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Singaporean Folktales

Parchment-style illustration of Malaysian elephant, wild boar, and frog preparing to cross Johor straits.

The Elephant, Pig, and Frog

Asian·Singaporean Folktales·Southeast Asian Folktales

Long before the towering buildings of modern Singapore rose against the sky, before the busy port hummed with ships from across the world, the waters between Singapore and Johor were quiet and mysterious. In those ancient times, when the boundary between the mortal and magical realms was thinner than gossamer silk, extraordinary things could happen to ordinary creatures. This is

Parchment-style illustration of Singaporean villagers attacking giant snake beneath ancient banyan tree.

Asian·Singaporean Folktales·Southeast Asian Folktales

The Giant Snake of the Banyan Tree

Long ago, in the northwestern reaches of Singapore, there stood a banyan tree so ancient and enormous that its gnarled roots seemed to grip the very soul of the earth. Its massive canopy spread like a dark umbrella at the entrance to a small village, casting shadows that grew longer