FOLKLORE AND FOLK TALES IN MALAYSIA

FOLKLORE IN MALAYSIA

Traditionally, Malays preserved a wide range of folk tales and myths, many of which were influenced by Hindu beliefs that existed prior to the spread of Islam in the 16th century. Elements of these stories could still be found in Malay Muslim society as late as the 1970s. However, from the late 1970s onward, Islamic revivalism and increasing urban migration contributed to their gradual decline, as such narratives were seen as conflicting with Islamic teachings. [Source: P. Bala “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life,” Cengage Learning, 2009]

One of the most prominent figures in Malay tradition is Hang Tuah, associated with the Malacca sultanate. He is portrayed as a brave warrior who defended Malacca against Siamese attacks and became a symbol of absolute loyalty. This loyalty is most famously demonstrated in the story in which he kills his close friend Hang Jebat after Jebat rebelled against the sultan. Another well-known legend is that of Mahsuri, a woman from the island of Langkawi who was falsely accused of adultery and executed. According to the story, she bled white blood at her death and pronounced a curse on the island that would last for seven generations.

Among the best-known stories is the legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang, a story about a fairy princess living on Mount Ledang who rejects a marriage proposal from the Sultan of Malacca by demanding impossible conditions, including a bridge of gold from Melaka and a bowl filled with the blood of the Sultan’s son. The tale is often interpreted as a story about pride, sacrifice, and unattainable desire. The legend of Badang tells of a weak fisherman who gains extraordinary supernatural strength after capturing a water spirit, or hantu. With his newfound power, Badang becomes a legendary strongman known throughout the region.

In Sarawak folklore, the story of Puteri Santubong and Puteri Sejinjang describes two celestial princesses who begin as close companions but eventually become enemies because of jealousy and rivalry. After fighting each other, they are transformed into mountains, which according to legend became Mount Santubong and Mount Sejinjang in Sarawak.

Malay Animal Folk Tales

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Animal fables are often used to explain certain natural phenomena. Other times, they are simple moral tales. In almost all instances, the animals in these stories possess the ability to speak, reason and think like humans, similar to Aesop's Fables. The kancil or mouse-deer serves as the main character in a number of the stories. The Malays regard this humble animal in the highest esteem due to its ability to overcome obstacles and defeat adversaries despite of its rather small and benign appearance. The mouse-deer appears in the state herald of Malacca and even plays a part in the legend of Malacca's founding. [Source: Wikipedia]

Below are listed some of the common fables as well as their approximate title translations: 1) Kisah Sang Kancil dengan Buaya - The tale of the mouse-deer and the crocodile; 2) Kisah Sang Kancil dengan Monyet - The tale of the mouse-deer and the monkey; 3) Kisah Sang Kancil dengan Harimau - The tale of the mouse-deer and the tiger; 4) Kisah Sang Kancil dengan Sang Sempoh - The tale of the mouse-deer and the bison; 5) Kisah Anjing dengan Bayang-bayang - The dog and the shadow; 6) Kisah Burung Gagak dan Merak - The crow and the peacock; 7) Kisah Burung Gagak yang Haus - The thirsty crow; 8) Kisah Labah-labah Emas - The golden spider; 9) Kisah Labah-labah dengan Burung Merpati - The spider and the pigeon; 10) Kisah Kerengga dengan Pemburu - The fire-ant and the hunter; 11) Kisah Burung Murai - The mockingbird; 12) Kisah Burung Kakak Tua - The cockatoo

Mouse Deer Stories

Mouse Deer is small, and many animals want to eat him—but first they have to catch him! A favorite trickster of Indonesia and Malaysia, it must be quick and smart to stay alive. That is why the Indonesians and Malaysians have made Mouse Deer their favorite trickster. Any of their boys or girls can tell you tales about him. [Source: Aaron Shepard, aaronshep.com

The mouse deer, or chevrotain, is about the size of a large rabbit. Found in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, it weighs only three pounds and stands a foot high at the shoulder and lives in tropical rain forest subsisting of nuts, leaves, buds, seeds, fungi and fruit that have fallen from above or are found on the forest floor.

Mouse deer are not a true deer. They are relatives of pigs and have characteristics normally associated with other animals. Like pigs they have four toes on each foot. Like musk deer they have tusks instead of antlers. Like camels they have a three stomach compartments instead of the usual four found in most deer. Their “tusks” are two enlarged teeth, one on either side of the upper jaw.

