THE NOVICE’S CROCODILE (SOPOR KALEY MOUNTAIN)

If we travel from Phnom Penh by boat or ship along the Tonle Thorn (Mekong River) to Phnom Dei Chral (Dei Chral Mountain) and then turn to Krauch Chhmar port in Krauch Chhmar commune, Kampong Cham province, and glance northeastwards from Prek Prasap District of Kratie province at the north bank in Chambak commune, we will see a very high mountain lying by the river bank. This mountain is called "Phnom Sopor Kaley (Sopor Kaley Mountain)," which is a sacred mountain. The tale of this mountain has been narrated as follows:

Once upon a time, there was a crocodile named Sopor Kaley with a huge build and was magically the most powerful of all among which no crocodile could challenge. This crocodile lived in a pit called Anlung Samlei (Samlei Pit), which is now called Anlung Samlei village in Stung Trang district, Kampong Cham province; it's about 20 kilometers from Sopor Kaley Mountain.

At the same time, in Moha Leap commune, Koh Sotin District, Kampong Cham Province, there was also a crocodile named Neang Orai living in Tonle Toch (Small Mekong River) nearby Moha freap Pagoda. This crocodile was brought up by a novice. The crocodile always ferried his master across the river to anywhere the master wanted to.

This crocodile was extremely huge; the length of her head was 7 Hats (In Khmer measurement: 1 Hat = the distance from finger tips to elbow), and she could metamorphose into a human being. One day, when she metamorphosed into a human being, she heard people talking, "Neang Orai is not as huge as Sopor Kaley living in Anlung Samlei.”

After hearing this information, Neang Orai metamorphosed into a crocodile as usual and swam for many kilometers along the Tonle Touch to challenge a magic power with Sopor Kaley. When she reached Pky Moreach harbor, Neang Orai met an old couple rowing a boat across the Tonle Thom. Suddenly, Neang Orai came up with an idea, "If I'm still a crocodile like this, this old couple will not allow me to ride a boat with them since they are really afraid of crocodile, so I must metamorphose into a novice in order that I'm given a ride". After a moment of thought, Neang Orai immediately metamorphosed into a novice and took a ride on a boat with that old couple. Neang Orai, who metamorphosed into a novice, did not allow the old man to row the boat, but she asked the old couple to sit at the front part of the boat and hold the post of oar in order to protect themselves from falling off.

This novice started rowing the boat as hard as she could. With help from Neang Orai's tail flapping the water, the speed of the boat was becoming faster and faster. They took a haft day to reach the place where Sopor Kaley lived.

The novice, who had metamorphosed from Neang Orai, asked the old couple, "Which bank do you want to dock the boat?" They replied, "We want to dock our boat at the right bank". When the boat reached the river bank, Neang Orai helped drag the boat up to the bank. The old man said, "It's better to keep it here." The novice replied, "No, we should not keep it here". Then, they continued to drag the boat up to the cliff and moored it with a chain to a past set on the bank because the novice thought that during the competition the river waves would aggressively hit the bank; therefore, the boat would possibly move away.

After that, the novice (Neang Orai) showed her magic power to metamorphose herself from the novice into a crocodile and quickly crept into the water and swam towards her challenger, Sopor Kaley. When both crocodiles faced each other, an aggressive bite with wonderful magic power of both challengers took place. While biting, both challengers apparently stood up from the water, creating huge waves hitting the river bank so noisily. At that moment, a big crowd of people came to see the competition.

After a long bite, Neang Orai, who had stronger power, pierced the Sopor 's stomach with her teeth and Sopor Kaley died immediately. The remains of Sopor Kaley had become a mountain called "Sopor Kaley Mountain". It was named after Sopor Kaley. After that, this mountain became very sacred. All the time when people came to learn the magic knowledge at that place, there would be evils or ghosts came to haunt them by metamorphosing themselves into a ball of gold as big as a coconut or into beautiful ladies sitting next to and embracing those learners while they were meditating. If any learner desired to take this thing, these ladies would fatally break the neck of that person.

After swimming the competition, Neang Orai returned to her permanent residence. For a long time later, while ferrying the novice, her master, across the river, Neang Orai encountered a rival that came to harm her. A moment, Neang Orai thought of means to safeguard her master. As she could not find a safe place for her master, Neang Orai decided to swallow his master into his stomach and started biting with the rival.

The rival escaped right away while losing the bite with Neang Orai. After the fight, Neang Orai belched her master out. Unfortunately, the master had died and Neang Orai was really sad about that.

While the public was cremating a corpse of the novice, Neang Orai came from the water and crept into the burning fire and died there with the novice, her master.

