NARRATIVE (INDONESIAN FLOKLORE)

The Legend of Banyuwangi

ONCE upon a time in Sindureja Kingdom, King Sidareja was talking to his vice regent, his name was Patih Sidapaksa. The King asked Patih Sidapaksa to give him the flesh of a young deer.

Patih Sidapaksa took the mission.

When he arrived at the jungle, he saw a young deer. He pointed his arrow to the deer. Unfortunately, he missed the target. He ran after the deer. He was running and running until he arrived at a hut.

Patih Sidapaksa knocked the door. A young and beautiful girl opened the door. She was very beautiful. Patih Sidapaksa fell in love at the first sight.“How can I help you Sir?” asked the girl. "I...I...am looking for a young deer", Patih Sidapaksa was speechless.

“You can find a lot of deer in the jungle. But it s already late and it will be dark soon. You can continue hunting tomorrow morning. You can come and spend the night here. Both my father and I are happy to welcome you”, said the girl. Patih Sidapaksa accepted the offer.

He introduced himself. The girl's name was Sri Tanjung and her father's name was Ki Buyut.

In the morning, Patih Sidapaksa continued his hunting and after he got a young deer he returned to the hut. He came back because he wanted to marry Sri Tanjung. Luckily, Sri Tanjung also loved him. Later Patih Sidapaksa asked them to join him to the palace.

The King was very happy Patih Sidapaksa brought him a young deer.

However he was also amazed by the beauty of Sri Tanjung.

The King also fell in love with her. The King had a bad plan. He wanted to marry Sri Tanjung. So he gave Patih Sidapaksa a very difficult mission. The King asked Patih Sidapaksa to give him three golden rings from Indran Kingdom. Patih Sidapaksa knew the mission was more difficult than hunting a young deer. Indran Kingdom was not an ordinary kingdom. It was a kingdom of criminals! No one ever came back after going there. However he still accepted the mission. And before he left, he asked Sri Tanjung to wait for him.

After Patih Sidapaksa left, the King approached Sri Tanjung. He proposed Sri Tanjung to marry him. He promised Sri Tanjung to be a queen. She did not accept the proposal. She loved Patih Sidapaksa and she already promised to wait for him. The King was angry and put her in the jail.

Luckily, Patih Sidapaksa could do the mission and came back to the palace. Sadly he could not meet Sri Tanjung. The King lied. He said Sri Tanjung was in jail because she asked the King to marry her. The King said Sri Tanjung wanted to be a queen.

At first Patih Sidapaksa believed the King. But Sri Tanjung then said.

Throw me to the river. If the river smells good, it means I m innocent.However if the river smells bad, then the King is lying, said Sri Tanjung.

Patih Sidapaksa then threw her into the river. Amazingly, the river smelled good.
Patih Sidapaksa was very sorry. Sri Tanjung died. He regretted not to believe her.

When the river smelled good, people instantly said Banyuwangi. Banyu means water and Wangi means good smell. Since then the place is named Banyuwangi.

