Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Phra Aphai Mani
Phra Aphai Mani is a 48,700-line epic poem composed by Thai poet Sunthorn Phu, who is known as "the Bard of Rattanakosin" (Thai: กวีเอกแห่งกรุงรัตนโกสินทร์). It is considered to be one of Thailand's national epics. With 48,686 couplets, it is listed as the longest Thai single poem. Suthorn Phu started working on this epic fantasy in 1822 and finished it in 1844; it took 22 years. It is also one of the most well-known Thai folklores that has been heavily adapted into films and comics. The main protagonists are Prince Aphai Mani, the mermaid, and the Pisuea Samut; a female ogress who can transmute herself into a beautiful girl.
Although Phra Aphai Mani contains many mythical creatures and supra-natural protagonists, its major difference from other Thai epics is that they are originally created by Sunthorn Phu himself, unlike those that are based on well-known folk stories like Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Moreover, Phra Aphai Mani was composed during the period of western colonization of Southeast Asia, and as a result, many parts of the story include characters of European ancestry, from mercenaries to pirates. Some Thai literary critics believe that Sunthorn Phu composed Phra Aphai Mani as an anti-colonialist tale, disguised as a versified tale of fantasy adventures.
Phra Aphai Mani (พระอภัยมณี) (shortened to Aphai) and his brother, Sri Suwan (ศรีสุวรรณ), are the princes of Rattana. Their father sends them to study abroad, wishing to let them enthrone after he passes away. Sri Suwan masters the martial art of sword fighting, whilst Phra Aphai Mani masters playing a magical flute called Pi (ปี่) that either puts people to sleep or kills them. When they return home, their father is infuriated by the fact that what they learned was not useful for rulers, as he expected, and so he expels them from the kingdom.
They arrived by the shore and befriended three hermit brothers, Mora, Sanon, and Vishian. One day, while Aphai's companions were lulled to sleep by the sound of his flute, a female ogress named Nang Phisuea Samudra (นางผีเสื้อสมุทร) came and took Aphai away to her cave. She disguised herself as a beautiful maiden to live with him. Aphai knew all along that the woman was an ogress in disguise, but he was unable to escape. Aphai and Phisuea Samudr lived together and gave birth to their son, Sin Samudr (สินสมุทร).
On the other hand, his brother and comrades couldn't find him, so they set out on a journey to search for Aphai. They arrived at a kingdom named Romachakra that is caught in a war with neighboring kingdoms. Sri Suwan soon fell in love with the Princess of Romachakra, Ketsara (เกษรา). The two of them got married after he saved the kingdom, and Sri Suwan became the King of Romachakra. They had a daughter together named Arun Ratsami (อรุณรัศมี).
For eight years, he was sealed away from the outside world until one day his half-ogre son moved the boulder at the entrance of the cave to go play outside. Sin Samudr brought home an elderly merman. The elderly merman pleaded for his life and promised that he would come back to help him escape as long as they let him go. Hearing this, he revealed the truth about his mother to his son, and they planned to escape together. Aphai tricked Phisuea Samudr into going to meditate on a distant island and fasting for three days. He was assisted by a family of elderly mermen, a father, mother, and daughter. The father and mother were caught and eaten by the ogress. The mermaid daughter took Aphai and Sin Samudr to Koh Kaeo Phitsadan (lit: Bizarre Crystal Island) where a (ruesee)(ฤาษี: hermit) warded the ogress away. Aphai courted the mermaid, who partially helped him escape, and had a son, named Sud Sakhon (สุดสาคร).
One day, King Silarat (ท้าวสิลราช) and Princess Suwanmali (สุวรรณมาลี) of Phareuk (ผลึก), passed by the island where Aphai lived. The princess was about to be married to a foreign prince, Usaren (อุศเรน) of Lanka. Aphai fell in love with the princess at first sight, so he encouraged his son to get adopted by her so they'd be closer. Aphai and Sin Samudr asked to join the ship in order to get home, but the ogress saw them and got infuriated, calling forth storms and spirits, attacking them, and killing King Silarat. Aphai managed to escape and found himself on a shore. He played his magic flute, which killed the ogress by breaking her heart and petrifying her. Afterwards, he met Prince Usaren, who was looking for his fiancée.
Meanwhile, Sin Samudr, escaping the ogress, swam with the princess Suwanmali to an island, where they were then rescued by a fleet of pirates. The captain of the pirates, Surang (สุหรัง) wanted to take Suwanmali as his wife, so he tried to kill Sin Samudr multiple times. Enraged, Sin Samudr beheaded him with an axe and became the new captain of the ship. He decided to raid a nearby kingdom for supplies and ran into his uncle, Sri Suwan, and his daughter. Together, they went in search of Aphai. When they found Aphai and Usaren safe, the princess Suwanmali refused to be engaged to Usaren, which caused the two parties to fight, and Prince Usaren fled to his homeland of Lanka.
