Cambodia folktales

1. The rabbit and the palm fruit

There was a rabbit who lived under a palm tree near a hillock. One
day he was sound asleep, when a ripe palm fruit fell down on the
ground near by. He heard the cracking sound of the dried palm leaves.
At this sound, he was frightened, and said to himself "It is and
earthquake!", and then he jumped up and began running without
looking behind. When the Oxen saw him in high speed, they said to
him, "Rabbit! why are you running so fast? What is the matter?"
The Rabbit shouted in haste "Brother oxen! It's an earthquake! Do not
stay here! Run!" The Oxen heard what the Rabbit had said and they
were frightened too, and they began to run, and soon after they met the Pigs and Deer. They too ran
after the Oxen and the Rabbit. When the Elephants saw them running, they too, asked "Why are you
running, Oxen" What is the matter?" The Oxen told them "Do not stay here! The earthquake is
coming!" Hearing this story, the Elephants jointed them. When they all reached the Lion's den, the
clever Lion, seeing all the panic-stricken animals, asked the Elephants.
"Why are you running? What is the matter?"
The Elephants replied, "We do not know exactly why. We saw the Oxen running, so we ran after them,
we heard something about an earthquake"
The Lion asked the Oxen "Why are you running? What is the matter? Oxen?" The Oxen said "We do
not know either. We saw the Rabbit running, so we ran after him"
The Lion asked the Deer and the Pigs, but they answered like wise. So finally he questioned the
Rabbit. The Rabbits answered "I am none too sure, myself. While I was sound asleep under a palm
tree, the earth breaking up pierced my ears, so I was afraid and began to run"
The clever Lion then led all the panicky animals to the palm tree, and showed them the cracked palm
fruit lying on the ground. The embarrassed animals gave the Rabbit a sound rebuke and went back to
their own places.
2. The Blackbird and The Monkey
There were two blackbirds: male and female who set up their nest on
a tree. Mean while it was raining, a homeless monkey who was
stricken with cold came to stay under the blackbird's tree. When the
blackbirds saw him terribly shivering, one counseled him " Oh,
Brother Monkey, you have two hands and two legs as a man does.
Why don't you build home for your dwelling? "
The monkey said " I have two hands and two legs as a man does. Thus I am a nestles animal. The truth
is I cannot do it. " The blackbird said again " You do not need knowledge to build your nest. You see
the birds have only one beak and they can build the nest which they need for their protection from the
cold and the rain. You had better think it over. Am I right or not? All the animals in the world have
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their own dwelling to protect their babies and their mates from suffering. If you cannot build a good
nest, you just put branches one on another and you cover it with leaves for your own nest for a while.
You do not depend on another dwelling or on a branch or on a tree. It is very difficult for your mate
and your young ones. Monkey you have two hands and two legs, I think you can do it. Please do it, do
not wait for your knowledge to help you.
All the animals have only strength will work in their own way. They never work like the human
beings. You see even the worm, the locust and the termite which are very small, but they have their
own habitations, and you, why can't you do it? Other animals have no more knowledge than you, but
they are able to build habitations of their own. You said that you cannot do it because you do not want
to do it, and you are lazy animal. "
When the monkey heard the blackbird criticize him, he became very angry, because he was ashamed
before the blackbirds, and then he swung straight to the blackbird's nest and dropped it down.
" Do not give counsel those who do not want to listen. "

