Cindelaras
Raden Putra was the king of Jenggala kingdom. He had a
beautiful queen and concubine. Unlike the queen, the concubine had bad
personalities. She was envious and jealous with the queen, so she planned to
make the queen leave the palace. The concubine then asked the royal healer to
help her in her plan. One day, the concubine pretended to be ill. Raden Putra
called the royal healer to give the concubine treatments. “What is her
disease?” Raden Putra asked the royal healer. “I’m very sorry, My Majesty. She
is sick because the queen put poison in her meal,” the royal healer lied.
Raden Putra was shock and angry to hear the explanation. He
called the queen and asked her if the story was true. Of course the queen
denied, but Raden Putra won’t listen. “Please Your Majesty, have mercy. I
really didn’t do anything,” cried the queen in her tears. Raden Putra’s anger
ended in a decision. The queen should be banished to the woods and terminated.
He did not know that the queen was already pregnant. Raden Putra commanded one
of his general to do the punishment. The queen was banished to the woods, but
the wise general didn’t have the heart to kill her. He built a simple house in
the woods for her. On his way back to the palace, he smeared his sword with
rabbit blood, so Raden Putra would believe that he had killed the queen.
After the general left, the queen lived by herself in the
woods. Several months later, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The baby was
named Cindelaras. He grew up as a nice, healthy, and handsome boy. One day,
while Cindelaras helped her mother to collect some fire woods, an eagle dropped
an egg. Cindelaras brought the egg to be brooded by a chicken behind their
house. The egg hatched into a chick and then it slowly became a strong rooster.
The rooster is no ordinary rooster. The rooster could sing. Every morning, the
rooster woke Cindelaras up with its beautiful song, “My master is Cindelaras.
His house is in the woods. He’s the son of Raden Putra.” The rooster often sang
that song.
Cindelaras always woke up early in the morning and listen
happily to his rooster’s song. He didn’t realize the meaning of the song until
one day, he started to think. “Who is Raden Putra?” he asked his mother. The
queen then told him the whole story. She also told him why they were banned
from the kingdom and lived in the woods. Cindelaras was very surprised. He
decided to go to the palace to meet the king, his father. Cindelaras asked her
mother’s permission to go to the kingdom and to tell the king what really
happened. He also brought his rooster that grew bigger and stronger each day.
On his way, Cindelaras stopped at a village. There, he met
some people who were involved in cockfighting. They challenge him to see how
strong his rooster was. “If your rooster wins, you’ll get a reward,” said the
man who challenged him. Cindelaras accepted the challenge. In a few minutes,
his rooster defeated the opponent’s rooster. He was challenged again by other
man, and one more time, his rooster won. He won again and again.
The news about Cindelaras’ rooster quickly spread to the whole
Jenggala kingdom and made Raden Putra curious. So, he invited Cindelaras to the
palace. “What is your name, boy?” Raden Putra asked as Cindelaras arrived in
the palace. “My name is Cindelaras, Your Majesty,” Cindelaras answered. He felt
both thrilled and happy to see Raden Putra.
Raden Putra challenged Cindelaras with one condition. If Raden
Putra’s rooster won, Cindelaras’ head would be cut off. But if Cindelaras’
rooster won, Raden Putra would share half of his wealth. Cindelaras accepted
the condition. The competition was held in the front yard of the palace. The
two roosters fought bravely. But in just a few minutes, Cindelaras’ rooster won
the fight! Raden Putra shook his head and stared at Cindelaras from his seat,
“That rooster is no ordinary rooster, and the boy is not an ordinaty boy
either. Who is he exactly?” he thought. Raden Putra was about to asked when
suddenly Cindelaras’ rooster sang the song, “My master is Cindelaras. His house
is in the woods. He’s the son of Raden Putra.”
Raden Putra was surprised. “Is it true?” he asked. “Yes, My
Majesty. My name is Cindelaras and my mother was the queen,” said Cindelaras.
Raden putra called the general who had banished the queen. The general then
confessed that he never killed the queen. Later, the royal healer also admitted
his mistake. Raden Putra was so shocked. He immediately went to the woods to
pick up the queen. Ever since, Cindelaras and his parents lived happily
together. As for the concubine, she was sent to the jail as punishment.***
Sangkuriang
Long time ago in West Java, lived a beautiful girl named
Dayang Sumbi. She was also smart and clever. Her beauty and intelligence made a
prince from the heavenly kingdom of Kahyangan desire her as his wife. The
prince asked permission from his father to marry Dayang Sumbi. People from
Kahyangan could never live side by side with humans, but his father approved on
one condition, when they had a child, the prince would transform into a dog.
The prince accepted the condition.
They get married and lived happily in the woods until Dayang
Sumbi gave birth to a baby boy. The prince then changed into a dog named
Tumang. Their son is named Sangkuriang. He was very smart and handsome like his
father. Everyday, he hunted animals and looked for fruits to eat. One day, when
he was hunting, Sangkuriang accidentally killed Tumang. His arrow missed the
deer he was targeting and hit Tumang instead. He went home and tells her mother
about the dog. “What?” Dayang Sumbi was appalled. Driven by sadness and anger,
she grabbed a weaving tool and hit Sangkuriang’s head with it. Dayang Sumbi was
so sad; she didn’t pay any attention to Sangkuriang and started to cry.
Sangkuriang feel sad and also confused. How can his mother
love a dog more than him? Sangkuriang then decided to go away from their home
and went on a journey. In the morning, Dayang Sumbi finally stopped crying. She
started to feel better, so she went to find Sangkuriang. But her son was no
where to be found. She looked everywhere but still couldn’t find him. Finally,
she went home with nothing. She was exhausted. She fell asleep, and in her
dream, she meets her husband. “Dayang Sumbi, don’t be sad. Go look for my body
in the woods and get the heart. Soak it with water, and use the water to bathe,
and you will look young forever,” said the prince in her dream. After bathing
with the water used to soak the dog’s heart, Dayang Sumbi looked more beautiful
and even younger.
And time passed by. Sangkuriang on his journey stopped at a
village and met and fell in love with a beautiful girl.He didn't realize that
the village was his homeland and the beautiful girl was his own mother, Dayang
Sumbi. Their love grew naturally and he asked the girl to marry him. One day,
Sangkuriang was going on a hunt. He asked Dayang Sumbi to fix the turban on his
head. Dayang Sumbi was startled when she saw a scar on his head at the same
place where she, years ago, hit Sangkuriang on the head.
After the young man left, Dayang Sumbi prayed for guidance.
After praying, she became convinced that the young man was indeed her missing
son. She realized that she had to do something to prevent Sangkuriang from
marrying her. But she did not wish to disappoint him by cancelling the wedding.
So, although she agreed to marry Sangkuriang, she would do so only on the
condition that he provides her with a lake and built a beautiful boat, all in
one night.
Sangkuriang accepted this condition without a doubt. He had
spent his youth studying magical arts. After the sun went down, Sangkuriang
went to the hill. Then he called a group of genie to build a dam around Citarum
River. Then, he commands the genies to cut down trees and build a boat. A few
moments before dawn, Sangkuriang and his genie servants almost finished the
boat.
Dayang Sumbi, who had been spying on him, realised that
Sangkuriang would fulfill the condition she had set. Dayang Sumbi immediately
woke all the women in the village and asked them to wave a long red scarf. All
the women in the village were waving red scarf, making it look as if dawn was
breaking. Deceived by false dawn, the cock crowed and farmers rose for the new
day.
Sangkuriang’s genie servants immediately dropped their work
and ran for cover from the sun, which they feared. Sangkuriang grew furious.
With all his anger, he kicked the unfinished boat. The boat flew and landed on
a valley. The boat then became a mountain, called Mount Tangkuban Perahu
(Tangkuban means upturned or upside down, and Perahu means boat). With his
power, he destroyed the dam. The water drained from the lake becoming a wide
plain and nowadays became a city called Bandung (from the word Bendung, which
means Dam).***
Pak Lebai Malang
Pak Lebai was an old man living in a village by the river.
Everyday, he used his sampan for travelling at the river. Pak Lebai had a bad
habit. He always changed his mind before he did something. He was an
inconsistent man. One day, Pak Lebai was invited to a party by his neighbor.
Pak lebai was happy. He loved party because he could eat delicious food. He
also could get a buffalo's head from the party. Still on the same day, he got
another invitation. Those two party invitations made him confused. The two
parties were held at the same time, but at different places. The two neighbors
who invited him lived in different sides of the river. One neighbor lived on
the east side and the other one lived in the west side. "If I go to the west
side, I will only get one buffalo’s head. If I go to the east side, I can have
two heads of buffalo. But the host at the west side is friendlier,” he said to
himself. He was confused.
On the following day, Pak Lebai paddled his sampan to the
party at the west side of the river. But then he changed his mind and went to
the east side. On the way there, he met with some friends. "The party is
awful. There are not many buffalo's heads," said one of them. So, Pak
Lebai turned back his sampan again and went to the west side. Unfortunately,
the party was already over when he arrived there. Pak Lebai immediately paddled
his sampan to the east side again. But he also missed the party.
Pak Lebai was upset and blaming himself for being so
inconsistent. He was so hungry and tired because he was padding back and forth
in the river. He then fell asleep in his sampan. He did not realize that his
sampan was drifting away at the river. When he woke up, he was already in the
different village. That’s why all his neighbors started to call him Pak Lebai
Malang (poor mister Lebai).***
Mouse Deer and Tiger
One
upon a time, there was a mouse deer living in a forest. Although he was
small,
he wasn’t afraid of the other bigger animals who wanted to eat him. He
was
so smart; he always managed to ditch them. One day, a tiger was wandering
around
for food. He hadn't been eating for days. He was really hungry. While he
was
walking in the forest, he saw Mouse Deer. The tiger wanted to eat him.
Tiger
slowly ducked, crawled, approaching Mouse Deer, then..."Gotcha!" said
Tiger.
He caught Mouse Deer. “Hello, Mouse Deer! I’m really hungry right now.
You’ll
be my lunch!” said Tiger. Mouse Deer didn’t want to be his lunch. He
tried
to be calm. He looked around and saw some buffalo’s dung. He had an
idea.
“I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has ordered me to
guard
his cake,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His cake?” said Tiger curiously. “Yes,
there
it is. It’s very delicious. The King doesn’t want anyone else to eat it, so he
ordered
me to guard it,” Mouse Deer pointed the buffalo’s dung. “Can I taste it?”
Tiger
asked. “Of course you can’t. The King would be very angry,” said Mouse
Deer
refused. “Just one little bite, Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said
Tiger.
“Well, okay, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so the King won’t blame
me,”
said Mouse Deer. “All right, Mouse deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer
ran
quickly out of sight. Tiger then took a big mouthful of the ‘cake’. “Phoooey!”
He
spit it out. “Yuck, that’s not cake. That’s buffalo’s dung.”
Tiger
ran through the forest. He caught up with Mouse Deer. “Mouse Deer, you
tricked
me. But now you will be my lunch.” Mouse Deer looked around and saw
a
wasp nest in a tree. “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has
ordered
me to guard his drum,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His drum?” said
Tiger
curiously. “Yes, there it is. It has the best sound in the world. The King
doesn’t
want anyone else to hit it,” Mouse Deer pointed the wasp nest. “Can I hit
the
King’s drum?” Tiger asked. “Of course you can’t. The King would be very
angry,”
said Mouse Deer refused. “Just one little hit, Mouse Deer! The King will
never
know,” said Tiger. ”Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so
the
King won’t blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All right, Mouse Deer. You can go
now.”
Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. Tiger then reached up and hit the
wasp
nest. Bzzzzzzz…! “Ouch…ouch! That’s not a drum. That a wasp nests!”
Tiger
ran away. But the wasps keep following him. He came to the river. He
jumped
in and stayed underwater as long as he could. At last the wasps went
away.
Then he jumped out. He ran through the forest till he found Mouse Deer.
“Mouse
Deer, you tricked me again. But now you will be my lunch.” Mouse Deer
looked
around and saw a cobra. The snake was coiled asleep on the ground. “I’m
sorry,
Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has ordered me to guard his
belt,”
said Mouse Deer calmly. “His belt?” said Tiger curiously. “Yes. There it is.
It’s
the best belt in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to wear it,”
Mouse
Deer pointed the cobra. “Can I wear it?” Tiger asked. “Of course you
can’t.
The King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer refused. “Just for one
moment,
Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said Tiger. ”Well, all right,
Tiger.
But first let me run far away, so the King won’t blame me,” said Mouse
Deer.
“All right, Mouse Deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer ran quickly out of
sight.
Tiger then took the snake and started to warp it around himself. The cobra
woke
up. It squeezed Tiger and bit him. SSssssstt! “Oouch! Ow! Ooow! That’s
not
a belt! That’s a cobra! Help! Mouse Deer! Help!” But Mouse Deer was already
far
away. He laughed aloud. Mouse Deer was safe from Tiger now.***
The Crying Stone
One upon a time, lived a poor old widow in a small village.
She lived with her daughter. Her daughter was very beautiful but also very lazy
and arrogant. She never helped her mother and didn’t want to know what problem
her mother had. Everyday, she put make up and wears her best clothes. She
always wanted to look rich and beautiful.
One day, the mother and her daughter went to the market to buy
some food. At first, the daughter refused to accompany her mother, but finally
she agreed. “I’ll go with you, but you must walk behind me,” said the daughter.
She didn't want to walk side by side with her mother. Although her mother was
very sad, she agreed to walk behind her daughter.
On the way to the market, everybody admired the girl's beauty.
But they were also curious. Behind the beautiful girl, there was an old woman
with a simple dress. The girl and her mother looked very different. “Hello,
beautiful girl. Who is the old woman behind you? Is she your mother?" they
asked. “No, she is not my mother. She is my servant,” the girl answered. Her
mother was very sad to hear that, but she didn't say anything. She could
understand that her daughter was ashamed.
The girl and the mother met other people. Again they asked who
the woman behind the beautiful girl. And again the girl answered that her
mother is her servant. She always said that her mother is her servant every
time people asked.
At last, the mother cannot hold the pain anymore. She prayed
to God to punish her daughter. Suddenly, the girl's leg turns into stone.
Slowly, the process continues to the upper part of the girl's body. The girl
was in panic. "Mother, please forgive me! Mother!" she cried and
asked her mother to forgive her. But it's already too late. Her whole body finally
becomes a big stone. Until now, people can still see tears falling down from
the stone. People then call it batu menangis (it mean the crying stone).***
DAMAR WULAN
Damar Wulan was born in the village of Paluh Amba, not far
from the capital city of Majapahit. He was the son of Udara, the former prime
minister of Majapahit. Since his father had retired his family live in a quiet
and prosperous village outside the capital. Damar was a smart boy so he could
easily learned the lessons his father taught him. He learned martial art,
religion, politics, and literature. He was very good at all those subjects.
When his father thought that he is mature enough, he asked Damar to find job in
Majapahit. He told Damar to apply for a job at the Prime Minister's office. He
hoped that his close relation with the new prime minister would help him get
the prime minister's attention. Furthermore Damar was a smart boy so his father
was sure Damar was capable to do any job.
Damar was very confident he would get a good position at the
prime minister's office. Early morning he left his village. At midday he got to
Majapahit and he directly went to the prime minister's house. Prime Minister
Logender was his name. The guards sarcastically questioned him when he told
them he would see the prime minister.
'Who do you think you are?'
'I am Damar Wulan. I am the son of the former prime minister
Udara. My father told me to see the prime minister here'
'If you think you can impress us by telling us about your
father, you are completely wrong poor boy. The son of a prime minister would
never go anywhere on foot'
'But, that's true. My father told me to find job here'
'Listen poor boy, the prime minister is a very busy person.
He does not have time for job seeker like you. But if you need a job, there is
a vacant position here. Let me report my chief'
Then the soldier reported to his superior. After that
someone called Damar to get into the commander's chamber. He told Damar that
the prime minister's office needed several boys to take care of the horses.
Damar was surprised because he expected clerical job but then he accepted the
offer. Since that day he lived in a simple hut behind the prime minister's
house.
Damar did a good job so his superior was satisfied with him.
He was also very sociable. Soon he had a good relationship with the prime
minister and his family. The prime minister had two sons - Layang Seto and
Layang Kumitir and a daughter - Anjasmoro. His sons were very arrogant and
lazy. They treated Damar cruelly. They wanted Damar to do whatever they want.
Every body hated them but nobody dare to express their feeling. Anjasmoro, on
the other hand, liked Damar very much. Gradually she fell in love to Damar. So
did Damar. They had a secret love. When Layang Seto and Layang Kumitir knew
what happened to Damar and Anjasmoro, they were very angry. They treated Damar
more and more cruelly.
At the time the kingdom of Majapahit faced a very serious
problem because of the rebellion of Menak Jinggo. He was a half brother of the
Queen Kecono Wungu. He was a prince of Majapahit and a highly respected general
of the Majapahit army. For his great achievement for his country his father
appointed him as the ruler for the kingdom of Blambangan, a vassal state under
Majapahit. When his father passed away he was sure that he would become the
successor. But he was very disappointed when his father appointed his sister
instead. He thought that he was more capable than Kencono Wungu so he rebelled.
Menak Jinggo proved to be a good general. Under his
leadership the Blambangan army could win several battles with Majapahit army.
The territory of Majapahit one by one fell to Blambangan. At the time the
morale of the Majapahit army was already down. They were not sure that they
could win the war. So the queen and the prime minister met everyday to discuss
the worsening situation. Some weeks went by but still they did not have any
ideas to solve the problem. Every report they received about the war was only
about the defeat of the Majapahit army.
Prime Minister Logender was shocked when his wife reported
to him about the affair of Anjasmoro and Damar Wulan. For a highly respected
person like him, it was a very serious blow to his ego. He was a very
respectable person while his daughter dated with a poor boy. It was a serious
humiliation. He could not accept it. This fact made him very angry. He thought
very hard to find a solution. Suddenly an idea struck his sharp mind when he
was meditating at midnight.
Early in the morning he went to the palace and asked the
queen for an audience. Then he explained his plan.
'Your Majesty, last night I had an idea'
'Tell me about it'
'Our army could not win because we apply a wrong strategy.
The Blambangan army is very good at a frontal open warfare like that.
Furthermore our army's morale is now down. So we have to avoid open warfare.
Since now on we have to launch a new tactics of secret operation. We must send
a small army unit to kill Menak Jinggo secretly'
'Who will do that?'
'I have a body guard. His skill in martial art is excellent.
He is very capable at individual fight. So he is ready for this duty. I am sure
he is the right person'
'OK, I think you are right. Send him as soon as possible to
Blambangan. If he can do his job well I will give him great reward'
When Logender got home he called Damar Wulan immediately. He
asked him about his martial art skill. Damar said he had mastered some fighting
skill. His father had trained him Pencak Silat, the Indonesian martial art. As
a result, he was very skillful at using sword, lance, as well as empty hand
fighting technique. Then Logender asked him to fight both Layang Seto and
Layang Kumitir. Both of them fought emotionally since they hated Damar very
much. But Damar was smart, skillful, strong and tough. In just several minutes
he could beat both of them without difficulty. Logender was angry but also
satisfied since he found a way to get rid of both problems - his home and his
country.
'Damar, you are a great fighter. I am very proud of you. And
that's why you will receive a great honor to fight for your country. Now there
is a rebellion in Majapahit. The king of Blambangan has done a crime. His name
is Menak Jinggo. Find him in his palace and Blambangan and kill him. Are you
ready?'
'I am ready any time Sir'
'Good. Today you have to prepare everything and tomorrow you
must leave for Blambangan secretly. Do not tell any one about this duty. Not
even Anjasmoro. Don't be afraid because the Majapahit army will fully support
you. They will back you and provide all your needs. When you can kill Menak
Jinggo behead him and bring his head here. If you can do this job well you will
be promoted to a high position as the commander of Majapahit army'
'Yes, Sir. I am very glad to receive this order. I will do
my best'
The next day, very early in the morning Damar Wulan left
Majapahit alone. Meanwhile Prime Minister Logender had implemented his own
plan. He prepared a small army unit under the leadership of his two sons. They
went behind Damar in a distant so that Damar did not notice them. They went
secretly so no one knew it. Their task was not to protect Damar but to kill him
and seize the head of Menak Jinggo if he could kill Menak Jinggo. But if Damar
was killed then they had nothing to do.
Several days later Damar Wulan arrived in Blambangan. The
Majapahit army kept on spying on him. They were surprised to see Damar did not
directly attack the palace. He applied for a job instead. Once again he was
accepted to work in the palace to take care of the horses. Everybody including
the king Menak Jinggo liked him because he was very polite and he did his job
well. He was also very handsome that two of the king's wife fell in love with
him. Waito and Puyengan were the wives of King Menak Jinggo.
As everybody trusted him, it was easy for Damar to search
the palace. He knew where Menak Jinggo lived. One night he secretly jumped the
palace wall to kill the king. Finally he was inside the king's bedroom. But
unfortunately the king was ready to welcome him. A small army unit was there to
arrest him. He was no match for Menak Jinggo. But Menak Jinggo was a smart
person. He did not kill Damar instantly. He wanted to gather information from
him. So he ordered his guards.
'Don't kill him. Let him alive, treat him well. I will
question him tomorrow'.
'Yes, Your Majesty'
He ordered his men to treat him well. He even let Waito and
Puyengan to see Damar. By doing so he hoped that Damar would give him valuable
information. But Damar was also a smart person. He dated Waito and Puyengan and
he asked them the way to kill Menak Jinggo. Since the two women loved Damar
they revealed a secret.
'Nobody can hurt him. He is a tough guy and he is protected
by god. God gave him a secret weapon called Wesi Kuning'
'What is that?'
'That's a golden amulet. It is just a small amulet, as small
as a thumb but it is very powerful. Its shape is like a stick. It is stored in
his bedroom'
'He is a dangerous man. We have to stop him. Could you help
me find his amulet?
'I will help you if you marry me'
'Sure I will marry both of you as soon as I can arrest him'
When their turn to amuse the king arrived Waito and Puyengan
could get into the kings chamber. They used that opportunity to steal the
amulet. Then they gave it to Damar Wulan. Menak Jinggo did not realize their
conspiracy. When the night was very quiet they opened the door for Damar Wulan.
