Krai Thong
Krai Thong or Kraithong (Thai: ไกรทอง, pronounced [krāj.tʰɔ̄ːŋ]) 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.
Once upon a time, there was a magical kingdom located deep inside an underwater cave where crocodiles live. Inside the cave, a magic crystal ball floated above, shining as bright as sunlight during daytime. The crocodile lord who ruled this cave, Chalawan (ชาละวัน), was named after the cave. Every crocodile that entered the cave changed to human form and needed no food.
Chalawan gained his position 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, 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 (ตะเภาแก้ว) and Tapao Thong (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 and took her down into 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 his second daughter, Tapao Kaew. However, not a man could defeat Chalawan.
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