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David Attenborough wrote: “Deer move through the forest browsing in an unhurried confident way. In contrast the chevrotain feed quickly, collecting fallen fruit and leaves from low bushes and digest them immediately. They then retire to a secluded hiding place and then use a technique that, it seems, they were the first to pioneer. They ruminate. Clumps of their hastly gathered meals are retrieved from a front compartment in their stomach where they had been stored and brought back up the throat to be given a second more intensive chewing with the back teeth. With that done, the chevrotain swallows the lump again. This time it continues through the first chamber of the stomach and into a second where it is fermented into a broth. It is a technique that today is used by many species of grazing mammals.”

Mouse Deer and Tiger

One upon a time, there was a mouse deer living in a forest. Although he was small, he wasn’t afraid of the other bigger animals who wanted to eat him. He was so smart; he always managed to ditch them. One day, a tiger was wandering around for food. He hadn’t been eating for days. He was really hungry. While he was walking in the forest, he saw Mouse Deer. The tiger wanted to eat him. Tiger slowly ducked, crawled, approaching Mouse Deer, then…”Gotcha!” said Tiger. He caught Mouse Deer. “Hello, Mouse Deer! I’m really hungry right now. You’ll be my lunch!” said Tiger. [Source: aditya indonesianfolktale.blogspot, April 21, 2010]

Mouse Deer didn’t want to be his lunch. He tried to be calm. He looked around and saw some buffalo’s dung. He had an idea. “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has ordered me to guard his cake,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His cake?” said Tiger curiously. “Yes, there it is. It’s very delicious. The King doesn’t want anyone else to eat it, so he ordered me to guard it,” Mouse Deer pointed the buffalo’s dung. “Can I taste it?” Tiger asked. “Of course you can’t. The King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer refused. “Just one little bite, Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said Tiger. “Well, okay, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so the King won’t blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All right, Mouse deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. Tiger then took a big mouthful of the ‘cake’. “Phoooey!” He spit it out. “Yuck, that’s not cake. That’s buffalo’s dung.”

Tiger ran through the forest. He caught up with Mouse Deer.“Mouse Deer, you tricked me. But now you will be my lunch.” Mouse Deer looked around and saw a wasp nest in a tree.“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has ordered me to guard his drum,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His drum?” said Tiger curiously. “Yes, there it is. It has the best sound in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to hit it,” Mouse Deer pointed the wasp nest. “Can I hit the King’s drum?” Tiger asked. “Of course you can’t. The King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer refused. “Just one little hit, Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said Tiger. ”Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so the King won’t blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All right, Mouse Deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. Tiger then reached up and hit the wasp nest. Bzzzzzzz…! “Ouch…ouch! That’s not a drum. That a wasp nests!” Tiger ran away. But the wasps keep following him. He came to the river. He jumped in and stayed underwater as long as he could. At last the wasps went away. Then he jumped out.

He ran through the forest till he found Mouse Deer.“Mouse Deer, you tricked me again. But now you will be my lunch.” Mouse Deer looked around and saw a cobra. The snake was coiled asleep on the ground.“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has ordered me to guard his belt,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His belt?” said Tiger curiously. “Yes. There it is. It’s the best belt in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to wear it,” Mouse Deer pointed the cobra. “Can I wear it?” Tiger asked. “Of course you can’t. The King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer refused. “Just for one moment, Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said Tiger. ”Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so the King won’t blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All right, Mouse Deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. Tiger then took the snake and started to warp it around himself. The cobra woke up. It squeezed Tiger and bit him. SSssssstt!“Oouch! Ow! Ooow! That’s not a belt! That’s a cobra! Help! Mouse Deer! Help!” But Mouse Deer was already far away. He laughed aloud. Mouse Deer was safe from Tiger now.

Malaysian Ghost Stories

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Malays, as with other Southeast Asians, have always taken great interest in stories of ghosts and spirits. It must be stressed that due to the animistic root of Malay folklore, these ghosts are seen as sharing the plane of existence with humans and are not always considered evil. However, when the delicate line that separates the boundaries of existence is crossed, or a transgression of living spaces occurs, a conflict ensues that may result in disturbances such as possessions. The Malay word for ghost is hantu. However, this word also covers all sorts of demons, goblins and undead creatures and are thought to have real physical bodies, instead of just apparitions or spectres.

Belief in hantu remains strong despite the strong imprint of Islam on Malaysia. As s true elsewhere in Southeast Asia, people go out of their way to avoid, appease and overcome evil spirits and occasionally call on guardian spirits or dead ancestors for help. The Malay word for ghost is hantu. However, this word also covers all sorts of demons, goblins and undead creatures and are thought to have real physical bodies, instead of just apparitions or spectres. The most famous of these is the pontianak or matianak, the ghost of a female stillborn child which lures men in the form of a beautiful woman.

