Page 91 - Nora a Living Dance Tradition of Southern Thailand
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Key Nora Legends เธญเธฒเธเธฒเธฃเธขเธเน เธขเธฑ เธงเธธเธ’เธด เธเธขเธด เธฐเธเธฅเธน เธ๏ฟฝเธณเธเธกเธซเธฅเธเธฑ เธเธฒเธเธฃเธญเน เธขเธฃเธญเธขเธเธฃเธฐเธงเธ•เธฑ เธจเธด เธฒเธชเธ•เธฃเน 89
Several important legends forming key parts of Nora culture are เธ—เธตเนเธงเธ”เธฑ เน€เธเธขเธต เธเธเธฒเธเนเธเนเธง เธเธเธฑ เธซเธงเธฑเธ”เธเธ—เธฑ เธฅเธเธธ
included in Rong Khru ritual performances. One is about the beginnings
of Nora performance. Later ones are tied to key divine figures related to
Buddhist Jataka tales. Others are tied to various goddesses in the Malay
Archipelago.
The Nora Founder
Legends about the first Nora master exist in many versions in local
Rong Khru rituals. Nora Phum Theva relayed the basic legend in Pinyo
Jitthamโ€s book Nora as follows:
Once upon a time, a king named Phraya Sai Fa Fard (meaning
โ€lightning boltโ€) had a beautiful daughter named Nang Nuan Thong
Samlee. She dreamed that a Kinnon (a male half-man half-bird divine
creature) came to dance for her, showing a wonderful dance in twelve
poses while performing with a music ensemble. When she awoke, she began
dancing like she had dreamed, and ate the stamens of lotus flower,
becoming pregnant. Angry at this, her father banished her from the city on
a raft over a large lake with her maids. Her raft got stuck on Krachang Island
(in Songkhla Lake), where she gave birth to a boy. After teaching him to dance,
the boy left the island and went back to the city, where he danced. When king
Phraya Sai Fa Fard saw him dance, he invited the boy to his palace to dance
for him. Moved both by the beauty of his dance and by his resemblance to his
daughter, he realized the boy was his grandson. He then gave the boy royal
decorations and a crown, along with the title Khun Sri Sattha to act as the
dancer for the court.
