EXPLORATION OF MOTIF ABOUT MIRACLE MARRIAGES IN INDONESIAN AND MALAYSIAN FOLKTALES

Abstract

Among the wide range of subjects in Southeast Asia folktales, there are a number of stories that share the motif of "miracle marriages"(marriages between human and non-human lifeforms). As the tiniest plot in narrative literature, motifs can grow into texts. This study uses qualitative research methods, taking Indonesian and Malaysian folktales as examples, studying the logic of folktales which is based on the motif of "miracle marriage". And the logic is, most of the human characters in the stories are ordinary laborers or royalty who are stuck in predicament. The non-human character is a creature that transforms from animal to human, or an angel from heaven. In the stories of the male side as a non-human being, the male creature appears as an ugly figure. After being loved by a nice and beautiful woman (civilian or princess), he will be released from the curse and become a handsome man. In folktales that the female is non-human beings, generally, the female characters come from heaven, they voluntarily or are forced to marry men who work as hunters or farmers, and finally achieve the ending in which the wife is mandatorily recalled by heaven, or the human husband breaks his promise, which leads to the partners being apart, or the happy ending of a family reunion after a hard time struggle.KEYWORDS: Motif, Miracle Marriage, Folktales