Nights of the Dark Moon

Tutu Dutta

Description

Nights of the Dark Moon is a collection of 13 dark folktales compiled from around Asia, with two bonus stories from Africa, retold in the Gothic tradition, known for its air of brooding mystery and chilling fear. The tales feature haunted places, ancient curses, supernatural creatures and desperate maidens. Ranging from the eerily thrilling to the pitiably tragic, the stories evoke dread and terror, but also longing, affection and sorrow. Some serve as cautionary tales, reminding us that there are monsters lurking among us in the real world. A few are well known in their country of origin and have become part of the national folklore. Others are obscure folktales waiting to be discovered, perhaps long forgotten even in the places they originated. The folktales have been extensively researched to be the most complete version published. Since they are not simple retellings, even the familiar will appear strange and fascinating.

Informations

• Publié par: Marshall Cavendish International
• Date de parution: 15 mars 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814779166
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

2017 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
Text and illustrations Tutu Dutta
Published by Marshall Cavendish Editions
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International

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This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
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National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Names: Dutta, Tutu.
Title: Nights of the dark moon: gothic folktales from Asia and Africa / by Tutu Dutta.
Description: Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2017
Identifiers: OCN 973422508 | eISBN 978 981 47 7916 6
Subjects: LCSH: Tales--Asia. | Tales--Africa. | Legends--Asia. | Legends--Africa.
Classification: DDC 398.2095--dc23
Printed in Singapore by JCS Digital Solutions Pte Ltd
To all my friends, old and new
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Photographic elements are used with the kind permission of Choy Chee Keong, a passionate traveler, photographer and foodie, who divides his time between Portland, Oregon; Bali, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I m over the moon that Nights of the Dark Moon is finally published and seeing the light of day, so to speak. I would like to express my gratitude to She-reen Wong (Editor), Bernard Go (Creative Manager), Lee Mei Lin (Associate Publisher) and the intrepid marketing team of Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) for taking on this challenge and making the book possible.
CONTENTS
Preface
The Haunted Bridge of Agi
The Curse of Miryang
The Tiger of Flower Hill
The Shapeshifter of Co Lao
The Temple of Rara Jonggrang
Hang Nadim
The Seven Princesses of Ulek Mayang
The Strange Tale of Chief Naam
Princess of the Bamboo
King Vikram and Betaal the Vampire
The Weeping Lady
The Witchman
The Curse of the Iroko Tree
About the Author
PREFACE
Nights of the Dark Moon is a collection of thirteen Gothic folktales and legends drawn from Asia and Africa. The title itself refers to the story of King Vikram, who was asked to perform a ritual on the night of the dark moon . It is a widely-held belief in folklore that the moon has a powerful influence on spirits and demons and the dark moon is assumed to refer to an eclipse of the full moon. This is a collection that took over a decade to assemble, although I may have sat on it for a long time, taking out the manuscript every once in a while to revise and add to it. The idea of a book of dark Asian folktales came into being in 2005, when I first came across the story of King Vikram and Betaal the vampire. I was fascinated by the strange plot twist and decided to file it away for a future date. Later, I came across the story of the haunted bridge of Agi, a story which has many variants in its retelling. The third story was that of Rara Jonggrang, the slender maiden from Java. This story went through many revisions over the years as I uncovered more facts about it. At about the same time, I came across the story of the were-tiger from China. The dark humour and plot twists in this tale from China were irresistible to me.
Somewhat later, I came across the tragic story of Arang ( The Curse of Miryang ). I was shocked by the fact that it appeared to be based on a historical event but the legend seemed to fit into the collection. The story of the weeping maiden of Goa is fairly straightforward but it is rare in the sense that it came from the hybrid Portuguese-Konkani culture of Goa, somewhat similar to the Peranakan culture of Southeast Asia. Of course, I ve known about the story of Hang Nadim for years but only realised much later that it seemed to be connected to an earlier tragic event. Over the years, I picked up the other stories and The Strange Tale of Chief Naam was the last story in the collection to be set down, written only in 2015. This story came from the state of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia and is truly dark and Gothic, without the need for any embellishment.
