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The old woman was well-known in the area as a healer and a weaver. Some people say her reputation has spread not only throughout the First Division of Sarawak but also all the way to the Peninsular. People from far and wide came to her for her knowledge, her healing herbs and her advice.
There are others who have claimed that her healing arts could not possibly be natural. The people who have gone to her little shack deep within the jungles at the foot of Mount Santubong have reported to need to be carried in or have walked in feeling lifeless but have walked out feeling young, healthy and rejuvenated. She is known to ease all pains with just a glass of herb tea. Mothers have said that a birthing by the old woman was a smooth and painless procedure. Some have whispered that she is known to blow life back into a stillborn baby yet nobody have ever been able to confirm it.
Some people have also said to have seen not an old hag but a beautiful young woman with long, wavy black hair that kissed her knees as she glided by. They said her skin was not wrinkled and pasty but smooth, unblemished and vibrant. They also said that she wears a long, black skirt with gold embroideries and a dark red tube top. She had gold filigree bracelets pushed up to the tops of her arms. She is said to cover her shoulders and her head with an embroidered sarong. Some people have claimed that she wears a gold tiara. Such reports contradict what everyone sees of the only inhabitant of the area, who is an old, hunchbacked woman.
The one thing everyone agrees on, though, is the way the old woman has with children. There are many villages surrounding her shack. The children from these villages would inevitably find their way to her shack. There, they would listen to her stories, her advice and her teachings. She taught the girls to weave and to heal. The boys were taught to hunt but with compassion. The children later went back to teach their parents and the other villagers.
The old woman was said to have been doing this for a very long time. All the children told of her as an old woman. When they grew old, their children and grandchildren told of the old woman in the jungle who told them wonderful stories and taught them how to weave and hunt. It never seemed to bother anyone that she could be an immortal being. As far as everyone was concerned, she never bothered them and she was helping them. She became a local folk legend who told her own legends.
It was during one of the story sessions that one of the children happened to ask her about the legend of the princess of the mountain.
The old woman was well-known in the area as a healer and a weaver. Some people say her reputation has spread not only throughout the First Division of Sarawak but also all the way to the Peninsular. People from far and wide came to her for her knowledge, her healing herbs and her advice.
There are others who have claimed that her healing arts could not possibly be natural. The people who have gone to her little shack deep within the jungles at the foot of Mount Santubong have reported to need to be carried in or have walked in feeling lifeless but have walked out feeling young, healthy and rejuvenated. She is known to ease all pains with just a glass of herb tea. Mothers have said that a birthing by the old woman was a smooth and painless procedure. Some have whispered that she is known to blow life back into a stillborn baby yet nobody have ever been able to confirm it.
Some people have also said to have seen not an old hag but a beautiful young woman with long, wavy black hair that kissed her knees as she glided by. They said her skin was not wrinkled and pasty but smooth, unblemished and vibrant. They also said that she wears a long, black skirt with gold embroideries and a dark red tube top. She had gold filigree bracelets pushed up to the tops of her arms. She is said to cover her shoulders and her head with an embroidered sarong. Some people have claimed that she wears a gold tiara. Such reports contradict what everyone sees of the only inhabitant of the area, who is an old, hunchbacked woman.
The one thing everyone agrees on, though, is the way the old woman has with children. There are many villages surrounding her shack. The children from these villages would inevitably find their way to her shack. There, they would listen to her stories, her advice and her teachings. She taught the girls to weave and to heal. The boys were taught to hunt but with compassion. The children later went back to teach their parents and the other villagers.
The old woman was said to have been doing this for a very long time. All the children told of her as an old woman. When they grew old, their children and grandchildren told of the old woman in the jungle who told them wonderful stories and taught them how to weave and hunt. It never seemed to bother anyone that she could be an immortal being. As far as everyone was concerned, she never bothered them and she was helping them. She became a local folk legend who told her own legends.
It was during one of the story sessions that one of the children happened to ask her about the legend of the princess of the mountain.
3 comments:
WOW!! I can't believe how I could forget what a wonderful writer you are! This story is so beautiful... i feel like it's my grandma telling me the legend... not that i'm saying that you're as old as my grandma cause you are of course younger than me... it's just that... oh... you know what i mean!
tell me the real legend of the puteri santubong please because all i know is from the song. i know... shame on me :(
Hee! Hee! You're very good for my ego. I was afraid that the introduction would be a little too long. Keep an eye on this space and I'll keep feeding you the legend ;)
OooOOooo I LOVE IT! Do write more and post it soon. The story just pulls me in!
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