History: These unique Cambodian legends saved from being forgotten
- Christophe Gargiulo
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
Once upon a time, there was a Cambodian woman who hired a group of thieves to get rid of her lover's body. The story could have ended there, but the woman's treachery and cunning led one of the thieves to bitterly regret falling in love with her.
Cunning or...
Indeed, after completing their mission, the unfaithful and murderous Cambodian woman did not fail to sell the group of thieves to a slave trader. They managed to escape, but one of them, seduced (?) by the young woman's character, came to find her and declared his love for her.
The Cambodian woman asked the thief to kiss her, which he did, only to have his tongue bitten off by his beloved, who then hastened to sell him back into slavery...
This fable is a Khmer tale that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is the first story in an anthology of ancient folk tales entitled ‘Women Wiles’, whose themes range from the birth of Angkor to piracy.
The anthology was first put on paper in 1922 by Guillaume Henri Monod, the French geologist who is said to have collected these tales from the governor of Pursat, known only as Khieu.
The original collection, published in 1922 under the title ‘Légendes cambodgiennes que m'a contées le Gouverneur Khieu’ (Cambodian Legends as told to me by Governor Khieu), was never reprinted and disappeared into the obscure depths of university libraries. However, a few copies reprinted by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France are available for purchase online.
But about fifteen years ago, Kent Davis, who describes himself as a ‘literary archaeologist,’ came across the book while researching old Southeast Asian texts and decided to translate it into English.
‘We have a real time machine for Cambodian culture and oral tradition,’ said Kent Davis, who had already published the works of George Groslier.
According to Davis, Monod collected this information 92 years ago from a Cambodian man who was probably born around 1850 and who would have grown up hearing these stories from his parents, who were born around 1800.
After posting an online advertisement seeking a translator from French to English, Mr Davis found Solang Uk, a 75-year-old retired Cambodian biologist who had previously translated Chinese diplomat Zhou Daugan's account of 13th-century Angkor.
Uk, who grew up in the town of Tuk Meas in Kampot province under French and Japanese occupation, said at the time that he remembered hearing the stories from the elders of his town. Uk also felt that Monod, although French, had accurately captured the essence of the stories.
According to the translator, ‘the moral of the tales remained a source of debate,’ with some seeing Women's Wiles as a celebration of intelligence, while others saw it as a ‘warning against treacherous women.’
Many other aspects of these tales remain shrouded in mystery. Given the scarcity of written Khmer documents prior to the 19th century, neither Davis nor Uk knew with certainty the precise age of the legends.
According to Uk, the stories themselves are being told less and less by Cambodians, and the Khmer community overseas was particularly disconnected from these legends at the time.
Editor's note
In 1898, 23-year-old Guillaume Henri Monod travelled to French Indochina to seek his fortune in the exotic kingdom of Cambodia. Located at the crossroads of the great civilisations of India and China, the fabulous Khmer empire flourished there for over a millennium. Monod befriended many Cambodians while pursuing his passionate study of their ancient culture. One of his friends, Governor Khieu of Pursat Province, shared with Monod the rich legends of his country, inspiring him to record them in 1922.
In this edition, translated into English for the first time by Cambodian author and scholar Solang Uk, you will discover that the spirit, wisdom, humour and morality of these lively tales come in many forms, never failing to surprise, perplex and amuse a spellbound audience. As a bonus for language students and researchers, this book includes the original French text in its entirety.
Through imaginative twists and turns, you will meet simple villagers living deep in the jungle, kings and princesses in fabulous palaces, angels and gods of the Hindu heavens... and you will even face fierce pirates hidden in the lairs of an island!
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