24-507: Thabaton , lovingly called as Thaba , was a lady in Meitei mythology and folklore of Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur ). She had seven elder brothers who took care of her at every cost. She was kidnapped by Keibu Keioiba , a tiger headed man, during the absence of her siblings. After staying at the captivity of the beast for some time, she was later rescued and freed from bondage by her brothers. The story of Thabaton and Keibu Keioiba
48-460: A beautiful and young woman named Thabaton instead. Thabaton was the only sister in a family with seven brothers. The old woman told Keibu Keioiba that her brothers had gone for a work and that Thabaton was alone. The old woman helps Keibu Keioiba to trick Thabaton into opening the door to her house and succeeded in making Thabaton. Keibu Keioba kidnaps Thabaton. Shortly after this, Thabaton's brothers return home from work and discover that Thabaton
72-509: A witty lady. She used her wisdom during the time she was abducted by Keibu Keioiba . To leave the tracks of her, she tore her clothes into small pieces and threw them on the way she was taken away so that her brothers could find her later on. In some versions of the story, using her wisdom, lady Thabaton planned to kill Keibu Keioiba and the treacherous old woman. She asked Keibu Keioiba that she wanted an old woman's skin. Keibu Keioiba, who dearly loved her, fulfilled her wish by killing and skinning
96-484: Is considered as one of the classic examples of the Meitei folk legends that is passed down through generation to generation. Thabaton ( Meitei : ꯊꯕꯥꯇꯣꯟ ) was born as the only daughter of her parents, alongside seven sons. So, she was the darling sister of her seven elder brothers. Once all her brothers went to a distant place for some time, she was left alone at home. While leaving home, her brothers told her some code words which when told to her only, she should open
120-428: Is missing. They ask the old woman about their sister, and she tells them about Keibu Keioiba. The seven brothers prepare their weapons and set out in search of their sister. Keibu Keioiba has not eaten Thabaton. Instead, he has forced Thabaton to become his wife, and they live together in the forest. The brothers never stop searching for their sister. One day, they see Thabaton. When they get close to her, they see that she
144-410: Is with a man and has a baby with her. The brothers discreetly signal to Thabaton so that she knows they have arrived. When Keibu Keioiba goes away for a hunt, Thabaton meet her brothers and they plan her escape. When Keibu Keioiba returns, Thabaton gives him a hollow utong (bamboo pipe) open at both ends. She tells Keibu Keioiba to fetch water from the stream with the utong. In Keibu Keioiba's absence,
168-405: The moral that "Smart person won't open door to stranger." In the 2009 animation film Keibu Keioiba (Tiger Head) , the creation of Thabaton's character was a challenge to the filmmakers. In accordance to the filmmakers, Thabaton's age was assumed to be between 16 and 20 years. And her eldest brother's age was assumed to be around 30. The animation artists found it hard to develop the features of
192-403: The beast to fetch water from the stream using a bamboo pipe (bamboo container) ( Meitei : ꯎꯇꯣꯡ ). The bamboo pipe was actually hollow from both sides, which was unknown to Keibu Keioiba. Keioiba could never fully fill the bamboo pipe, thereby endlessly fetching water. On the other hand, after burning down Keibu Keioiba's home, Thabaton and her brothers fled from the spot. The code words that
216-582: The body of a human in the Meitei mythology and folklore of Manipur . According to legend, he was once a skilful priest named Kabui Salang Maiba. He used witchcraft to turn himself into a ferocious tiger. As punishment of his pride , he could not completely turn back to his original human form. Keibu Keioiba was a human in the daytime and a tiger at night. During night, he prowled around looking for food. One night, he found an older woman's house and planned to devour her. The old woman said that her wrinkled skin would not be tasty and suggested that he eat
240-419: The brothers burn down Keibu Keioiba's house, kill the baby, and run away with their sister. On the other hand, Keibu Keioiba could not collect water with the utong; when he tried, the water leaked. A crow, observing his activities from a treetop mocked his foolishness. Keibu Keioiba returns home to find his son dead, his wife missing, and his house burnt to the ground. His anger knew no bounds. He charges back to
264-414: The character was twisted out of the normal shape of a real tiger to a little bit extend. It was done so as to bring adjustment to the human voice and the speaking actions during digitalization. Artist Bhumenjoy faced great challenges in making the visual character of Keibu Kei-Oiba, as the character is about the combination of a human and a beast. Various faded colours were used by the drawing team to adapt to
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#1732772688794288-413: The curiosity about her, Keibu Keioiba attempted to open the door of Thabaton's house. At first attempt, it failed. Later, when the old lady told him the code words, he recited it standing in front of the door. Hearing to the correctly said words, Thabaton misunderstood that the person might be one of her brothers. So, she opened the door from inside the house. Thus, Thabaton was abducted by Keibu Keioiba. She