3. The Female Crocodile who wanted to eat the Monkey's Heart

When in one of his former births, the Buddha was born as a

monkey, called Mahakabin, he was powerful and lived in the forest
near the river in which there was a small island in the middle. That
island had every kind of fruit for his food. Between the river and
the shore there was a sand bank. The monkey leaped from the shore
to the sand bank first, then to the island.
Mean while there were two crocodiles, female and male, who lived
in the river. Latter on the female crocodile was with child and
wanted to eat the monkey's heart, then she told her husband " I am
eager to eat a monkey's heart. If you can not find one for me, I will
die and leave you alone."
The male crocodile said " Oh, darling! Do not worry. If you are eager to eat it, let me bring it for you,
because I see every day a big monkey who crosses the river to the island. Usually he stops on the sand
bank before, he goes to the island, I will swim and creep on that island to kill him for you."
The crocodile swam to the island and crept on to the sand bank to cover it. He thought that the monkey
would think that he was the sand bank. When the monkey came back from the island at sunset, he
leaped over from the shore of the river and he almost leaped on the bank which the crocodile covered,
he saw the crocodile on the bank.
Then the monkey wondered " This bank is always as high as the surface of the water and why is this
bank higher today? Maybe there is some ferocious animal who is lying on it and wants to kill me " and
then the monkey called the bank of sand " Oh, friend Sand water, but today you are Bank ! You are
always as high as the surface of the higher. How can you grow so high? "
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The monkey repeated this sentence three times. When the crocodile heard the monkey call the sand
bank, he thought that the bank was not talking to the monkey, because he covered it, then he pretended
to be the sand bank and replied " Oh, friend monkey I am not higher than yesterday. Please leap on me!
"
The monkey said " Oh, poor animal, my bank does not know how to talk. Who are you? " The
crocodile told the monkey " I am the king of the crocodile who live in this river." The monkey asked
the crocodile, " why do you sleep on this bank? " The crocodile said " Oh monkey! I want your heart
for my wife, because she is eager to eat your heart."
" If you need my life, Please open your mouth widely and close your eyes, I will jump into your mouth
" said the monkey, " and be sure to close your mouth. " Then the monkey saw that it was a good
chance to leap to pass to the shore. He then jump on the crocodile's body and from there leaped on to
the shore as fast as an arrow.
When the crocodile thought the monkey passed over his back could not catch him, he was very sorry to
be out witted by the monkey, and he left the sand for his own place in the river.

4. The Crow and The Deer

Once there lived together as friends two animals, a crow and a deer.
Later on a wolf met the deer in the forest and wanted to be his
friend, then the deer agreed. Then the two animals often met each
other. But the crow knew that the wolf was very wicked, and
dishonest; then he warned the deer not to be friendly with the wolf.
The crow said " The wolf pretends to be friendly, when you are
taken in by his tricks, he will kill you sometime " By and by the
deer fell into the wolf's tricks, so did not listen to the crow's
warning. He agreed to come to the wolf 's place everyday.
One day the wolf saw a trap in the forest, then he thought he would lead the deer to it, and when the
deer was caught in the trap, he would eat him. Planning to kill the deer, the wolf went to see the deer at
his place, and then the wolf told the deer that there was good food somewhere in the forest.
It was not easy to find food, when the deer heard this, he was very happy to go with the wolf who
guided him to the trap. And finally he was caught in the trap. Being afraid of death, the deer called for
help from the wolf, the wolf pretended to be afraid of the man who came to see the trap, then he went
in to the forest to hide until the deer would be killed, then he would eat him.
One day when the crow did not see the deer come back in the evening, he flew around everywhere as
far as the forest where the deer was caught in the trap, then he saw the deer and said to him " Oh,
friend! why are you caught in the trap? " The deer told the crow " This is my mistake in believing the
wolf who asked me to come with him to find food here, now, when the trap holds me, he leaves me
here and he goes away. Please save my life."
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The crow told the deer to play a trick with the hunter, then he said " when you see the hunter come to
see the trap. You lie down as a dead deer and don't move. Do not even breathe! The hunter will be sure
that you are dead. When he takes you off the trap, you will hear me crowing, you are get up and run
into the forest away from the man." the deer agreed to the crow's plan.
When the hunter came to see his trap, he saw the deer caught, then he thought that the deer had died.
He took the deer off the trap and put him on one side, then he looked around him, when the crow saw
that the hunter was not paying attention to the deer, he crowed to let the deer run away and the deer ran
quickly at high speed into the forest.
when the hunter saw that the deer ran away, he took a sword and ran after the deer to throw the sword
at the deer, but the sword dropped on the wolf who waited for the deer's meat in a bush near the trap,
the sword struck the wolf's neck killing him. The crow guided the deer to the forest where the hunter
could not kill him anymore.
5. The Deer, The Crow and The Tortoise

