Thursday, 24 February 2022

Phra Aphai Mani Characters

The Characters of Phra Apai Mani

Sourced from a Thai website. These are the most popular characters of Thailand's longest epic poem and public domain story ever made. 

Of all the heroes in the story, which indeed was somewhat fair for its time, Phra Aphai Mani is the only almost wholly nominal one, as although he is a hero in almost all things except having a complete code of moral conduct, his behaviour and actions sometimes affect other characters for the worse.  

The mermaids in the story of Phra Aphai Mani live in the deep sea. They are half-human, half-fish hybrids. When the ship was wrecked, the mermaids go and pull the humans in pairs, causing the children of mermaids to know the human languages. Many mermaid fathers and mothers, plus the mermaid wife of Phra Aphai Mani, know that as well. Sinsamouth was also amazed at the appearance of the mermaids. One of the mermaids looked less cunning than the other girls and gave up to Phra Aphai Mani because of the sweetness that the man was good at. However, a mermaid's love can be regarded as supportive kind of love, because Phra Aphai Mani has a merit that doesn't go away, when they meet at Nang Phisamuth’s Cave. At that time, the mermaid made a vow that she would be a servant of Phra Aphai Mani until his death. At first he thought that she would surely die, because she was captured by a giant like Sinsamouth, but when she met Phra Aphai Mani who promised to let her go back. It was as if Phra Aphai Mani had saved her life. It is therefore appropriate that the Main Mermaid's father will submit himself to Phra Aphai Mani. In addition, fellow mermaids have to bear the burden of serving Phra Aphai Mani. Phra Aphai Mani indicates that her father and mother have passed away. The mermaids therefore rarely argue with Phra Aphai Mani, as their main duty is to take care of their own children like Sudsakorn, until they grow up and go to war to help their father later. The role of the main mermaid was not less pathetic to look at within the eyes of the present day, because when leaving Koh Kaew Phitsadan, Phra Aphai Mani never returned to receive her as promised. He would visit sometime at the end of the story. There was still some happiness for her when Indra later sympathized to help cut off the fish's tail and give her legs like a human. And Sudsakorn happily accepted to live in Lanka with his children and grandchildren.

The sea demon woman Nang Phisamuth’s eyes were very angry, but her figure was ragged and her mouth was too fragile. She lived in a cave in the middle of the sea. Able to transform into a beautiful women in a previous life, she was blessed to be able to take off a man's heart and put it in a stone. Therefore, she began to fight against the fire, so she was burned by acid flames until her body was set on fire. She became a sea demon, possessing a stone that she had entrusted to her heart. Phra Aphai Mani was reluctantly captured by the sea demon woman in the cave, until becoming the husband of Phisamuth, whose position does not know yet, and had one child together, Sinsamouth. Sinsamouth was 8 years old when he angered her off. While his mother was away from the cave, he tried to push a stone so strongly (it was the stone that the sea demon woman used to cover the mouth of the cave of Dee Phi Phai) and go out to tease her and play with the dolphins, until they meet an old mermaid. Out of curiosity, she brought him to show his father what it was. The old mermaid was very good. When she met Phra Aphai Mani, he became sympathetic. She would take him away to rely on the prestige of Lord Ta (The magic yogi) is still on Koh Kaew, so the plan is done. Phra Aphai Mani used a trick to deceive the giant woman into fasting for 3 days, during which she clings on the back of a mermaid as if playing a jet ski to the sea breeze until she almost reaches the shore. Phisamuth returned to the cave and couldn't find her husband. So he knew that he was deceived. They hurried up and caught up with each other at the beautiful and rich sandy beach at Koh Kaew, narrowly missed. (Unfortunately, The Old mermaid, plus both husband and wife were almost caught and eaten, though only the little old mermaid left that will become another wife of Phi Phai later). After many years had passed, the stone also had limbs, as its face grew out and finally came back to life. One day, she saw Phra Aphai Mani and thought of her love, so she carried her to the cave, until they had a son together named Sinsamouth. Later, Phra Aphai Mani and Sinsamouth ran away from her. Phisamuth went out to follow with love. But then she had to die by the sound of Phra Aphai Mani. Her body had turned to stone on the beach by the sea.