So what is the justification for such a collection of chilling and disturbing stories? Writers in the field have come up with a few good reasons for dark and creepy stories:
First and foremost, dark tales get young readers interested - exhilarated - about reading. As readers, creepy tales present an irresistible attraction and compel us to pick them up in bookstores.
Secondly, they do serve as cautionary tales, reminding us that there are monsters too lurking in the real world and there are places and people we should avoid.
Thirdly, these stories allow young people to experience danger in a safe place i.e., in the pages of a book.
Fourthly, some of the stories can be empowering and make us realise that grit and presence of mind can save the day. To quote Neil Gaiman, Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.
Finally, the multicultural stories and strong local colour in every tale should also give readers an understanding of the shared hereditary fear lurking behind every culture.
Tutu Dutta February 2017
A GROUP OF young men were telling each other ghost stories one chilly autumn evening. Among them was a dashing young man called Yugiri, who had just been elevated to the rank of samurai earlier that day. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, his peers had decided to take him to the local teahouse to drink warm sake. They were all young warriors who had sworn their allegiance to the powerful daimyo of Omi province, Lord Ii.
Each of them took turns to recount the most horrific story he had ever heard, trying his best to outdo the other. Towards the end of the story-telling session, one of the samurai suddenly said, Have you ever heard of a bridge called Agi no hashi? It s located right here in Omi province. People say that the bridge is haunted so nobody uses it anymore!
Another samurai who had also heard stories about the bridge, said, It s true! In the past, people used to cross Agi Bridge all the time. However, some years ago, people started disappearing; they never came home after stepping foot on the bridge!
That s right! They say a frightful oni is lurking on the bridge! added the first samurai.
At this point Yugiri, who had perhaps a little too much sake to drink, interjected, That s just an old grandmother s tale! Anyway, I don t care what kind of oni is lurking on Agi Bridge! I wager I can ride across the bridge and back without any trouble, even at the hour of the rooster!
He paused and then added quickly as an afterthought, That is, as long as I am riding his lordship s best horse, the roan! The roan was a magnificent animal and reputed to be the fastest horse in the province.
For a moment, everyone was silent, too surprised to say anything. Then they all started talking at the same time. You re a bold one to talk, aren t you? Alright, let s find out what kind of samurai you are! Are you mad or just plain stupid?
One of them remarked, Clever of you to specify his lordship s roan since he never allows anyone else to ride it! The group started egging him on and became quite boisterous and rowdy.
At that moment, Lord Ii himself happened to pass by the teahouse on his way to his villa. He stopped his retinue to find out what the commotion was all about. His hatamoto , a trusted household retainer, went into the teahouse to investigate, and reported the wager to his lordship.
The daimyo was not impressed with Yugiri s good sense and commented, It seems to me that our young samurai is a trifle impetuous. Agi Bridge is a dangerous place and it is foolhardy to try and cross it, especially at sunset!
However, I have no objection to the use of my horse for the wager if the young man decides to go ahead with it. Please inform the gathering about my decision, he added calmly before continuing on his journey.
The message was immediately conveyed to the gathering. Everyone was delighted, except for Yugiri who was flabbergasted. He had never really expected the daimyo to loan his prize horse for such a reckless wager. This is madness! I m sorry I ever mentioned crossing the bridge! he exclaimed.
However, the group of young men had reached a state of drunken frenzy and shouted at him, Coward! Shame on you! Are you going to back down now?
It s not that I m afraid to cross the bridge! Yugiri protested. It s just that I m deeply ashamed if I seem to covet his lordship s horse, he tried to explain. In the end, he had no choice but to see it through. The gathering finally broke up and each returned to his quarters to rest for the night.
Yugiri had a restless night and woke up well before sunrise the next day. His comrades were occupied wi