Che Puteh Jambai

Che Puteh Jambai In Malayan legend, a poor man who was told in a dream to murder his wife if he wished to get rich. Che Puteh Jambai and his wife were so poor they could not afford clothes for both of them. When one left the house, the other stayed at home naked. In a dream Che Puteh was told to kill his wife and he would then be rich, so the man told his wife to prepare for death. She, being a faithful wife according to Oriental beliefs, just asked permission to go down to the river to wash herself with some lime juice. At the river she divided the limes with her knife, cutting herself in the process, and blood dripped onto the rocks and into the river. As each drop was carried away by the current, a large jar immediately rose to the surface and floated upstream. When each jar reached her, Che Puteh’s wife tapped it with her knife and pulled it in to the edge of the rocks. When she found the jars full of gold, the everfaithful wife went in search of her husband. He kept the gold and decided it was best to keep his wife as well. They lived happily together for many years, and a beautiful daughter was born to them. All the rajahs and chiefs wanted her for a wife. The couple, however, hid all of their gold and disappeared. They have not been seen since, nor has their treasure ever been found.

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante