NAT. NAT. HIST. BUL L. SIAM Soc. 50(2): 211-224 ， 2002

PAYANAK AS A MYTHICAL ANIMAL AND AS THE LIVING SPECIES REGALECUS GLESNE (OARFISH ，REGALECIDAE ， LA 恥IPRIDIFOR 島IES)

Tyson R. Roberts l

ABSTRACT

Th e my 出ica1 anima1 payanak is represented in roofing omaments ，statuary and paintings in in Buddhist temp1es throughout ，Thai1and and . It usually has a sing1e dragon- 1ike 1ike head ， with a hom on the snout and a beard-1ike projection from the chin ， and a 10ng ， 1imb1ess 1imb1ess snake- or fish-1ike body covered with sca1es. A1though often referred to as a naga ，it is is derived from the “e1ephant-1ion" or gajasimha of the Khmer king Suryavarman II (reigned 1113 -c a 1150). The payanak is associated with numerous popu1ar accounts and 1egends of Tha i1 and and Laos and is frequen t1 y portray 巴d in the popu1ar as well as temp1e aロof these countries. countries. A photograph bearing the fa1se 1abe1 “Payanak ， Queen of the Nagas ，seized by American Army at Mekong River ， Laos Mi1itary Base on June 27 ， 1973" has been wide1y distributed in Laos ，τllai1and ， and e1sewhere. The photo in question actu aI 1y is of a fresh1y dead 0紅白 sh ， Regalecus Regalecus glesne ，stranded on Coronado Is1and ，Ca1ifomia ， on September 19 ， 1996

K 巴y words: ichthyo1atry; fish worshipping; ophio1atry; snake worshipping; bang fai payanak (naga (naga fireballs); Phimeanakas naga cu1t;

INTRODUCTION

During their moming run on September 19 ，1996 ，two SEAL instructors from the US Naval Special Warfare Base on Coronado Island ，southem Califomia ，came across a 仕eshly beached silvery fish about 7.3 m long. Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in in nearby La Jolla examined the fish on the island. The head and tail were detached and are are prese 円 ed in the Scripps collection of marine vertebrates (catalog no. SIO 9ι82). Dr. Richard H. Rosenblatt of Scripps identified the species as the oarfish Regalecus glesne. A photograph of the fish ，held up by 30 members of the base' s first year class of SEALS ，was taken by Scripps's Leo W. Smith and appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on 27 September 1996. The same photo was published subsequently in many other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. It was also printed on a postcard sold by the Stephen Birch Aquarium of Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

1Associate ，Smithsonian Tropica1 Research Institute

Received Received 9 Ju1y 2002; accepted 23 S巴pt 巴mber 2002.

211 212 TYSON R. ROBERTS

Sho 託ly thereafter ，unauthorized prints of 出is photograph started showing up in hotels ， restaurants ，bars ，and shops in Vientiane ，Chiengmai ， ，and ， and even in a Chinese Chinese restaurant 泊 Hawaii (Le o W. Smith ， in li t.， 13 Aug. 2001). Th ey were labelled in Lao language and in English “Payanak"; “Queen of Nagas seized by American Army at Mekhong Ri ver ， Laos Military Base on June 27 ， 1973 with the length of 7.80 meters" (Fig. (Fig. 1). 官 le photograph thus labeled has been reproduced 也官lai and English language newspapers newspapers in Bangkok. Regalecus glesne is widely distributed in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans but has never been found in the Mekong or in any other river. The members of the family family and order to which it belongs ， Regalecidae and Lampriformes ， are exclusively marine. marine. A better idea of the appearance of the species c組 be gained 合om Fig. 2.

MYTHOLOGICAL O R1 GIN OF THE PAYANAK

Suryav 紅 m 釦 II (reigned 1113 -c a 1150) is one of the greatest kings in Khmer history. He united the Khm er kingdom ， fought the Chams for over 由国y years ，built Angkor ， and paved the way for the reign of the Buddharaja Jayavarman VII (1181-1218). One of the the most powerful and certainly most enduring symbols of Suryavarman II's reign is the gajasimha gajasimha or “elephant-lion." Th e gajasimha of Suryavarman II gave rise to the distinctive chofa chofa or apic a1 fmi a1 characteristic of modern Buddhist temples in Th ailand ， Laos and Cambodia (ROBERTS ， 2002) and to modern versions of 血e Burmese panca-rupa or pinca- yupa. yupa. It also gave rise to the payanak. Most authors have confused the gajasimha and payanak with naga. Naga is an ancient Hindu mythological hooded snake with multiple heads based upon the cobra Naia naia (Fig. (Fig. 3). Gajasimha or “elephant lions" also orignated in India. They played a relatively minor minor role in Khm er 紅 tuntil the reign of Suryavarman II ，who adopted 白e gajasimha as his his person a1 symbo l. The origin a1 conception of Suryavarman II's gajasimha is a tetrapod (four-legged) (four-legged) beast (Fig. 4). Most of its characters are mammalian. It s head is rather lion-

