Khun Chang Khun Phaen, Thailand's most famous legend – part 3

Statue of Khun Phaen in Suphan Buri

Thailand's most famous epic is about the tragic love triangle between Khun Chang, Khun Phaen and the beautiful Wanthong. The story probably dates back to the 17th century and was originally an oral story full of drama, tragedy, sex, adventure and the supernatural. Over time, it has been constantly modified and expanded, and has remained a popular and entertaining epic told by itinerant storytellers and troubadours. It was at the Siamese court, in the late nineteenth century, that the story was first recorded in writing. This is how a standardized, sanitized version of this famous story was created. Chris Baker and Pashuk Phongpaichit translated and adapted this story for an English speaking audience and published 'The Tale of Khung Chang, Khun Phaen'.

Part 3 today.

Khun Phaen and Wanthong quarrel

Phlai Kaeo returned to the capital from the far north, where he handed over the spoils of war to the king. The king of Ayutthaya was very pleased with the results achieved and Phlai Kaeo was therefore given the official title of Khun Phaen by him. He also received a lavishly decorated boat. Kaeo, or Khun Phean since then, escorted his Laothong and her two servants to the boat. This was equipped with a roof and curtains and thus provided protection against the sun and possibly prying eyes. Khun Phaen couldn't wait to see his Wanthong again, his wife was in his mind the whole trip. The boat arrived in Suphan and Wanthong hurried to the jetty. Phaen stuck his head outside the curtains and saw Wanthong approaching. “what's with her? She looks so skinny! Must she have been sick with loneliness?” Wanthong gave her husband a wai and threw herself at his feet crying. “What's wrong Phim? What burden do you carry on your heart?"

“My heart is as if pierced by a thorn, it is difficult for me to say this… Our bridal house is in ruins. You have been betrayed by your best friend. Khun Chang told my mother that you were killed, stabbed to death by the enemy. As proof, he showed an urn with bone remains. This made me very seriously ill and on the advice of the abbot I changed my name to Wanthong. As a result, he quickly recovered. However, Chang warned that as a widow I would be taken to the palace as royal property. The only way out was marriage, he said. My mother didn't know it was a cunning trick and only had his money in mind. Therefore, she married me to Khun Chang seven days ago, but I have not yet entered his bridal house.”

Phaen was furious, “How can a friend do this to me?! Everyone knows you're my wife and that baldhead thinks he can take you away? I will teach him! And you, my Wanthong, that even after seven days you have not entered his bridal house is wonderful! Every other woman had lost her honor by now, you are the most amazing woman in all of Ayuttaya! But damn Chang, stealing my wife is like an attack on my person. I will teach him!”. He drew his sword and raised it to heaven.

From behind the curtain, Laothong saw her husband foaming with rage. She feared he might harm someone in his rage and stepped onto the dock to stop him. “Wait, calm down, think carefully before you act. Otherwise you will get into all sorts of trouble, while you have only heard one side of the story. What if there might be some form of consent between the parties? That might explain what this man did.” Wanthong was struck with lightning by that remark, “Who do you think you are?! Telling my husband a little bit about what he should or shouldn't do. As if you know perfectly what is right and wrong. And then look for something suspicious behind this… Sir, is this your wife or perhaps some mistress? Distant family perhaps? Or did you kidnap an orphaned Laotian from the north?”.

“Wanthong, this is my wife from Chomthong. I have no secrets. Her parents asked me to marry her, her name is Laothong. I brought her here so she could show you respect. Please calm yourself down. Laothong gives Wanthong a wai. Wanthong show some understanding. If there is anything, we will discuss it later.”

"Enough! I do not wish to receive any wai from her at all. That I should learn in this way that you have hired another wife, and then also hear all kinds of accusations. She only causes confusion. Can't I feel hurt?" Laothong could breathe fire when she heard Wanthong speak and exclaimed in anger, “I didn't know you were his first wife. I was just trying to calm my husband down. I am no more than a simple Laotian from the jungle. Here, let me give you a wai. Do not be angry". The two women got into each other's hair and ugly words flew back and forth.