There was a fight but it was too late for Menak Jinggo. The sudden attack did
not give him much chance to survive. Consequently Damar could beat his enemy
and Menak Jinggo was beheaded.
Damar Wulan immediately left Blambangan palace that night
while promising Waito and Puyengan to be back after he received the rewa.
Telaga Warna
Long time ago there was a kingdom in West Java. The kingdom
was ruled by a king called Prabu. He was a kind and wise king. Under Prabu’s
leadership, the kingdom grew into a prosperous kingdom. There’s no hunger in
the kingdom. Everybody in the kingdom loved their king. But, there’s one
problem. The king and his queen hadn’t got any children. It made the couple
very sad. That was why Prabu decided to go to the jungle. There, he meditated
and prayed to God. Everyday he begged for a child. His dream finally came true.
A few months later, the queen got pregnant. All people in the kingdom felt very
happy. They sent many presents to the palace to express their happiness. Nine
months later a baby girl was born. The baby grew as a beautiful teenager then.
Prabu and his queen loved their daughter so much. They gave
what ever she wanted. It made the princess grew into a spoiled girl. When her
wish couldn’t be fulfilled, she would be very angry. She even said bad things
often. Even though the princess behaved badly, her parents still loved her, and
so did the people in the kingdom.
Time passed and the princess grew more beautiful. In a few
days, the princess would be seventeen years old. That’s why people of that
kingdom brought many presents for her. They bring gold and beautiful jewelries.
Prabu collected the presents. Then Prabu stored them in a special room. Some
times he would take them to give to his people who needed it. Prabu only took a
few gold and jewels. Then he brought them to a goldsmith. “Please make a
necklace for my daughter,” said Prabu. “My pleasure, Your Majesty,” the
goldsmith replied. The goldsmith worked with all his heart and his ability. He
wanted to create the most beautiful necklace for the princess.
The birthday came. People gathered in the palace field. Then
Prabu and the queen appeared. They waved to their beloved people. Cheers were
loud and louder when the princess appeared. Everybody admired her beauty. Prabu
got up from his chair and took a small pillow. A beautiful necklace was on the
pillow. Prabu took that necklace. “My beloved daughter, today I give this
necklace to you. This necklace is a gift from people in this country. They love
you so much. They presented it for you to express their happiness, because you
have growing to a woman,” said Prabu. The princess accepted the necklace. She
looked at the necklace in a glance. “I don’t want this necklace! It’s ugly!”
shouted the princess as she threw the necklace away. The necklace hit the floor
and was broken. The gold and jewels were spread out on the floor.
No body dared to speak. They never thought that their beloved
princess would do such a cruel thing. In their silence, people heard the queen
crying. Every woman felt sad and began crying too. Then everybody was crying.
Suddenly, from the middle of the field, a spring emerged. It quickly became a
pool. The palace was getting flooded. Soon the place became a big lake.
Nowadays the water on that lake is not as full as before.
There is only a small lake now. People called the lake Telaga Warna (it means
lake of colour). On a bright day, the lake is full of colour. These colors come
from the reflections of forest, plants, flowers, and sky around the lake. But
some people said that the colours are from the princess’ necklace, which
spreads at the bottom of the lake.***
The Golden Watermelon
Long time ago, at the north area of West Kalimantan, lived a
wealthy merchant. He had two sons. The older one is named Muzakir and the
younger one is named Dermawan. The two brothers were so different in their
attitudes. Muzakir had a very mean and greedy character. On the contradictory,
Dermawan was a caring and kind person. He was not greedy and always tried to
help those in needs.
Before he passed away, the merchant divided all of his money
equally to both of his sons. He did it so that both of his sons will not
envious at each other. Muzakir then bought a big cash-box. He put his entire
share inside the cash-box and locked it. When a poor came to Muzakir’s house,
he laughs at them instead of giving them something. If the poor don’t want to
leave, Muzakir would summon his servants to chase them away.
Many of the poor in that area had heard about Muzakir’s rude
attitude, therefore they preferred to come to Dermawan. When Dermawan saw those
peoples coming, he sincerely welcome them to his house and shared money with
those who needed it. It was almost every day a poor came for his help that f
inally he ran out of money. Dermawan then moved to a smaller house. He also
worked as a foreman. His salary was not much, only enough to buy his own daily
meals. But Dermawan was happy with his simple life.
His elder brother laughed when he heard the news about
Dermawan. He always thought that Dermawan was a fool to share his money with
other people. He himself has just bought a large new house. “There is no one
who as stupid as my younger brother,” he said.
One day, when Dermawan was sitting and relaxing in his house
yard, a sparrow suddenly fell off in front of him. The sparrow twittered in
pain. “Poor bird, did you broke your wing?” He took the bird and examines its
wings. He’s right. One of the sparrow’s wings is broken. “Let me take care of
you,” he said. Dermawan bandaged the sparrow’s wing and then he took some rice
to feed the poor bird. After some time, the bird gradually tamed and was no
longer afraid to Dermawan. Few days later, its wings were completely healed.
After a while, it flew to the sky. The following day, the sparrow came to visit
Dermawan. It held a seed with its beak, and then it put the seed in front of
Dermawan. It was an ordinary seed, but Dermawan accepted it with a big smile on
his face. He then planted the seed in the back yard of his house.
Three days later, the seed started to grow. It was a
watermelon tree. Dermawan took good care of the tree. He thought the tree would
bear many fruits since it was so blossomy. But, from all the flowers, only one
turned to fruit. Day by day, the fruit grows bigger, bigger than any watermelon
Dermawan ever see. Harvesting time finally came and he decided to take the
watermelon. “Oh my God, it is so heavy”, he uttered while trying hardly to
carry it into the house to put on the table. He took a knife and started to cut
the watermelon. Dermawan was shocked. Inside the watermelon is some kind of
yellow sand. “What could this be?” Dermawan wondered. Then he realized that the
strange yellow sand was actually a pile of pure golden sand. “Holy God, it’s
gold. I’m rich,” he danced happily. He heard bird twittered and he looked
outside. He saw the sparrow on a tree. “Thank you”, he shouted. “Thank you”, he
shouted again, and then the sparrow flew away.
Dermawan then bought a big house with a very big garden the
next day. All of the poor came to his house and were welcomed for meals. This
time, Dermawan would not run out of money. He had so much money, and his fields
produced plants with good fruits as well.
The news about Dermawan’s fortune was heard by Muzakir and
made him envy. He went to Dermawan house, and Dermawan honestly told his
brother about the sparrow. Muzakir immediately commanded his servants to find a
bird with broken wings as he heard the story from his brother. A week passed,
but Muzakir’s servants still couldn’t find such bird. He was so angry and even
couldn‘t sleep during the nights. The next day, he asked one of his servants to
catch a bird using chopsticks. Of course, the chopsticks hurt the bird and
broke its wings. Muzakir then pretended to pity the bird and took care of it.
Days passed and the bird was completely healed and let to fly. The following
day, the bird came back to Muzakir and brought a seed for him. He was very
happy. ”I will be very rich soon, even richer than Dermawan,” he said to
himself.
Muzakir planted the seed at the back yard of his house and it
grew to a fine watermelon tree after several days. It also bore only one fruit,
which was much bigger than that once owned by Dermawan. As the harvesting time
approached, Muzakir asked his servants to take the fruit into his house. He
couldn‘t wait to find a pile of golden sand inside. He cut the watermelon himself
and was very shocked when black mud mixed with dirt flushed out to his face. It
smelled very bad. Muzakir‘s clothes and also the room were terribly dirty
because of it. He ran to the street because he couldn‘t stand the rotten smell
from the watermelon. All the people on the street laughed at him for what they
saw.***
The Wise King
Long time ago, there was a kingdom
named Sanggau in the Borneo Island. It was a peaceful and prosperous kingdom
under the leadership of their wise king. There was a market in the kingdom of
Sanggau. Pak Razak was a famous cook there. He owned his own restaurant in the
market. One day, Pak Razak was cooking in his restaurant when a farmer passed
by. But the farmer stopped in front of Pak Razak’s restaurant. He smells the
aroma of the delicious food Pak Razak was cooking. “Hmmm… delicious… yummy,”
said the farmer. "Hey! What are you doing? Do you want to come to my
restaurant or not?” Pak Razak asked. "No, I don't. Smelling the aroma of
your delicious food makes me full," said the farmer. “So you’re full by
smelling my food?” asked Pak Razak again. “Yes, I am,” the farmer answered. “If
that’s the case, you have to pay me for the smell of my delicious food,” said
Pak Razak. “Ridiculous, I don’t want to pay. I didn’t eat anything,” the farmer
refused to pay. But Pak Razak kept persisting that the farmer must pay for the
aroma of his food. Both of them started to quarrel. People came and asked them
to calm down. They suggested that Pak Razak and the farmer go to the King to
solve the problem.
In the
following day, Pak Razak and the farmer went to the palace. "Please tell
me what happened,” asked the King. Pak Razak and the farmer told the King about
the problem. "Hmm...I have the solution,” said the King after he heard the
story from both Pak Razak and the farmer. The King then asked the farmer to
bring out his money. The farmer took a gold coin from his pocket. “Now put your
coins into this bottle.” The farmer then put his coin into a bottle prepared by
the King’s servant. ”Do you hear the sound of the coins?" asked the King
to Pak Razak. "Yes, I do," answered Pak Razak. "Then, the farmer
has just paid you. He pays your delicious aroma with the sound of his
money," explained the King. Pak Razak was silent. He knew the King was
right. The King just gave him a lesson. He then apologize to the farmer.***
Legend of Gunung Batu Bangkai
Many years ago, in Loksado, lived a young man with his mother. He was called
Andung Kuswara. He was a smart young man. He had medical skill that he learned
from his late father. Andung Kuswara worked hard everyday to fulfill their
daily needs. One day, Andung Kuswara went to the forest alone, searching for
fruits and vegetables. On his way home, he found an old man squeezed badly
between two big trees. Andung Kuswara immediately helped him. He then healed
his wound perfectly. “Dear young man, I thank you for your help,” the old man
said and took something hanging on his neck. “As my gratitude, I give you this
necklace. Hopefully it would bring good fortune for you,” said the old man.
Andung Kuswara took the gift and went home.
Both Andung Kuswara and his mother passed their times happily. But Andung
Kuswara wanted a better life for him and his mother. “Maybe it is better to
leave my home to another country and practice my medical skill,” he thought.
However, he had not enough courage to tell his intention to his mother. He knew
his mother would be alone if he left. After a month passed, finally Andung
Kuswara told his mother about his intention. “Mother, I want to make our life
better. I want to go to other country and find a better job,” he said to his
mother. “Andung… my son. If it is your final decision, I won’t stop you. All I
can do is pray for you to find what you’re searching for,” his mother said
wisely. “Thank you, Mother,” Andung Kuswara smiled happily.
The next morning, Andung Kuswara left his homeland to pursue his dream. He
went overseas. He walked for weeks until he reached the kingdom of Basiang. On
his way, he met a farmer whose body was full of ulcers and scabies. Andung
Kuswara tried to help him. He cured the farmer with his medical skill.
The farmer was so happy. He offered Andung Kuswara to stay at his home. He
also told Andung Kuswara that almost all inhabitants of the country were
suffering from the same diseases. The news about Andung Kuswara’s medical skill
quickly spread throughout the whole country. All sick people come to him to be
cured from their sickness.
