Puteri Walinong Sari : The Warrior Princess

Puteri Walinong Sari

Introduction

In Malay mythology, the legend of Walinong Sari, also known as Jawi, revolved around a beautiful princess from Inderapura. Her fighting skills and beauty were immortalized in a folk song and made her famous throughout the land. It is said that she left the palace and her kingdom in search of King Mambang Segara whom she fell in love with and drew the ire of his father.

Physical Traits

Her beauty and strong character were known to be her strongest virtues and her whole kingdom was proud of her. As the tales of her beauty and skills spread across the neighbouring kingdoms, many came to ask for her hand in marriage, but the princess found none of them acceptable.

Family

Walinong Sari was the daughter of the King’s Treasurer. She did not want to marry a king who was only greedy for the wealth of Inderapura. Hearing his daughter’s words, the King’s Treasurer held a competition to invite officers from all corners of the Malay kingdom to compete for her hand in marriage. There was no one who could match Walinong Sari’s skill set when it comes to throwing spears and playing archery and kenaf. Her father started to worry that nobody could possibly beat her.

After learning about Walinong, the Sultan of Malacca expressed desire to marry her off to his son which the Treasurer accepted. This was done without the knowledge of Walinong Sari which led her to becoming gloomier and sad by the day. She then met the disguised King Mambang Segara whom she fell in love with.

Powers and Abilities

She is skilled at handling swords and spears. She was also known for her mastery of the Malay martial art silat. Walinong Sari was also very knowledgeable about the ancient manuscripts of the kingdom. Her reverence for the Malay tradition and her ability to maintain her manners made her an exceptional princess.

The celestial ruler of Gunung Tahan, Raja Mambang Segara, fell in love with the princess after he disguised himself as an old man to meet her. He then challenged her to a Silat fight which the courageous princess found irresistible. The fight between the two lasted for three days and nights. On the last day, Walinong Sari’s veil fell, revealing her beauty. As a result, Raja Mambang Segara fainted. His disguise was then washed away, revealing his charming face.

However, Mambang Segara’s father was furious that his son lost to a mere mortal and carried away his body leaving the princess alone. Stories say that the princess left in search of her lover and was never seen again.

Modern Day Influence

Tales of the warrior princess are still told to children and and kept alive in the folklore even today in various parts of modern Malaysia. These characters have a history that coincides with the growth of the Islamic influence in the region leading to less resistance in the propagation of these tales.