Breaking in, Phaen said, “Wanthong keep yourself in check. Have you no fear of me, your very own husband?" Wanthong fired back, “Do you want to hit me? Strange you've never seen this behavior before. It is now clear to me that you do not really love me. I will not let you walk all over me! This puny Lao, eaters of lizards and frogs, will get a blow from me!”. Wanthong lashed out, but Laothong ducked just in time and Wanthong hit her husband full in the face. “You are so full of yourself Wanthong, I almost chopped Khun Chang to pieces, but it is YOU who are cheating here. Die Wanthong!” He stamped his feet and drew his sword.

Shocked, Wanthong rushed back to the house and threw herself on the bed crying. “Oh my Phlai Kaeo, why did I try to keep myself from you? Overcome with emotion, she grabs a piece of rope. “You have rejected me and soon I will not escape a life with Khun Chang. A man I don't feel anything for at all. I will be a great shame. How can I still respect myself now? Death is a better solution. In this life I lost you, let me die and I will wait for you in the next life”. Wanthong tied the rope around her neck and hanged herself.

At that moment a servant stepped in, screamed and called for help. Khun Phaen did nothing, "I will not miss Wanthong", turned and left with Laothong and their servants. It was Khun Chang who jumped to the rescue and saved Wanthong's life.

Wanthong remained sad and did not leave the house for days. Then her mother had had enough, “You don't know what's good for you, you arrogant child! That husband of yours ran off with another woman and is not coming back. I no longer want you here. Why are you making such a big deal of Chang's bald head now? With him you will have a comfortable life. Piece of misery, stop whining like a little child”. Mother dragged Wanthong to the bridal house and forced her to enter. Khun Chang grabbed her and eagerly pulled her in. “Today I will finally be in seventh heaven!” Wanthong screamed “Khun Chang is trying to assault me! Khun Phaen, help me! Help! Let go of me you piece of garbage! Your head is like a dried coconut!” But Khun Chang ignored her resistance, grabbed her by the neck and wrestled her onto the bed. Wanthong twisted and hammered on the wall. The sky tore open, the rain came down in buckets and flooded the whole country. Naked and alone, she cried for hours. Her thoughts drifted to her husband and she wanted nothing more than to die. Out of shame she did not show herself outside for two days. From now on she was forced to live with Khun Chang. Her heart was broken, her eyes full of tears.

Khun Phaen lived with his Laothong, but a few days later his thoughts drifted to Wanthong. 'I acted rashly, did I do the right thing in rejecting my wife? Maybe I'm still on time and he hasn't had her yet." Phaen decided to visit Khun Chang's bridal house. Once there, he spears inside and sees Laothong lying on the bed with Khun Chang. “The guts, how dare she! Already got a new husband. That such a beautiful woman could be so heartless. I shouldn't have gone by her looks alone. I came here to get you but now you're already screwed up. Why would I still want her?" He uttered a mantra, crept in and contemplated killing the sleeping couple. Finally he tied the two together, naked, defenseless and humiliated. Then he left.

Khun Phaen loses Laothong

More than a month passed, then word came from Ayutthaya. Chang and Phean were summoned to report for further training and service duties in the capital. The Laothong who remained behind was stricken with a severe fever and for several days hovered on the verge of death. Physicians could not help her and word was sent to Khun Phaen. Upon hearing the bad news, he felt his duty as a husband to return home. However, Khun Phaen was on duty and asked Khun Chang to take over his round. Chang chimed in, "don't worry my friend, I can do that with ease." Khun Phaen had hardly left when the palace guard learned that he was not at his post. The king was furious, “Does he not fear my authority? It's that he did a lot of good or his head would go off. Teach that arrogant Khun Phaen a lesson, banish him from the palace, send him to the outskirts. Seize his wife”. And so it happened.