***

Princess Bungsu and Maniki
Folklore from East Kalimantan

              Once upon a time there was a king in Berau Kingdom. The king was wise. He had seven beautiful daughters and he did not have a son yet. Among the seven daughters, the most beautiful daughter was the youngest one. Her name was Princess Bungsu. She was a kind girl. She was not spoiled and liked to do the household chores and cooking. She had a special knife to cut the vegetables or meat.
              One day the princess’ knife was broken. She was very sad. She did not want to cook anymore. The king loved his daughters very much. He did not want to see his youngest daughter sad.
Therefore the king had a competition. He asked the people to make a new knife for his daughter. The king would give great rewards for the winner.
              Soon, everybody was busy making a knife. After they were finished, they brought the knives to the palace. One by one, the villagers showed their knives to Princess Bungsu. Sadly, the Princess was not interested. She thought that all the knives were not as beautiful as her knife.
              On the following day, a young man came to the palace. His name was Maniki. He was handsome and very helpful to others and also skillful. He could make anything. Maniki also wanted to join the competition. He brought his knife and showed it to Princess Bungsu. The knife was very beautiful. Princess Bungsu liked it instantly. She immediately brought the knife to the kitchen and began to cook.
              Princess Bungsu really loved the knife. She always kept the knife carefully. She even brought the knife to her bed room and put it on the pillow.
              In one morning, Princess Bungsu did not feel very well. The king then asked the palace healer to cure the illness. After a while, the palace healer was surprised. He found out that Princess
Bungsu was pregnant! He immediately reported to the king. The king was really angry. He asked the princess who the father of the baby was. The princess was confused. She always stayed in the palace and never had any contacts with any men.
              Nine months later, the princess had a baby son. The palace healer knew how to find out the father of the baby. He invited all men in the kingdom. Then he gave each of them a banana.
If the baby crawled to the man holding the banana, then he was the father. After all men came to the palace, they all sat down in a big circle. The baby was in the middle. Amazingly the baby started to crawl. He came to a young man. It was Maniki! Maniki was confused.
He said that he was innocent. But the king ignored him. Later the king sent Maniki, Princess Bungsu and the baby to the jungle as a punishment.
              Days passed by and the baby turned to a boy. Maniki and Princess Bungsu were also rich. They worked hard and always saved their money.

               One day they heard that the king was terribly ill. They decided to go to the palace to visit the king. It was true. The king was dying. He was terribly ill because he felt guilty by sending her daughter to the jungle. When he met Maniki and Princess Bungsu, the king apologized to them and asked them to stay in the palace. ***

Queen Aji Bidara Putih

Folklore from East Kalimantan

ONCE upon a time in East Kalimantan, there was a kingdom in Muara Kaman.

The kingdom was led by Queen Aji Bidara Putih. She was a very beautiful queen. She was also wise, kind, and loving to her people. The queen was single. Many kings and princes from other kingdoms have tried to propose her. However, she was still not interested in getting married. She only wanted to take care of her people.Though the queen has rejected proposal from many rich men, the proposals kept on coming to her. Many kings and princes did not give up. One of them was a prince from China.

The Chinese prince came with a big ship. He brought his soldiers and also a lot of jewelleries. The prince wanted to give the jewelleries as wedding proposals.When the ship arrived at Muara Kaman, the Chinese prince asked a messenger to meet the queen. The messenger then told the queen about the wedding proposal. “Before I accept the proposal, please tell me about your prince”, asked the queen. “He is a very rich man and also very handsome, Your Majesty”.

“Alright then, tell your prince I need time to think”, said the queen.The queen thought it was time for her to get married. She felt she was old enough. That was why she did not reject the proposal immediately. However, she did not want to choose the wrong husband. She asked one soldier to secretly go to the ship. The queen asked the soldier to describe her how the Chinese prince looked like.

The soldier was finally able to enter the ship. He was peeping from a hole.

He saw the prince was eating. The soldier could not see the prince clearly. The hole was too small. But he could hear how the prince ate.The prince was eating using chopsticks.

He made strange sounds when he was eating. The soldier was so scared. He never heard that sound before. He thought the prince was not a real human. He thought the soldier was a ghost!

When he arrived back at the palace, the soldier immediately reported to the queen. He told the queen about the strange sound. “Maybe he is not a human, Your Majesty. Maybe he is a ghost!”,  said the soldier.

At first, the queen did not believe him. But the soldier was very sure with what he heard. The queen then decided to refuse the wedding proposal. And that made the Chinese prince got very angry. He asked his soldiers to attack Muara Kaman kingdom.The Chinese soldiers were able to beat the Muara Kaman’s  soldiers. Queen Aji Bidara Putih was cornered in the palace. She then prayed to God.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. The voice asked her to chew betel then threw the betel to the Chinese soldiers. Amazingly, the betel changed into giant centipedes and attacked them.

