Long ago, when the earth was still young and the rivers ran clear as glass, there was no rice in the world. People hunted and gathered what they could, roots, berries, fish, but the food was never enough, and hunger lived in every village.
In the lush valleys of the Mekong, a kind and radiant goddess named Po Ino Nogar watched from the heavens. She had seen the people’s suffering and wished to help them. Her heart, made of gold and moonlight, could not bear to see children cry from hunger.
One evening, she descended to earth disguised as an old woman, her hair silver as winter clouds, carrying a small woven basket. She visited a poor farmer named Kham and his wife Lien, who were known for sharing what little they had.
“I am tired and hungry,” the old woman said. “May I rest here tonight?”
Without hesitation, Lien invited her in. They gave her their last bowl of boiled roots and offered their sleeping mat.
The old woman smiled, her eyes glimmering like starlight. “Your kindness will not go unrewarded,” she whispered.
The Gift of Rice
The next morning, the old woman handed Lien the small basket. “Plant what is inside, and care for it as you would a child.”
Inside were golden grains unlike any seed they had seen. Kham planted them in the softest soil near the river and tended them carefully. As the days passed, slender green stalks rose from the earth, shimmering in the sunlight.
When the stalks bowed with heavy golden grains, Lien cooked them. The first bite was sweet, warm, and filling, more delicious than any food they had known. Soon, Kham and Lien’s field grew enough rice to feed the entire village.
The Goddess Revealed
One evening, as the village celebrated the harvest, the old woman appeared again, but this time her form shifted. She became tall and radiant, her hair like cascading silk, her robe woven with the colors of sunrise.
“I am the Rice Goddess,” she said, her voice like wind through the paddies. “You have shown kindness without asking for reward, and so I give you rice, the gift of life. Tend it well, and it will feed your children’s children for all generations.”
With that, she vanished into the night sky, leaving behind the sound of rustling rice stalks in the breeze, a sound that villagers say is her spirit singing.
Moral of the Story
The tale of The Rice Goddess’s Blessing teaches that kindness and generosity bring abundance. In the Southeast Asian worldview, sharing even when you have little creates harmony between humans and the divine, ensuring that blessings flow back to those who give freely.
Knowledge Check
1. What is the moral of the folktale “The Rice Goddess’s Blessing”?The story teaches a lesson about generosity and gratitude, showing how selfless kindness can bring lasting abundance.
2. What cultural group does the tale “The Rice Goddess’s Blessing” come from? This folktale originates from the Southeast Asian storytelling tradition, with variations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.
3. Why did the goddess give rice to Kham and Lien? In the tale, the goddess gave rice because they shared their last food and bed with her without expecting anything in return.
4. How does the folktale “The Rice Goddess’s Blessing” explain the origin of rice? The story offers a cultural explanation that rice was a divine gift from a goddess to reward human kindness.
5. Is “The Rice Goddess’s Blessing” considered a trickster tale, ghost story, or moral fable? “The Rice Goddess’s Blessing” is an origin and moral fable, explaining both a natural food source and a moral truth.
6. How is this folktale relevant to modern readers? The message of “The Rice Goddess’s Blessing” remains relevant as it encourages generosity, gratitude, and the understanding that kindness sustains communities.
Origin: This folktale comes from the Southeast Asian tradition in Asia.