There were three animals who were friends, a deer, a crow and
a tortoise. One day the deer went to look for food in the forest
and was caught in a hunting trap. When the tortoise and the
crow went to search for the deer they saw him in the trap. They
asked him " Why did you not see the trap? " Then the deer told
them " Oh friends! I was wrong, please help me to save my life.
"
The crow and the tortoise agreed to help the deer, then the crow
took some water to soften the trap and the tortoise gnawed the trap. They gnawed the trap from
evening to dawn, but they could not sever it, they could sever only two strings. When the hunter was
coming, the the crow and the tortoise told the deer " Friend! now the hunter will come soon. We can
gnaw only two strings. You must break it yourself. "
While the three animals spoke to one another the hunter came, then the crow and the tortoise left the
deer alone. They entered the forest to wait for the deer. When the deer saw the hunter come near him,
the deer broke the trap and went away into the forest. The hunter was very sorry to lose the deer then
he ran after him to bring him back, but he could not run so fast, and then he saw the tortoise who hide
in the forest.
The hunter brought the tortoise back and set the trap again.When the crow saw the hunter take the
tortoise back, he told the deer a plan to save the tortoise from the hunter, then the crow said to the deer
" Let the hunter run after you he will drop the tortoise down and then you must run into the forest.
"The deer agreed. When the deer ran near the hunter, he pretended to have a broken leg, he ran on only
three legs in front of the hunter.
The hunter did not know the deer's tricks, then he thought that the deer had a broken leg, because he
was caught by the trap and he ran after the deer. When the deer looked back he saw that the hunter did
not drop the tortoise yet, so he planned to be crippled animal again and ran slowly. The hunter thought
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" What good is this tortoise? He is enough for only two meals, but the deer will give me much meat. "
The hunter dropped the tortoise into the bush.The deer saw the hunter drop the tortoise, and he let the
hunter get close to him. When he was far enough from the place where the hunter dropped the tortoise,
the deer came back and picked up the tortoise with his mouth and the crow guided them into the forest.
They lived in the forest peacefully.