312-399: The door a little bit. Taking advantage of the situation, Keibu Keioiba, who was hiding behind the old woman, sprang out, forcibly open the door and abducted the helpless Thabaton. Thabaton was described as a lady well known for "her chastity, beauty, loyalty, and obedience to her brothers" . She is described as grown up in a family of poor brothers who lived from hand to mouth. Thabaton was
336-433: The door of her house. There was an old woman at her neighboring house. Unfortunately, the old lady heard those code words. Some time after the brothers left, in one fateful night, Keibu Keioiba ( Meitei : ꯀꯩꯕꯨ ꯀꯩꯑꯣꯏꯕ ), the tiger headed man, entered into the house of the old lady, to devour her flesh. To save herself from being killed, the old lady told Keibu Keioiba about the young, beautiful and lonely Thabaton. Having
360-507: The faces and physiques of Thabaton and her seven different but lookalike brothers who all belong to one family having the age range between 10 and 14 years. The making of Thabaton's character was extremely time-consuming in comparison to others. It was because artist Bhumenjoy was not handy in creating feminine arts. Observing from the photos of women, artist Bhumenjoy later attempted to draw Thabaton's image. While doing so, he used to remember hairstyles, eyes, height, dresses and everything about
384-501: The female character. Later on, the innocent looks of lady Thabaton was finally created. Meitei mythology Meitei mythology (or Manipuri mythology) ( Meitei : Meitei Mi Lai Tingi Wari ) is a collection of myths, belonging to the religious and cultural traditions of the Meitei people , the predominant ethnic group of Manipur . It is associated with traditional Meitei religion of Sanamahism . Meitei myths explain various natural phenomena, how human civilization developed, and
408-539: The home of Thabaton and her brothers, who have prepared their weapons. As soon as Keibu Keioiba approaches them, they attack. Finally, Keibu Keioiba dies at the hands of the Thabaton's seven brothers. Thabaton and her seven brothers live happily ever after. In the 2009 Meitei language animated film Keibu Keioiba (Tiger Head) , the character of Keibu-Kei-Oiba was uniquely designed to a humanoid tiger, which had to speak dialogues in human voices. The facial structure of
432-400: The old woman intervened by asking Thabaton to lend her a needle. Thabaton told her to take it from a small hole through the wall of the house. The old woman persuaded her to open the door a little bit so that she could directly take the needle from her hands as her eyesight wasn't good enough due to old age to take the needle through tiny hole of the house. Thabaton, feeling pity for her, opened
456-437: The old woman. Later, Thabaton gave Keibu Keioiba a hollow bamboo pipe (or bamboo pole) to fetch water. Keioiba Keioiba, unknown of the hollowness of the container, went to fetch water, which took him endless efforts but always in vain. During his absence, Thabaton and her brothers burned down the house of Keibu Keioiba, by putting the woman's skin inside the house in such a way that it could be seen from outside. Upon being revealed
480-455: The reality of the bamboo container and the live situation happening in his home by a crow, Keibu Keioiba immediately returned home. Seeing the woman's skin burning inside the house, thoughtless Keibu Keioiba assumed it to be Thabaton getting burned. He jumped in the house and died in fire. In the "Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines" by Patricia Monaghan , Thabaton was described as a sex slave of Keibu Keioiba . The story of Thabaton gives
504-404: The reasons of many events. Mythical narration plays an integral role in nearly every genre of Meitei literature ( Manipuri literature ). Some of the best known literary sources are: Mythical beings include gods, goddesses, mythical creatures and many others. Keibu Keioiba Keibu Keioiba , also known as Kabui Keioiba , is a mythical creature with the head of a tiger and
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#1732772688794528-442: The story. In most versions, Thabaton was tricked by Keibu Keioiba by reciting the code words learned from the neighborhood old woman. Upon hearing the correctly said code words, she believed it might be one of her brothers for sure. And so, she opened the door. Thus, she was abducted. In some versions, Keibu Keioiba recited the code words correctly but his voice alerted Thabaton as it did not resemble any of her brothers' voices. So,
552-439: Was held captive in the den ( cave in another version of the story) of Keibu Keioiba in the middle of the thick woodlands . On the other side, after some time ("months" or "years" according to different versions of the story), her brothers returned home and found her missing. The old lady informed them about the abduction. So, the brothers came to search for Thabaton. After some time, she was discovered by her brothers. She tricked
576-458: Was instructed to Thabaton by her brothers and later used by Keibu Keioiba to make her open the door is quoted as: "Sana O, Naril O Chenga Pellona Ebung gi Ebema Thabaton Ebung Lakle Thong hanglo." English translation of the code words is as follows: "Oh! Gold, Oh! Silver, Put on the door bar, your brother has come, open the door." The way lady Thabaton was abducted by Keibu Keioiba varies according to different versions of
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