The king of Basiang also heard the news about Andung Kuswara’s excellent
medical skill. The king then ordered his guard to brought Andung Kuswara to
cure the princess who was also been sick. “My daughter has been on her bed for
two weeks. She can not do anything. Many healers had attempted to recover her,
but they failed. Will you cure her?” asked the king to Andung Kuswara. “My
Majesty, I am just a poor wanderer and I have minimal medical skill. So, please
forgive me if I also fail in recovering the princess”, Andung Kuswara replied.
Andung Kuswara was then allowed to enter the princess‘s room. The princess
was very pale and weak. However, her beauty clearly seemed through her
wonderful face. Andung Kuswara was amazed looking at her, “Ah, the princess is
so beautiful,” he said to himself. He then tried to cure the princess with all
his skill, but the princess did not move at all. Andung Kuswara then thought of
another way. He took the necklace hanging on his neck. The necklace was soaked
in the cup of water for a moment. After reading some prayers upon the water,
Andung Kuswara spattered it on the princess‘s face for several times. Suddenly,
the princess could move her body. Her eyes and lips opened, and her face turned
bright. The princess was eventually able to sit on her bed.
The king was very grateful for Andung Kuswara‘s help to his only daughter.
To express his gratefulness, he allowed Andung Kuswara to marry his daughter.
The princess was happy to welcome Andung as her husband. The same was felt by
Andung who fell in love with the princess.
A year passed, and the princess was pregnant. She told her husband that she
desired to eat kasturi fruit that only grew in Kalimantan Island. Andung
Kuswara‘s accompanied by several kingdom troops went to search the fruit. After
arriving at the Kalimantan Island, Andung Kuswara headed to Loksado to find the
kasturi tree which, according to local people, was bearing fruit. Andung
Kuswara stood surprisingly after knowing that the tree grew exactly in front of
his mother‘s small hut. Andung Kuswara immediately commanded the troops to
return to the kingdom without taking the fruit to avoid meeting his own mother.
But suddenly Andung Kuswara’s mother went out from the hut. She saw her son
among the troops in front of her home. “Andung…Andung…my son,” she tried to
call her son. Andung Kuswara and the troops continuously walked to keep away
from the old woman. However, she ran after them and kept calling for his son.
Feeling ashamed in front of the troops, Andung Kuswara said angrily to his own
mother, “Stop calling me as your son, old woman. I am a nobility of the Basiang
Kingdom. I never know an old woman like you.” After that, Andung kuswara
continued walking.
Andung Kuswara’s mother was shocked to hear those words from her beloved
son. She cried and prayed with trembling lips, “Oh my God, show your power and
justice.” Her tears had not been drying when the sky suddenly turned dark and
thunder stroke repeatedly. After that, a sudden storm smashed and heavy rain
fell dementedly. Suddenly Andung Kuswara‘s body slowly turned into stone.
Since the time, the locals called the mountain as Gunung Batu Bangkai (mountain
of decease stone), because the stone that lays on it resembles human body. The
mountain located in the sub district of Loksado, South Kalimantan .***
Ning Rangda
A long time ago in the southern area of Borneo Island, lived a beautiful
girl named Rangda. She had excellent weaving and sewing skills. Her beauty was
known in the whole area. Many young men fell in love with her.
One day, the prince who had heard about Rangda’s beauty, came to her house
to order a dress from her. The prince was amazed by Rangda’s beauty and her
humbleness. He fell in love with her. After he got his dress, the prince
immediately went back to the palace. He wanted to tell his father that he
already found his future wife. However, right after the prince arrived at the
palace, he suffered a terrible illness. He was unconscious and got high fever.
Every night in his sleep, he always whispered a name, "Rangda... Rangda...
Rangda."
The king was really worried. He asked his advisors about the Rangda's name.
One of the king’s advisors, Wakil Mangkubumi was familiar with the name.
“Rangda is a beautiful young girl who lives at the southern area. She had excellent
weaving and sewing skill. All of the prince’s clothes were made by her,”
explained Wakil Mangkubumi.
The king knew that his son had fallen in love with the girl. The next day,
he ordered his soldiers to take him and the prince to Rangda's house. Wakil
Mangkubumi went first to Rangda’s house. The king had ordered him to tell
Rangda and her parents about the wedding proposal. Rangda was very happy
because she also fell in love with the prince.
When the prince heard that he would meet with Rangda, he was very happy. His
health improved significantly. Then the prince, the king, and the soldiers went
to Rangda's house. But the trip was very tiring and made the prince suffered
his illness again. The illness was worse than the previous one. It was so bad that
finally the prince died on the journey.
The king was so sad. He thought it was useless to continue the trip. Then he
went back to the palace. Meanwhile, Rangda did not know that the prince had
died. She was sewing a wedding dress for the wedding. She wanted to give the
prince the best wedding dress. Everyday, she waited and waited for the prince,
but he never came. She kept on sewing the wedding dress until she was old.
People then called her Ning Rangda. She was called Ning because she was old and
had a hunchbacked body.***
The Origin of Pond Sampuraga
In the area Sumatra, lived a widow with her son named Sampuraga. They lived
in a small hut in the forest. Everyday they worked hard as employees in a farm
owned by a rich man. One day, Sampuraga and his boss took a rest, leaning on a
tree after working all day. While enjoying their lunch, the boss asked,
“Sampuraga, you’re still young. Why don’t you move to a prosperous land and
find a better job?” Sampuraga was an honest and diligent young man. That why
his boss cared for him and wanted a better life for him. ”Actually I`ve been
dreaming to move to search for a better life. I want to make my mother happier.
But where to?” asked Sampuraga. “You should go to Mandailing. One of my friend
live there. Most of the inhabitants have farms and fields. They also seek for
living by panning for gold in the river since it has high level of gold
content,” explained the boss. The conversation made Sampuraga decided to follow
the boss’s advised.
Back in his hut, Sampuraga told his mother about his decision. “Mother, I
want to move to look for a better life. In this place, I’ll always be employee
and work for other people. I want to go someplace else and try out my luck,”
Sampuraga said to his mother. “Where will you go, son?” his mother asked. “I
was thinking about Mandailing. The boss told me that the people in Mandailing
live in prosperity because of its fertile soil,” Sampuraga said. His mother
knew that Sampuraga had made up his mind and nothing can change his decision.
“Though I`m afraid of being separated with you, as I get older, but I have no
reason to forbid you. I`m sorry I never make you happy,” his mother said.
“Thank you, Mother! I promise I`ll be back soon if I were success. Pray for me
Mom,” Sampuraga asking for his Mother’s blessing.
Sampuraga depart on his journey to Mandailing the following day. He left his
mother alone. Days passed, he walked throughout a forest passing by villages.
One day, he reached a city in Pidoli Kingdom, in Mandailing. In that place, he
tried to apply for job. A rich merchant accepted his application. The merchant
took a great trust in him as he was diligent and honest young man. After a
year, the boss gave him some financial capitals so that he could run his own
business. His business grew up rapidly in a short time. Some of his profits
were kept to increase his capital in order to make his business bigger.
Finally, he was known a rich young business man.
The merchant was so proud with Sampuraga. One day, he asked Sampuraga if he
is interested to marry his daughter. “Sampuraga, you are honest and diligent
man. Do you want to marry my daughter?” asked the merchant. “Of course, Sir,“
Sampuraga answered. The merchant’s daughter was known as the most beautiful
girl in the Pidoli Kingdom.
They got married in a luxurious wedding party. All preparations had been
started months before the wedding day. Ten buffalos and goats were provided in
the party. Everybody knew about the big wedding including Sampuraga’s mother.
She heard the news from a passing merchant from Mandailing. “Is it true? Maybe
it’s just the same name,” she was at doubt. How could it possible for her son
to marry a beautiful girl from a wealthy family, whereas he’s just a son of
poor widow. But, Sampuraga’s mother still wanted to make sure, so she went to
Mandailing to watch the wedding. When she arrived in Pidoli Kingdom, the
wedding party already started. It was so crowded and noisy. She tried to get
closer in the crowd. She was shocked when she saw the man who was sitting next
to a beautiful girl. It was her son, Sampuraga. “Raga…! Sampuraga, my son,” she
shouted, trying to get Sampuraga’s attention.
Sampuraga was shocked to hear that familiar voice. “Oh…It`s not possible,”
he thought while looking for the source of the voice among the crowded. But
then he saw an old woman ran to him. “Sampuraga, my son! I’m your mother!” said
the old woman while she tried to embrace Sampuraga. But Sampuraga was so
embarrassed to see his own mother. His face turned red. “Hey, old woman! Don`t
pretend to be my mother! I have no mother like you! Go away from here now!
Don’t disturb my party!” he shouted with angry tone. His mother was startled to
see Sampuraga’s reaction. “Raga… Sampuraga. I’m your mother. How could you
forget your own mother?” she started to cry.
“No!! You`re not my Mother! She’s already dead! Guard, take this old woman
out of here!” Sampuraga ordered his guard. His heart had totally hardened until
he denied and chased away his own mother. All of the guests only kept on
silence, no one dared to mediate them. The old woman then was dragged by two
guards out of the party. While still crying, she prayed, “Dear God…If he were
truly my son, Sampuraga, please give him a punishment for disavowing me.”
Suddenly, the sky turned dark, covered by thick cloud. The rain fell down
followed by thunderstorm. All of the guests tried to ran away, but they
couldn’t escape the storm. Just in a short time, no one was safe, including
Sampuraga and his wife.
On the next days, that place turned into a hot pond surrounded by limestone
whose shape were the same as buffalos. There were also two heaps of sand and
colorful mud that looked like the food offered on Sampuraga`s wedding party.
People later call it “Kolam Sampuraga” or Pond Sampuraga.***
Lau Kawar
Once upon a time, there was a very fertile land at the Karo Regency. It was
known as the Kawar Village. Its people were mostly farmers, and the land did
produce wonderful harvest. It is said that one day the harvest was doubled
compared to the previous year. The barns were extremely full with rice. For
this reason, the people agreed to have a celebration party. On one beautiful
day, all the villagers gathered in a field. They wore beautiful dresses and
made delicious food. Everybody was having good times. They were singing,
laughing, and of course, eating delicious food.
All of the villagers attended the party except an old woman who was
paralyzed. Her son, her daughter-in-law, and her grandson all went to the
party. The old woman lay on her bed alone. “I really want to be at the party
but I cannot even stand on my feet,” sobbed the old woman. She could only see
the merry party from distance.
The lunch time came and all of the people at the party gathered around the
table for the foods that had been prepared. All of them enjoyed the foods
happily. Contradictory to what was going on at the party, the old woman was
starving in the house. She didn`t eat even a bite since morning. “My goodness,
I am so hungry. Why any of my family didn`t come to bring me something to eat?”
sighed her with her body shivering for hunger. She forced herself up from the
bed and searched for something to eat in the kitchen, but there’s nothing. Her
daughter in law did not to cook that day, realizing that foods would be
prepared in the feast. The poor old woman came back to her bed. She was so
disappointed and sad that her tears dropped. She cried for her poor life.
At the party, the son asked her wife, "Why don't you take some food
from the party and give it for my mom. Ask our son to deliver it. “Alright”,
said the woman while hurriedly wrapping the foods for the mother. After that,
she asked her son to take the foods home for her as her husband told her
previously, “My son, please take these foods for your grandmother.”