- THE END –

Ungrateful Crocodile

There was a clever young deer living in the forest. Many animals like this small deer because he is friendly and he likes to help other animals.

One day a cow walked to the bank of the river because he was hungry and wanted to look for food there. Suddenly, the cow saw a crocodile which was being suppressed tightly by the log and it groaned hurtfully.

The crocodile begged the cow: "Brother Cow! Please help me. I believe that you can lift the log because you are a strong animal." When the cow heard the crocodile begged like this, he tried to lift the log quickly so the crocodile could survive at that time.

However, the crocodile did not return good deed to the cow. On the contrary, it grabbed the leg of the cow very tightly. The cow groaned with pain and begged the crocodile: "Brother Crocodile, release me please." The crocodile did not listen to the cow begging because he wanted to eat the cow.

Meanwhile, the small deer walked past by and saw the cow was in the hand of crocodile. The small deer asked the cow: "What happened to you, brother cow?" The cow said with tears: "Earlier, I help lift the log away from brother crocodile, but now he wants to eat me." The small deer thought a few minutes.

And then, he remembered a thought so the small deer said: "Brother Crocodile, can you tell me how Brother Cow lift the log? I think that Brother cow is not as strong as he said. "

Without thinking, the ignorant crocodile opened his mouth to say so the cow pulled his leg quickly.

And then the deer and cow ran very fast for their lives.

The End

Do not trust anyone easily.

KRAITHAONG AND CROCODILE CHHARAVANN STORY

Long, long ago, there lived a family with a son named Chharavann. Chharavann fancied swimming and playing in the water since he was a young child even if he was told not to do so by his parents. His parents sent him to learn various martial arts and mantras with a well-known martial arts grandmaster. Chharavann was the most senior among all the students. One day, came a newcomer called Kraithaong. The grandmaster arranged him for a practice of traditional long-stick martial arts with Chharavann. Over many years, they both were grown up and learnt martial art skills together peacefully. One day, the grandmaster was invited to heal an illness of a millionaire's wife in a district.

The grandmaster told all the students, "Please follow my advice! While I am leaving today for a distant place, Chharavann will be responsible for all affairs here, so you all should respect his words because he is your senior." Before the departure, the grandmaster asked Chharavann to take proper care of the tabernacle and shrines as well as the hermitage.

In the tabernacle, Chharavann saw a sutra to which the grandmaster prohibits all the students to get access; it is the scriptures about magic transformation. Chharavann learned the sutra secretly until he completed it successfully. After having learnt it successfully, Chharavann said proudly before all the students that he had mastered a new mantra that he could use to transform him into a crocodile. All the students were afraid of the crocodile and asked Chharavann not to do so. Chharavann reassured, "There's nothing to worry about! If I become a crocodile, any of you just take a stick and slightly beat my head three times. By doing so, I will become a human being again. But, if for three days no one beat my head, I will become a crocodile for a whole life." After that, Chharavann transformed himself into a crocodile at a blink. Having been fearful of such a giant crocodile, all the students run away, leaving Chharavann to float himself in the river, waiting for his grandmaster's arrival to save him.

Three days later, the grandmaster returned. Seeing the students were in state of disorder, he asked, "What's wrong? Where is Chharavann?" There, Kraithaong replied, "Brother Chharavann became a crocodile and stayed in the river." Hearing so, the grandmaster was taken aback and said, "Huh! a crocodile? Please guide me there to see him!" Having seen the grandmaster walking toward him, Crocodile Chharavann was very glad and strived to protrude head out of the water.

The grandmaster hopelessly said, "Chharavann! I am very regretful for your disrespect of my words. Now, the proper time to save you has gone." For Kraithaong, he felt so pity for his elder co-trainee, but he could not help. A few days later on, the grandmaster was invited to heal an illness of a millionaire's daughter named Sampov Meas, a younger sister of daughter named Sampov Keo.

Chharavann served as the grandmaster's vehicle for traveling to heal the illness of the millionaire's daughter. Arriving there, the grandmaster started to heal Miss Sampov Meas. She recovered well under the treatment of the grandmaster, who instructed the millionaire that, "Upon her full recovery, please do not allow her to swim or play in water in any ways." Then, the grandmaster stayed on the Chharavann's back, traveling through the River on the way back to his hermitage.

On the way, came a crocodile wishing to challenge Crocodile Chharavann. Be aware of such a bad situation, the grandmaster told Chharavann, "Please! Swallow me right now, but do not forget to spit me out not later than three days, or I will die." Chharavann swallowed his grandmaster, and then fought to the finish with the hostile crocodile for two days, but it was not until the 7th day when Chharavann managed to perish his rival in that river.

