SI TENGGANG
There was once a local boy called Si Tenggang whose daily chore was to accompany his father into the jungle to sharpen his skills in hunting, building traps and shelter. He could hunt stealthily under the cover of the darkness like a black panther and could sniff danger from a great distance away. When the time came, he built a steady boat and with the loving approval of his devoted mother, he sailed off to foreign lands. There he prospered, assumed the status of royalty and even won the hand of a local princess.

After a time of blissful marriage, Si Tenggang now known as Nakhoda (Captain) Tenggang, sailed again to far off lands - this time accompanied by a crew of able bodied men and his wife. Due to the splendour and fairytale-like life he had woven for himself, Si Tenggang had forgotten about his humble origins and his mother.

After a time at sea, the captain found themselves low on supplies and were forced to drop anchor at a tiny harbour carved into the edges of a thick jungle. (Then Batu Caves were much closer to the sea than it is now). The whole village turned up to greet the handsome Captain and his beautiful princess. As it were, the mother recognised her long-lost son and called out to him, 'Tenggang! My son, I knew you would come home!' Not willing to reveal his origins and be ridiculed by his crew and wife, Si Tenggang ordered the villagers to remove the 'mad woman' from his sight or he would get his crew to fire the cannons and kill them all. On hearing his commands, Si Tenggang's mother sadly whispered, 'I'm sorry. Do not harm them. I was mistaken. I see now that you are not my son.' As true words were spoken, the dark clouds loomed over , blackening the sky and the waves rose to great heights. The villagers - shocked by the strange phenomenon were at a loss as what to do, but as they turned to the ship's direction, they saw the ship, Si Tenggang, his wife and the entire crew turned into stone!

LEGEND OF TASIK DAYANG BUNTING (LAKE OF THE PREGNANT MAIDEN)
The lake was the favourite bathing place of Putri Dayang Sari, a celestial princess. One day, an earthly prince, Putera Teja, chanced upon her while she was bathing and was immediately smitten. His attempts to woo her with songs and poetry were in vain, so in desperation, he turned to a wise man for advice. He was told to wash his face with the tears of a mermaid to win the favour of the princess. His ploy worked indeed and he married the princess. She then gave birth to a baby who died. Her sadness doubled when she discovered that her marriage was through trickery. After burying her baby in the lake, she blessed it with magical fertility powers and returned to the heavens, never to appear again.

This legend gained credence when it was said that a couple, childless after almost twenty years of marriage and not for lack of trying, drank from the lake. Only then did they have their prayers answered. They had a baby girl.

THE LEGEND OF MAHSURI
Once upon a time, there lived in Langkawi, a childless couple, Pandak Maya and Mak Andam, who prayed for a child. Their prayers were answered when they had Mahsuri, a sweet delightful child who grew into a beautiful young woman. Being such a beauty, she had many suitors but she soon married a warrior in her village. Their idyllic lives were disrupted when her husband went off to defend their village against attackers. A travelling poet arrived at the village and Mahsuri was said to have allowed him to stay at her house. This soon gave rise to the vicious gossip that Mahsuri was a faithless wife.

Mahsuri's mother-in-law who was jealous of her plotted to have Mahsuri punished and done away with. Hence, she accused Mahsuri of being an adulteress, an offense punishable by death. Despite her parents' pleas and the cries of her child at her skirts, Mahsuri was dragged away and tied to a tree. Vehemently protesting her innocence, she begged for mercy, but the villagers, under the influence of the headman's wife, gave her no quarter. The people really should have believed her when all the spears that they threw at her fell harmlessly at her feet. They were baffled but still convinced that Mahsuri was guilty. They would not release her.

Finally, Mahsuri, having resigned herself that only her death would appease them, told them how to kill her. She would only die by the blade of the ceremonial sword kept at her home. Someone was sent to fetch it and legend has it that the sky became overcast and there was thunder and lightning as Mahsuri was fatally stabbed. It is said that Mahsuri bled white blood, symbolising her innocence and purity, and with her dying breath, she laid a curse on Langkawi and its inhabitants, proclaiming that they would know no prosperity nor progress for seven generations.

