Laphumaton

What it is

Laphumaton, sometimes written Lafumaton, is the hero of a folktale told among the Meitei people of Kangleipak, the old name for Manipur in India. The story follows a widow's only son, who draws a golden lotus from a river on his fishing line, wins three princesses in far kingdoms, and is set impossible tasks by a jealous king. It is a tale of character and marvel rather than a rite or charm: its themes are given as obedience, quick wits, bravery and strengths that stay hidden until needed. He stands within Meitei mythology and folklore, beside story figures such as Lai Khutsangbi and Yenakha Paotabi, and the telling is recorded in Manipuri Fungawari, also written Manipuri Phungawari.

Where it comes from

The tale belongs to the Meitei people, whose kingdom of Kangleipak is today's Manipur state in India. No origin date is recorded for it, so its age rests with the telling rather than with any written record. It is known in print through Manipuri Fungawari, a title also spelled Manipuri Phungawari. The tale carries no Aarne-Thompson grouping, the standard index that sorts folktales into international types, so it stands as a local story rather than a catalogued type. The telling itself explains the meanings of its names, from the hero's plantain name to those of his three wives, which ties the naming closely to the plot.

How it is done

The story runs in three movements. First, a widow's son casts a fishing line, draws up a golden lotus, and his mother offers it to the king, who demands the plant that bore it within three days or the pair will be exiled. Next, the young man travels east, marries Shabireima, then Nganureima, then Khunureima, and is shown a pond where the golden plant grows. Last come the king's tests. In the tale, aid arrives when a wife prays to her father: a thousand pigeons collect scattered skeel tree seeds, five hundred ducks gather paddy thrown into a pond, and three hundred porcupines tunnel under a bonfire so the hero can slip past the flames.

Tools and materials

The tale turns on a handful of objects. The golden lotus, caught by hook, sets the plot in motion, while the hajam, or skeel tree, supplies the seeds the king scatters; paddy and a bonfire furnish the later tests. Names carry meaning too: khunu means pigeon, nganu means duck, and shabi is said to mean porcupine or rodent within this story, while reima, also leima, means princess, queen or lady. The hero's name joins laphu, plantain, with maton, top or possibly bud, and the many layers of a plantain stem stand for the qualities he keeps hidden.

What it is for

The tale is told as a story with a lesson, not as a charm or rite. It shows a man who obeys harsh commands, yet speaks out when the king tries to take his wives, and it ends with the king regretting his injustice and receiving Laphumaton as a friend who lives almost as a second ruler. The qualities it names are obedience, bravery, quick wits and strengths that show themselves with time. The plantain name is read as the key: like the layers or bud of a stem, a person's worth appears bit by bit, and no wrong can stand against the right.

Peoples and places

Laphumaton belongs to the Meitei people of Kangleipak, the name by which Manipur in India was formerly known. The tale is counted among Meitei mythology and Meitei folklore, and lists of related stories set it beside figures such as Lai Khutsangbi, Lai Khadang Pandabi, Yenakha Paotabi, Helloi and Hingchabi, neighbours within the same body of tales. The story reached print in Manipuri Fungawari, a title also written Manipuri Phungawari, which is the record this telling is known from.

What people believe

Within the story, the world answers prayer and rewards right dealing. Each princess asks her father for aid, and the aid arrives in animal form, in exact numbers: a thousand pigeons for the seeds, five hundred ducks for the paddy, three hundred porcupines for the fire. The fathers are kings of distant lands whose word moves flocks and beasts, so marriage into their houses is what makes the marvels possible. The tale sets a rule for itself, spoken by Laphumaton from inside his house when the king's men believe him dead: what is wrong cannot overcome what is right. The king's regret closes the matter.

Compare and confuse

The story is known under a second spelling, Lafumaton, and its title is printed in Meitei script. It is listed with other tales of Meitei folklore: Lai Khutsangbi, Lai Khadang Pandabi, Yenakha Paotabi, Helloi and Hingchabi. It carries no Aarne-Thompson grouping, the index that sorts folktales into international types, so it is read as a local Meitei story rather than a variant of a widespread type.

Questions people ask about Laphumaton

Good reading and sources

• Laphumaton on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data