The Peacock Princess, also Kongque Gongzhu, is a folktale of the

Dai people The Dai people ( Burmese: ရှမ်းလူမျိုး; khb, ᨴᩱ/ᨴᩱ᩠ᨿ; lo, ໄຕ; th, ไท; shn, တႆး, ; , ; ) refers to several Tai-speaking ethnic groups living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and t ...

in China, with shared origins with other similar tales found throughout Southeast Asia. The tale is also considered to be a version of the international "

swan maiden The swan maiden is a mythical creature who shapeshifts from human form to swan form. The key to the transformation is usually a swan skin, or a garment with swan feathers attached. In folktales of this type, the male character spies the maiden, ...

" narrative.

History

The tale originated within the people of the Dai ethnic group who worshiped

peacocks Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are refe ...

, and is reported to have circulated among them for centuries. The Dai people worship peacocks as being messengers of peace, kindness, love and beauty.

Names

The tale is celebrated amongst the Dai people of China and was recorded as a poem and folk story known under several names, such as ''Shaoshutun'', ''The Peacock Princess'', ''Zhao Shutun and Lanwuluona'', ''Zhao Shu Tun and Nan Nuo Na'', or ''Zhao Shudeng and Nanmu Nuonuo''.

Plot

The tale follows the story of a young prince named Zhao Shutun (and variations; see above), who is looking for a bride. One day, he is guided to a lake where seven peacock maidens are bathing (or dancing), and he falls in love with the seventh and youngest of them, the Peacock Princess. The prince steals her peacock feathers while she is distracted and waits for the other birds to fly away before he appears to her. The prince returns her feathers and she agrees to become his bride. They fly back to his kingdom and marry. On their wedding night, the evil wizard puts a spell on the king and starts a war. The young prince leaves for battle and while he is gone his princess is sentenced to death by the king. Before she is executed, she takes on peacock form and escapes. When the prince returns from battle, he kills the evil wizard and releases the king from the spell, but begins a long quest to the Peacock Kingdom to regain his wife. Fortunately, he finds his wife again, and everyone lives happily ever after. * Kingdom Oudor Bangchal (

Mueang Mueang ( th, เมือง ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( lo, ເມືອງ ''mɯ́ang'', ; Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''muang''), Mong ( shn, ''mə́ŋ'', ), Meng () or Mường (Vietnamese), were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or principali ...

Bangchal, Mường Bản-trát, 勐板扎) * Heavenly kingdom Kaylas of

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

* King Atichakvong * Queen Chantea Devi * Prince Preah Sothun ( Chao Sisouthone, Triệu Thụ-đồn, Lê Tư-thành, 召樹屯) * Princess Neang Keo Monorea ( Nang Manola, Nam Mục-nhược-na, Nhồi-hoa, 喃穆婼娜) * God of

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

(dragon king, lord of water) * Seven kenoreis * King Preah Bat Tommakreach *

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

's grand master (as Ramasura or Ream Eyso) * Chranieng (kind of tree) *

Mount Meru Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...

* Damloeng

Culture

This legend was made into a Chinese film in 1963 and 1982 with the same title.Yuanyuan Chen (2017). "Old or new art? Rethinking classical Chinese animation". In: ''Journal of Chinese Cinemas'', 11:2, 178. DOI: 10.1080/17508061.2017.1322786

References

Books

* Norodom Buppha Devi,
Le Cambodge, renaissance de la tradition khmère. Preah Sothun (création), danse classique
', Cité de la musique,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France, 2004. * Sotheary Kimsun, ''Brʹaḥ S'uthn nʹāng kʹaevmnʹorʹāh̊ : Preah Sothun and Neang Keo Monorea'', Reading Books, 2009. * Isabelle Soulard
Preah Sothun neang Keo Monorea
France. * * *

External links

ស្នេហាលន្លង់លន្លោចនៃព្រះសុធននាងកែវមនោហរា (រឿងខ្មែរ, រឿងចិន)

Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso

{{authority control Dai people Female characters in fairy tales Fictional kings Fictional princes