6. The Two Neighbors

Once there were two neighbors. One day they planned to set traps to catch animals. As the sun was
setting behind the mountain, they left together for the forest. In the forest, one said " I will set my trap
near the foot of the tree, because this tree has many fruits, and at night, many animals come to eat the
fruits. "
The other one said " I want to set my trap here too, but now if you set it near the foot of the tree, I will
set mine on the top of the tree and we shall see tomorrow whose trap will catch the animals. " After
discussion, one set his trap near the foot of the tree, and the other set his trap on the top of the tree, then
they came back home.
But the man who set the trap on the top of the tree, after reaching home, that night, discussed this with
his wife. He said " Of all our ancestors, did you ever hear if any one who set a trap on the top of the
tree caught four-footed animals who walk on the earth? But right now if I have set my trap on the top
of the tree, how will it catch an animal? Thus I will have to wake up very early, and if I see my
neighbor's trap on the ground catching an animal, I shall take it off and put it in my trap at the top of
the tree, and then I will again go with him to see the trap. Then I have to give a share of the animal to
judge Sek. If my neighbor does not agree with me, he will go to judge Sek, too, and Mr. Sek will let
me win.
The husband and wife, after discussion, went to bed, but the man woke up very early. He smoked and
left his home to see his trap. He saw his friend's trap holding a deer and then he took off the deer and
put it in his own trap. After that, he returned home. At dawn, the man who set the trap on the ground
asked the other man to come and see their traps, but the other man said " Do not be in a hurry, my trap
will not catch any animal because it is at the top of the tree. May be your trap is holding some animal,
if your trap is holding some animal, you had better give me some meat to eat. "
He spoke proudly because he already knew what was there. The two men left their home together to
see their traps. Unfortunately, the trap on the top of the tree was holding an animal. The man who had
the trap in the tree said " Hi! Look! You did not believe me, I told you " Do not set the trap on the
ground, set it on the tree " Now look! whose trap is holding the animal? " He climbed up the tree and
took down the deer. The two neighbors came home together.
The man whose trap was on the tree went to see judge Sek and told him " I and my neighbor set trap.
My friend set it on the ground, and I set it on the top of the tree. I took the deer caught in his trap. If the
case comes to you, you have to cover over my fault and give the punishment to my friend.
Then judge Sek got a share of the deer and said " You have to bring a lot of betels and arecas very
early for tomorrow when your friend comes to see me, I will ask him to bring the same thing. As he is
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very poor, he can not bring anything, so you will win the case. Go ahead to find the betel and arecas. "
The man who had set the trap on the ground was disappointed and did not agree with his friend about
the catch. So he went to the judge Sek and told him the same way as his friend had told him. Mr. Sek
said to him the same as he said to his friend.
In the morning the man who had set the trap on the tree brought a lot of things very early to Mr. Sek.
But the poor man who had set the the trap on the ground could not bring anything to Mr. Sek. He was
afraid of losing the case and of being in prison. He ran from village to village to find the betels and
arecas.
He went and met another judge, Mr. Rabbit. Mr. Rabbit asked him " What is the matter that you are
running about like this? Stop! " He said " Please help me because I and my friend went to set the trap
together, but I put it on the ground and my friend's trap was on the tree. Unfortunately, my friend's
trap, on the top of the tree, caught an animal. I did not believe this, so went to see the judge. The judge
ordered me to bring the betels and arecas very early. The one who could not bring them to him will be
punished. This is why I am very afraid. "