The old woman was very happy for the foods. Finally, she got something to
eat. But her happiness turned into sadness when she saw find only leftovers. It
just had little rice and there were only some bones of beef and lamb which were
almost without any meat to eat. “What is this!? Do they think I’m an animal?
Why did they give me leftovers and bones!” moaned her furiously.
The mother stored complete grilled meat into the package in fact. However,
the grandson ate the foods on his way to his grandmother that only bones were
left. The old woman didn`t know anything about this that she thought her son
and daughter in law did it on purpose. She felt so disappointed and humiliated
that she hardly held her tears to fall down. She then prayed to God to curse
both her son and daughter in law. “My God, they were sinful to me. I beg You to
punish them!” said the woman in her prayer.
Suddenly, there was a very strong earthquake not even a minute when the
woman completed her prayer. The sky was turned dark and cloudy, and there was a
great thunder followed by heavy rain. All the villagers were so scared. They
wanted to save themselves. They tried to find shelters. The village was drowned
in a short time and there was not even a single person survived. The drowned
village turned into a big crater and flooded by water. The people in the
surroundings later on call it Lau Kawar.***
Long time ago, lived a farmer and his wife in a village by the
side of a forest. They lived simply and they like to help other people,
especially one who in afflictions. One night, the farmer and his wife were
resting in their house. The farmer was sitting beside his sleeping wife.
Suddenly, a white centipede came out from the wife’s head. The farmer was
amazed. He then followed the centipede until they reach a small pond not far
from their house. Then the centipede suddenly disappeared. The farmer went home
and found his wife still soundly asleep.
In the morning, the wife told his husband about the dream she
had last night. “I was walking through a vast field, and I came to a lake. I
saw a giant hedgehog in the lake. It was glaring at me, so I ran away.” After
he heard his wife’s dream, the farmer went back to the small pond. In the pond,
he saw something very shiny. He came to the shiny object and took it. It was a
golden hedgehog statue. It was very beautiful. Its eyes were made of diamond.
The farmer then brought the statue home.
At night, the farmer had a dream. A giant hedgehog came to
him, “Please let me stay in your home. As return, I will give you everything
you want. Just caress the statue’s head and say the prayer. There are two kinds
of prayers, one is to start your wish and the second is to stop your wish. Now
memorize the prayers.”
In the next day, the farmer told his wife about his dream.
They really wanted to prove it. The farmer slowly caressed the statue's head.
He said the prayer and asked for rice. Suddenly, rice came out of the mouth of
the statue. The rice kept on coming out from the statue's mouth. The farmer
immediately said the prayer to stop it. The rice then stopped coming out from
the statue.
The farmer and his wife then asked for other things, jewelry
and other stuff they needed. They became very rich. But they still like to help
other people. A lot of poor came to them for help. Unfortunately, a thief found
out about the secret of the golden hedgehog statue. Pretending to be a poor
asking for help, he stole the statue from the farmer’s house.
The thief blurred to the district area of Ngabang. There was a
drought in the area. The thief wanted sympathy from the people, so he said to
them that he would provide them with water. The thief then caressed the
hedgehog statue and said the prayer. Water came out of the statue’s mouth. All
the people were so happy. But the water kept on coming out. The thief didn’t
know the prayer to stop the wish. People who saw the incident were really scared.
They ran away to avoid the water as it was started to flood the area. The thief
also wanted to run away, but he cannot move his legs. In his vision, there was
a giant hedgehog holding both his legs. Water kept coming from the statue and
slowly it became a river. The thief was drowned in the river. People then named
the river as Hedgehog River or Sungai Landak.***
Aji Saka
A long time ago there was a kingdom called Medang Kamulan. The
kingdom of Medang Kamulan was ruled by Prabu Dewata Cengkar. The people in the
kingdom were very scared by the king. It was because the king liked to eat
human flesh. Once a week, he commanded his messenger, Patih Jugul Muda, to find
him a human to eat.
Far away from the kingdom of Medang Kamulan, there was a
village called Medang Kawit. A young man named Aji Saka lived there. Aji Saka
was a brave young man. He loved to help people who needed help. One day, Aji
Saka saw an old man lying unconscious on the ground. The old man was wounded.
Some thieves just hit him and stole his money. Aji Saka then carried the old
man to his hut. Soon after, the old man started to regain consciousness.
“Where…am I?” he asked. “You’re in my house. You’re safe now,” said Aji Saka.
It turned out that the old man was from the kingdom of Medang Kamulan.
“Everybody was leaving Medang Kamulan,” the old man told Aji Saka. He also told
him about Prabu Dewata Cengkar’s bad habit. “We were terrified, that’s why we
left,” The old man said.
After he heard the explanation from the old man, Aji Saka
decided to go meet Prabu Dewata Cengkar and make him stop the menace. With his
magical white turban on his head, Aji Saka went to the kingdom. The turban was
a gift from his Guru that could be used to fight evil. On his journey to Medang
Kamulan, Aji Saka passed through a very dark forest where he met an evil genie.
The genie blocked his path. “If you want to get through this forest, you must
be my slave for ten years,” the genie demanded. Aji Saka refused to be the
genie’s slave. The two of them then fight for seven days and seven nights,
until at last Aji Saka came out as winner. The genie finally allowed Aji Saka
to pass through the forest.
When Aji Saka arrived in the kingdom of Medang Kamulan, the
king was angry to Patih Jugul Muda. He was not able to find the king some
humans. “If you can’t find me any humans, I’ll eat you instead,” Prabu Dewata
Cengkar said to Patih Jugul Muda. After Patih Jugul Muda left, Aji Saka
revealed himself. Prabu Dewata Cengkar’s eyes suddenly widened upon seeing Aji
Saka. He could already imagine how delicious his meat would taste. “Who are
you?” asked Prabu Dewata Cengkar. “I am Aji Saka from the village of Medang
Kawit,” Aji Saka answered. “Ha...ha...ha.... I’m glad you came here. You would
be my meal. I'm starving,” said the king.
“I would gladly let you eat me, but I want something in
return.” Aji Saka said. “What is it that you want?” asked Prabu Dewata Cengkar.
“I want a land as large as my turban,” said Aji Saka. He then took off his
turban and threw it on the ground. Prabu Dewata Cengkar agreed. He himself
would measure the land with Aji Saka’s turban. Suddenly the turban grew bigger
and bigger. It just kept on stretching until it finally covered the whole
kingdom. Prabu Dewata Cengkar was angry. He then attacked Aji Saka. But, then
the turban wrapped itself around him and began to strangle him. The turban then
threw the king’s body to the South Sea. The waves carried Prabu dewata Cengkar
away until he finally drowned and died.
Aji Saka then asked the people of Medang Kamulan to come back
to the kingdom. They all thanked the brave Aji Saka. They also agreed to make
Aji Saka to be their king. Aji Saka then ruled the kingdom wisely. Under the
leadership of Aji Saka, Medang Kamulan become a peaceful and prosperous
kingdom.***
Mouse Deer and Crocodile
One day, Mouse Deer went down to the river to take a drink.
But he knew that the crocodile might be waiting underwater to eat him, so he
said out loud. “I wonder if the water’s warm. I’ll put in my leg and find out.”
Of course Mouse Deer didn’t put in his leg. He picked up a stick instead and
put one end into the water. Chomp…! Crocodile grabbed the stick and pulled it
underwater. Mouse Deer laughed. “Ha… ha…ha… Stupid crocodile! Cant you tell the
difference between a stick and a leg?” Then Mouse Deer ran off to drink
somewhere else.
In the next day, Mouse Deer wanted to cross the river. He
wanted to eat the fruits on the other side of the river. He saw a floating log
in the river. He knew that Crocodile looked like a log when he floated. Mouse
Deer didn’t want to be eaten by Crocodile when he crosses the river. He had an
idea. He called out loud, “Crocodile!” Crocodile rose from the water, “Hello,
Mouse Deer. Have you come to be my lunch?” Mouse Deer smiled. “Sorry, not
today, Crocodile. I have orders from the King. He wants to invite all the
crocodiles in this river to a party. He wants me to count all the crocodiles so
he could prepare enough meal for you.”
“Really…? Tell us what to do,” said Crocodile. “You must line
up from this side of the river to the other side,” said Mouse Deer. Crocodile
then got all his friends and family. They lined up across the river. Mouse Deer
then jumped onto Crocodile’s back. “One,” he counted. He jumped onto the next
crocodile, “Two.” And the next crocodile, “Three.” Mouse Deer kept jumping
until he arrived on the other side of the river. “How many are there?” asked
Crocodile. “Just enough,” said Mouse Deer. He laughed as he ran to the
forest.***
Mouse Deer and Tiger
One upon a time, there was a mouse deer living in a forest.
Although he was small, he wasn’t afraid of the other bigger animals who wanted
to eat him. He was so smart; he always managed to ditch them. One day, a tiger
was wandering around for food. He hadn't been eating for days. He was really
hungry. While he was walking in the forest, he saw Mouse Deer. The tiger wanted
to eat him.
Tiger slowly ducked, crawled, approaching Mouse Deer,
then..."Gotcha!" said Tiger. He caught Mouse Deer. “Hello, Mouse
Deer! I’m really hungry right now. You’ll be my lunch!” said Tiger. Mouse Deer
didn’t want to be his lunch. He tried to be calm. He looked around and saw some
buffalo’s dung. He had an idea. “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now.
The King has ordered me to guard his cake,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His cake?”
said Tiger curiously. “Yes, there it is. It’s very delicious. The King doesn’t
want anyone else to eat it, so he ordered me to guard it,” Mouse Deer pointed
the buffalo’s dung. “Can I taste it?” Tiger asked. “Of course you can’t. The
King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer refused. “Just one little bite,
Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said Tiger. “Well, okay, Tiger. But
first let me run far away, so the King won’t blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All
right, Mouse deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. Tiger
then took a big mouthful of the ‘cake’. “Phoooey!” He spit it out. “Yuck,
that’s not cake. That’s buffalo’s dung.”
Tiger ran through the forest. He caught up with Mouse Deer.
“Mouse Deer, you tricked me. But now you will be my lunch.” Mouse Deer looked
around and saw a wasp nest in a tree. “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch
now. The King has ordered me to guard his drum,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His
drum?” said Tiger curiously. “Yes, there it is. It has the best sound in the
world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to hit it,” Mouse Deer pointed the
wasp nest. “Can I hit the King’s drum?” Tiger asked. “Of course you can’t. The
King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer refused. “Just one little hit, Mouse
Deer! The King will never know,” said Tiger. ”Well, all right, Tiger. But first
let me run far away, so the King won’t blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All right,
Mouse Deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. Tiger then
reached up and hit the wasp nest. Bzzzzzzz…! “Ouch…ouch! That’s not a drum.
That a wasp nests!”
Tiger ran away. But the wasps keep following him. He came to
the river. He jumped in and stayed underwater as long as he could. At last the
wasps went away. Then he jumped out. He ran through the forest till he found
Mouse Deer. “Mouse Deer, you tricked me again. But now you will be my lunch.”
Mouse Deer looked around and saw a cobra. The snake was coiled asleep on the
ground. “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch now. The King has ordered me
to guard his belt,” said Mouse Deer calmly. “His belt?” said Tiger curiously.