Khun Phaen threw a sword, buys a horse and finds a ghostly son

Khun Phean was lonely and alone now. It made him long more than ever for his first wife, his Wanthong. Thus, he came to plan to kidnap her from Khun Chang. “If Khun Chang comes after me I will kill him. I fear only the king. What if he sends troops after me? I must be able to defend myself. If they don't show me mercy I will kill them too. I will forge a sword, buy a horse, and find a spirit son. Then I can fight any enemy”. He went in search of the outer regions of the kingdom. He needed special metals: the metals of the top of a stupa, a palace and a gateway, the nails from a coffin, a blessed kris and many other special resources. All these metals were collected and so he forged his magical sword, Faa-Fuun², according to the correct rituals. His magical Faa-Fuun was stronger than any other sword.

Phaen continued his journey, in a cemetery he found the body of a deceased pregnant woman. With his mantras, he controlled her mind and removed the fetus from her womb. He took the crying child in his arms and baptized this spirit as his Kuman Thong³. With Kuman Thong at his side, he summoned the spirits of four other tombs to serve him. With the help of these spirits, Khun Phaen would prove invincible in any battle.

Finally, Khun Phaen sought another horse, more powerful than all the others. Then he met a trader with a horse that exactly matched the scriptures. He called this horse Sie-Mok⁴. Phaen was very pleased, “Finally I can take revenge on Khun Chang. I'll take Wanthong with me. Whoever comes after me, I can take on anyone, five thousand men.”

Khun Phaen enters Khun Chang's house

After some months, Khun Phaen returned to Suphan, that night he would rob his Wanthong back. It was night when he stood at the edge of Khun Chang's house. Khun Phaen used his spirits, magic and mantras to lull the residents to sleep and allow him free access.

Not even the ghosts of the house could resist. Unseen, he crept through the house and stopped at a door. There he saw a beautiful woman lying, “This is not Wanthong, but it could almost be a sister”. He saw that she was still young and had never been intimate with a man. He uttered a mantra to please her and awakened her, “I touched and kissed your body, I thought you were my Wanthong. Where is she? Do not be afraid". "What a joke. You got the wrong woman. My name is Kaeo Kiriya⁵ and I am the daughter of the governor of Sukhothai. My father is a friend of Khun Chang. I have been lent out because father cannot pay his outstanding debts.”. Phaen then said that he could easily buy her free, and then flirts with her. A wind rose, flowers spread their spores… Phaen gave her a diamond ring and swore he would come back for her, but now he had to find Wanthong first. Kaeo Kiriya pointed her fresh husband to the right bedroom.

With his sword at the ready, he entered the bedroom. There Wanthong lay in the arms of Khun Chang. Phaen became enraged and raised his sword to tear him to pieces. His Kuman Thong stopped him, “Do not kill him father, but bring him disgrace and humiliation. If you kill him then the gods will certainly see to it that you are caught”. Phaen calms down and looks at Wanthong, “Oh my Wanthong, what a shame you gave away your honor. You are like a jewel in the hands of a monkey. I'd love to chop you into a thousand pieces. Oh such a shame that pervert has already touched you”. He grabbed Khun Chang's head, “With your damn bald head you leave even the fleas hungry,” and then drew all kinds of wild animals on Chang's face. Phaen awakened his Wanthong and asked her why she had not remained faithful to him. He then said, “Call what you will, I have no fear. It always comes down to the fact that you only put the blame on me. You are so incredibly full of yourself! I tried to stop Chang from making love to me. He's an ugly guy and what he did to me is absolutely outrageous. I was disgraced because you – my husband – couldn't care less about what happened to me. You were absolutely delighted with that new wife of yours. And now you're coming back for me? Especially since she's gone, isn't it? Gasping with thirst, do you now come to drink from this quagmire? Shall I find you another woman? Which do you prefer, a Siamese or a Laotian?”. “Do you think I gave up on you? I still love you, even though you've already been used. My love is no less. If I can't have you alive, then dead, I'm sick and tired of your rebuttals!”. He grabbed his sword and pressed the blade to her throat.