Judge Rabbit said " Do not be afraid, this afternoon we shall go together. " In the afternoon they went
together to judge Sek's house. He said " Why are you so late? You lost your case. " Mr. Rabbit
answered " We are very late because we went to see fish flying and eating the leaves at the top of of
the tree. " Mr. Sek said " Who ever heard that, from the time of our ancestors? I have never heard that
the fish fly and eat the top leaves of the tree. "
Mr. Rabbit answered " From the time of our ancestors, I have never heard that he who set the trap on
the tree can catch an animal who is a quadruped. Do you hear it? Everyone of you, people? "
Mr. Sek was quiet. Mr. Rabbit convinced the court that the man who had the trap on the tree should go
to the prison. Mr. Sek was ashamed before the people because of his ambition. He sat quietly and
looked towards the wall.
" Ambition is put to shame before law."

7. Chav Chak Smok

There was a man called CHAU CHAK SMOK whose name means the man who weaves boxes with
palm leaves. One day he went to weave boxes at the top of the palm tree. He cut strips of the leaves
and then he planned to make the boxes. While he wove the boxes, he thought " When I make a lot of
boxes, I will sell them to the store, then I shall buy a hen. Later the hen will give chickens, then I will
sell the chickens. So I will get five hundred riels. With, this, I will buy a pig.
When the pig has young ones, I will sell them, I will thus earn two hundred riels, then I will buy a colt.
When I sell it, I will make a lot of money, about two or three hundred riels, then I will buy fields and
cultivate them. When the field crops, I will sell them and I will have a good deal of money, then I will
find a pretty girl to be my wife. Later I will became a rich man and I will buy slaves to toke care of my
children. When my slaves cannot take care of my children I will hit them. "
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While the man was daydreaming, he kicked at the palm leaves. The leaf was broken so the man fell,
but he caught himself under the palm leaves. When the wind blew, he swung like a swing, but he could
not climb up to the top of the tree. Meanwhile, there was a man who rode on an elephant coming near
the palm tree, then Chau Chak Smok asked the man for help " Please save me. Please take me down. I
will serve you all my life. "
When the elephant-driver brought the elephant to the palm tree, he stood up on the elephant's back, his
toes seemed to let the elephant go, so the elephant-driver was hanging under the man, then the
elephant-driver begged the man not to let go of the palm leaf and he said " Please do not let go of the
leaf and I will be your servant all my life. "
The man's hands were very weary, then he told the elephant-driver to let go of his legs, but the
elephant-driver did not let go, and then he said again " If you do not let go of my legs, I will fall from
the leaf and drop my body on your and kill you. " The elephant-driver begged the man to hold the leaf
very strongly, and he said " I fear to let go and drop my body down. Please hold on. If you save my
life, I will be your servant. "
While they spoke to each other, there were four bald men who came by that way, and brought a large
net. When the men who swung under the palm branch saw them come by, they called for help, but they
told the two men " How can we help you down, because you are swinging below each other " then they
begged them to help and said " If you save us, we will serve you all our life. Please spread your net and
tie it around your necks, and we will drop in the net. "
The four bald men spread the net in a square, then they said " Please drop one after one. " But the men
did not drop one after one, they dropped at the same time into the net, so the four bald men were
dragged to hit each other's heads and crushed their skulls.
When the two men were saved, they saw four bald men die, then they discussed with each other about
burning them, but one said " If we burn them at the same time, some one will think that we killed the
men, and the government will put us in jail. So we had better bury them, and we will pardon them,
because they died for us. "

