การศึกษามโนภาพเหนือธรรมชาติในเรื่องพระอภัยมณี: ความสัมพันธ์ฉันสามีภรรยาของมนุษย์กับอมนุษย์

Abstract

Phra Aphai Mani, a poetic tale by Sunthon Phu is one of the great poetic tales and well known fantasy stories of Thailand. The stories of conjugal relations between human and non-human beings may be considered as the most attractive part of this literature. This article aims to examine aspects of conjugal relations between human and non-human beings that might be called embodiment of unusual imagination in Phra Aphai Mani and to determine the meanings of those conjugal relations. Stories about conjugal relations between human and non-human beings, namely Phra Aphai Mani who is a human and a protagonist and both a female Yak or giantess and a mermaid which are non-human beings, are located at the beginning of the literature and stimulate the reader's curiosity and then make the story of large volume complete by various episodes. Conjugal relations between human and non-human beings in Phra Aphai Mani do not last all the way and end with the death or separation. This shows that harmony and co-existence of the supernatural and the natural is not possible.