like like with lion-like m 叩 e 佃 d jaws but with an elephant-like 岡山. Elephant-like tusks may also also be present but usually are reduced in size. 官 le body including legs ，paws and tail is lion-like lion-like but bears snake-like scales on its sides and belly.τ 'h e scales on the belly 紅 'e broad like like the abdomin a1 scales or gastrosteges of snakes. Numerous examples 紅 e present in the bas-relief bas-relief of the Churning 01 the Sea 01 Mi 政 on the southern w a1 1 of ， Suryav 紅 man is II depicted as the Hindu god in this bas-relief. Gajasimha (a1 ternative spell 恒g ga} 倒的ha) is a Sanskrit word composed of gaja (elephant) and simha (or sinha) ion). (l ion). In τ'h ailand ， where it is the emblem of the Ministry of Defense ， gajasimha is known as as kochasi ，a term derived directly from gajasimha. It is a1 so referred to in Thai as kulen and and mangkorn. The greatest iconographic innovation in Kh mer history is replacement of the naga An anta or Sesha (the In finite or Endless One) by a gajasimha in bas-reliefs and statues of Vishnu Vishnu reclining on the Sea ザMilk (Fig. 5; ROBERTS ，2002a). The gajasimha in bas-reliefs on numerous lintels depicting this scene differs from other gajasimha of Suryavarman II only only in that it has a more elongate body to accommodate the reclining Vishnu. Th e Vishnu mounted on a gajasimha in ancient Kh mer bas-reliefs ，a1 most invariably on lintels over temple temple port a1 s or doorways ，app 紅 ently always represents Suryav 紅 man II. Suryav 紅 m 佃 II a1 so figures prominently in a substanti a1 body of Buddhist iconography 問、 l SÐ IU吉 m t{ ~J~lU l ïw Ð tJ1uu s:川町、 :> ，Oo5 ufl 27 ul1 U1U lI 2516 fl:) lU 臼TJUS: lJ lrU 7.80 IlJt'l S Anny at M c ~l lO ng Rivcr ， Laos Mi lilary Ba se on Junc ;27 ， 1973 w ith thc Icng th of 7.80 me 日開

可 、 』て』

~〈〉弐〉

Z U 河町〔

』U ト町 内 chc

ト h h 之町

F ig. I Photog raph of Coronaclo lsla ncl R ega le c/'/s g lesne or oarti sh l ab 巴ll ecl “Payanak " ancl “Q ueen of Nagas." Copy ri ght L eo W illi am S mi th.

M - u 214 TY SON R. ROsERT S

Fi g. 2. R ega lec us gl es ne (draw in g by Carl Erdm an n in Sm itt ，1 8 92: 3232，fi g.87 ). Lik e in m ost larg巴 spec lm ens th e ca ud a l fin is mi ss ing.

