Khmer Stories
Khmer story: The Tiger, the Monkey and the Hare
A starving tiger copies a fish eagle, fails, and buys a villager’s silence with daily meat. When the secret spreads,...
Khmer stories: The Story of Neang Kong Rey, or Puthisen Neang Kong Rey
A Khmer folktale tells how twelve abandoned sisters fall prey to an ogress, until the youngest’s son, Puthisen, saves his...
Kong Hean, the Accidental Hero: A Cambodian Folktale of Fear, Luck and Legend
A witty retelling of the Khmer folktale of Kong Hean, the coward mistaken for a hero after “defeating” a tiger,...
Khmer story: Moranamātā – The Daughter of the Dead Mother
A classic Cambodian legend retold: the 19th‑century Buddhist poem Moranamātā tells of a devoted mother reborn as a marble goby...
The Tale of Vorvong and Sorvong: A Timeless Khmer Epic of Loyalty and Justice
Discover the Khmer epic “The Tale of Vorvong and Sorvong”: a timeless Cambodian story of brotherhood, exile and return, with...
The Legend of Preah Ko Preah Keo: Guardians of Cambodia’s Lost Treasures
Introduction The legend of Preah Ko Preah Keo (ព្រះគោ ព្រះកែវ) occupies a cherished place in the heart of Cambodian oral...
Khmer Stories: Ta Trasak Ph’aem: Cambodia’s Sweet Cucumber King
In the heart of ancient Cambodia, when the lands of Angkor pulsed with kings and legend, a story took root—the...
The Towers of Exile: the Story of Neang Khmau
Prasat Neang Khmau in Takeo Province (©Pascal Médeville) A stone road stretches from the city, crossing river and plain, until...
Exploring Culture, Nature, and Spirit in the Land of Wonder.