The Chinese soldiers died and from the ground appeared a lake. People of Muara Kaman then named it as Danau Lipan or Centipede Lake. And sometimes people could find pieces of antique Chinese porcelain in that lake

.***

The Legend of Pesut Mahakam

Folklore from East Kalimantan

A long time ago, there was a village in East Kalimantan. The village was near the Mahakam River. The villagers always worked hard. Although they were poor, they were very happy. They also helped each other.
               In the village, there was a rich family. The head of the family was Pak Pesut. Everybody knew Pak Pesut. He was known not because of his wealth, but because his stinginess. He did not like to help others. His family always ignored people. That’s why Pak Pesut’s family always lived alone and never mingled with others.
               It was a very long dry season. All the rice fields could not get water properly. The villagers could not harvest the rice. Therefore, all villagers were planning to leave their village and find other place to stay. Then they sent some young men to look for a place that had enough water for their rice fields.
               After several weeks looked for a new place, finally those young men arrived.
They brought good news. There was a waterfall and it was enough to water their rice fields. Later, all the villagers rushed to the new place. Some villagers went to Pak Pesut’s house to inform about the waterfall. Although Pak Pesut was stingy, the villagers did not hate him.

“I’m not going with you! I will stay here. I have enough rice for my family.
We will survive!” said Pak Pesut arrogantly. The villagers knew it was useless to ask Pak Pesut to join them. So, they all left him and his family alone in the village. When they arrived at the new place, they all were very happy. They had enough water  from the waterfall.
               In the mean time, Pak Pesut and his family were beginning to worry. Their rice slowly was gone. Soon they would not have enough rice to eat.
               It was in the morning when Pak Pesut’s wife was cooking their last portion of rice. Suddenly, someone knocked the door. A beggar came to his house. “Go out! I don’t have enough rice,” said Pak Pesut. He was lying. “Please mercy me. I’m so hungry. Give me a little rice please,” asked the beggar.
Pak Pesut immediately asked his family to eat the rice. He was worried the beggar would enter his house and stole the rice. “But the rice is still in the cooking pot. Mother is still cooking it. If we eat the rice, it will be very hot,” said his son. “I don’t care! If you all don’t eat now, you will never eat again,” said Pak Pesut.
               Later, Pak Pesut and his family ate the rice. It was very hot. They needed water to drink. They rushed to Mahakam River. It was so hot that they finally jumped to the river.
The beggar saw the incident. He then prayed to God. Amazingly, Pak Pesut family slowly changed into fish. The fish looked like dolphin. Since then, everybody named the fish as Pesut fish.

***

Biwar

A Folk tale from Papua

PEOPLE in a village in Mimika are busy. They want to find sago. They prepare boats to sail in the river. After three days, their boats are full with sago and now they want to go back to their hometown.
               While they are sailing, suddenly a dragon comes! The dragon uses his tail to attack people. The tail makes a very big wave in the river. Most of them are drawn. Only one person survives. The person is a woman. She is hanging to her boat and finally arrives in a land.
She is very sad. She is pregnant and her husband is killed. Her boat is broken so she cannot go back to her hometown.

Later she gives birth to a son. She names her son Biwar. She raises Biwar and gives skills, like how to make weapons, set traps to catch animals, and how to make fire. Biwar becomes a handsome, strong, and healthy man. One day she asks his mother. "Mother, where is my father? And how do we live alone? Where is everybody?". Biwar's mother cries. "Your father is killed by the dragon. I'm the only one survived from the incident. That's why we live alone here, Son."
               Biwar  is very sad. His father has died. Then he plans to take his mother to go back to their hometown. Biwar makes a big boat. He also makes a lot of weapons. He wants to protect his mother from the dragon. After the boat is ready, they are sailing in the river. While they are sailing, suddenly there is a big wave. The dragon is coming! From his boat, Biwar uses his arrow to attack the dragon.   

After several times, he finally kills the dragon. When they are arrive in the village, people are happy to welcome Biwar. Thanks to him, they are not afraid to sailing in the river anymore. ***

The Unhappy Cendrawasih

Folklore from Papua

Mr and Mrs Brown Bird lived in a jungle in Papua. Mr Brown always complains about his feathers. He thinks they were ugly. He is jealous with his friend, Mr Green Bird.

