Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
Pergi buru ka-rimba Ranchah Mahang.
Katapang nama bukit-nia,
Si Langsat nama anjing-nia,
Si Kumbang nama anjing-nia,
Si Nibong nama anjing-nia,
Si Pintas nama anjing-nia,
Si Aru-Aru nama anjing-nia,
Timiang Balu nama sumpitan-nia,
Lankapuri nama lembing-nia,
Singha-buana nama mata-nia,
Pisau raut panjang ulu
Akan pemblah pinang berbulu.
Ini-lah pisau raut deripada Maharaja Guru,
Akan pemblah prut hantu pemburu.
Aku tahu asal angkau mula menjadi orang Katapang.
Pulang-lah angkau ka rimba Ranchah Mahang.
Jangan angkau meniakat-meniakit pada tuboh badan-ku.
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Peace be on thee, O Si Jidi, husband of Mah Jadah.
Go thou and hunt in the forest of Ranchah Mahang.
Katapang is the name of thy hill,
Si Langsat is the name of thy dog,
Si Kumbang is the name of thy dog,
Si Nibong is the name of thy dog,
Si Pintas is the name of thy dog,
Si Aru-Aru is the name of thy dog,
Timiang Balu is the name of thy blow-pipe
Lankapuri is the name of thy spear,
Singha-buana is the name of its blade,
The peeling-knife with a long handle
Is to split in twain the fibrous betel-nut.
Here is a knife from Maharaja Guru,
To cleave the bowels of the Hunter-Spirit.
I know the origin from which thou springest,
O man of Katapang.
Get thee back to the forest of Ranchah Mahang.
Afflict not my body with pain or disease.
"In charms intended to guard him who repeats them, or who wears them
written on paper, against the evil influences of the Spectre Huntsman,
the names of the dogs, weapons, etc., constantly vary. The origin of
the dreaded demon is always, however, ascribed to Katapang [232] in
Sumatra. This superstition strikingly resembles the European legends of
the Wild Huntsman, whose shouts the trembling peasants hear above the
storm. It is, no doubt, of Aryan origin, and, coming to the Peninsula
from Sumatra, seems to corroborate existing evidence tending to show
that it is partly through Sumatra that the Peninsula has received Aryan
myths and Indian phraseology. A superstitious prejudice against the
use of bamboo in making a step-ladder for a Malay house and against
drying clothes outside a house on poles stuck into the framework,
exists in full force among the Pêrak Malays.
"The note of the birik-birik at night, telling as it does of the
approach of the hantu pemburu, is listened to with the utmost dread
and misgiving. The Bataks in Sumatra call this bird by the same
name--birik-birik. It is noticeable that in Batak legends regarding
the creation of the world, the origin of mankind is ascribed to
Putri-Orta-Bulan, the daughter of Batara-Guru, who descended to the
earth with a white owl and a dog." [233]
To the information contained in the foregoing passage I would add
the following observations:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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