The Sleeping Mountain

This Cambodian tale tells the story of two brothers, Sambath and Samnang. The oldest, Sambath, spends his days thinking about ways to avoid helping his father and brother out on their small farm. Samnang, the younger brother, works hard to help lessen the work for his father. After their parents passed away Sambath requested the two brothers part ways, but not before they split up their parents’ property. Sambath got their home and the small farmland. Samnang left humbly with some books, a cat, and a dog. He bid his brother farewell and went to live high atop a mountain. Here, he awakens a sleeping mountain from its one hundred-year hibernation. What he discovered inside was breathtaking. But for his brother, the discovery inside would change his fate forever. This story embodies the various elements that are common to Cambodian folktales. Respect, courage, and justice are all embedded in this unforgettable tale about the good being rewarded and the bad getting what is deserved.