 "I want to have beautiful feathers like Mr Green Bird. His feathers are not brown like mine. They are very beautiful," says Mr Brown Bird to his wife.

"Honey, you have to be grateful with your feathers. With feathers like this, humans are not interested in us. So they will not hunt us," says Mrs Brown Bird.
               Mr Brown Bird then goes to the God of Jungle. "I want to have beautiful feathers like Mr Green Bird's feathers,” says Mr Brown Bird.
"Don't worry. I can make your wish comes true. Just choose one color."
"Hmm I don't know. How about red? Yellow? Green? I'm confused."

The God of Jungle is upset. "Choose now!"
                Mr Brown Bird then looks up to the sky. He has an idea. "Aha! I know which color to choose. I don't want want one color of my feathers. I want many colors. I want my feathers to be colorful like the rainbow in the sky."

Not longer after that, Mr Brown Bird's feathers are colorful. When he goes home, his wife does not recognize him.
"Honey, it's me. I'm your husband."
"No, my husband is not like you! His feathers are brown!" says Mrs brown Bird.
Mr Brown Bird tries very hard to convince his wife realizes that he is really her husband.
"You are very stupid, my husband. Wit color like these, humans will hunt you. What if they also take our children? Now, please go away! Our lives are in danger if you are still here," says Mrs. Brown Bird. She is crying. Mr Brown Bird is very sad. He knows he just made a very big mistake. He then lives his house. His name then changes into Cendrawasih. It means a bird of paradise.

***

Towjatuma and the Sacred Crocodile
Folklore From papua

ONCE upon a time in Papua, Towjatuwa and his wife lived by the Tami River. They were very happy. They had been waiting to have a baby and after some time, his wife got pregnant. The pregnancy was in the ninth month. Soon, his wife would give a birth.

Days passed by, but his wife was still unable to give birth. She had a problem that made her in the great pain. To help her give the birth, Towjatuma needed a sharp stone. He wanted to have an operation to help his wife. So, he went to the river side to find a sharp stone. While busy looking for the stone, he heard a noise. He was so scared. He knew the river was full of crocodiles. Just before he left, a big crocodile was in front of him! The crocodile was different from any other crocodiles. It had feathers. The feathers were like kaswari's.

Towjatuma was ready to run, suddenly the crocodile talked. "Don't worry. I'm not going to harm you. What are you doing here?" asked the crocodile politely. Towjatuma was really scared. He was really amazed to see a crocodile talked like humans.

After a while, he then answered. "I'm here to find a sharp stone. My wife is pregnant and she has a problem. She cannot give birth. So, I want to do an operation," explained Towjatuma.                    " I will help you. Go home now and I'll come to your house tomorrow," said the crocodile. Towjatuma immediately went back to his house. When he arrived, he explained about the crocodile to his wife.

On the following day, the crocodile came to Towjatuma's house. With his magical power, the crocodile helped her to give birth. The baby was a boy. The crocodile named him Narrowra. "Towjatuma, I already helped you. Now I ask you to help me. Your son Narrowra will grow as a great hunter. He has great skills in hunting. He can catch many animals. However, don't hunt my friends, the crocodiles. You have to tell Narrowra not to hunt crocodiles. And not only Narrowra, all your descendants have to protect crocodiles. If they hunt and eat crocodile’s meat, all your descendants will die," said the crocodile.
"Yes, I understand. I will never forget your help. So I will teach my child and all my descendants to protect you and your friends," said Towjatuma.

Since then, Towjatuma and his descendants promised to protect the crocodiles from other hunters. They also protected other animals that lived in the river.

