In Singapore, there is a small mountain known to people as the Red Mountain. When you ask the elderly people of the place about the reason for the mountain’s redness and its being called by this name, they tell you this story:
In ancient times, the sea around Singapore was filled with large fish called Siyaf, which the high waves brought with them to the sea. People at that time couldn’t swim or walk along the beach, fearing those fierce fish that prevented fishermen from earning their livelihood, destroyed their boats, and attacked many of them.
One day, Prince Raj, the Indian ruler of Singapore, decided to implement a plan to save his people from the fierce Siyaf fish. He ordered his soldiers to line up along the beach with their spears. When the fish became numerous, they would stab them with their spears and take them to feed the people of Singapore. This way, they would benefit from their presence and at the same time get rid of their danger.
Following the prince’s instructions, the soldiers took their positions on the beaches. Each of them held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. When the tide began to rise and enter the beach, the soldiers started preparing to face the fish. But they were faster than the soldiers, breaking through their ranks and driving their swords among them, killing many of them.
The prince then ordered the formation of another line of soldiers to replace the wounded and dead and repel the Siyaf fish, but to no avail. The fish were stronger than them, defeating them all. The situation repeated itself many times, but to no avail.
While this was happening, there was a small boy watching what the soldiers were doing. He thought to himself that he would go to the prince and suggest a clever solution to save the country from the fierce fish and rescue the soldiers from their miserable fate. Indeed, the boy went to the prince and proposed to him to plant banana trees along the beach, so that when the wave came and the Siyaf fish approached the beach, their swords would stick to the trees, and they wouldn’t be able to return to the depth of the sea again.
The prince was greatly impressed by the boy’s wisdom and implemented the idea he had proposed to him. He ordered his soldiers to cut down the banana trees that were abundantly cultivated in his land and line them along the beach. When the wave threw the Siyaf fish to the seashore, they collided with the soft banana branches, and their swords penetrated the bark of the trees. When the water receded far away, they became powerless. The soldiers cut them to pieces and took them to feed the city’s people.
After this incident, the prince thought for a long time about the boy’s wisdom. He said to himself: “He’s a clever boy, and no doubt he will be someone of great importance in the future. He might aspire to my throne and take it from me.” The prince remained fearful of this matter, not sleeping at night and not ceasing to think during the day. He told the guard commander about his fears. The commander thought the prince wanted to kill the boy to get rid of him.
On the same day, the commander sent four of his soldiers to the boy’s hut on top of the mountain. When they found him sleeping, they slaughtered him. His blood spilled on the ground and extended to the mountain, which was colored red. From that day, people have called it the Red Mountain.