Soon after her death, Langkawi was attacked by the Siamese. To prevent the invaders from getting the upper hand, the villagers poisoned their wells and burnt their padi fields, which effectively put an end to their food supply and means of income for the coming year. The evidence of this burning can still be seen today, two hundred years later, as charred and blackened rice grains surface from the ground especially after it rains heavily.

HANG LI PO
On a hill at the back of the town of Melaka, Chinese tombs are left unattended by relatives for generations and most names and dates have been eroded by the rains. What remains is an old, half forgotten cemetery on Bukit China - "China Hill" - and the story of a Ming princess.

In ancient times, Malacca and China carried on a diplomatic war of wits which grew to be legendary. Around 1460, when Sultan Mansur Shah ruled Malacca, A Chinese ship sailed into port with special orders from the Son Of Heaven. The entire interior of the ship was delicately pinned with gold needles and the message sent to the Sultan read: "For every gold needle, I have a subject; if you could count their number, then you would know my power."

The Sultan was impressed, but dismayed. He sent back a ship stuffed with bags of sago with the message:"If you can count the grains of sago on this ship you will have guessed the number of my subjects correctly, and you will know my power." The Chinese Emperor was so intrigued that he sent his daughter, Princess Hang Li Poh to marry the Sultan. She came with no less than 500 ladies in waiting, all of great beauty. The Sultan gave them "the hill without the town" as as private residence and promised that the land they occupied would never be taken away from them. To this day, Bukit China belong to Malacca's Chinese community. Many of the graves there date back to the Ming Dynasty; they are among the oldest Chinese relics in Malaysia.

Princess Hang Li Poh's followers built a well at the foot of the hill, whose water soon became as legendary as her marriage contract. The Chinese says that after Admiral Cheng Ho drank from the well, its water attained an extraordinary purity. It never dried up, even during the most severe drought and many believed that if visitors drank from it they would return to Malacca someday again.

THE LEGEND OF THE FIERY PHEONIX
It is said that in ancient times, the emperors of Rome and China arranged for their respective children to be married to forge close ties. The mythical Phoenix was opposed to the match, fearing that such a merger would mean an end to smaller kingdoms. It vowed to thwart the marriage, failing which it would banish itself from the world.

The Phoenix abducted the Chinese princess and kept her prisoner in Langkawi. It also attacked the galley carrying the Roman prince who then fell into the sea. Fortunately, the prince was washed ashore on Langkawi island and brought to the Chinese princess’s pavilion where the couple was then reunited. Realizing the union was the will of God, the Phoenix kept its vow and left the earthly world. To this day, the beautiful sunsets and rainbows on the island serve as a reminder of this beautiful creature.

ORIGIN OF RICE (A LEGEND FROM BORNEO)
In ancient times man had no rice with which to still the pangs of hunger, but had to live from wild fruits and flesh of wild animals. It is true that the rice plants were there, but at this time the ears were empty, and naturally no food could be obtained from them.

One day, Bambarazon (the Goddess of Mercy) saw how difficult mam's lives were and how they were always hungry. Her compassionate heart was touched and she decided to help them. One evening she secretly slipped down the fields and pressed her breasts with one hand until her milks flowed into the ears of rice. She squeezed and squeezed until there was no more milk left, but all the ears were not filled; so she pressed once more with all her might, and a mixture of blood and milk came out. Now her task was completed, and man had rice to eat. The white grains are those that were made from Bambarazon's milk, and the ruddy red ones are those that were formed out of the mixture of her milk and blood.

From generation and to the present day, every Dusun or Kadazan celebrates the "Modsurung", which is known today as the Harvest Festival, in memory of the great Goddess of Mercy.

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