The Fanged King: Part 3 2010/06/24 By Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi nurbaiyah@nst.com.my According to the epic, Merong Mahawangsa, the first ruler of Kedah, sent his four children to open new kingdoms. The eldest was crowned Raja |
Kedah History Association’s Datuk Wan Shamsuddin speculates the ogre princess described by Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa as Raja Besiong's mother, might have been an aboriginal woman. |
They bore a son, Raja Ong Maha Perita Deria, who is named in the epic as “Raja Besiong” (translated from Jawi script without the “r”). “The book described him from young as ‘kahar’ (a rogue) and he never outgrew that even when he became the ruler and took a Malay wife,” Wan Shamsuddin said. “When he was asked to quit killing people for their blood, he shrugged them off saying that the spinach broth was simply too delicious to quit.” |
The Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah by Muhammad Hassan bin Dato' Kerani Muhammad Arshad, first published in 1927. This edition is published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka |
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Philologist Datuk Dr Professor Siti Hawa Salleh, who has done a comparative study on Kedah history and Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, said it was almost impossible to prove or disprove the existence of Raja Besiong. “Can anyone prove Raja Besiong did not exist? On the other hand, can anyone prove he existed? I doubt it.” Philologist Datuk Dr Professor Siti Hawa Salleh, who has done a comparative study on Kedah history and Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, said it was almost impossible to prove or disprove the existence of Raja Besiong.
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The cover of Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, the 1898 stone imprint of R.J. Wilkinson’s compilation of the handwritten Jawi by Muhammad Yusuf Nasru’l-din. This is a photocopy of the imprint housed by the Kedah Public Library Council in Alor Setar. |
The Kedah Public Library Council has a collection of rare editions of Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa by Pustaka Antara 1965 with a preface by Arenawati. There is also the University Malaysa Press 1968 edition compiled by Siti Hawa Salleh, and a 1898 stone imprint photocopy of R.J. Wilkinson’s compilation of the handwritten Jawi by Muhammad Yusuf Nasru’l-din.
Source: The Fanged King Part 3 |
Raja Bersiong ~ Fanged Prince Part 3
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