that that probably wa s done dllring hi s lif etim e (ROsERTS ， in press). Thi s incllld 巴ss tatll es of B lI ddha ，Avalokiteshvara ，a nd Maitr ey α(th e f lltllr e B lI ddha) tentativ e ly id entifi ed as S lI ryavarman 11. There is also a lint el with a bas- I巴li ef depicting B lI ddha (S lI ryavarman 11 ) sllbdllin g Mara in which the lI nd erw or ld of Mω'a is inJl abit ed by gajasim ha. Suryavar ・man lI 's dllal rol e as Vi shnll and as B lI ddha ，a lthollgh lI nll sual，is not illogical or surpri sin g. It s hould be r巴called th at Hindu s hav 巴 lon g regarded B uddha as the ninth av α tar or incarnation of of Vishnu ，and also that anci e nt Khmer reli giont end 巴d to be hi g hly sy ncretic (BRIGGS ， 1951 ; BOIssELaR ，1970) . For furth er discll ss ion of Suryavarman 11 and hi s gajasunha see ROBERTS ，2 002 a; 2002b. Gajasimha m 巴ntioned i. n the PI 巴ced in g paragraph di ff ，巴 r consid 巴rably fro m pa yan ak. All All hav e an elephant-lik e tru nk: and a re lative ly s hort body with four legs. Th ere is now a br 巴ak in the recorded hi stor y of th 巴 gajasimh αof a bout one century ，from Angkorean Khmer temples of th 巴 middl 巴 thirt 巴enth ce ntur y to th 巴 lat 巴 fo urt ee nth ce ntury Jinar 勾a Buddha of Mahatat Temple in Phitsanulok ，Thail and (F ig. 6). This bea utiful stat ue with it s pair pair of gajasimha ha s had a sub stan ti al impact on SOlltheast Asian art history. It probably was mad 巴 n巴ar the end of th 巴 fourteenth ce ntury ，m ost likely in th e years 1363-1369 (WOODWA 即， 1997: 148). Th e B lI ddha is lodged within a makar α-mouth arcade fo nn ed by th e arching bodies of a pair of olltwards-fac i.n g gajas unh α. The ga 勾'1 as 幻1m η1hαar 陀巴 in mo 幻st

1陀es 叩pe 民ct 臼s 刊巴v r叩ys山i.r凹 mila 紅r tωo 出th巴 gα 句jα S幻lm η仇1hα of SlI山 Jrya 肝lva 創rma 加n 11. Th e main 副dif 妊f巴引 r巴nc 巴 iβ s 出tha 瓜tt出h 巴 pos 幻t巴引 riωor part of thei 汀r body is much mor ee lon ga tea nd that it arch 巴s strongly upw a rd in PA YA NAK AND RECALE CUS C LE SNE 2 15

Fi g. 3. Twelf th c巴ntll ry cla ss ica l K hll1 巴r na ga CI 巴pi ctecJ as ve hi cle of lh 巴 Hin cJ ll go d Varllna (A ngko r W at)

Fig .4. Tw 巴Ifth c巴ntur y gajas imh a of S ur yava rll1 an 11 cJ ra w in gc har iot in batt le sce n巴 (A ngkor W at) 216 TYSON R. ROBERTS

'O rder t 'O extend 'O ver the Buddha figure. Significantly the hind pair 'O f legs are missing. All that that is needed f'O r these gajasimha t 'O bec 'O me payanak is f'O r the elephant-like trunk t 'O be transf 'O rmed 泊t'O ah 'O m and f'O r the fr 'O nt pair 'O f legs t 'O be l 'O st. This is clearly evident in numer 'O us depicti 'O ns 'O f payanak ， as f'O r example the pair issuing fr 'O m the m 'O uth 'O f Rahu in in am 'O dem temple painting fr 'O m Wat Neua ，Kh emerat ，'O n the Mek 'O ng River in n 'O rtheast Th ailand (Fig. 7) and in vari 'O us f'O rms 'O f 百 ai “p'O p art" (Figs. 8-9). Subsequent Subsequent representati 'O ns 'O f payanak may have been c'O nsci 'O usly 'O r subc 'O nsci 'O usly m 'O dified in an eff 'O rt t 'O revert t 'O the 'O lder c'O ncept 'O f the multi-headed 'O phidian nagas. It is is perhaps unnecess 釘 Yt 'O seek pr 'O f'O und myth 'O l'O gic a1 'O r hist 'O ric a1 explanati 'O ns f'O r the c'O nversi 'O n 'O f the gajasimha elephant-like trunk t 'O the payanak h'O m. Ceramic and 'O ther sculptures sculptures 'O f gajasimha 'O ften have the slender pr 'O jecting trunk br 'O ken 'O ff at 'O r ne 紅白e base. base. In numer 'O us instances gajasimha have had 血自国nk inappr 'O priately rest 'O red as a h'O m ， presumably because the pers 'O n rest 'O ring it did n'O t kn 'O w 出e 'O rigin a1 f'O rm.