“Yes. There it is. It’s the best belt in the world. The King doesn’t want
anyone else to wear it,” Mouse Deer pointed the cobra. “Can I wear it?” Tiger
asked. “Of course you can’t. The King would be very angry,” said Mouse Deer
refused. “Just for one moment, Mouse Deer! The King will never know,” said
Tiger. ”Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so the King won’t
blame me,” said Mouse Deer. “All right, Mouse Deer. You can go now.” Mouse Deer
ran quickly out of sight. Tiger then took the snake and started to warp it
around himself. The cobra woke up. It squeezed Tiger and bit him. SSssssstt!
“Oouch! Ow! Ooow! That’s not a belt! That’s a cobra! Help! Mouse Deer! Help!”
But Mouse Deer was already far away. He laughed aloud. Mouse Deer was safe from
Tiger now.***
Prabu Tapa Agung had led a kingdom in West Java for a long time. He was getting old and therefore wanted to choose a successor. But unfortunately, he had no son. He thought of choosing one of his daughters, Purbararang and Purbasari. But it wasn’t an easy choice. They were both very pretty and smart. The only difference was their temperament. Purbararang was rude and dishonest, while Purbasari was kind and caring. With those considerations, Prabu Tapa Agung finally chose Purbasari to be his successor.
Purbararang didn’t agree with her father’s decision. “It’s supposed to be me, Father. I’m the eldest daughter!” Purbararang said. Prabu Tapa Agung smiled. “Purbararang, to be a queen takes more than age. There are many other qualities that one must possess,” explained Prabu Tapa Agung wisely. “What does Purbasari have that I don’t?” Purbararang pouted. “You’ll find out when Purbasari has replaced me,” Prabu Tapa Agung answered.
After the discussion, Purbararang went back to her room. “Is there something wrong?” asked Indrajaya. Indrajaya is Purbararang’s future husband. “I’m upset! Father chose Purbasari as his successor and not me! I have to do something!” Purbararang said. Driven mad by her anger, she came to a witch and asked her to send rash all over Purbasari’s body. Before going to bed, Purbasari started to feel itch all over her body. She tried applying powder to her body, but it’s no use. Instead, the itching grew even worse. She didn’t want to scratch it, but she just couldn’t help it. In the next morning, there were scratch mark all over Purbasari’s body. “What happened to you?” asked Purbararang, pretending to be concerned. “I don’t know, sis. Last night, my body suddenly felt very itchy. I scratched and scratched, and this is what happened,” Purbasari answered. Purbararang shook her head. “You must have done something really awful. You’ve been punished by the gods!”
That day, the whole kingdom was scandalized. “What have you done, Purbasari?” demanded Prabu Tapa Agung. Purbasari shook her head. “I didn’t do anything that would upset the gods, Father,” she answered. “Then how can you explain what happened to your body?” Prabu Tapa Agung asked again. “If you don’t confess, I’ll banish you to the woods.” Purbasari took a deep breath. “Like I said before, I didn’t do anything wrong. And I’d rather be thrown into the woods than to confess to a deed I didn’t commit.”
After a short discussion with his advisor, Prabu Tapa Agung ordered Purbasari to be moved to the woods. Purbasari was very sad, but she couldn’t do anything to defy her father’s order. She was accompanied to the woods by a messenger. He built a simple hut for Purbasari. After the messenger left, suddenly a black monkey came to Purbasari’s hut. He carried a bunch of bananas. From behind him, some animals looked on. “Are the bananas for me?’ Purbasari asked. The black monkey nodded, as if he understood what Purbasari said. Purbasari took the bananas with pleasure. She also said thanks. The other animals that were looking on also seemed to smile. “Are you willing to be my friend?” Purbasari asked them. All the animals nodded happily. Although she was living by herself in the woods, Purbasari never lacked of supplies. Everyday, there were always animals bringing her fruits and fish to eat.
A long time had passed since Purbasari was banished to the woods, but her body still itched. At some places, her skin was even ulcerating. What am I supposed to do?” Purbasari sighed. The monkey who was sitting next to her stayed still, there were tears in his eyes. He hoped Purbasari would remain patient and strong.
One night, on a full moon, the monkey took Purbasari to a valley. There is a pond with hot spring water. The monkey suddenly spoke, “The water of this pond will heal your skin,” he said. Purbasari was surprised, ”You can talk? Who are you?” she asked. “You’ll find out, in time,” the monkey said. Purbasari didn’t want to force the monkey. She then walked to the pond. She bathed there. After a few hours, Purbasari walked out of the pond. She was shocked to see her face reflected on the clear pond water. Her face was beautiful again, with smooth and clean skin. Purbasari observed her entire body. There were no traces of any skin ailments. “I’m cured! I’m cured!” Purbasari shouted in joy. She quickly offered thanks to the gods and also to the monkey.
The news of Purbasari’s condition quickly spread to the kingdom, irritating Purbararang. She then accompanied by Indrajaya go to the woods to see Purbasari. Purbasari asked if she would be allowed to go home. Purbararang said she would let Purbasari return to the palace if Purbasari’s hair were longer than hers. Purbararang then let her hair down. It was so long, it almost touched the ground. But it turned out that Purbasari’s hair was twice longer than Purbararang’s hair.
“Fine, so your hair is longer than mine.” Purbararang admitted. “But there is one more condition you must fulfill, do you have a future husband who is handsomer than mine?” said Purbararang as she walked toward Indrajaya. Purbasari felt miserable. She didn’t have a future husband yet. So, without much thought, she pulled the black monkey beside her.
Purbararang and Indrajaya burst out, but their laughter didn’t last long. The monkey meditates and suddenly transformed into a very handsome young man, a lot more handsome than Indrajaya. “I’m a prince from a kingdom far away. I was cursed to be a monkey because of a mistake I committed. I could regain my true form only if there’s a girl who would be willing to be my wife,” said the young man.
Finally, Purbararang gave up. She accepted Purbasari as the queen, and also confessed everything she had done. “Please forgive me. Please don’t punish me,” Purbararang said, asking for forgiveness. Instead of being angry, Purbasari smiled. “I forgive you, sis,” she said. Soon after, Purbasari become queen. Beside her was the handsome prince, the former monkey known as Lutung Kasarung.
MALIN KUNDANG
Once upon a time, on the north coast of Sumatra lived a poor woman and his son. The boy was called Malin Kundang. They didn’t earn much as fishing was their only source of income. Malin Kundang grew up as a skillful young boy. He always helps his mother to earn some money. However, as they were only fisherman’s helper, they still lived in poverty. “Mother, what if I sail overseas?” asked Malin Kundang one day to his mother. Her mother didn’t agree but Malin Kundang had made up his mind. “Mother, if I stay here, I’ll always be a poor man. I want to be a successful person,” urged Malin kundang. His mother wiped her tears, “If you really want to go, I can’t stop you. I could only pray to God for you to gain success in life,” said his mother wisely. “But, promise me, you’ll come home.”
In the next morning, Malin Kundang was ready to go. Three days ago, he met one of the successful ship’s crew. Malin was offered to join him. “Take a good care of yourself, son,” said Malin Kundang’s mother as she gave him some food supplies. “Yes, Mother,” Malin Kundang said. “You too have to take a good care of yourself. I’ll keep in touch with you,” he continued before kissing his mother’s hand. Before Malin stepped onto the ship, Malin’s mother hugged him tight as if she didn’t want to let him go.
It had been three months since Malin Kundang left his mother. As his mother had predicted before, he hadn’t contacted her yet. Every morning, she stood on the pier. She wished to see the ship that brought Malin kundang home. Every day and night, she prayed to the God for her son’s safety. There was so much prayer that had been said due to her deep love for Malin Kundang. Even though it’s been a year she had not heard any news from Malin Kundang, she kept waiting and praying for him.
After several years waiting without any news, Malin Kundang’s mother was suddenly surprised by the arrival of a big ship in the pier where she usually stood to wait for her son. When the ship finally pulled over, Malin Kundang’s mother saw a man who looked wealthy stepping down a ladder along with a beautiful woman. She could not be wrong. Her blurry eyes still easily recognized him. The man was Malin Kundang, her son.
Malin Kundang’s mother quickly went to see her beloved son. “Malin, you’re back, son!” said Malin Kundang’s mother and without hesitation, she came running to hug Malin Kundang, “I miss you so much.” But, Malin Kundang didn’t show any respond. He was ashamed to admit his own mother in front of his beautiful wife. “You’re not my Mother. I don’t know you. My mother would never wear such ragged and ugly clothes,” said Malin Kundang as he release his mother embrace.
Malin Kundang’s mother take a step back, “Malin…You don’t recognize me? I’m your mother!” she said sadly. Malin Kundang’s face was as cold as ice. “Guard, take this old women out of here,” Malin Kundang ordered his bodyguard. “Give her some money so she won’t disturb me again!” Malin Kundang’s mother cried as she was dragged by the bodyguard, ”Malin... my son. Why do you treat your own mother like this?”
Malin Kundang ignored his mother and ordered the ship crews to set sail. Malin Kundang’s mother sat alone in the pier. Her heart was so hurt, she cried and cried. “Dear God, if he isn’t my son, please let him have a save journey. But if he is, I cursed him to become a stone,” she prayed to the God.
In the quiet sea, suddenly the wind blew so hard and a thunderstorm came. Malin Kundang’s huge ship was wrecked. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship, and fell on a small island. Suddenly, his whole body turned into stone. He was punished for not admitting his own mother.***
Once upon a time, on the north coast of Sumatra lived a poor woman and his son. The boy was called Malin Kundang. They didn’t earn much as fishing was their only source of income. Malin Kundang grew up as a skillful young boy. He always helps his mother to earn some money. However, as they were only fisherman’s helper, they still lived in poverty. “Mother, what if I sail overseas?” asked Malin Kundang one day to his mother. Her mother didn’t agree but Malin Kundang had made up his mind. “Mother, if I stay here, I’ll always be a poor man. I want to be a successful person,” urged Malin kundang. His mother wiped her tears, “If you really want to go, I can’t stop you. I could only pray to God for you to gain success in life,” said his mother wisely. “But, promise me, you’ll come home.”
In the next morning, Malin Kundang was ready to go. Three days ago, he met one of the successful ship’s crew. Malin was offered to join him. “Take a good care of yourself, son,” said Malin Kundang’s mother as she gave him some food supplies. “Yes, Mother,” Malin Kundang said. “You too have to take a good care of yourself. I’ll keep in touch with you,” he continued before kissing his mother’s hand. Before Malin stepped onto the ship, Malin’s mother hugged him tight as if she didn’t want to let him go.
It had been three months since Malin Kundang left his mother. As his mother had predicted before, he hadn’t contacted her yet. Every morning, she stood on the pier. She wished to see the ship that brought Malin kundang home. Every day and night, she prayed to the God for her son’s safety. There was so much prayer that had been said due to her deep love for Malin Kundang. Even though it’s been a year she had not heard any news from Malin Kundang, she kept waiting and praying for him.
After several years waiting without any news, Malin Kundang’s mother was suddenly surprised by the arrival of a big ship in the pier where she usually stood to wait for her son. When the ship finally pulled over, Malin Kundang’s mother saw a man who looked wealthy stepping down a ladder along with a beautiful woman. She could not be wrong. Her blurry eyes still easily recognized him. The man was Malin Kundang, her son.
