The Maiden in the Forest: Reflections on Some Southeast Asian Tales

Abstract

This article is an exploration of various Southeast Asian stories with a focus on Central and East Java and Sunda (West Java). Although on the face of it these tales concern things as different as the origin of rice agriculture and the rise of princely lines and kingdoms, the paper highlights common though not-emphasized elements in them, especially the forest, raising the question why these elements are so persistently there-but-not-emphasized, and what their significance is. By looking at especially the actions of the protagonists of the stories, an understanding of these 'silent' factors becomes clear. This speaks of the people's position vis-à-vis the forest and the supernatural world, a deep understanding of which the people themselves may not always be fully aware and which cannot therefore always be depicted explicitly. These silences also leave room for a considerable degree of flexibility in the tales, allowing them to be adapted to changed circumstances, including changes in religious conviction and in scientific knowledge of the world. Copyright © 2020 Association Archipel.