Mount Ophir Legends. 
By Dr. MILDRED E. STALEY. 
I. [n No. 60 of this Journal there is an interesting account of 
Malacca by Barretto de Resende. 
In connection with the last part of it, regarding Gunong Ledang 
(Mount Ophir), the following notes may be of interest. 
Lately, when visiting Kampongs at the base of the mountain, 
I obtained the modern, 1912, version of the story. 
In a eave which is brilliantly illuminated by scintillating lights, 
lives the Queen- Goddess or Sorceress, variously describedas a Bida- 
hari,” “Perempuan Sakti’ ete. There she is waitel upon by 
* Spirits of the air’’ (called formeriy Benwas,) demons, and a tiger 
who is her familiar, into whom she can at will project herself. 
She resents all attempts of Malays to climb the mountain, but 
Engiish (orang puteh) are exenpt from her anger, because it has 
not struzk her they would evec wish to remain on the mountain ! 
Hence also, Malays are suffered to ascend temporarily when acting 
as guides. 
Aul animals bow down to her, and her tiger has a sense of smell 
so keen that he can inform her at once when a party commences to 
ascend. ‘The Sorceress then retires into her cave, which eye of 
man has never seen, or mayhap she is pleased to enter the tiger. 
Once long, long ago, the last Sultan but one (? Ala-e-din), wished to 
make friends with the Sorceress, and sent from Malacca ambassa- 
dors, d essed in fresh odoriferous tiger skins, to offer her marriage 
on his own behaif. Her reply was that she would accept the offer 
only when the Sultan fulfilled the following requirements. 
First, he must build a bridge of solid gold from the top of her 
mountain to the Malacca Hill, whereby she might be suitably con- 
veyed across. 
Secondly, the Sultan must send her 10,000 mosquitos’ hearts 
as a present. 
Thirdly he must send a cupful of his own blood. 
The Sultan replied that he was rich enough to build the bridge 
of gold, and that 10.000 mosquitos’ hearts were easy to supply, but 
to give of his heart’s blood was quite impossible. So the negocia- 
tions fell through. Before ascending the mountain, a counter 
spell supplied by the village Pawang at considerable expense, is a 
necessity for a Malay who is willing to brave the Hantus, jins, and 
malevolent demons of the mountain. 
An enlightened Mohommedan Malay of the neighbourhood, | 
whose child’s life we had saved in a dangerous illness, when pressed 
to speak openly, confessed his firm belief that the mountain was 
the resort of demons, saying, “There would not be all these stories 
without reality behind them.” 
Jour. Straits Branch 