Malin Kundang’s mother quickly went to see her beloved son. “Malin, you’re back, son!” said Malin Kundang’s mother and without hesitation, she came running to hug Malin Kundang, “I miss you so much.” But, Malin Kundang didn’t show any respond. He was ashamed to admit his own mother in front of his beautiful wife. “You’re not my Mother. I don’t know you. My mother would never wear such ragged and ugly clothes,” said Malin Kundang as he release his mother embrace.
Malin Kundang’s mother take a step back, “Malin…You don’t recognize me? I’m your mother!” she said sadly. Malin Kundang’s face was as cold as ice. “Guard, take this old women out of here,” Malin Kundang ordered his bodyguard. “Give her some money so she won’t disturb me again!” Malin Kundang’s mother cried as she was dragged by the bodyguard, ”Malin... my son. Why do you treat your own mother like this?”
Malin Kundang ignored his mother and ordered the ship crews to set sail. Malin Kundang’s mother sat alone in the pier. Her heart was so hurt, she cried and cried. “Dear God, if he isn’t my son, please let him have a save journey. But if he is, I cursed him to become a stone,” she prayed to the God.
In the quiet sea, suddenly the wind blew so hard and a thunderstorm came. Malin Kundang’s huge ship was wrecked. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship, and fell on a small island. Suddenly, his whole body turned into stone. He was punished for not admitting his own mother.***
TIMUN MAS
Long time ago in the island of Java, Indonesia, lived a
couple of farmer. They had married for some years but they had no
children. So they prayed to a monster called Buta Ijo to give them
children. Buta Ijo was a ferocious and powerful monster. He granted
their wish on one condition. When their children had grown up, they had to
sacrifice them to Buta Ijo. He liked eating fresh meat of human
being. The farmers agreed to his condition. Several months later
the wife was pregnant.
She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They named her Timun Emas. The farmers were happy. Timun Emas was very healthy and a very smart girl. She was also very diligent. When she was a teenager Buta Ijo came to their house. Timun Emas was frightened so she ran away to hide. The farmers then told Buta Ijo that Timun Emas was still a child. They asked him to postpone. Buta Ijo agreed. He promised to come again. The following year Buta Ijo came again. But again and again their parents said that Timun Emas was still a child.
When the third time Buta Ijo came their parents had prepared something for him. They gave Timun Emas several bamboo needles, seeds of cucumber, dressing and salt.
‘Timun, take these things’
‘What are these things?’
‘These are your weapons. Buta Ijo will chase you. He will eat you alive. So run as fast as you can. And if he will catch you spread this to the ground. Now go!’
Timun Emas was scared so she ran as quickly as she could. When Buta Ijo arrived she was far from home. He was very angry when he realized that his prey had left. So he ran to chase her. He had a sharp nose so he knew what direction his prey ran.
Timun Emas was just a girl while Buta Ijo was a monster so he could easily catch her up. When he was just several steps behind Timun Emas quickly spread the seeds of cucumber. In seconds they turned into many vines of cucumber. The exhausted Buta Ijo was very thirsty so he grabbed and ate them. When Buta Ijo was busy eating cucumber Timun Emas could run away.
But soon Buta Ijo realized and started running again. When he was just several steps behind Timun Emas threw her bamboo needles. Soon they turned into dense bamboo trees. Buta Ijo found it hard to pass. It took him some time to break the dense bamboo forest. Meanwhile Timun Emas could run farther.
Buta Ijo chased her again. When he almost catch her again and again Timun Emas threw her dressing. This time it turned into a lake. Buta Ijo was busy to save himself so Timun Emas ran way. But Buta Ijo could overcome it and continued chasing her.
Finally when Timun Emas was almost caught she threw her salt. Soon the land where Buta Ijo stood turned into ocean. Buta Ijo was drowned and died instantly.
Timun Emas was thankful to god and came back to her home.
She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They named her Timun Emas. The farmers were happy. Timun Emas was very healthy and a very smart girl. She was also very diligent. When she was a teenager Buta Ijo came to their house. Timun Emas was frightened so she ran away to hide. The farmers then told Buta Ijo that Timun Emas was still a child. They asked him to postpone. Buta Ijo agreed. He promised to come again. The following year Buta Ijo came again. But again and again their parents said that Timun Emas was still a child.
When the third time Buta Ijo came their parents had prepared something for him. They gave Timun Emas several bamboo needles, seeds of cucumber, dressing and salt.
‘Timun, take these things’
‘What are these things?’
‘These are your weapons. Buta Ijo will chase you. He will eat you alive. So run as fast as you can. And if he will catch you spread this to the ground. Now go!’
Timun Emas was scared so she ran as quickly as she could. When Buta Ijo arrived she was far from home. He was very angry when he realized that his prey had left. So he ran to chase her. He had a sharp nose so he knew what direction his prey ran.
Timun Emas was just a girl while Buta Ijo was a monster so he could easily catch her up. When he was just several steps behind Timun Emas quickly spread the seeds of cucumber. In seconds they turned into many vines of cucumber. The exhausted Buta Ijo was very thirsty so he grabbed and ate them. When Buta Ijo was busy eating cucumber Timun Emas could run away.
But soon Buta Ijo realized and started running again. When he was just several steps behind Timun Emas threw her bamboo needles. Soon they turned into dense bamboo trees. Buta Ijo found it hard to pass. It took him some time to break the dense bamboo forest. Meanwhile Timun Emas could run farther.
Buta Ijo chased her again. When he almost catch her again and again Timun Emas threw her dressing. This time it turned into a lake. Buta Ijo was busy to save himself so Timun Emas ran way. But Buta Ijo could overcome it and continued chasing her.
Finally when Timun Emas was almost caught she threw her salt. Soon the land where Buta Ijo stood turned into ocean. Buta Ijo was drowned and died instantly.
Timun Emas was thankful to god and came back to her home.
DANAU TOBA
Once upon a time there was a prosperous village in a far
away island called Sumatra. In northern part of the island, lived a farmer
whose name was Toba. He lived alone in a hut by a small forest. He worked on
his farmland to grow rice and vegetables that he sells to local market. Once
day he wanted to catch some fish so he went to a river and fished there. He was
very surprised when he got a big fish. The fish was as big as human being. Soon
he went home and put the fish in his kitchen. He planned to cook the fish for
his dinner that night. When he got to his house that afternoon he took a bath.
Then as he walked into his bedroom after taking a bath Toba was very shocked.
Do you want to know what happened?
There stood in his living room a very beautiful girl. The girl greeted him nicely. For a moment Toba was speechless. When he could control his emotion he asked her.
‘Who are you? What’s your name? Why suddenly you are here in my house?’
‘Pardon me if I surprised you Mr. Toba, but you took me here. I was the fish that you caught in the river. Now that I become a human being again, I would like to thank you and I will be your servant to express my thankfulness’
‘Were you the fish?’
‘Yes, I was the fish. Look at your kitchen’.
Toba immediately rushed to his kitchen and the fish was nowhere to be seen. He saw some gold coins instead.
‘Whose coins are these? Why there are some coins here?’
‘Those coins are mine. As I changed into human being my scales changed into gold coins’
‘Ok you can live here and work for me. Your room is over there’
‘Thank you very much Mr. Toba’
Since that day the beautiful girl lived in Toba’s house. Since she was very beautiful Toba fell in love with her and not long after that they got married. The girl married to Toba on one condition that he would never tell anybody about her past. Toba agreed to the condition. Several months later Toba’s wife delivered to a baby boy. Their son was healthy. Soon he grew up into a handsome boy. Toba named him Samosir. Unfortunately Samosir was a lazy boy. He did not want to work at all. When his father worked hard in his rice field and farm, Samosir just slept. When he was awake he talked a lot and he ate a lot. Toba was very disappointed with his son’s nature. He hoped that one day Samosir would change into a diligent boy. Day in and day out but Samosir never changed.
Toba used to go to his farm and rice field early in the morning. Then at midday his wife would bring him food. They used to eat lunch at their farm. As he was a teenager Toba and his wife tried to change his behavior. They ordered Samosir to bring food for his father for lunch while her mother stayed at home to do household chores. But Samosir never did his duty well. He always woke up very late. He woke up after midday. Then one day his mother forced him to bring the food.
‘Sam, wake up. Go to the farm and bring the food for your father. He must be very tired and hungry now’.
But Mom, I am tired and hungry too’
‘What makes you tired? You just wake up. Go now. You father needs the food’
Toba reluctantly went to the farm. But he did not go to the farm immediately. He stopped somewhere in the street and ate the food. It was already late afternoon when he got to the farm. His father was disappointed. Then he was angry as he realized that his son had eaten his food. He said sarcastically.
‘O, you are stupid lazy boy. You are son of a fish!’
Samosir was hurt. He went home right away and as he got home he told his mother about his father’s words. Samosir’s mother was shocked. She was also deeply hurt.
‘O Toba. You break your promise so I cannot live with you here anymore. Now you have to accept to consequence of what you did. Samosir, now go to the hill, find the tallest tree and climb it’
‘Why mom? What will happen?’
‘Just do it, never ask any question. Good bye’
As soon as she finished saying that suddenly the weather changed. Sunny day suddenly turned into cloudy day. Not long after that the rain poured heavily. The rain last for several days. Consequently the area was flooded. The whole area became a big lake. Then it was called Lake Toba and in the middle of the lake there is an island called Samosir Island. Meanwhile Toba’s wife disappeared.
Lake Toba is located in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Today it becomes a tourist destination.
There stood in his living room a very beautiful girl. The girl greeted him nicely. For a moment Toba was speechless. When he could control his emotion he asked her.
‘Who are you? What’s your name? Why suddenly you are here in my house?’
‘Pardon me if I surprised you Mr. Toba, but you took me here. I was the fish that you caught in the river. Now that I become a human being again, I would like to thank you and I will be your servant to express my thankfulness’
‘Were you the fish?’
‘Yes, I was the fish. Look at your kitchen’.
Toba immediately rushed to his kitchen and the fish was nowhere to be seen. He saw some gold coins instead.
‘Whose coins are these? Why there are some coins here?’
‘Those coins are mine. As I changed into human being my scales changed into gold coins’
‘Ok you can live here and work for me. Your room is over there’
‘Thank you very much Mr. Toba’
Since that day the beautiful girl lived in Toba’s house. Since she was very beautiful Toba fell in love with her and not long after that they got married. The girl married to Toba on one condition that he would never tell anybody about her past. Toba agreed to the condition. Several months later Toba’s wife delivered to a baby boy. Their son was healthy. Soon he grew up into a handsome boy. Toba named him Samosir. Unfortunately Samosir was a lazy boy. He did not want to work at all. When his father worked hard in his rice field and farm, Samosir just slept. When he was awake he talked a lot and he ate a lot. Toba was very disappointed with his son’s nature. He hoped that one day Samosir would change into a diligent boy. Day in and day out but Samosir never changed.
Toba used to go to his farm and rice field early in the morning. Then at midday his wife would bring him food. They used to eat lunch at their farm. As he was a teenager Toba and his wife tried to change his behavior. They ordered Samosir to bring food for his father for lunch while her mother stayed at home to do household chores. But Samosir never did his duty well. He always woke up very late. He woke up after midday. Then one day his mother forced him to bring the food.