NAGA AND PAYANAK FOLKLORE AND LEGENDS

La 'O and τ'h ai pe 'O ple ，including Buddhist m 'O nks wh 'O紅 'e the main culture bearers 'O f payanak myth 'O l'O gy ， usually equate payanak with the better-kn 'O wn nagas even th 'O ugh hist 'O ric a1 1y they 訂 'e entirely distinc t. Classic a1 Hindu and Khm er nagas ，which g 'O back in time time way bef 'O re the payanak and the gajasimha 'O f Suryavarman 11 ，紅'e multi-headed supematur a1 c'O bras attaining immense size. Their m 'O中 h'O l'O gic a1 characters are exclusively reptilian reptilian and snake-like. This kind 'O f naga ，usually with an 'O dd number 'O f fr 'O m 3t 'O 9 heads ，wi 出 the central head 1釘 gest ，is 血 .e 'O nly myth 'O l'O gic a1 snake-like naga in In dia up t'O血 e presen t. It was 白 e 'O nly kind 'O f naga in the ancient Khm er kingd 'O m in Camb 'O dia ， which ended ar 'O und 143 1. Th ep のanak is n'O w the m 'O re usu a1 c'O ncept 'O f naga 泊Th ailand and La 'O s. S'O me 'O f the the many st 'O ries and .legends ab 'O ut it may be summarized here. Such acc 'O unts ， 'O ften c 'O nsiderably elab 'O rated ，釘e related by m 'O nks t 'O their f'O ll 'O wers and printed 泊 numer 'O us La 'O and Th ai language pamphlets and b 'O'O klets. Origin 'O f the name payanak is uncertain. It It is perhaps f'O rmed 合om phraya 'O r phaya ，an 'O rthem Th ai and La 'O tian term f'O r king 'O r r'O yalty ，組d nak ，f'O r naga. In m 'O dem Khm er 'O r Camb 'O dian payanak is kn 'O wn as niya. In In and La 'O s beliefs c'O nceming the 'O lder naga have been transferred t 'O payanak. 百le relati 'O nship between payanak and Buddha is manif 'O ld. Bef 'O re being b'O m in human f'O rm 儲 the Gautama 'O r the Enlightened One ， Buddha had m 釦 y previ 'O us n'O n- human lives 'O r incarnati 'O ns. One 'O f these was as a naga king named Purita t.百 lis is 'O ne reas 'O n he has a1 ways held such sway 'O ver 出e nagas. S'O mewhere in n'O rthem La 'O s there is is am 'O untain 白紙l'O'O ks like a huge sculpture 'O fa naga with seven heads and seven c'O ils. Th em 'O untain actually is Pu ritat wh 'O tumed int 'O st 'O ne when his meditati 'O n succeeded and he was reb 'O m as Buddha. Tw 'O naga kings ，Nanda and Upananda ，l 'O vingly bathed the the infant Buddha immediately after his bir 白， first with warm water and 由en with c'O'O l water. water. Nagas gener a1 1y 紅 'e presented 泊 Buddhist literature as dev 'O ut w 'O rshippers 'O f Buddha. Neither Neither g'O ds n'O r man n'O r anim a1 s can resist 曲eh 'O ly influence 'O f the Blessed One; the nagas nagas t'O'O， wh 'O c'O mbine the naωre 'O f the three kinds 'O f beings ，釘'e w 'O n 'O ver by his w 'O rd (VOGEL ， 1926: 93). Under his influence they become gentle ， accept his doctrine ，and cease PAYANAK AN D RE GALECUS G LE SNE 217

Fi g. 5. Vi shnll rec lining on a g(! iαsi mha (Na rai

Tap long lint 巴1， Phnolll R lI ng，Thailand )

F ig. 6. Fourt 巴巴 nlh ce ntur y gajasimha (J inaraja Bud d ha，W at M ahatat ，Phit sa nulok ， Thailand ) 2 18 TY SON R. RO Il ERT S

Fi g. 7. T we nti e th c巴nlur y paya llak iss uin g fr om mouth of Raju ;as ort of flor ald es ignh as 1巴place d lh 巴 front pail 1' 0 1' l egs pr ese nl in g旬。sim ha (W alN eua，K hem eral ，n OI出eas t Tha iI a nd )

Fig. 9. P aya nak 011 Thai mat ch-box . NOI 巴 fi sh-lik e tai l.

