Samuel DenHartog's Blog: The Road to 1,440 - Posts Tagged "cambodia"
Rivers, Serpents, and Stone in "Tales from the Cambodian Khmer"
I have just released my newest mythology anthology, and this one lives where rivers meet stone. The collection opens with the land itself, because Khmer story begins with place. Fields are watched by neak ta and araks, banyans cradle offerings, and village paths lead toward temples that were planned as working models of the cosmos. From there the book follows the threads that entered the weave over centuries, showing how Indian gods and Buddhist compassion were absorbed into a Cambodian grammar of belief without losing the cadence of local spirits and rites.
The chapters are arranged alphabetically for clarity, but the entries talk to each other so the cosmology feels whole. A reader can move from Agni’s sacrificial fire to the cool arc of Chandra’s light, from Garuda’s hunt to the river coils of Naga, and then arrive at the Churning of the Ocean of Milk where Kurma steadies the mountain, apsaras rise, and Lakshmi returns. The human world is never far away. Guardians at thresholds stare from lintels, Kala devours the minutes that kings pretend to command, and the linga binds deity, sovereignty, and soil. Folktales and place legends keep step, so Vorvong and Sorvong wander beside Preah Ko and Preah Keo, and the mountain of Neang Kong Rey holds its quiet grief above Kampot.
Courtly epics take on a distinctly Cambodian voice. In the Reamker, Hanuman invents solutions that feel like statecraft, Suvannamaccha commands the sea with grace, and Vibhishana’s change of heart reads as conscience with a cost. Angkor’s galleries echo in the pages as more than art history. They become evidence of how myth was enacted in stone and procession. Later, compassion is carved into governance through Lokesvara under Jayavarman VII, while roadside shrines to Yeay Mao and vow scenes of Ta Dambong Kranhoung show how justice and protection are asked for at the very edges of travel.
This volume is a collection of tales told in a clear, story-first voice. I keep Khmer names and terms so the texture feels true, and I let each myth stand on its own without notes or detours. If you are ready for an anthology that treats rivers, rain, stone, vow, and memory as parts of one living system, you will find that spirit inside “Tales from the Cambodian Khmer.”
The chapters are arranged alphabetically for clarity, but the entries talk to each other so the cosmology feels whole. A reader can move from Agni’s sacrificial fire to the cool arc of Chandra’s light, from Garuda’s hunt to the river coils of Naga, and then arrive at the Churning of the Ocean of Milk where Kurma steadies the mountain, apsaras rise, and Lakshmi returns. The human world is never far away. Guardians at thresholds stare from lintels, Kala devours the minutes that kings pretend to command, and the linga binds deity, sovereignty, and soil. Folktales and place legends keep step, so Vorvong and Sorvong wander beside Preah Ko and Preah Keo, and the mountain of Neang Kong Rey holds its quiet grief above Kampot.
Courtly epics take on a distinctly Cambodian voice. In the Reamker, Hanuman invents solutions that feel like statecraft, Suvannamaccha commands the sea with grace, and Vibhishana’s change of heart reads as conscience with a cost. Angkor’s galleries echo in the pages as more than art history. They become evidence of how myth was enacted in stone and procession. Later, compassion is carved into governance through Lokesvara under Jayavarman VII, while roadside shrines to Yeay Mao and vow scenes of Ta Dambong Kranhoung show how justice and protection are asked for at the very edges of travel.
This volume is a collection of tales told in a clear, story-first voice. I keep Khmer names and terms so the texture feels true, and I let each myth stand on its own without notes or detours. If you are ready for an anthology that treats rivers, rain, stone, vow, and memory as parts of one living system, you will find that spirit inside “Tales from the Cambodian Khmer.”
The Road to 1,440
I'm Samuel DenHartog, and at 51, at the end of November of 2023, I've embarked on a remarkable journey as a writer. My diverse background in computer programming, video game development, and film prod
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