Legends
Of Langkawi
THE LEGEND OF MAHSURI
The best known legend of Langkawi is of Mahsuri, a
pretty maiden who lived some 200 years ago. She died
under tragic circumstances for a crime she did not
commit. She died a victim of a conspiracy plotted
against her out of jealousy for her magnetic personality.
She was accused of committing adultery and was sentenced
to death by the Chief of Langkawi, Dato Karma Jaya,
her own father-in-law. As the legend goes, Mahsuri
was the object of envy, of the village headman's wife
Wan Mahora. She accused Mahsuri of adultery with a
handsome minstrel visiting the island while Mahsuri's
husband, Wan Darus, was away.
As proof of
her innocence, some people say, white blood was seen
gushing out of her wound during execution. Others
maintain there was the sudden appearance of white
mist that enveloped the spot where she was executed,
which it was believed was a sign of mourning of her
innocence.
Mahsuri is
best remembered for her curse on Langkawi which was
uttered before she died. She had said, "For this act
of injustice Langkawi shall not prosper for seven
generations to come."
Decades after
Mahsuri's death, Langkawi experienced a period of
tribulation with her population dwindling in size.
The island became a desolate place, beset by series
of misfortunes. It was not able to regain its splendour
for a long period of time.
The curse,
believed to have brought destruction and doom to the
island and was to last for seven generations, lifted
only after the birth of Wan Aishah.
TASIK DAYANG
BUNTING
Tasik Dayang Bunting is a fresh water lake on the
island of Dayang Bunting, the second largest in the
Langkawi archipelago. There appears to be several
versions of the Dayang Bunting legend.
One version
has it that Dayang Bunting was a giant guardian spirit
that kept watch over the islands. The lady's defenses
include her pet lion and poison from the tuba root,
potent weapons for her protection. Hence, the two
islands closest to Pulau Dayang Bunting, whose silhoutte
resembles that of a reclined pregnant giant, are named
Pulau Singa Besar (Great Lion Island) and Pulau Tuba
(Poisonous Root Island). The story goes that, a group
of rude merchants failed to pay the obligatory respects
to Dayang Bunting as they passed by the islands. Rudely
awakened by the intrusion, she summoned her pet lion
to despatch the trespassers. She roused the spirits
of wind and water, stirring up a tropical storm that
unleashed its fury on the incoming fleet of sailors.