f ig. 8. P aya ll ak on cove r of nove l “M ekon g" by Pon gpo l A dir eksa rn (pen nam e P aul Adir ex). A lth ough th e

paya ll ak loo ks ve rys nake- li k巴 and is 1巴ferr ed 10 as “naga " byA direx ，il is derive d from Ih e mamm ali an gc. りas illlil a of Sur yava nn an IL PAYANAK AND REGALECUS GLESNE 219 harming harming man and other creatures. Finding mankind unwilling to accept his doctrine of Sunyata Sunyata or Void ，Buddha gave it to the nagas to hold in 回 st until humans became receptive. receptive. Seeing Buddha's relicts neglected ， the nagas saved some of his hairs to give to mankind later. After seven centuries the sage Naga りuna appeared and brought the Prajnaparamita Prajnaparamita Sutra on Sunyata from the nagas to mankind. Nagas sometimes appear in human form to listen to the sermons of Buddhist monks. Nagas can understand all human languages. languages. They also have their own language ， nagakrit or nak-kit. One of the most enduring Khmer Buddhist images is Buddha meditating in the forest while while protected from storms by the naga king Mucilenda. In Lao and Thai statues of Buddha Mucilenda 出e naga usually has 5 or 7 heads. In Buddha Muclilenda in 出e Schwedogon Temple in Yangon and elsewhere in Mucilenda is portrayed as a payanak. payanak. This Burmese payanak has a single head ，forelimbs present or absent ，body elongate ，a horn on the snout ， and a beard on the chin.τ 'h e beard is divided in two; the two halves either diverge or wrap around each other like the tails of two nagas. 百le king and queen of the nagas or payanaks and their entourages 紅巳 living now. Th e subterranean subterranean palace where they stay most of the time extends beneath the Mekong River up- and down-stream from Vientiane. They can come to the surface by means of various secret secret holes or openings. These openings cannot be found by ordin 釘 y humans but 釘 e sometimes sometimes found by monks. One monk entered the underground palace from a hole on the Lao side of the Mekong and left it from a hole in 百lailand. Payanak occasionally come out out of the palace at night to sport in the Mekong River. At such times their snorts can be seen seen as flashes of light on the water surface. Many Th ai and Lao people and foreign tourists tourists have seen these lights ，known as bang fai payanak. Eye-witnesses Eye-witnesses who observed naga or payanak swimming in the Mekong in the vicinity of of Salakoktan ，on the outskirts of Vientiane were interviewed by Alan Davidson while he was the British Ambassador to Laos. They observed the creatures undulating about “on that that day of the ye 紅 when the water of the Mekong first begins to subside after the rainy season." season." One observer who saw 血is twice ， once with binoculars ，estimated the size of the creatures 泊 relation to a canoe which was about 出e same distance away as 20 ー25 meters. He reported a red band on the neck about 40 cm down from 出e head ， which looked precisely precisely like 白紙 of a se 叩ent (DAVIDSON ， 1975: 100). Bang fai payanak may be translated as “ Opayanak fireballs." The English translation usually usually given is “ naga fireballs." This is another instance of the prevalent conflation of the two two my 血ological entities. According to some people the fireballs 釘 e the snorting of the payanak paying their respect to the Lord Buddha. Others suggest that they are produced by fireworks or tracer bullets ， or from the spontaneous release of natural gas deposits in the the bed of the Mekong Rive r. Payanak lived in Southeast Asia long before humans settled there and even before the Mekong River was formed. Two payanak kings living in 出e area now known as Yunnan fought fought a war. Th e losing king Srisattanak and his troops fled from Yunnan by going underground underground and burrowing all the way to the sea. Their meandering pathway became the Mekong River. Naga maidens ，known as nagakanya or nagi ，also can assume human form. They are ch 釘 ming ，gracious ，beautiful and seductive. Amorous and