8. One Crow to Ten Crows

There were two men named Akhoch and Akhil who lived in two different villages, and had different
opinions. Akhoch put manure in a jar and sealed it. And Akhil made a little sword and put it in a big
scabbard. Akhil took his sword over his shoulder to sell, and Akhoch took his jar of " prahok " to sell
too, Akhoch went from here and Akhil came from here, when they met each other, Akhoch called out "
Come to buy my prahok! My prahok is delicious and boneless. You can make soup or eat it fresh.
Come on and buy it! "
Akhil answered warmly " I am sorry, because I can't sell my sword, I don't have any money, could you
exchange your prahok and my sword? " Suddenly Akhoch saw the long sword and said " yes! " Akhil
gave the sword to Akhoch and spoke proudly " my sword is very sharp. I made it from magnet. Don't
open it unless you need it. You can't open it now, because if you open it on the way home, you could
not put it in, and you will be blinded. I am very sorry to sell it. If I weren't starving, I would not have
sold it to you.
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Akhoch gave the jar to Akhil and told him " My prahok is it very delicious. You can open it when you
eat it. Don't open it right now, because it will be spoilt. I want to tell you how to eat it. If you want to
eat it at the same time that you open it. This is very delicious. " They went back home. When Akhoch
arrived home, he told his wife "Cook soon! I have some prahok " His wife asked him " Where did you
get " " I got it from Akhil. I exchanged my little sword with Akhil for this prahok. " said Akhoch.
His wife was very happy and thought " my husband knows how to trade a little sword for delicious
prahok. " Then she washed a dish to put the prahok in, and she opened the jar with a blunt knife, and
then she put her hand in the jar to take out the prahok and put it in the dish to steam it. The manure was
on her fingers, then she put them in her mouth to taste it and said " wow! the prahok stinks like
manure! Come and taste it. " When her husband tasted it, he said sourly " It is manure! " She vomited
and offended her husband.
When Akhil arrive home, he told his wife " One jar of manure can be exchanged for a long sword "
Meanwhile, when a dog urinated on the flowers, Akhil threw the sword at the dog to stay him with the
sharp sword. When he opened it, he saw the sword was too short, then he came into the house to show
his lovely wife, and then they laughed. Finally Akhil told his wife " Akhoch is clever as I am. I want
him to be my friend and I will play tricks on people with him. " Akhoch went back to see Akhil and he
met him on the way.
When Akhoch saw Akhil reach him, he smiled widely " Where are you going? " " I come to see you
and ask you to be my friend " said Akhil. " I come to ask you to be my friend too. " said Akhoch. Then
they went to a rich man's house. The rich man had just died and was in the coffin to be burned. All the
rich man's family wept. Akhil and Akhoch asked the neighbors " Why do they weep? " The neighbors
told them " The rich man has died! "
The two friend then planned to write a false letter to show the rich man's family and to tell them that
the rich man gave this letter to one of them before he had died, to come to take his goods. One of them
went stealthily into the coffin, and the other took the false letter to the rich man's family. None in the
rich man's family saw the one who crept stealthily into the coffin, because all the laymen pored over
prayer book to pray and the entire family was grieving. Akhoch took the false letter to show them.
They read " The poor boy, called Akhoch, is my foster-son, now I am old. Oh, son! Come to take the
goods. " The members of the rich man's family did not agree with him, because the letter has no
signature and stamp. Akhoch told them " Please ask your father who is in the coffin. If he does not
talk, I am playing tricks on you. " The rich man's son called his father in the coffin. Akhil who was in
the coffin answered " Did you give a letter to your son to take the good? " the son said.
" Yes! I did. Load my goods in a big cart and give it to him. " said Akhil. The son was duped by the
tricks of Akhil and Akhoch, then they were very angry with their strange father who died and talked.
They wanted to open the coffin, but the relatives said that if someone saw the corpse, the corpse would
frighten them at night, so they believe the relatives, and then they gave the goods to Akhoch. They
pulled a big cart full of the goods and grieved because they were sorry for their goods.
Akhoch rode the cart full of the goods to his house. Akhil crept out of the coffin and ran to meet
Akhoch and both thought " Now we have a lot of goods, but we are hungry. If we stop to cook, it may
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be that some thieves will come to rob our goods. Now Akhoch , wait for me here, I go to beg food for
you. " Akhil went to a village to beg food. When he got some food he put poison in the food, because
he wanted to kill Akhoch and take all the goods. When Akhil went to beg food from people, Akhoch
set a trap to kill Akhil, because he wanted to own all the goods too.
That time Akhil ate some food and brought some food for Akhoch, but he put the poison in the food
for Akhoch. When Akhil came from begging food, the trap killed him, then Akhoch saw Akhil die, he
went straight to eat the food, and then he died too. After they died, the oxen pulled the cart with goods
away and they broke off the yoke. The cart full of goods got stuck by the lake. In the morning, a man
came and saw the cart, he was happy but afraid.
He thought " A poor person never has goods like this. If I take these goods home, it may be dangerous.
" then he pulled the cart into the river and came back home. When the man reached home, he wanted to
test his wife and he thought " If my wife is a good woman, I will take all the goods home. If I tell her
something, she may tell someone and I will give all the goods to the government. I want only freedom.
"
He told his wife " When I went to the restroom, one crow flew out from my anus, but you must not tell
it to anyone. It is not good to tell about me. If anyone knows that and we cannot give the proof, I shall
be spread on the cross or in the prison. " His wife went to tell someone that her husband went to the
restroom, there two crow flew out from his anus and she said " Do not tell anyone. " One crow from
the man's anus got out from mouth to mouth until it became ten crows.
When the king heard this story, he told his men to bring that man to him and then the king asked him "
Is it true or not? "
The man told the king " Sir I told a lie to my wife, because I wanted to know whether she would tell it
to somebody or not, I saw a cart full of goods. " The man told the king and pointed out that place
where the cart was to the king. The king gave half of the goods to the man.

