Malay Magic

Chapter I · Nature

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(a) Creation of the World

The theory of the Creation most usually held by Peninsular Malays is summarised in the following passage, quoted (in 1839) by Lieutenant Newbold from a Malay folk-tale:—

“From the Supreme Being first emanated light towards chaos; this light, diffusing itself, became the vast ocean. From the bosom of the waters thick vapour and foam ascended. The earth and sea were then formed, each of seven tiers. The earth rested on the surface of the water from east to west. God, in order to render steadfast the foundations of the world, which vibrated tremulously with the motion of the watery expanse, girt it round with an adamantine chain, viz. the stupendous mountains of Caucasus, the wondrous regions of genii and aerial spirits. Beyond these limits is spread out a vast plain, the sand and earth of which are of gold and musk, the stones rubies and emeralds, the vegetation of odoriferous flowers.

“In the days when Haze bore Darkness, and Darkness Haze, when the Lord of the Outer Silence Himself was yet in the womb of Creation, before the existence of the names of Earth and Heaven, of God and Muhammad, of the Empyrean and Crystalline spheres, or of Space and Void, the Creator of the entire Universe pre-existed by Himself, and He was the Eldest Magician. He created the Earth of the width of a tray and the Heavens of the width of an umbrella, which are the universe of the Magician. Now from before the beginning of time existed that Magician—that is, God—and He made Himself manifest with the brightness of the moon and the sun, which is the token of the True Magician.”

“The seed became a root (lit. sinew), the root a tree, and the tree brought forth leaves.

“‘Kun,’ said God, ‘Payah kun,’ said Muhammad; ... Then were Heaven and Earth (created), ‘Earth of the width of a tray, Heaven of the width of an umbrella.’”

This is a curious passage, and one not over-easy to explain; such evidence as may be drawn from analogy suggests, however, that the “Earth of the width of a tray, and Heaven of the width of an umbrella,” may be intended to represent respectively the “souls” (sĕmangat) of heaven and earth, in which case they would bear the same relation to the material heaven and earth as the man-shaped human soul does to the body of a man.

(b) Natural Phenomena

“Most Malays,” says Newbold, “with whom I have conversed on the subject, imagine that the world is of an oval shape, revolving upon its own axis four times in the space of one year; that the sun is a circular body of fire moving round the earth, and producing the alternations of night and day.”

Mr. Clifford gives a slightly different explanation:—

“The Pusat tasek, or Navel of the Seas, supposed to be a huge hole in the ocean bottom. In this hole there sits a gigantic crab which twice a day gets out in order to search for food. While he is sitting in the hole the waters of the ocean are unable to pour down into the under world, the whole of the aperture being filled and blocked by the crab’s bulk. The inflowing of the rivers into the sea during these periods are supposed to cause the rising of the tide, while the downpouring of the waters through the great hole when the crab is absent searching for food is supposed to cause the ebb.”

Concerning the wonderful legendary tree (the Pauh Janggi) the following story was related to me by a Selangor Malay:—

The following is an excellent description of a lunar eclipse from the Malay point of view:—