matrimonial alliances between them them and humans are pa 口 of the founding mythology of various kingdoms including the ancient ancient Khm er kingdom of Cambodia. Numerous nagi ，some mounted on gajasimha and 220 TYSON R. ROBERTS other other aquatic beasts of the underworld ，may be seen in bas-reliefs lining the Hidden Passageway Passageway in the Terrace of the Leper King near An gkor Wat (Figs. 10 ー11) and on the wall wall enclosing the pond in the Royal Enclosure north of Phimeanakas. Naga worship or ophiolatry (snake worship) apparently played a significant role in the lives lives of ancient Kh mer kings. When the Chinese emissary Zhou Daguan visited the Kh mer capital capital in 1296 ，he was told that a golden tower inside the palace (identified by modem scholars scholars as the Phimeanakas) was the abode of the spirit of a nine-headed snake (nagar 可吋， that that owned all of the land of the kingdom. Every night the nagaraja materialized as a woman (nagi) with whom the king slept during the first quarter of the nigh t. If the king failed failed to come just one night calamity would befall him. If one night the spirit did not materialise materialise as a nagi it meant the king would die (SMIT 回目， 2001: 23). The exterior wall of the royal pond adjacent to the Phimeanakas temple is decorated by bas-reliefs with the repeated motif of a central figure apparently representing a king ， with with a nagi and then a seven-headed naga on 巴ither side. The Hidden Passageway in the Terrace Terrace of the Leper King ， lined for its entire length with bas-reliefs of nagi and large nine-headed nine-headed nagas ， presumably was related to the naga cult of the Phimeanakas. The nagi are are recognizable as such due to their head-dress in the form of a multi-headed naga or naka (Fig. (Fig. 10). That they are nagi is also indicated by their footless snake-like lower extremity. They are usually depicted in sitting position with the tail descretely folded beneath them. These These bas-reliefs support the hear-say account of the Phimeanakas naga cult reported by Zhou Daguan. Three Three nagi near one of the entrances to the Hidden Passageway are mounted on gajasimha-like gajasimha-like anirnals. These animals have well-developed forelimbs but lack the hindlimbs. In In one of them the body ends in a fish-like forked tai l. In two of them the body ends in an an elongated snake-like tail (Fig. 11). Both types may be considered as precursors to the payanak. payanak. Like Like their snake-like naga predecessors ，payanak are associated with rainfall ，agricultural productivity ，and fertility. They are the guardian spirits of the annual Songkhran festival in in Laos and Thailand ，propitiated for their power to bring the monsoon rains (Fig. 12). Payanak ，like naga are equally at home in the sea. Varuna ， the Buddhist as well as Hindu version version of Neptune or King of the Sea is also a nagara j， α， with a naga or pay αnak as his vahana or vehicle (Fig. 4).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Whereas gajasimha is displayed in Hindu as well as Buddhist iconography ，payanak appears appears only in Buddhist iconography. By the time payanak evolved from gajasimha ， Buddhism was rapidly exp 叩 ding in mainland Southeast Asia while Hinduism had practically died died ou t. Angkor Wat has numerous bas-reliefs depicting multi-headed nagas and g αrjasimha but but none depicting payanak because it had not yet evolved from the gajasimha. The payan αk as well as the Suryavarman 11 version of g勾asimha reached Myanm 訂 but apparently failed failed to reach In dia. In Myanmar ， which apparently gained much of its Buddhist traditions from Southeast Asia ， nagas (or naya) usually appear in the form of modified gajasimha or payanak (as in Schwedogon Temple in Yangon). While nagas are almost invariably represented with mutltiple heads ， gajasimha and by extension extension payanak may be represented either by single or multiple heads. Multiple-headed PA YANA K AN D R ECALECUS C LESNE 22 1