The Pontianak is the most famous Malaysian ghost. Also known as matianak or kuntilanak, it is the ghost of a stillborn female and a type of vampire in Malay folklore. According to the legend, a Pontianak (pronounced "pone-tea-ah-nark") is either the restless spirit of a dead pregnant woman or the vengeful spirit of a woman murdered by her own lover. The former version generally does little harm except probably scaring the heebie-jeebies out of you. She would usually be found standing by the side of a road cradling her tombstone like a baby and asking for a ride to her graveyard. The later is very violent, known to go on a blood lust until she either kills her lover or the male ancestor of her lover. The classic Pontianak would have very long hair flowing down to her hips, usually covering her face, full white dress sometimes with bloodstains, long fangs and long fingernails. When she's near, you will smell a very strong flowery smell. [Sources: Wikipedia, Revathi Murugappan, the Star]

The penanggalan is a flying head with its disembodied stomach sac dangling below. Another type of female vampire, it is attracted to the blood of newborn infants and uses entrails trailing behind her head to grasp her victims There are several stories of her origins. One is that she was a woman who was sitting meditating in a large wooden vat used for making vinegar when she was so startled that her head jumped up from her body, pulling her entrails with it. Another has her as a normal woman during the day, whose head and entrails leave her body at night. If a baby is expected, branches from a type of thistle are placed around the doors or windows to protect the house, since her entrails will be caught by the thorns.

Malaysian Fairy Tales (Kisah Dongeng)

Kisah dongeng are a loose collection of bedtime stories, fables and myths that involves human or non-human characters, often with superhuman powers along with talking animals, and an unearthly setting. In this category, the story of Puteri Gunung Ledang, Bawang Putih Bawang Merah and Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup is well known by the Malays. All three have been made into movies, albeit with differing interpretations and settings. [Source: Wikipedia]

Characters with human-likeness abound in these stories. They are collectively referred to as orang halus meaning the "refined folk" or "soft folk" (often erroneously translated as "elves"). Most are invisible to the average human. They include: 1) Orang Bunian: "hidden people" or "whistling people"; a race of exceptional beauty and grace; 2) Orang ketot: humans with short stature, similar to dwarves; 3) Orang kenit: small humans, often possessing magic powers; ) Gergasi: giants or ogres; 4) Gedembai or Kelembai: an ogre who has the power to turn things to stone.; 5) Duyong: mermaids, having the lower body of a fish and a woman's upper body; 6) Bidadari: beautiful heavenly nymphs.

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Lycanthropic humans take the form of an animal. The transformation may be at will or under particular circumstance, such as changing at nightfall. They are collectively called jadi-jadian. Among these are: 1) Harimau jadian or harimau akuan: were-tiger, were-leopard or were-panther; 2) Ular tedung jadian: were-cobra; 4) Lembu jadian: were-bull

Mythical birds: 1) Geroda: a species of bird large enough to carry an elephant in its talons; 2) Jentayu or Chatayu: the bird who tried in vain to save Sita Dewi from Rawana; 3) Cenderawasih: bird-of-paradise, sometimes said to resemble the golden oriole. Guards a sacred jewel in kayangan (heaven).

Beastly creatures, but not necessarily evil: 1) Na-ga: a dragon, depicted as snake-like or similar to the Chinese dragon. Said to inhabit caves and watery areas; 2) Raja udang or Naga udang: a very large prawn or lobster-like creature; 3) Hantu Belangkas: a gigantic king-crab that attacks people at sea; 4) Jadi: a type of seagoat with the upper body parts of a goat and a lower part of a fish; 5) Singalaut: merlions, with the body of a fish and the head of a lion.

Later folk stories adopted elements from the Islamic world, of Middle Eastern origin but having arrived by way of South Asia through Indian Muslims and the Arabs. They differ somewhat from their Arabian counterparts due to the fact that what Malays now refer to as angels or demons were originally animistic spirits and deities: 1) Jin: djinn; 2) Syaitan: used in Malay as a generic word for demon; 3) Pari-pari or peri: fairies; 4) Malaikat: angels; 5) Iblis: Satan.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings; 1993; New York Times; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Smithsonian magazine; Encyclopedia.com; National Geographic; Live Science; Malaysia Tourism websites; Malaysia government websites; UNESCO; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Natural History magazine; Times of London; Library of Congress; The Conversation; The New Yorker; Time; BBC; CNN; Reuters; Associated Press; AFP; Lonely Planet Guides; Google AI; Wikipedia; The Guardian and various websites; books and other publications.

Last updated May 2026