The Story of Two Blazing Suns
Once upon a time, when the world was young and the heavens were adorned with two blazing suns, there lived a young couple in a small village in the land of Borneo. The young man was named Gindol, a skilled hunter with the blowpipe, while his wife, Odun, was a woman of gentle disposition and great skill in managing their household.
They were deeply in love, and during their early married life, they spent all their time talking about their dreams of having a prosperous and flourishing family. Nothing filled their hearts with more joy than the thought of seeing their lineage grow and thrive in happiness and abundance.
Before long, Heaven granted their prayers. Odun conceived and gave birth to their first child, a beautiful infant who brought them immeasurable joy. Their life was filled with bliss and hope for a bright future. Each morning, the two suns would rise together, casting brilliant light across the land, yet also bringing with them a heat so intense that it matched the warmth of the single sun we know today.
On one fateful morning, Odun said to her husband, “My dear Gindol, beloved husband, I must go to the barn to dry the padi. The barn lies a good distance from our house, and I have some cleaning work to do as well. I shall not return until midday.”
Gindol nodded, saying, “Take care, my dear Odun. The two suns appear more fierce than usual today.”
Odun smiled and set forth to the barn that stood quite far from their dwelling. Little did anyone know that this would be the last time she would leave home in good health.
When Odun reached the barn, the two suns were already high in the sky and burning with terrible heat. She began carefully spreading the padi upon the woven mats. However, as time passed, the two suns grew increasingly merciless. The heat they cast was like the fires of perdition, scorching the very earth.
While Odun was diligently spreading the padi, the two suns became so terribly hot that no living creature could bear their fury. The overwhelming heat caused her to suffer a stroke. Odun felt her head spinning and her chest tightening with pain. The two suns continued to burn even hotter still.
As she lay weakened upon the ground, something most horrible occurred. Her stomach suddenly burst from the unbearable heat. Blood splashed across her entire body, and there, alone in the silent barn, Odun drew her final breath. Since the barn was quite far from her house, this terrible tragedy was witnessed by no one.
Meanwhile, at home, Gindol grew anxious. The day had passed well beyond midday, yet Odun had not returned. “Why has Odun not come home? This is not like her,” he murmured, his heart heavy with worry. Dark forebodings began to cloud his thoughts.
He hurried to the barn, calling out his wife’s name. “Odun! Odun!” But only the echo of his own voice answered him in the desolate silence.
As he approached the barn, he was surprised to see the door standing wide open, yet there was no one in sight. Gindol drew closer and walked around the structure. How shocked he was when he beheld the most horrifying sight!
There before him lay the lifeless body of Odun, his beloved wife. Gindol was so overcome with shock that for a moment he could neither think nor move. Then, pulling himself together, he embraced Odun’s corpse and cried aloud with a voice that shook the very heavens.
“No! This cannot be!” he wailed, his heart shattered into countless pieces. Slowly and tenderly, he carried home the body of his cherished wife, weeping all the while.
Throughout that long night, Gindol could not close his eyes in sleep. He tried to think what could possibly have caused his wife’s death. “Surely it must be those accursed two suns that murdered my dear Odun!” he declared with burning rage. “If this be so, then I must confront them face to face.”
When dawn broke the following morning, Gindol rose with iron determination. He took his finest blowpipe and his sharpest darts. “I shall have my revenge for Odun’s death,” he swore, his eyes blazing with righteous fury.
He walked for many hours, traversing forests and climbing hills, until he came to a high place where he could wait for the two suns to rise. There he waited with a heart full of anguish and burning anger.
When the rays of the two suns were just beginning to glimmer over the horizon, Gindol raised his blowpipe with steady hands. With keen eyes filled with vengeance, he took his best dart and, taking careful aim, prepared to strike one of the suns.
“This is my revenge for my beloved Odun!” he cried, blowing the dart with all his might.
The dart flew swift and true, and to his great relief, it struck one of the sun’s eyes with perfect accuracy. At that very moment, there was a sudden change in temperature throughout the world. The earth became cooler and more comfortable. A gentle breeze began to blow across the land.
Gindol felt a deep satisfaction fill his heart. He then uttered a loud cry in the Kadazan tongue: “I have had my revenge and now feel it!”
Satisfied with the success of his vengeance, he decided to return home.
Since that day, the sun which was partially blinded only appears at night as our silvery moon, casting gentle light upon the world. The other sun appears during the day, and that is our lovely sun which we know today.
When Gindol returned to his village and told the people what had transpired, the villagers were filled with great joy. They thanked the young man for making this world a more comfortable place in which to live.
“You have saved us all from the deadly heat,” said the village chief with deep gratitude. “Your deed shall be remembered for all time.”
And thus it was that we came to have but one sun during the day and one moon at night. The tale of Gindol and Odun became a legend passed down through generations, reminding us that true love can change the world, even through the most tragic of circumstances.