Bound By Stone: Folktales of Filial Piety Across The Nusantara

Authors

  • Sharina Saad Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah Branch
  • Alia Nabella Fateha Zolkifli
  • Shafilla Subri
  • Haseena Kutty Abdul Aziz

Keywords:

Folktales, Filial piety, Propp's Morphology, Moral Education

Abstract

This work investigates the Nusantara legends about filial piety, namely, Malin Kundang (Indonesia), Si Tanggang (Malaysia), and Nakhoda Manis (Brunei), which all communicate same old moral lessons of disobedience to parents and its consequences. The study, which is concerned with the decline of oral storytelling and the moral transmission among the younger generations, applies Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale as a qualitative framework for the comparative textual analysis. The results show the recurrent Proppian functions like interdiction, violation, punishment, and transformation which strengthen the similar moral expectations across the region. The study claims that these folktales are still pedagogically valid and can be revived through digital storytelling and educational integration to keep the cultural and ethical values alive.

Author Biographies

  • Sharina Saad, Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah Branch

    Dr Sharina Saad is a senior lecturer at Academy of Language Studies in UiTM Kedah.

  • Alia Nabella Fateha Zolkifli

    Miss Alia Nabella Fateha holds a Master's Degree in Linguistics and English Language Studies from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Penang.

  • Shafilla Subri

    Dr Shafilla Subri is a senior lecturer at College of Creative Arts in UiTM Cawangan Kedah

  • Haseena Kutty Abdul Aziz

    Miss Haseena is a lecturer at Academy of Language Studies UiTM Kedah Branch

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Published

2026-03-05

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