Legends of my country

A legend is a traditional story and it is not historical. As with other legends, the legends of my country need not be true. These stories have been handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth and what we hear today could be a much-exaggerated version. There is something fascinating about these legends and they are a part of our national culture.

There is a rather mythical story of how Singapore got its name.

A certain Indian king, we are told, was passing by Singapore in a ship when a great storm arose. All the efforts his sailors made to keep the ship steady failed. They threw several precious things overboard to appease the wrath of the sea gods, but they failed. At last one of them requested the King to throw his crown overboard. Immediately after the king threw his crown overboard, there was calm. He saw an animal disappearing behind the trees. It looked like a lion. The king was excited and decided to call the place. Singapore, meaning lion city.

Another legend, which appears to have more substance in it, relates the adventures of a refugee noble from Palembang in Sumatra, Parameswara. Parameswara fled to Singapore from his native state and was very well received by the governor of the island, a Siamese noble called Temagi. Parameswara repaid his host’s hospitality by a rather mean and unworthy action; he killed Temagi and assumed the role of ruler. Temari’s brother, who heard about the outrage prepared a fleet and headed for Singapore. Parameswara fled, and ended in Malacca where he founded a kingdom.

Some of the legends involve ghosts and spirits, and the most popular legend is that of the ‘Pontianak’. This is a female demon who entices men with her beauty and then kills them. Unlike Dracula. she derives nothing from killing but some unexplained pleasure. She is said to move only to rural areas. Film-makers capitalized on this legend by producing a series of horror thrillers. The films seem to have distorted the story, thus exaggerating the original legend.

The point about most legends is that they are an inflated, distorted account of incidents that are probably factual. Many years ago. cases of thefts and molestation of women were reported, and the offender was reported to be a very dark man, almost nude. and gleaming with oil. He could probably have been an ordinary burglar. oiled to evade capture. Or he could have assumed this unusual appearance to terrify his victims into subjection. Or he could have tried to convey the impression that supernatural forces were at work. The point was that following a few incidents, news spread about what a strange being ‘the oily man’ was going about. It was even said that he could appear and disappear at will.

The legends of my country have not yet been carefully studied. Although a few legends have found their way into print, no organized attempt has been made to collect them to form a comprehensive compilation. These legends, especially the historical legends. are about the only records we have of very early history, and until archaeological findings are found that can verify or falsify these legends, we cannot discount them as completely false.