***

Timun mas

Folklore from Central Java

Once upon a time, not far from a jungle, lived husband and a wife. The were farmers. The were diligent farmers and always worked hard on the paddy fields. They had been married for many years and still not have a child yet. Everyday they prayed and prayed for a child.
               One night, while they were praying, a giant passed their house. The giant heard they pray. "Don't worry farmers. I can give you a child. But you have to give me that child when she is 17 years old," said the giant. The farmers were so happy. They did not think about the risk of losing their child letter and agree to take the offer. Letter, the giant gave them a bunch of cucumber seeds. The farmers planted them carefully. Then the seeds changed into plants.
               Not longer after that, a big golden cucumber grew from plants. After it had ripe, the farmers picked and cut it. They were very surprised to see beautiful girl inside the cucumber. They named her Timun Mas or Golden Cucumber.

Years passed by and Timun Mas has changed into a beautiful girl. On her 17th birthday, Timun Mas was very happy. However, the parents were very sad. They knew they had to keep their promise to the giant but they also did not want to lose their beloved daughter. "My daughter, take this bag. It can save you from the giant," said the father.

"What do you mean, Father? I don't understand," said Timun Mas.
Right after that, the giant came into their house. "Run Timun Mas. Save your life!" said the mother. The giant was angry. He knew the farmers wanted to break their promise. He chased Timun Mas away. The giant was getting closer and closer. Timun Mas then opened the bag and threw a handful of salt. It became sea. The giant had to swim to cross the sea. Later, Timun Mas threw some chilly. It became a jungle with trees. The trees had sharp thorns so they hurt the giant.
However, the giant was still able to chase Timun Mas. Timun Mas took her third magic stuff. It was cucumber seeds. She threw them and became cucumber field. But the giant still could escape from the field. Then it was the last magic stuff she had in the bag. It was a shrimp paste, terasi. She threw it and became a big swamp. The giant was still trying to swim the swamp but he was very tired. Then he was drowning and died. Timun Mas then immediately went home. The farmers were so happy that they finally together again.

***

The Parakeet King

A folktale from Nangroe Aceh Darussalam

In the jungle of Aceh, parakeet birds live peacefully with their wise king. However, now their peaceful life is disturbed. A hunter goes into their jungle and plans to catch them.
It's a beautiful morning. The parakeets and their king perch on a branch of tree. They do not know that the hunter is hiding. The hunter wants to catch the parakeets with his net.
The hunter throws his net towards the parakeets. Some parakeets and the parakeet king are caught under the net. The parakeets are scared but the parakeet king tells them what to do.
"Relax. I have a plan. We all pretend to be dead. When the hunter lifts the net up, we fly fast to the sky," advise the parakeet king. The hunter goes to his net. He is upset! He thinks all the parakeets are dead.
"Oh no! I can't sell dead birds to people." He then lifts the net up. Not long after that, the parakeets free themselves and fly to the sky. But the parakeet king is still trapped. He does not want to fly to the sky until the parakeets are free.
The hunter is surprised when he sees the parakeets are flying. He sees there is one parakeet left in the net.
He moves quickly. "Gotcha!" he catches the parakeet king.
And then the hunter goes home. He puts the parakeet king in a birdcage.
In the jungle, all the parakeets are sad because their king is locked in a birdcage. They set a plan to free their king. All the parakeets fly to the hunter's house. With their beaks, the parakeets peck the birdcage. Slow but sure, the birdcage is destroyed. Then the parakeet king can free himself. “Thank you. You all are very kind to me. Without your help, I'm still trapped in this birdcage, "says the parakeet king. ***

