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Krai Thong or Kraithong (Thai: ไกรทอง) is a Thai folktale, originating from Phichit Province. It tells the story of Chalawan, a crocodile lord who abducts a daughter of a wealthy Phichit man, and Kraithong, a merchant from Nonthaburi who seeks to kill Chalawan. The story was adapted into a play (lakhon nok), credited to King Rama II (r. 1809 - 1824),[1] and has seen various modern adaptations.
Synopsis
Once upon a time, there was a magical underwater cave located deep under water where crocodiles live. Inside the cave, a magic crystal ball floated, shining so bright like sunlight during daytime. The crocodile lord who ruled this cave was called Chalawan (Thai: ชาละวัน) as named after the cave. Every crocodile that entered the cave turned into human form and needed no food.
Chalawan gained his position to rule the cave from his grandfather, after his father's death in a fight with two other crocodiles. He had two crocodile wives living with him in the underwater cave. With his aggressive nature and his need for superiority, what he had was not enough. He wanted to eat human flesh unlike his grandfather who lived by the Buddhist precepts.
Chalawan gained his position to rule the cave from his grandfather, after his father's death in a fight with two other crocodiles. He had two crocodile wives living with him in the underwater cave. With his aggressive nature and his need for superiority, what he had was not enough. He wanted to eat human flesh unlike his grandfather who lived by the Buddhist precepts.
In Phichit Province, there were rumors that crocodiles had been hunting people who lived near the canal. One day, two daughters of a wealthy Phichit man called Tapao Kaew (Thai: ตะเภาแก้ว) and Tapao Thong (Thai: ตะเภาทอง) wanted to play in the canal. They did not listen to their father's warning and went in the water. Chalawan who came out of his cave in the crocodile form to prey on humans saw the two daughters and fell in love. He then abducted Tapao Thong down to his cave.
When Tapao Thong woke up in the cave, she was amazed by the beauty inside. Chalawan, in the handsome human form, tried to make Tapao Thong fall in love with him. However, he did not succeed. Chalawan then cast a spell on Tapao Thong that she would fall in love with him and agree to be his wife.
Meanwhile, when the wealthy man discovered that one of his daughters got attacked by a crocodile, he was in great sorrow. He announced that anyone who could defeat the crocodile and bring back his daughter's body would be rewarded with great treasures and the marriage with another daughter, Tapao Kaew. However, not a man could defeat Chalawan.
Krai Thong, a fine man from Nonthaburi, was trained to defeat crocodiles and had mastered the skills. He volunteered to defeat Chalawan and bring back Tapao Thong. He sailed from Nonthaburi to Phichit ready to fight Chalawan with the magic dagger given to him by his teacher Khong.
Before the arrival of Krai Thong, Chalawan dreamed about his death. He informed his grandfather about what he dreamt. That dream was a prophecy. His grandfather told Chalawan to remain in the cave for seven days. If Chalawan went out of the cave, he would face a fatal threat.
The next morning, Krai Thong started casting his spells on a raft floating above Chalawan's cave. The spell cast by Krai Thong reached Chalawan, the crocodile lord started to feel impatient and could not remain in his cave. Chalawan swam to the surface and confronted Krai Thong. The battle started immediately, Krai Thong attacked first by stabbing Chalawan in the back with his dagger.
Chalawan who was badly wounded retreated to his cave. Both of his crocodile wives asked for help from his grandfather, however, his grandfather could not help. Krai Thong dove into the water and followed Chalawan down to his cave. When he arrived, he met Vimila (Thai: วิมาลา), one of the crocodile lord's wives. Krai Thong was a womanizer, he flirted with Vimala until she fled into the cave.
Krai Thong followed Vimala into the cave and met the wounded Chalawan in human form. The battle between two men started again. Chalawan could not fight Krai Thong and lost to him. Krai Thong finally killed Chalawan and returned to the surface with Tapao Thong. Tapao Thong then returned to her father who was happy to see his daughter still alive. Krai Thong was rewarded with great treasures and both daughters from that family.
