Extract taken from 212 House of Opium – Golden Triangle Thailand
Akha Legend Version 1
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There is an old Akha legend about the origin of opium
A long time ago there was a young girl so beautiful that she has many suitors
Of all these, seven men impressed her
Then one day all seven men came to ask for her hand in marriage
The girl did not want to choose one from among them for fear of making the others sad and jealous
She therefore decided to make love to all seven men
Even though she knew that it would surely cause her death
she was happy to make this sacrifice
When she could endure it no more she asked for death and to be reincarnated as a beautiful flower
Before dying she told her relative to take good care of her grave, on which a beautiful flower would grow up from her heart.
She said that whoever tasted the flower’s sap would like it and want more but that it would bear both good and evil
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Akha Legend Version 2
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A long time ago there was a young Akha girl who was very beautiful but who had such bad body odour that no men would come near her.
She therefore had such a sad lonely life that she died brokenhearted
Before dying she made a wish and asked her fellow villagers to take good care of her grave
Later a beautiful flower grew up from her grave
When anyone tried its sap they would want to taste it again and again but this sap, apart from giving amazing pleasure, it also cause terrible suffering
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