Then he blew a mantra of love in her face. Wanthong gave up her resistance. She collected clothes, jewelry and other jewels. The love mantra lost some of its power, and that made her leave a note saying that she had been taken into the forest by Khun Phaen. She looked at the beautiful plants around the house, she didn't want to leave them behind. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't cry Wanthong, you will see enough beautiful things in the jungle". Khun Phaen hoisted Wanthong onto his horse and galloped away. Wathong had to hold on tightly to her husband so as not to slide off the horse. Once deep in the jungle, the couple enjoyed the impressive nature. Slowly her love for Khun Phaen returned and they made love under a big banyan tree. Then the doubt returned a little, “Now look at me in the wilderness, among the animals. Can I handle that? It's clear that Phaen loves me and I can't ignore that. But how on earth am I supposed to live like this in nature? With Khun Chang I had a roof over my head, he took good care of me, life was easy… Here I only have a starry sky above me. Oh the misfortune of being born female! If only I had been stronger. My good side is the best in all the land, but my worst side can't be matched." She put her arms around Phaen and cried. She fell asleep with a face full of tears.

Khun Chang wakes up

Khun Chang awoke from his sleep and saw that his face was completely smeared. That made him very angry. He read the note left by Wanthong and immediately ordered his servants to arrange for five hundred mercenaries. Mounted on his elephant, he set out with the troops to find Wanhong. He spawned people with drink and more, and so a woodcutter told him that he had indeed seen a warrior and a woman pass by together on a horse. Khun Chang was soon on Khun Phaen's heels. Fortunately, the ghost Kuman Thong noticed this, and he managed to warn his father in time.

Khun Phaen cut large pieces of grass and with his magical powers he turned them into warriors armed with spears and lances. He made Wanthong invisible and hid her. He made himself inviolable against all weapons. The two sides met and a big fight broke out. However, no one could inflict a single wound on Khun Phaen and Khun Chang's men fled. Chang's elephant also panicked, Chang lost his balance, fell and rolled right into a batch of thorn plants. The clothes ripped from his body, scratches, blood. He looked like he had been grabbed by a tiger. Phaen and Wanthong took advantage of the chaos and disappeared deeper into the jungle. There they found peace and the couple could swim and enjoy each other. Night fell and Phaen poetically described all the beauty the jungle had to offer.

Khun Chang accused Khun Phaen of rebellion

Wanting revenge, Chang returned to Ayuttaya. He informed the king that Khun Phaen had stolen his wife from him along with a mountain of gold and was now leading an army of hundreds of bandits. “Khun Phaen captured me and beat me up, he let me live to return to the capital so that I could pass on a message. He informs His Highness that he will defeat you in an elephant duel and make himself ruler of the realm.” The king doubted the story and ordered two senior officers - also friends of Khun Phaen - to hear the other side of the story. They managed to track down Khun Phaen and so Khun Phaen could tell what had happened. Phaen, however, refused to return to the palace for fear of the king. Khun Phaen and Wanthong were therefore labeled as fugitives.

To be continued…

¹ Phaen (แผน, Phěn), a plan or diagram.

² Faa-Fuun (ฟ้าฟื้น, Fáa Fúun), 'heaven re-awakener' or 'roaring celestial air'.

³ Kuman Thong (กุมารทอง, Kòe-man Thong), 'Golden Boy' or 'Golden Son'.

⁴ Sie-Mok (สีหมอก, Sǐe-Mòk), 'Color of Fog' or 'gray in color'.

⁵ Kaeo Kiriya (แก้วกิริยา, Kêw Kìe-ríe-yaa), 'Splendid Behavior'.