Krai Thong in popular media
- Krai Thong (1958) - movie
- Chalawan (1972) - movie
- Krai Thong (1980) - movie
- Krai Thong 2 (1985) - Sequel from the previous movie
- Krai Thong (2001) - movie
- Krai Thong (2017) - Channel 7 TV Drama
Cultural significance
Krai Thong is a real figure, however he has no magical power like in the story. He was from Nonthaburi and worked as a merchant and a crocodile hunter. After the locals from Nonthaburi Province heard about Krai Thong’s heroism, they established a temple for his courageous act.[2] The temple is called Wat Bang Krai Nai, located near the area of Krai Thong's old village.
The story also reflects how Thai people in old times had a strong relationship with animals. They believed that crocodiles and humans can have relationships and crocodiles do have feelings like humans.[3]
References
- Permkaset N. (n.d.). Krai Thong. Thai Literature Directory. Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre. http://www.sac.or.th/databases/thailitdir/detail.php?meta_id=27
- Boomgaard P. (2007). Crocodiles and Humans in Southeast Asia: Four Centuries of Co-existence and Confrontation. Researchgate.net. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Boomgaard/publication/268348826_Crocodiles_and_Humans_in_Southeast_Asia_Four_Centuries_of_Co-existence_and_Confrontation/links/564c448d08aeab8ed5e7f7a3.pdf
- Wongthes S. (2017). Birthplace of Krai Thong; Bang Kruai, Nonthaburi. Matichon Online. https://www.matichon.co.th/news/430023
- Smithies M. (n.d.). Likay : A Note on the Origin, Form and Future of Siamese Folk Opera (pp.48-59). Siamese Heritage Trust. http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1971/JSS_059_1d_Smithies_LikayOriginFormAndFutureOfSiameseFolkOpera.pdf
- Achathewan P. (2013). Krai Thong. Pathum Thani: Skybook. Print.
Notes and References
- Web site: Permkesorn. Nuanthip. ไกรทอง. Krai Thong. Thai Literature Directory. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre. 16 June 2017.
- https://www.matichon.co.th/news/430023
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Boomgaard/publication/268348826_Crocodiles_and_Humans_in_Southeast_Asia_Four_Centuries_of_Co-existence_and_Confrontation/links/564c448d08aeab8ed5e7f7a3.pdf
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by Martin Brinkmann on February 10, 2015 in Internet - Last Update: February 10, 2015 - 7 comments
The file hosting company Rapidshare AG just announced that it will shut down its services on March 31, 2015.
The notice, published on the service's front page on the Internet states that the company will stop its 'active service' on the day and that accounts won't be accessible from that day on.
According to the information, accounts will be deleted and data won't be available anymore.
Rapidshare recommends to download files before the deadline to secure a copy of the data before it becomes unavailable.
The service, once one of the most popular file hosting and sharing destinations on the Internet, was in decline for years.
Back in 2012, it switched its business model to a file owner model where uploaders and not downloaders paid the company for the distribution of files.
While great for users who only downloaded from Rapidshare, use of the service dropped shortly thereafter when users who shared files using the service moved to alternatives on the Internet.
The Megaupload raid and takedown happened at the same time and many file hosting sites were suddenly in trouble because of their business model (limiting downloads, getting users to buy premium accounts, affiliate systems that allowed uploaders to benefit from the system).
The company had to lay off staff members just five months later and dropped its unlimited plans at the same time which irritated users who subscribed to it as they were now in a position where they either could pay a lot more to host their data on the site or migrate away from Rapidshare.
Then in May 2014, it dropped all free plans and increased the pricing of paid plans significantly (by the factor six) at the same time.
Back then it looked like a last effort to turn the company around but even then it was clear that the company could not find success with what it announced.
Today now the notice on the Rapidshare website. If you look back, it looks as if management made several ill-advised decisions that turned the company from being one of the most frequented destinations on the Internet into an unsustainable service.
But that is only a partial answer. Strong competition in form of file syncing solutions from companies like Amazon, Google, Dropbox or Microsoft became alternatives for users who just wanted to host their files on the Internet.
If you check Rapidshare's Alexa trend you notice that it dropped many places in the past two years and even left the top 10,000 sites mark in the United States recently.
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Rapidshare users who are looking for alternatives may find the following services useful
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Now You: What's your take on the development?
Rapidshare Alternatives: File Hoster shuts down March 31, 2015
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Rapidshare announced that it will shut down its services on March 31, 2015. Find out what that means for you and which alternatives you have.
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