‘Sam, wake up. Go to the farm and bring the food for your father. He must be very tired and hungry now’.
But Mom, I am tired and hungry too’
‘What makes you tired? You just wake up. Go now. You father needs the food’
Toba reluctantly went to the farm. But he did not go to the farm immediately. He stopped somewhere in the street and ate the food. It was already late afternoon when he got to the farm. His father was disappointed. Then he was angry as he realized that his son had eaten his food. He said sarcastically.
‘O, you are stupid lazy boy. You are son of a fish!’
Samosir was hurt. He went home right away and as he got home he told his mother about his father’s words. Samosir’s mother was shocked. She was also deeply hurt.
‘O Toba. You break your promise so I cannot live with you here anymore. Now you have to accept to consequence of what you did. Samosir, now go to the hill, find the tallest tree and climb it’
‘Why mom? What will happen?’
‘Just do it, never ask any question. Good bye’
As soon as she finished saying that suddenly the weather changed. Sunny day suddenly turned into cloudy day. Not long after that the rain poured heavily. The rain last for several days. Consequently the area was flooded. The whole area became a big lake. Then it was called Lake Toba and in the middle of the lake there is an island called Samosir Island. Meanwhile Toba’s wife disappeared.
Lake Toba is located in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Today it becomes a tourist destination.
LUTUNG KASARUNG
Prabu Tapa Agung had led a kingdom in West Java for a long time. He was getting old and therefore wanted to choose a successor. But unfortunately, he had no son. He thought of choosing one of his daughters, Purbararang and Purbasari. But it wasn’t an easy choice. They were both very pretty and smart. The only difference was their temperament. Purbararang was rude and dishonest, while Purbasari was kind and caring. With those considerations, Prabu Tapa Agung finally chose Purbasari to be his successor.
Purbararang didn’t agree with her father’s decision. “It’s supposed to be me, Father. I’m the eldest daughter!” Purbararang said. Prabu Tapa Agung smiled. “Purbararang, to be a queen takes more than age. There are many other qualities that one must possess,” explained Prabu Tapa Agung wisely. “What does Purbasari have that I don’t?” Purbararang pouted. “You’ll find out when Purbasari has replaced me,” Prabu Tapa Agung answered.
After the discussion, Purbararang went back to her room. “Is there something wrong?” asked Indrajaya. Indrajaya is Purbararang’s future husband. “I’m upset! Father chose Purbasari as his successor and not me! I have to do something!” Purbararang said. Driven mad by her anger, she came to a witch and asked her to send rash all over Purbasari’s body. Before going to bed, Purbasari started to feel itch all over her body. She tried applying powder to her body, but it’s no use. Instead, the itching grew even worse. She didn’t want to scratch it, but she just couldn’t help it. In the next morning, there were scratch mark all over Purbasari’s body. “What happened to you?” asked Purbararang, pretending to be concerned. “I don’t know, sis. Last night, my body suddenly felt very itchy. I scratched and scratched, and this is what happened,” Purbasari answered. Purbararang shook her head. “You must have done something really awful. You’ve been punished by the gods!”
That day, the whole kingdom was scandalized. “What have you done, Purbasari?” demanded Prabu Tapa Agung. Purbasari shook her head. “I didn’t do anything that would upset the gods, Father,” she answered. “Then how can you explain what happened to your body?” Prabu Tapa Agung asked again. “If you don’t confess, I’ll banish you to the woods.” Purbasari took a deep breath. “Like I said before, I didn’t do anything wrong. And I’d rather be thrown into the woods than to confess to a deed I didn’t commit.”
After a short discussion with his advisor, Prabu Tapa Agung ordered Purbasari to be moved to the woods. Purbasari was very sad, but she couldn’t do anything to defy her father’s order. She was accompanied to the woods by a messenger. He built a simple hut for Purbasari. After the messenger left, suddenly a black monkey came to Purbasari’s hut. He carried a bunch of bananas. From behind him, some animals looked on. “Are the bananas for me?’ Purbasari asked. The black monkey nodded, as if he understood what Purbasari said. Purbasari took the bananas with pleasure. She also said thanks. The other animals that were looking on also seemed to smile. “Are you willing to be my friend?” Purbasari asked them. All the animals nodded happily. Although she was living by herself in the woods, Purbasari never lacked of supplies. Everyday, there were always animals bringing her fruits and fish to eat.
A long time had passed since Purbasari was banished to the woods, but her body still itched. At some places, her skin was even ulcerating. What am I supposed to do?” Purbasari sighed. The monkey who was sitting next to her stayed still, there were tears in his eyes. He hoped Purbasari would remain patient and strong.
One night, on a full moon, the monkey took Purbasari to a valley. There is a pond with hot spring water. The monkey suddenly spoke, “The water of this pond will heal your skin,” he said. Purbasari was surprised, ”You can talk? Who are you?” she asked. “You’ll find out, in time,” the monkey said. Purbasari didn’t want to force the monkey. She then walked to the pond. She bathed there. After a few hours, Purbasari walked out of the pond. She was shocked to see her face reflected on the clear pond water. Her face was beautiful again, with smooth and clean skin. Purbasari observed her entire body. There were no traces of any skin ailments. “I’m cured! I’m cured!” Purbasari shouted in joy. She quickly offered thanks to the gods and also to the monkey.
The news of Purbasari’s condition quickly spread to the kingdom, irritating Purbararang. She then accompanied by Indrajaya go to the woods to see Purbasari. Purbasari asked if she would be allowed to go home. Purbararang said she would let Purbasari return to the palace if Purbasari’s hair were longer than hers. Purbararang then let her hair down. It was so long, it almost touched the ground. But it turned out that Purbasari’s hair was twice longer than Purbararang’s hair.
“Fine, so your hair is longer than mine.” Purbararang admitted. “But there is one more condition you must fulfill, do you have a future husband who is handsomer than mine?” said Purbararang as she walked toward Indrajaya. Purbasari felt miserable. She didn’t have a future husband yet. So, without much thought, she pulled the black monkey beside her.
Purbararang and Indrajaya burst out, but their laughter didn’t last long. The monkey meditates and suddenly transformed into a very handsome young man, a lot more handsome than Indrajaya. “I’m a prince from a kingdom far away. I was cursed to be a monkey because of a mistake I committed. I could regain my true form only if there’s a girl who would be willing to be my wife,” said the young man.
Finally, Purbararang gave up. She accepted Purbasari as the queen, and also confessed everything she had done. “Please forgive me. Please don’t punish me,” Purbararang said, asking for forgiveness. Instead of being angry, Purbasari smiled. “I forgive you, sis,” she said. Soon after, Purbasari become queen. Beside her was the handsome prince, the former monkey known as Lutung Kasarung.
RORO
JONGGRANG
Long time ago, there was a kingdom named Prambanan. All the people of Prambanan lived peacefully. But then, Prambanan kingdom was attacked and occupied by the Pengging kingdom. Prambanan then was ruled by Bandung Bondowoso of Pengging kingdom. He was a mean king. He also had great supernatural power. His soldiers were not only humans, but also genies.
The king of Prambanan had a beautiful daughter named Loro Jonggrang. Bandung Bondowoso fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. “You’re very beautiful. Would you be my queen?” asked Bandung Bondowoso. Loro Jonggrang was shocked. She didn’t like Bandung Bondowoso because he was a mean person. She wanted to refuse, but she afraid that Bandung Bondowoso would be angry and endangered the people of Prambanan. Then, she came up with a plan. “If you want to marry me, you have to build a thousand temples for me in just one night," said Loro Jonggrang. “What? That’s impossible!” said Bandung Bondowoso. But he did not give up. He consulted with his advisor. “Your Majesty can asked the genies to help built the temples,” said the advisor.
So, Bandung Bondowoso summoned his entire genies soldier and commanded them to help him built a thousand temples. The genies worked in unbelievable speed. Meanwhile, Loro Jonggrang heard from her servant that the building of a thousand temples was almost finished. She was so worried. But again, she came up with a great idea. She asked all of her servants to help her. "Please prepare a lot of straw and mortar. Please hurry up!" said Loro Jonggrang. “Burn the straw and make some noise pounding the mortar, quickly.” All those servants did what Loro Jonggrang ordered them; burning straw and pounding the mortar, making the genies think that the sun is going to rise.
“It’s already dawn. We have to go,” said the leader of the genies to Bandung Bondowoso. All the genies immediately stopped their work and ran for cover from the sun, which they afraid of. They didn’t know that the light was from the fire that burning the straw, not from the sun.
Bandung Bondowoso can’t stop the genies from leaving. He was angry. He knew Loro Jonggrang had just tricked him. "You cannot fool me, Loro Jonggrang. I already have 999 temples. I just need one more temple. Now, I will make you the one-thousandth temple." He pointed his finger to Loro Jonggrang and said some mantras. Magically, Loro Jonggrang’s body turned into stone. Until now, the temple is still standing in Prambanan area, Central Java. And the temple is called Loro Jonggrang temple.***
Long time ago, there was a kingdom named Prambanan. All the people of Prambanan lived peacefully. But then, Prambanan kingdom was attacked and occupied by the Pengging kingdom. Prambanan then was ruled by Bandung Bondowoso of Pengging kingdom. He was a mean king. He also had great supernatural power. His soldiers were not only humans, but also genies.
The king of Prambanan had a beautiful daughter named Loro Jonggrang. Bandung Bondowoso fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. “You’re very beautiful. Would you be my queen?” asked Bandung Bondowoso. Loro Jonggrang was shocked. She didn’t like Bandung Bondowoso because he was a mean person. She wanted to refuse, but she afraid that Bandung Bondowoso would be angry and endangered the people of Prambanan. Then, she came up with a plan. “If you want to marry me, you have to build a thousand temples for me in just one night," said Loro Jonggrang. “What? That’s impossible!” said Bandung Bondowoso. But he did not give up. He consulted with his advisor. “Your Majesty can asked the genies to help built the temples,” said the advisor.
So, Bandung Bondowoso summoned his entire genies soldier and commanded them to help him built a thousand temples. The genies worked in unbelievable speed. Meanwhile, Loro Jonggrang heard from her servant that the building of a thousand temples was almost finished. She was so worried. But again, she came up with a great idea. She asked all of her servants to help her. "Please prepare a lot of straw and mortar. Please hurry up!" said Loro Jonggrang. “Burn the straw and make some noise pounding the mortar, quickly.” All those servants did what Loro Jonggrang ordered them; burning straw and pounding the mortar, making the genies think that the sun is going to rise.
“It’s already dawn. We have to go,” said the leader of the genies to Bandung Bondowoso. All the genies immediately stopped their work and ran for cover from the sun, which they afraid of. They didn’t know that the light was from the fire that burning the straw, not from the sun.
Bandung Bondowoso can’t stop the genies from leaving. He was angry. He knew Loro Jonggrang had just tricked him. "You cannot fool me, Loro Jonggrang. I already have 999 temples. I just need one more temple. Now, I will make you the one-thousandth temple." He pointed his finger to Loro Jonggrang and said some mantras. Magically, Loro Jonggrang’s body turned into stone. Until now, the temple is still standing in Prambanan area, Central Java. And the temple is called Loro Jonggrang temple.***