Malay folklore

Batu Belah, Batu Bertangkup is a popular Malay folktale that warns children of the dangers of disobeying their parents. In the story, the children's disobedience causes the suicide of their mother – an outcome which has arguably influenced many generations of Malay people to fearfully submit to their elders. The tale has survived through various media such as oral stories, movies, and countless children's books. However, with the recent publication of AdiFitri Ahmad's graphic novel Taubat Si Tanggang ('The Redemption of Si Tanggang'), old folktales, which include Batu Belah, Batu Bertangkup, are fitted with new endings, articulating new perceptions of old morals. I will analyse the choices taken in the development of the Batu Belah, Batu Bertangkup tale through the perspective of evolutionary literary theory, employing Michelle Scalise Sugiyama's idea of Machiavellian intelligence. Sugiyama (2005, 189) argues that storytellers have the power to influence their audience through their stories, either upholding or questioning cultural values. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of the storyteller as a figure of authority, investigating the various methods employed in telling the different versions of the popular Malay folktale and how they are a type of strategy used to affect the mind-set of its audience.

'The Swan Maiden' refers to a tale-type that involves a woman of supernatural origin, a mortal man, and some trickery. The skeleton of the story involves the woman being deceived by the man, marrying him, and then discovering the deceit. The tale has been told across many cultures all over the world, spanning geographically from England to China. It is strange, however, that the tale-type continues to be referred to as 'The Swan Maiden' when the woman in fact appears as many things: a swan, a bird, a goddess, a fairy, even a 'battle maiden'. The swan is only one of these several incarnations of the woman, and one that seems limited to the European tales. Focusing on 'The Swan Maiden', I aim to explore how the act of naming a tale-type affects the ability to conduct research on the topic. I will argue that specifying the character of 'the swan' limits the discovery of similar tale-types across cultures that feature similar plotlines but different incarnations of the woman. I hope to question how we name a tale and how this act of naming can either limit or expand our understanding of folktales from different cultures. By employing an evolutionary perspective and examining the lesser known 'Swan Maiden' tales from Southeast Asia, I will conclude my paper with a proposal: a new, inclusive category for future research purposes. This category will allow easier detection of other possible tales, and will create more opportunities for future cross-cultural research in folklore.

The Pontianak is a well-known figure of horror in the Malay folk collective. Described as a woman with long black hair, a pale complexion, and dressed in white, this supernatural creature is often said to be the ghost of a woman who died in childbirth. The existence of the Pontianak has been documented for centuries and continues to live on through urban legends and purported sightings by the present population in both Malaysia and Indonesia. Although the Pontianak is seen as a terrifying creature, it is interesting as to why people continue to seek her out, going so far as to conduct 'ghost hunts' to find a trace of her existence. In this paper, I seek to understand the draw of the Pontianak figure in Malay folklore and also question why it continues to persist in the imagination of the Malay people. I will be grounding my analysis based on an understanding of the character of 'The Woman Who Died in Childbirth' through an evolutionary psychological perspective.