Phra Aphai Mani is the son of Thao Suthat, the king of Rattana and Mrs. Pathum Kessorn and has a younger brother named Srisuwan. Phra Aphai Mani went to learn how to master the sound of the bagpipes, until he became proficient in making those who heard the sound of the flute fall asleep. But Thao Suthat was not satisfied, therefore expelled from the city along with Srisuwan. During the journey, Phra Aphai Mani was abducted by a female sea demon named Phisamuth and stayed with her in a cave, until they had a son together named Sinsamouth. Later, Phra Aphai Mani took Sinsamouth and fled to live with the Yogi at Koh Kaew Phitsadan. and then met with Mrs. Suwanamalee, the daughter of Thao Silrat, when he was married to a first wife of his, Mrs. Lawengwanla. He had to wage war with Usren until she died, and Mrs. Lawengwanla, Usren's sister, had to revenge on her, so they had to go to war. Phra Aphai Mani was charmed by her to make her fall in love with him, until she went to live in Lanka as well, and she also encouraged Phra Aphai Mani to wage war with the same party. Until the Yogi of Koh Kaew Phitsadan came to mitigate the war, it ended. At the end of his life, Phra Aphai Mani went to be ordained as a hermit at Khao Singsut. 

Sudsakorn was the son of Phra Aphai Mani and a mermaid. Good at swimming and diving, a yogi brought him up since birth and taught him different subjects. When he was three years old, he caught the onyx coloured sea dragon. The yogi advises Sudsakorn to find his father by giving him a magic wand to protect himself and ordaining him to become a yogi. During the trip, an old nudist was deceived and pushed into the abyss. and took the staff and the onyx coloured sea dragon, but soon the creature fled back to find both the yogi and the former's father, as well as following to help Sudsakorn rise from the abyss, so he adopted him as his son. After ten years, Sudsakorn bid farewell to find Phra Aphai Mani again. Haschai and Mrs. Saowakorn, the daughter of Suriyothai, asked to go along with them, and the three went looking for Phra Aphai Mani until they found him. Later, Sudsakorn married Ms. Saowakorn and was the ruling king of Lanka.

Sinsamouth was the son of Phra Aphai Mani and Nang Phisamuth. Has a beautiful appearance similar to Phra Aphai Mani, but has fangs, curly hair, red eyes, and is very powerful. When he was 8 years old, his father asked him to flee to live with a yogi at Koh Kaew Phitsadan. Later, both of them relied on Thao Silrat's boat to travel back to Rattana but the boat was broken. Because she was rampaged by a sea monster, Sinsamouth took Nang Suwanamalee fled to an island but lost her father. Later, the robber took the boat as well. Sinsamouth was furious that the robber had harassed Suwanamalee and killed him, then seized that boat and continued on until he met Sri Suwan in the city of Ramajak, therefore they invite each other to follow Phra Aphai Mani until they meet again. After completing the war with Lanka, Sinsamouth was married to Mrs. Arunrasmee.

Srisuwan is the second son of Thao Suthat and Queen Pathum Kessorn and is the younger brother of Phra Aphai Mani. When Thao Suthat gave Phra Aphai Mani to study art and science, Srisuwan also travelled with Phra Aphai Mani by choosing to study Krabi Krabong. This made Thao Suthat dissatisfied and drove Sri Suwan out of the city as well. After being separated from Phra Aphai Mani, Srisuwan travelled with the three Brahmins to find Phra Aphai Mani until reaching the city of Rom Chak. Srisuwan and the three Brahmins were residing in that city and volunteered for Thao Thosawong, Mayor of Romchak, in order to prepare for a war with the Javanese Thao Uthen army which brought an army to win Mrs. Kesara, the royal daughter of Thao Thosawong, until an unexpected victory happened. After the war, Srisuwan was married to Mrs. Kesara and ruled the city of Ramajak. They have one daughter, Mrs. Arunrasmee. In addition, Srisuwan also has Mrs. Srisuda. who was the governor of Kesara as his wife at the same time, had 1 son, Phra Krishna (later was an important force of the Ramkhamhaeng side in the end of the Battle of Mangala) after occupying the Ramajak city Srisuwan meets Sinsamouth and together they go out to find Phra Aphai Mani and later on join forces with Phra Aphai Mani to fight with Lanka. Until crossing to Lanka, the charm of Nang Rampha Sari, who was a member the Lankan people of Nang Laweng Srisuwan, had Mrs. Ramphasari as his wife. They had one child together named Walyuda.


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