Vampire Myths (Eastern) - Raja Bersiong
Vampire
myths are common both in the East and the West and while the normal perception
is that the vampire originated from Transylvania there are many other myths
around the world that incorporate the vampire element.
For
long periods in its contemporary history Kedah was under Siamese rule and on
one particular occasion it came under the influence of a particularly
intimidating monarch. At birth he was given the name Raja Ong Maha Perita Daria
but he was more commonly known as Raja Bersiong. According to legend, despite
the vice like grip he had on his kingdom, Raja Bersiong lived in constant fear
and the threat of being assassinated perpetually loomed over him like a dark
cloud.
He
was so afraid that even when he went to sleep, he had guards posted around his
bed. He devised outlandish methods to counter any threats on his life including
leaving all culinary matters in the hands of two cooks. Only they prepared his
food and no one else touched any of the ingredients that went into his meals.
The cooks had been in his service for years and showed unwavering loyalty to
their king. Once his meals were prepared he had his guards taste the food to
make sure that it wasn’t poisoned.
Now
Raja Bersiong loved to hunt especially with his two dogs and he was constantly
out hunting with his guards. The king also loved spicy food and the dish he
savored most was curried venison mixed and mashed with a blend of wild aromatic
spices.
During
one of his hunting trips, his party was hit by a large thunderstorm and the
king sought refuge in a nearby cave, while the rest of his retinue continued
with the hunt, pelted by large raindrops that fell incessantly from the sky.
The
tropical storm lasted for almost five hours and at the end of it, the king was
famished. Fortunately the hunt was successful and despite the torrential
downpour, his escorts had returned with at least six kills of modest
proportions.
As
soon as the rain stopped the king jumped on his horse and ordered his men
back to the palace. The party rode back at breakneck speed and once they had
returned the carcasses were ferried to the kitchen and handed to the two cooks
to be skinned, cut and churned into a meal.
The
cooks hurried to prepare the meal and while readying his favorite curry, brazed
with deer meat, under a smoldering fire, one of the cooks who was in the habit
of day dreaming, accidentally cut his finger with a cooking knife and droplets
of blood fell into the curry.
The
cook panicked. To prepare a similar meal would take him at least another hour
and the king was hungry. If the meal was delayed the irate king might have him
beheaded and in desperation he continued as if nothing had happened.
The
aromatic scent of rice and curry soon drifted through the corridors of the
palace and the king who was unable to contain his hunger any longer, the
thunderous rumbles in his belly grew stronger by the minute, ordered that the
meal be served.
His
aides rushed to prepare the dining table, set with the finest porcelain and
silver and Raja Bersiong started eating as soon as the food was presented,
ravenously devouring his meal. Midway through his meal, the king noticed that
there was a difference in the taste and whatever the cooks had added, had
increased the flavor manifold.
Curiosity
got the better of him and he summoned the cooks as soon as he’d finished
eating. The cooks were brought into the throne room and the king seated on his
throne that rested on an elevated platform, glared down at them and ordered
that they reveal the new ingredient that they had added to his meal.
The
cooks trembled with fear and the errant cook, almost fainting from terror,
spoke up and revealed the truth, hoping that the king would forgive him. The
king, realizing that it was the drops of blood that had made the difference
ordered that from then on drops of blood be added to all his meals.
He
looked around and ordered the guard closest to him to go down to the dungeon
below and behead a prisoner. He then instructed the guard to gather the blood
that oozed from the dismembered body in a container and bring it to him.
The
guard instantly obeyed and from that day onwards, Raja Bersiong continued to
feed on blood. His requirements increased daily and soon all the prisoners in
the dungeon were beheaded until none remained. By that time, the king had
developed an insatiable craving for blood and he could not exist without it.
In
order to satisfy his craving for the elixir, the king ordered that his guards
kidnap young children prompting his subjects to live in constant fear.
Soon
the facial contours of Raja Bersiong began to change and his features became
increasingly distorted. On his upper jaw, on either side of his mouth, two
canine cuspids began to take shape and grew to feature prominently on his face.
The
errant cook who had perpetuated the change saddened by the transformation that
he had unwittingly initiated secretly plotted to kill the king. He discreetly
slipped some powder, a deadly mix of poison, which he kept hidden in the hollow
of a horn, into the king’s food and served it to the unsuspecting Raja
Bersiong.
However
on that particular day, the guards were unable to find any children and the
kingdom appeared to be deserted during their customary rounds. The king who had
accompanied the guards, together with his two dogs, returned to the palace,
hungry and empty handed and ordered that his meal be served.
The
meal was brought before him but before he could eat it, one of his dogs,
stricken by hunger, leapt forward and knocked the bowls containing his favorite
curry off the table. The angry king ordered that the dogs be taken out of the
dining quarters but not before one of the dogs had guzzled down a sizable
portion of the meal.
Within
minutes of consuming the poisoned food, the dog, sank to the ground, sagged and
sapped and soon died. The king ordered that the guards inspect the remains of
the animal and it soon came to the light that the dog had been poisoned.
Raja
Bersiong, angered by the death of one of his favorite dogs, ordered that both
the cooks be arrested. The cooks were interrogated but none of them admitted to
the crime and the angry king had them both tortured. On the thirteenth day
following their arrest, the errant cook, unable to hold out any longer
confessed to the crime. The king had the guilty cook beheaded and had his body
disemboweled. He then ordered the remaining cook to assume his duties and
functions.
The
king’s cruelty did not cease and his subjects became increasingly angry and
disenchanted. In the midst of the chaos a group of local fishermen assembled
and plotted to overthrow the king but their plan was discovered and they were
quickly arrested and beheaded.
Among
those that were angry with the king was the brother of a prominent minister who was saddened by
the plight that had befallen the kingdom. He discreetly organized the ruling
elite to overthrow the king.
The
court dignitaries banded together and soon formed a large contingent, much
bigger than the king’s standing army and they headed in battle formation
towards the palace. The king ordered his guards to stand and repel the attack
but they deserted within seconds of the rebellion becoming known.
Raja
Bersiong, his rule no longer intact, fled to the nearby jungle and was never
heard from again. Ironically no one attempted to stop his escape or capture him
and according to the myth he continues to exist in the depths of the unyielding
jungle.
Copyright © 2019 by Kathiresan Ramachanderam
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