The mystical hat

A story that has been forgotten with time by many, but this story used to be a popular bedtime story told by the elders to their children. When I was younger, I remember my mother narrating this story. Other versions of the story may alter because oral tradition changes minor aspects. The story is called 'Dribsi Zham', the mystic hat that turns the user invisible. The magic is not in the hat but in the piece of twig that is hidden in the hat that emanates occult to disappear a person. This twig can only be found in a raven's nest. The Raven, also known as Legon Jarog Donchen in Bhutan, is the country's national bird. Even the Royal crown features a raven, symbolizing the bird's great veneration as a guardian deity Yeshey Genpo. These birds were once common across Bhutan's monasteries, but they are now scarce owing to climate change.

                                                         (Art by: Author)

It was believed that rarely anyone could spot a raven’s nest. If one did, he could probably come across the mystic twig called Dribsi Shing. But some prior effort was required. The raven's dull greenish-brown spotted eggs had to be stolen from the nest, then cooked and place back. The mother raven would wait until her eggs hatched. Since they were boiled by the human intruder, her eggs would devastate her hope.

Desperate, she would fly thousands of miles to a sacred cremation ground in Tibet, only to collect the magic twig. After months of endurance, she would fly back with the twig and place it in her nest. In a matter of days, the boiled eggs would hatch as if nothing had happened to the eggs.

The person hunting for the twig had to be observant as he or she has to yet again rob the nest after the egg hatches. The entire nest made of twigs had to be taken to a river or stream and segregated. The mystic twig would float and run up against the stream's current while others would be washed away downstream. That’s how the mystic twig is found. 

The twig will be then stitched in the hat, and it became Dripsi Zham. The one who owned the hat would become invincible is what elders say. It is said that the moment he or she put the hat on, not only would they disappear in the eyes of humans but also in the visions of Gods and spirits. Such was the power of the twig. The oral story also says that with the hat in one's possession, he or she could do all goods and evils on whims. Imagine possessing such power that not even God could control, and most people would end up exploiting the hat for their personal advantage.

(Photo credit: Author, Places where ravens used to be seen in Lingzhi, 2022)

This narrative is firmly embedded in our collective cultural-ecological awareness and oral heritage, which is passed down from generation to generation. However, as time passes, our oral traditions are fading, calling out for attention, and our oral narratives are one of the foundations that support our cultural identity. There is so much we can learn from this story; it's about a mother's love, human greed, and magic that connects humans and non-humans. This story demonstrates how far a mother will go to protect her children's lives, as well as how selfish humans can be to achieve their goals.

I am curious about what you would do if you had this hat.