So, too, many waterfalls and rocks of unusual shape are thought to owe their remarkable character to the agency of demons. This, however, is a subject which will be treated more fully later on.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Lit. “A cube.” The cube-like building in the centre of the Mosque at Makkah (Mecca), which contains the Hajaru ’l-Aswad, or black stone.—Hug Note 2 · Sakatimuna (or “Sicatimuna”) is the name of an enormous serpent, said to have ravaged the country of Menangkabau in Sumatra about the beginn Note 3 · For the parting asunder of the snake, vide the note on page 11 infra, which gives what may be the origin of this myth as it is known to the Note 4 · The Nagas are generally represented in old sculptures as bearing the human form, but with a snake attached to their backs, and the hooded he Note 5 · Payah probably stands for supaya, perhaps with the meaning “so also.” Kun in Arabic means “be.” The tree would appear to be identifiable (vi Note 6 · Sakais are certain of the non-Malayan heathen (i.e. not Muhammadan) inhabitants of the hills and jungles of the Peninsula. ↑Note 7 · Some say a bullock (lĕmbu), but the most usual version gives the buffalo. In the Ramayana, which has largely influenced some departments of Note 8 · This island (for which a tortoise or the fish “Nun” is occasionally substituted) may be compared with the Batak (Sumatran) belief concerning Note 9 · Newbold, op. cit. vol. ii. p. 359. The spelling of “Jangi” is incorrect. It should be spelt “Janggi.” ↑Note 10 · This tree appears to be a tradition of the Cocos Maldiva, of which Sir H. Yule, s.v. Coco-de-Mer, gives the following interesting account:— Note 11 · The following passage describes how a magic prince visited the Navel of the Seas:— “Presently he arrived at his destination—the Navel of the Note 12 · “The Malays give the names ‘Bah Jantan’ and ‘Bah Betina,’ viz. the ‘male’ and the ‘female’ floods, respectively to the first rising of a fre Note 13 · This neck of land was called “Pĕnarek Prahu,” or the “Place of the dragging (across) of Boats.” ↑Note 14 · “The belief (probably borrowed from the Hindoos) of a serpent devouring the sun or moon, whenever they are eclipsed, and the weird lamentati Note 15 · “During an eclipse they (the Malays) make a loud noise with sounding instruments to prevent one luminary from devouring the other, as the Ch Note 16 · Gĕrhâna is from a Sanskr. word meaning “eclipse.” The name of the monster is Rahu. ↑Note 17 · Clifford, Stud. in Brown Humanity, p. 50. For ceremonies to be observed during an eclipse, more especially by women in travail, vide Birth C Note 18 · “They (the Malays) observe in the moon an old man sitting under a bĕringin tree (the Banyan, Ficus Indica).”—Maxwell, in J.R.A.S., S.B., No.Note 19 · “They tell of a man in the moon, who is continually employed in spinning cotton, but that every night a rat gnaws his thread, and obliges hi Note 20 · It is, however, also possible that there may be two “bujangs,” and that we have here a simple case of what philologists call “confluence,” s Note 21 · Sanskrit tapasya. ↑Note 22 · Maxwell, in J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 7, p. 28. ↑Note 23 · In Selangor I have also heard “Ular minum,” “the snake drinks.” ↑Note 24 · A Selangor Malay told me that the full phrase was “Ular Danu bĕrbantal,” “the snake Danu is pillowed (in sleep).” ↑Note 25 · A fuller expression is tunggul-tunggul mĕmbangun. A double rainbow is called palangi sa-k’lamin. Maxwell points out, in a note, that dhanuk,Note 26 · Maxwell, J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 7, p. 21. ↑Note 27 · So, too, midday, especially when a light rain is falling and the sun shining at one and the same time, is usually regarded as equally danger Note 28 · Maxwell, loc. cit. Vide infra, Chap. IV. pp. 92, 93. ↑Note 29 · “From the range of Caucasus all the mountains of the earth have their origin as pillars to support and strengthen the terrestrial framework.Note 30 · The Mountains of Caucasus are usually called by Malays Bukit Kof (i.e. Kaf), or the Mountains of Kaf (which latter is their Arabic name). Th Note 31 · The account which I shall now give, however, differs considerably from the preceding. It was taken down by me from an introduction to a Mala Note 32 · The account proceeds to describe how God “created the pillar of the Kaʿbah,4 which is the Navel of the Earth, whose growth is comparable to Note 33 · Next we read that the word of God Almighty came in secret to Gabriel, saying, “Take me down the iron staff of the ‘Creed’ which dangles at t Note 34 · The most curious feature of the description is perhaps the marked anthropomorphic character of this serpent, which shows it to be a serpent Note 35 · Another account, also obtained from a local magician, contains one or two additional details about the tree. “Kun,” said God, “Payah8 kun” s Note 36 · To this I would add that some Malays, at least, whom I questioned on the subject (as well as some Sakais9 under Malay influence), imagined t Note 37 · A further development of the Malay theory of the earth declares it to be carried by a colossal buffalo upon the tip of its horns.10 When one Note 38 · The Malay theory of the tides is concisely stated by Newbold:12—Note 39 · “Some Malays ascribe the tides to the influence of the sun; others to some unknown current of the ocean; but the generality believe confiden Note 40 · “There was once a Selangor man named Haji Batu, or the Petrified Pilgrim, who got this name from the fact that the first joints of all the f Note 41 · “Bores,” or “eagres,” at the mouths of rivers, and floods15 due to heavy rain, are conceived to be caused by the passage of some gigantic an Note 42 · This animal, whose passage up rivers is held to cause the tidal wave or bore, is called Bĕnă in Selangor. It is a matter of common report am Note 43 · Eclipses (Gĕrhana) of the sun or moon are considered to be the outward and visible sign of the devouring of those bodies17 by a sort of giga Note 44 · “One night, when the Moon has waxed nearly to the full, Pĕkan resounds with a babel of discordant noise. The large brass gongs, in which the Note 45 · The “spots on the moon”21 are supposed to represent an inverted banyan tree (Bĕringin songsang), underneath which an aged hunchback is seate Note 46 · “Bujang (‘single,’ ‘solitary,’ and hence in a secondary sense ‘unmarried’) is a Sanskrit word bhujangga, ‘a dragon.’ ‘Bujang Malaka,’ a moun Note 47 · “Palangi, the usual Malay word for the rainbow, means ‘striped.’ The name varies, however, in different localities. In Pêrak it is called pa Note 48 · “Sunset is the hour when evil spirits of all kinds have most power.30 In Pêrak, children are often called indoors at this time to save them Note 49 · “The yellow glow which spreads over the western sky, when it is lighted up with the last rays of the dying sun, is called mambang kuning (‘t