Arriving at the hermitage, Chharavann spitted the grandmaster out, but the grandmaster had already died. Seeing that their grandmaster was dead, all of the students accused Chharavann of killing him, and beat Chharavann's head until it was bleeding. With such serious sufferings, Chharavann floated himself away far and far. Chharavann then met, in the mythical world below the river, another grandmaster who has powerful enchantments and could transform him into a human. The grandmaster taught Chharavann many fields of knowledge. This grandmaster also caste a magic for creation of two beautiful maids, called Keo Lay and Keo Ly, to serve as Chharavann’s wives.

Having mastered all such fields of knowledge, Chharavann transformed himself into a man and went to the land to prostrate before his former grandmaster's grave. Chharavann met one of his classmates then. Chharavann asked that classmate, "Do you know where Kraithaong is?" "I don't know," he replied. Then Chharavann beat the classmate to unconsciousness because when he spit out his dead grandmaster, Kraithaong and other students was not asking him for explanation, but beat him brutally to nearly death.

Back to Miss Sampov Meas, while she was embroiling in a quiet atmosphere, appeared Miss Sampov Keo and said, "Hey! It seems you keep yourself busy with embroiling everyday. Today, I want to ask for our parents' permission to go out for our good time." Then, they felt and asked their father for the permission. The millionaire agreed and assigned male and female servants to escort and protect them.

When being out, Sampov Meas, Sampov Keo, and all the servants swam and played as a crocodile in the water. While in the cave of the riverbed, Chharavann had a strange headache and is comfort. Then he went up to find out who was stepping on his head. Chharavann went out and needed the girls to play with him and who at the same time rejected his request. Chharavann then disappeared into the river. A moment later, Sompov Meas was taken by Chharavann to his mythical world below the river. The news that Sompov Meas was abducted by a crocodile came to the millionaire who felt very anxious and ordered his servants to search for brave men to kill the crocodile. He promised to marry Sompov Meas and offer great fortune to anyone who could save her.

In the mythical world, Sompov Meas opened her eyes doubtfully looking things around as she did know where she was. Sompov Meas asked Chharavann, "Why am I here and who brought me here?" Chharavann replied, "1 am the one who brings you here." Sompov Meas responded, "Huh! You brought me here, so are you a crocodile?" "Of course, I am a human being, but I could magically transform myself into a crocodile. Be aware that I take you here in revenge for my grandmaster's death."

Talking of the millionaire, he has called on scores of brave men, including Cham and Chinese magicians, who boasted for their capacity to conquer the crocodile, but at last they all ended up in losses of lives under the hands of Chharavann. The millionaire hence continued his search for stronger men and eventually met Kraithaong. Kraithaong created bowls from leaves and floated them on the river to ascertain where the crocodile concealed, so that he could kill him, while Chharavann felt extremely irritated and even dreamt that his body was severed into two pieces by a god from the heaven. The two wives recommended that their husband went to the grandmaster for prediction of the nightmare.

The grandmaster told Chharavann, "Your dream reveals a threat to your life. Did you get something and conceal it in this cave." "I have taken a lady and kept her inside the cave for three-four days," Chharavann replied, adding that "That's because she is the root of my grandmaster's death." Hearing so, the grandmaster warned Chharavann that "That's the reason that you have provoked the millionaire. Now, he hired strong men to take your life." In response, Chharavann said angrily that, "Grandmaster! Do you have any tactic to overcome them?" The grandmaster told that "No, you have to bring the lady back; otherwise, you would face a menace. Anyway, there is a way out-you must stay inside on the 15th day of this waxing moon.

And, you need to meditate until the end of the waxing moon's 15th day if you are to defeat him." Hearing so, Chharavann felt less anxious. The grandmaster advised Keo Ly and Keo Lay to take care of and keep their husband inside the cave.

Chharavann stayed inside the cave but felt so disturbed that he could not cope with as Kraithaong was reciting incantation to challenge Chharavann for a fight with him. Chharavann as a result went out though his wives took their best effort to bar him. Chharavann went out to fight, but was defeated by Kraithaong. He felt so annoyed that he even killed his two wives and the grandmaster. Chharavann felt extremely sorry for his inconsiderate acts and failure to comply with the grandmaster’s advice again and again that resulted in such jeopardy.

Because of his severe wounds, Chharavann died at the moment. Kraithaong came to help Sompov Meas and brought her to reunite with her parents. Kraithaong was told by one of his classmate that

Chharavann did not kill his grandmaster, and that it was the result of illusion. Kraithaong felt very sorry for killing Chharavann, so he traveled to say sorry to Chharavann. Unfortunately, hharavann died. When everything was over, the millionaire organized a wedding ceremony for Sompov Meas and Kraithaong to respect what he had promised.

“Honest is the best policy.”

THE END