A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Maize Jágong, liane Dāgun and yam Gādong each claim they could sustain humanity without rice. Solomon favours maize’s companionship with bean Káchang; the rivals attack one another, explaining the yam’s poison and pierced maize cobs. Elias refers their dispute back to Solomon. A fourteen-day battle scars nearby Māta Lémbu bark, makes Pĕrāchak stretch up fearfully and drives Ándram sedge into the river. Solomon finally separates the combatants, placing yam seated, liane recumbent and maize beside bean. These are active plant characters, not explicitly separate spirits inhabiting plants. Skeat’s notes leave several botanical identifications uncertain; the tale’s poison and food claims are not practical preparation guidance.
Origins & earliest records
Malay Peninsula; Upper Tĕmbĕling River, interior Pahang
Records & interpretation
Complete relevant tale and attached scholarly notes directly read.
In the literature
“the battle being still undecided”
V A Vegetarian Dispute, printed 15 · Walter William Skeat
Maize, a liane and jungle yam each boast they could feed humanity if rice vanished. Solomon prefers maize because of its association with beans. The liane and yam seek a weapon against maize, which strikes first; their reciprocal injuries explain features of the plants. Elias declines to decide and refers them back to Solomon. He permits a fourteen-day fight. An onlooking tree is grazed, a frightened shrub stretches upward and a terrified sedge flees into water. With no victor, Solomon separates the contestants: yam sits, liane lies down, maize and bean stand together. Skeat records the tale on the Upper Tĕmbĕling in Pahang and provides tentative botanical identifications.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest
V, A Vegetarian Dispute, pp. 13–15; notes pp. 76–77
- 02
Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest — V A Vegetarian Dispute
Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest, collected and translated Walter Skeat, Cambridge: University Press,1901. Original title leaf13 visually checked; selected complete tales and all accompanying notes read from historical transcription. Introduction states1899 Cambridge expedition collection and limitation of phraseology, not verbatim unedited speech. Original quoted folios visually checked in Archive fablesfolktalesf00skearich; IIIF canvas positions omit initial leaves, so exact original leaf number matched from image identifier, not array index.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Walter Skeat, Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest (Cambridge: University Press, 1901)
V, A Vegetarian Dispute. V, A Vegetarian Dispute, pp. 13–15; notes pp. 76–77
Complete tale and associated notes directly read. Regional spellings and differing accounts retained; commentary does not establish present-day practice or biological facts. Individual teller not named here.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest
Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest, collected and translated Walter Skeat, Cambridge: University Press,1901. Original title leaf13 visually checked; selected complete tales and all accompanying notes read from historical transcription. Introduction states1899 Cambridge expedition collection and limitation of phraseology, not verbatim unedited speech. Original quoted folios visually checked in Archive fablesfolktalesf00skearich; IIIF canvas positions omit initial leaves, so exact original leaf number matched from image identifier, not array index.
- Maize, a liane and jungle yam each boast they could feed humanity if rice vanished. Solomon prefers maize because of its association with beans. The liane and yam seek a weapon against maize, which strikes first; their reciprocal injuries explain features of the plants. Elias declines to decide and refers them back to Solomon. He permits a fourteen-day fight. An onlooking tree is grazed, a frightened shrub stretches upward and a terrified sedge flees into water. With no victor, Solomon separates the contestants: yam sits, liane lies down, maize and bean stand together. Skeat records the tale on the Upper Tĕmbĕling in Pahang and provides tentative botanical identifications.
CompleteV13–15 and notes76–77 read. Narrated origin of toxicity, growth and plant structure is not botanical proof or advice for consuming toxic plants. Notes expressly leave some identifications unresolved. Web header mislabels note pagination as81, while actual appended notes mark76–77. H.N.Ridley’s1897 list is cited indirectly, not independently reviewed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collected narrative with locality and editorial notesSkeat, Fables & Folk-Tales (Cambridge University Press, 1901), V, A Vegetarian Dispute, pp. 13–15; notes pp. 76–77Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.