Myths & Legends 2014 The Attack of the Swordfish or How Bukit Merah came to be

Once upon a time, the local fisher folk were beset by a school of fierce swordfish and people were killed. The villagers seek the help of their ruler, who was helpless, until a bright boy suggested using the trunks of banana trees to build a barricade upon which the swordfish launched themselves and were trapped. The villagers feted the boy, and the ruler became fearful of such unusual intelligence. The ruler ordered the boy to be executed. The boy was killed atop a hill, he bled profusely and his blood stained the hill. Today this place is called Bukit Merah, or Redhill, and this is a real neighbourhood in Singapore.

The theme of underwater fauna and fish are found in the 1st & 2nd local stamps. The 50-cent stamp is festooned with banana plant and its fruit, with a little golden oriole (bird) near the top edge; if envy is a theme then this stamp fits nicely. The $2 stamp shows a verdure hill (flora) with a house built on stilts (architecture) that seems to be on fire, with a murderer in the foreground!