Singapore's Myths And Legends

Number by catalogue:  Michel: 2381   Yvert: 2143   Scott: 1773  

Perforation type: 13x13

Subject:

1st Local º - No face value.

Two sisters working with a manual mortar.

Additional:

*Sisters' Islands are two of the Southern Islands in Singapore and are located to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore.

Legends tells of a poor widow who had two pretty daughters, Minah and Linah, who were very close to each other. After their mother died, the sisters left the village to live with a distant uncle.

One unfortunate day, Linah met a group of pirates while she was fetching water from a well near the sea. Frightened, she ran home while the pirate chief gave chase. At the uncle's home, the pirate brandished a dagger and made known his wish to marry Linah. That night, the two sisters wept bitterly in each other's arms. When dawn broke, the pirate chief and 16 of his men came to take Linah away. Clinging to each other, they were torn apart by the pirates and Linah was forced to leave with the pirates. Just then, the sky turned dark and a storm broke out. Desperate, Minah swam after the boat but drowned. On seeing this, Linah freed herself from her captors and jumped into the sea to join Minah.

The storm subsided but nowhere could the sisters be found. The next day, the villagers were shocked to see two islands at the spot where the two sisters had drowned.

The two tranquil islands, called Pulau Subar Laut and Pulau Subar Darat, was henceforth known as the Sisters' Islands. It was said that every year on that very day when the sisters turned into islands, there will always be storm and rain.

Another version of the legend stated that the sisters were being blown away by the storm and each landed on one of the island, and hence the name Sisters' Islands.

A third version of the legend said that there were two sisters who drowned at sea. The elder sister tried to save the younger sister but both drowned. God was touched by their love for one another and transformed both into two little islands so they could be together forever.

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This information has been taken from Wikipedia