The Flying Turtle

A Lao folktale on the origin of the man's armpit stink

A large drought caused the pond where a turtle lived to dry up. His two swan friends told him of another pond 10 minutes away as the crow flies. Turtle told them that it would take him five months to walk that far. The swans hatched a plan to carry the turtle between them but warned the turtle he must not open his mouth. Turtle would bite a branch with his strong jaw and the swans would hold the ends of the branch in their feet as they flew. Turtle had never flown before and was enjoying the ride when a boy and girl started arguing about whether the swans were carrying the turtle or the turtle was carrying the swans in the sky. The girl thought the turtle was carrying the swan and the turtle began to believe that he could actually fly. The turtle opened his mouth to shout to the children and fell down, down, down to the ground and exploded. The turtle juice sprayed all over the boy’s underarm which had been pointing to the sky. No matter how much he washed he couldn’t escape the smell of the turtle and that’s why men’s armpits stink.

A funny postscript to this: In Lao, the word for body odor is kee tao, or turtle s***.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/laos/articles/11-fascinating-lao-myths-and-legends/

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Lao Manuscript

ແຕ່ປາງກ່ອນກີ້ ຍັງມີເຕົ່າ ແລະ ຜົວເມຍຫົງຄູ່ໜຶ່ງອາໄສຢູ່ໃນປ່າດົງພົງໄພແຫ່ງໜຶ່ງ. ໜອງທີ່ເຕົ່າອາໄສຢູ່ ນັບມື້ນັບແຫ້ງແລ້ງລົງ ສອງຜົວເມວຫົງ ຈິ່ງບອກສ່ຽວເຕົ່າວ່າ “ສ່ຽວ, ເຈົ້າຈົ່ງໄປອາໄສຢູ່ອີກໜອງນໍ້າແຫ່ງໜຶ່ງ ທີ່ໄກຈາກນີ້ປະມານ 10 ນາທີຖ້າບິນໄປ”. ສ່ຽວເຕົ່າບອກວ່າ ຖ້າເຊັ່ນນັ້ນມັນຄົງໃຊ້ເວລາ 5 ເດືອນ ກວ່າເຕົ່າຈະໄປຮອດໜອງນັ້ນໄດ້.

ຫົງທັງສອງບອກເຕົ່າວ່າ “ເຮົາຈະພາເຈົ້າໄປໜອງນັ້ນກໍໄດ້ ແຕ່ເຈົ້າຫ້າມອ້າປາກເດັດຂາດ”. ຫລັງຈາກນັ້ນ ຫົງກໍໄປຊອກຫາໄມ້ທີ່ມີຄວາມແຂງແຮງ ມາໃຫ້ເຕົ່າຄາບຢູ່ກາງ ສ່ວນຫົງສອງໂຕ ແມ່ນຄາບຢູ່ສົ້ນປາຍໄມ້ແຕ່ລະເບື້ອງ ຈາກນັ້ນກໍບິນຂຶ້ນສູ່ທ້ອງຟ້າ.

ເຕົ່າບໍ່ເຄີຍບິນຈັກເທື່ອ ເລີຍດີໃຈຫລາຍ. ເມື່ອມາຮອດບ່ອນຊຸມຊົນ, ເດັກຍິງ ແລະ ເດັກຊາຍທີ່ຢູ່ພື້ນດິນທາງລຸ່ມ ຈິ່ງຊີ້ໃສ່ຫົງແລະເຕົ່າ ແລະ ພາກັນເດົາວ່າ ນັ້ນແມ່ນຫົງຫາມເຕົ່າ ຫລື ເຕົ່າຫາມຫົງ. ເດັກຍິງ ເວົ້າວ່າ “ເບິ່ງແມ໋! ເຕົ່າຫາມຫົງໄດ້!”. ເຕົ່າເລີ່ມຄິດວ່າ ໂຕເອງບິນໄດ້ແທ້ ຈິ່ງອ້າປາກເພື່ອຈະບອກວ່າ ແມ່ນເຕົ່າຫາມຫົງແທ້ ແຕ່ພໍອ້າປາກ ມັນກໍຫຼຸດຕົກລົງ, ຕົກດິ່ງລົງມາໃສ່ພື້ນດິນທັນທີ. ຕັ້ງແຕ່ນັ້ນເປັນຕົ້ນມາ ຂີ້ແຮ້ຜູ້ຊາຍ ຈິ່ງມີກິ່ນຄືກັບຂີ້ເຕົ່າ ເພາະເຕົ່າຕົກລົງມາຈາກທ້ອງຟ້າ ແລະ ແຕກກະຈາຍຖືກຂີ້ແຮ້ເດັກຊາຍທີ່ກໍາລັງຊີ້ມືຂຶ້ນທ້ອງຟ້າເບິ່ງຫົງຫາມເຕົ່ານັ້ນ. ບາງຄົນກໍເວົ້າວ່າ ອອງເຕົ່າເປັນຮູບຮອຍແຕກຈົນເຖິງທຸກວັນນີ້ ກໍແມ່ນຍ້ອນຕົກລົງມາຈາກທ້ອງຟ້ານັ້ນແລ.