9. Four Men Studying the Science of Magic

Once upon a time, there were four friends who were studying the science of magic at a school of
magic in a country called Taka-Seymar which was very far away from home. They decided to
specialise in different subjects involving the following skills:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Magic in fortune telling

Magic in crossbow shooting
Magic in diving
Magic in resurrecting dead bodies

Five years later, having completed their studies, the four men went to see their teacher, the
Tissabamauk Brahman. They prostrated in front of him, expressed their gratitude and thanks, and bid
him farewell. Having packed their belongings and some dried food for the journey, they set out on
their way back home together. One day, as it was getting dark, they decided to settle for a nights rest
under a tree by the sea. The next morning, everyone woke up and was getting ready to continue their
journey when the fortune-teller broke the silence by announcing:
My friends, today is going to be our lucky day, said he with a little smile. Almost at the same time,
all of his friends asked with intrigue:
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Really Go on tell us whats happening, whilst staring impatiently at him. The fortune-teller replied
slowly with a thoughtful expression on his face:
Therell be a giant eagle bringing in its beak a beautiful princess stolen from the Pirean-nasey
country, and he paused
Well then? the three friends urged him on.
the bird will fly rather low in the sky, not too far away from where we are sitting whilst
saying this, he looked his friends in the eyes one by one, and continued; we must do something to
save the princess. They all nodded their heads to express agreement. At this idea, they became rather
excited at the opportunity to try out their newly acquired skills.
With great anticipation and excitement, they gazed at the sky in all directions. Not long afterwards,
there appeared a small dot on the horizon. The dot became bigger and bigger and before long they
could see a giant eagle with a girl in its beak. The three friends were very impressed that the fortune
teller had correctly foreseen the event. As the eagle was coming nearer, they prepared themselves for
immediate action for when their individual skills could be put to the test.
As soon as the eagle had come within his shooting range, without wasting a single second, the man
with the crossbow skill carefully aimed at the eagle and shot at it. As hoped for, he hit the eagle.
Having been injured, the eagle could no longer hold on to the princess, and therefore lost its grip and
dropped her into the sea.
As soon as he saw this, the man with the diving skill immediately dived into the sea as fast as he could
to try to save the princess. Unfortunately, by the time he found her and brought her out on to the dry
land, she was already dead. Without wasting his time, the man with the resurrecting skill began to
perform his magic on her body. All the other men were waiting nervously. They were hoping that the
resurrecting man had really mastered his skill and would be able to bring the princess back to life.
Time passed, and each second seemed like ages they were waiting and praying All of a sudden,
the princess let out a very faint sound, started to move her beautifully slim fingers, and .
Shes come back shes alive again! was the cheerful shout from all the men. They were so happy
and extremely pleased with themselves to have carried out something so amazing together. This
proved that they all possessed genius talent and skills.
The euphoria began to die out as they turned their attention to the princess. They could not believe
their eyes as to how beautiful the princess was. Each one of them couldnt help but falling in love with
her. After an initial silence, they started to make their thoughts heard to each other. As one could
guess, the conversation became intense with everyone claiming their right to become the princess
husband. The fortune teller began by saying:
She should be my wife because without me none of you would have known anything about her.
Yes but if I was not good at shooting, the eagle would have got away with her. So, she should be
my wife, opposed the man with the crossbow skill.
Ok but dont you remember that, when she was dropped into the sea, it was me who dived in to
rescue her? So, l should be allowed to be her husband claimed the man with the diving skill.
Please be quiet and listen to me,' said the man with resurrection skill, ' what all of you have done
would not have made any difference if I did not bring her back to life, she would have remained a dead
body. So, you must agree that I have ultimately given her new life. Therefore, she should be mine, he
proudly and confidently announced.
10

The dispute went on until eventually, they agreed to take the matter to the royal court of justice. Noone there could resolve it. And so the four men requested an audience with the King who was highly
reputed as being very wise and having a supreme sense of justice.
Upon hearing the full story, the King decided that the princess should become the wife of the man with
the diving skill. The decision was made based on the fact that this man had touched, held and carried
her body from the deep sea to the dry land. Then, the King turned to the other three friends, who had
significantly contributed to giving new life to the princess, and credited each one of them with a
special honour during the forthcoming wedding ceremonies:
1.The fortune teller should be considered and respected by the groom as his mentor or elder
2. The crossbow man should be considered and respected by the groom as his father
3. The resurrecting man should be considered and respected by the groom as his mother
The three friends agreed that the Kings judgement was fair, and therefore happily accepted the
honours given to them. In order that the groom-to-be could demonstrate his gratitude to his three
friends, the King had a plan. He ordered that, during his wedding ceremonies to the princess, a formal
ritual would have to be performed. And the ritual would be formalized as follows:
t the couples wedding, a ritual called Pkar slar bey(1) literally translated as The three Areca palm
flowers meaning offering Areca palm flowers to the elders, fathers and mothers to show gratitude
would take place according to the Kings order. Ever since, this ritual remains one of the many
featured in Khmer wedding ceremonies until today.
This ritual starts with the groom, in a formal procession, carrying the whole Areca palm flower pod to
the brides house. The master of the ceremony would then divide the flower into three bunches. Each
bunch was intended to be given to each of the three men by the groom in a formal ceremony led by the
master and accompanied by wedding music. The individual small flowers would then be separated
from the stems to be used to sprinkle on the bride and groom (like confetti) during the Ptim Chorng
Dey or the pairing and tying the knot ceremony.

11

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