul Berjurai (Princess With The Trailing Hair Knot) – This story reminded me of the Grimm fairytale, Goose Girl. The theme is similar. The story of the orphaned princess who has to save herself from men who try to use her for their own selfish ends, and who is also betrayed by a younger woman she helps is fascinating. Of course, in the end, it is the prince who saves her, but this still makes for a very satisfying story with a complete plot.