Fig . 10. Nagi flankin g nin 巴ー head ed l1 aga (l-l idd e l1 Pa ss ageway il1 th 巴 T 巴rra c巴 of th e Leper Kin g)

Fi g. 11. Nag i Ill ount ecl 0 11 pa ya ll ak -lik e gc り，as illlh a w ith sl1 ak e-lik e tai l (トliclcl el1 Pa ss ageway in th e T erra ce o f th e Lep巴r Ki l1 g). 222 TYSON R. R OBERTS

Fig. 12. Mu lti -headed payanak-li ke gajasirnlw on fl oat in a Songkhran parade at Ch iang Mai, northern Thai land. Note that the crown on the head of the person in the fl oat represe nt s a makara-mouth framing hi s face, and th at sides of the makara-mouth ha ve a decoration shaped like the head of a gajasimha.

gctjasimha apparently first appeared in Cambodia during the reign of Suryavannan II, in the so-call ed " balustrades". The earliest of these feature a central Garuda figure standing _atop a multi-headed naga, and with hi s arm -wings partially enveloping multi­ headed gajasimha (R OBERTS , 2002a). These earl y multi-headed gajasimha show quite clearly th e elephant-like trunk and beard of the gajasimha of Suryavarman IL Since onl y the head and neck are shown, the forelimbs are not evident. Comparing the photograph of the Coronado Island Regalecus glesne with payanak as portrayed in Buddhist temples and in pop art of Laos and Thai land , it is easy to see how the two were conflated. The otherworldl y appearance of the om-fish does bear a startling resemblance to that of the payanak. The mane of th e payanak is of course represented by the spectacul ar crest or mane of the mu·fish, consisting of a number of elongate dorsal fin rays, with bulbous tips when they are intact, and bright reel in color. The mane of the payanak is sometimes also red in color. In some representations of payanak the mane, ori ginall y restricted to the head, extends along th e body supported by fine projections superficially like the rays supporting the dorsal fin of R. glesne (Fig. 7). The oarfi sh is an impressive animal worthy of compari son with the payanak. Attaining at least 8 m, and reportedl y (if doubtfully) 15m (H EDLEY , 1997 : 204), it is the longest li ving species of Teleostei or bony fishes. Color in li fe is striking: head and body bright PAYANAK AND REGALECUS GLESNE 223 silvery silvery over-all ， with oceanic blue tints and numerous oblique ，slash-like black marks and spots; spots; dorsal and pelvic fins pink ， red or sc 紅 le t. Head and body highly compressed (narrow from from side to side). Th e7 .3 -m Coronado Island specimen appe 釘 s to be the largest preserved specimen specimen of the species (see HEDLEY ， 1997: 204). It weighed on1 y about 25ι300 lbs (1 10 ー130 kg) (Leo W. Smith ，pers. comm ふ Oarfish Oarfish normally live in open oceanic waters ，often where the depth exceeds 1000 m. They can descend to depths of 1000 m. Apart 仕om man their mortal enemies apparently 釘 e few. Healthy adults evidently are quite capable of avoiding large would-be predators such such as giant squid ，sharks ， and sperm wh a1 es by acute sensory perception and rapid avoidance avoidance reaction. They can move with astonishing speed ，either horizontally or vertic a1 ly. They have been observed suspended vertically with the head up ， and then dropping downwards rapidly when startled. Usually single ， they are occasion a1 ly observed in pairs. 百le name oarfish comes from the slow ，sculling motion of the pelvic fins ， each consisting of of a single elongate bony ray. 官le pelvic fins bear numerous chemosensory organs and apparently 釘 e used for detecting food organisms (NISHIMURA ， 1961; OELSHLAGER & SCHWERDTFEGER ， 1979). Oarfish feed on euphausiids or krill. The tiny shrimp-like crustaceans crustaceans are sucked into the oropharyngeal cavity by the pro 加 sile jaws and filtered from from the water by specialized gill rakers. 百leir mating and spawning behavior has not been observed. observed. Th e oarfish app 釘 'ently is responsible for many ancient as well as modem sight 泊gs of sea sea serpents ，especially those reported as having a horse-like head and scarlet mane. Th e identity and the motives of the person or persons responsible for making the fa1 sely labelled photograph of the Coronado Island Regalecus are unknown and ， unless a pe 中etrator comes forward ， probably will remain so. Wh ether intentional or not ，it has served served as a highly successful and self-propagating piece of anti-American propaganda. Photographs Photographs with the Payanak-Queen of Nagas label 釘 e still being actively distributed in Laos Laos and Lao 叩 eaking areas in Northeast Thailand ， and undoubtedly have caused anti- American feelings. Th is is understandable given that Lao people regard the payanak as a nation a1 guardian protecting their country 合om foreign invaders. Wh ile snake worshipping or ophiolatry is relatively well known in the New World as well well as 白e Ol d，there 紅 e relatively few recorded instances of ichythyola 汀y or fish- worshipping. worshipping. Symbolic fish occur in various religions ，including Christianity ， and there are are shark cults in various Pacific islands such as New Ir eland. The payanak as Regalecus reve 町'ed in Laos and Thailand and the sa1 mon worshipped by various Eskimo and other Indian Indian tribes on the Northwest Pacific coast of America ，訂'e two of the more important examples. examples.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Warren Y. Brockelman kindly provided a print of the Coronado Island Regalecus labelled labelled “Payanak ，Queen of Nagas". David Catania sent a copy of the article with the photograph photograph published in the San Di ego Union Tribune. Leo W. Smith and H. J. Walker provided provided information about the history of the specimen and the photograph. Erik Ah lander provided provided a copy of the account of Regalecus from F. A. Smitt's A History 01 Scandinavian Fishes. Fishes. 224 TYSON R. ROBERTS

REFERENCES

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