Hub AI
Phra Aphai Mani AI simulator
(@Phra Aphai Mani_simulator)
Phra Aphai Mani
Phra Aphai Mani is a 48,700-line epic poem composed by Thai poet Sunthorn Phu, who is known as "the Bard of Rattanakosin" (Thai: กวีเอกแห่งกรุงรัตนโกสินทร์). It is considered to be one of Thailand's national epics. With 48,686 couplets, it is listed as the longest Thai single poem. Suthorn Phu started working on this epic fantasy in 1822 and finished it in 1844; it took 22 years. It is also one of the most well-known Thai folklores that has been heavily adapted into films and comics. The main protagonists are Prince Aphai Mani, the mermaid, and the Pisuea Samut; a female ogress who can transmute herself into a beautiful girl.
Although Phra Aphai Mani contains many mythical creatures and supra-natural protagonists, its major difference from other Thai epics is that they are originally created by Sunthorn Phu himself, unlike those that are based on well-known folk stories like Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Moreover, Phra Aphai Mani was composed during the period of western colonization of Southeast Asia, and as a result, many parts of the story include characters of European ancestry, from mercenaries to pirates. Some Thai literary critics believe that Sunthorn Phu composed Phra Aphai Mani as an anti-colonialist tale, disguised as a versified tale of fantasy adventures.
Phra Aphai Mani (พระอภัยมณี) (shortened to Aphai) and his brother, Sri Suwan (ศรีสุวรรณ), are the princes of Rattana. Their father sends them to study abroad, wishing to let them enthrone after he passes away. Sri Suwan masters the martial art of sword fighting, whilst Phra Aphai Mani masters playing a magical flute called Pi (ปี่) that either puts people to sleep or kills them. When they return home, their father is infuriated by the fact that what they learned was not useful for rulers, as he expected, and so he expels them from the kingdom.
They arrived by the shore and befriended three hermit brothers, Mora, Sanon, and Vishian. One day, while Aphai's companions were lulled to sleep by the sound of his flute, a female ogress named Nang Phisuea Samudra (นางผีเสื้อสมุทร) came and took Aphai away to her cave. She disguised herself as a beautiful maiden to live with him. Aphai knew all along that the woman was an ogress in disguise, but he was unable to escape. Aphai and Phisuea Samudr lived together and gave birth to their son, Sin Samudr (สินสมุทร).
On the other hand, his brother and comrades couldn't find him, so they set out on a journey to search for Aphai. They arrived at a kingdom named Romachakra that is caught in a war with neighboring kingdoms. Sri Suwan soon fell in love with the Princess of Romachakra, Ketsara (เกษรา). The two of them got married after he saved the kingdom, and Sri Suwan became the King of Romachakra. They had a daughter together named Arun Ratsami (อรุณรัศมี).
For eight years, he was sealed away from the outside world until one day his half-ogre son moved the boulder at the entrance of the cave to go play outside. Sin Samudr brought home an elderly merman. The elderly merman pleaded for his life and promised that he would come back to help him escape as long as they let him go. Hearing this, he revealed the truth about his mother to his son, and they planned to escape together. Aphai tricked Phisuea Samudr into going to meditate on a distant island and fasting for three days. He was assisted by a family of elderly mermen, a father, mother, and daughter. The father and mother were caught and eaten by the ogress. The mermaid daughter took Aphai and Sin Samudr to Koh Kaeo Phitsadan (lit: Bizarre Crystal Island) where a (ruesee)(ฤาษี: hermit) warded the ogress away. Aphai courted the mermaid, who partially helped him escape, and had a son, named Sud Sakhon (สุดสาคร).
One day, King Silarat (ท้าวสิลราช) and Princess Suwanmali (สุวรรณมาลี) of Phareuk (ผลึก), passed by the island where Aphai lived. The princess was about to be married to a foreign prince, Usaren (อุศเรน) of Lanka. Aphai fell in love with the princess at first sight, so he encouraged his son to get adopted by her so they'd be closer. Aphai and Sin Samudr asked to join the ship in order to get home, but the ogress saw them and got infuriated, calling forth storms and spirits, attacking them, and killing King Silarat. Aphai managed to escape and found himself on a shore. He played his magic flute, which killed the ogress by breaking her heart and petrifying her. Afterwards, he met Prince Usaren, who was looking for his fiancée.
Meanwhile, Sin Samudr, escaping the ogress, swam with the princess Suwanmali to an island, where they were then rescued by a fleet of pirates. The captain of the pirates, Surang (สุหรัง) wanted to take Suwanmali as his wife, so he tried to kill Sin Samudr multiple times. Enraged, Sin Samudr beheaded him with an axe and became the new captain of the ship. He decided to raid a nearby kingdom for supplies and ran into his uncle, Sri Suwan, and his daughter. Together, they went in search of Aphai. When they found Aphai and Usaren safe, the princess Suwanmali refused to be engaged to Usaren, which caused the two parties to fight, and Prince Usaren fled to his homeland of Lanka.