Pak Lebai Malang
Folklore from West Sumatra

Pak Lebai was a wishy-washy man. He always change his mind before he did something. He lived in a village next to a river. Everyday, he always used his sampan for travelling at the river. One day, Pak Lebai was paddling his sampan at the river. Suddenly, he heard someone called out his name. It was his neighbou. "Pak Lebai, can you come to my house tomorrow? I will have a party, said the neighbor. Pak lebai was happy. He loved party because he coul eat delicious food. He also could get a buffalo's head frokm the party. Still on the same day, he got another invitaion. Those two party invitations made him confused. The two parties were held at the same time, but at the different places. The two neighbors who invited him lived in different sides of the river. One neighbor lived on the east side and another one lived in the west side. "I will go to the east side. I can have two heads of buffalo. He is richer," said Pak Lebai. On the following day, he paddled his smpan with great power to the east side. He did not want to be late and lost the buffalo's head. On the way to the party, he met some friends. "The party is awful. There are not many buffalo's heads. He is very stingy, "said one of them. "I don't care. I'm still going there. He is my friend. I'm sure he will give me the buffalo's head," said Pak Lebai. He immediately paddled his sampan. Right before he arrived at the east side of the river, he changed his mind. He knew the host was stingy. He thought that he would not get a buffalo's head. So he turned back his sampan and went to the west side. Again, he paddled his sampan with great power. he did not have much time. Unfortunately, right before he arrived at the west side he met his friends again. "What are you doing here, Pak Lebai? The party is over." Pak Lebai was upset and blaming himself for being wishy-washy. He also tired because he was padding back and forth in the river. later he fell asleep in his sampan. He did not realize his sampan was drifting awahy at the river. When he woke up, he was already in the different village. When all his neighbors heard what happened to Pak Lebai, then they all started to cal him Pak Lebai Malang or the poor Mister Lebai.***

Sendang Sani
A Folktale from Central Java

Once upon a time, Sunan Kalijaga planned to visit Sunan Muria in Pati, Central Java. He asked his friend, Ki Rangga, to go with him. Several servants also joined them to carry their luggages. And they began walking to Sunan Muria’s house. Of course there were no cars or trains, so they walked. Several hours later, Ki Rangga felt tired. “Are we still far from Sunan Muria’s house?” asked Ki Rangga to Sunan Kalijaga. Sunan Kalijaga answered, “We are already in Kadipaten Pati Pesantenan. We will arrive in Sunan Muria’s house shortly. Please be patient.”Ki Rangga was embarassed to be walking together with Sunan Kalijaga because Sunan Kalijaga did not look tired while Ki Rangga was very tired and thirsty. Finally Sunan Kalijaga asked Ki Rangga to take a rest under a big tree. It was time for Zuhur pray. But there was no water around for them to clean up or wudu. Ki Rangga was confused. He said, “I don’t see any water nearby. Where should we take wudu?” Sunan Kalijaga only smiled and said, “We should pray to Allah SWT for water. Now you must guard this big tree, Ki Rangga. It might bring water to us. But remember, everything happens because of Allah SWT. Don”t act alone. You must inform me when water comes out. I will be behind that hill.” Ki Rangga promised Sunan Kalijaga to inform him when water came out. So Sunan Kalijaga went behind the hill and Ki Rangga with his servants sat under the big tree. They quickly fell asleep. Suddenly water came out from the big tree. Ki Rangga and his servants became wet. They woke up. They were very happy to see the water because they were very tired and thirsty. They drank and played in the water. Ki Rangga forgot Sunan Kalijaga’s message to inform Sunan Kalijaga when water came out. Behind the hill, Sunan Kalijaga was worried. So he went to the big tree. He was surprised to see Ki Rangga and his servants were playing in the water. “You forgot my message to inform me when water comes out. Instead, you are playing in the water like a turtle,” said Sunan Kalijaga, softly. A miracle happened. Ki Rangga and his servants turned into turtles. Ki Rangga was sad. He changed into turtles because he did not keep his promise. The water formed a pond. It is now called Sendang Sani, in Pati, Central Java. Many people still visit Sendang Sani now. ***

Manik Angkeran
Folklore from Bali

A long time ago, lived a very rich family in Bali. The father was Sidi Mantra. He was very famous for his supernatural power. He lived happily with his wife and his only child Manik Angkeran. Manik Angkeran was a spoiled son. He also had a bad habit. He liked to gamble. Because of his bad habit, his parents soon became poor. They always advised Manik Angkeran to stop his bad habit, but he never listened to them. Instead he kept on begging to his parents to give him a lot of money. The parents then did not have the heart to see him begging. Sidi Mantra then went to Agung Mountain. There lived a mighty dragon with his great supernatural power. He could provide jewelries to those who could say the right prayers and ring the bell. Sidi Mantra had the bell and he also knew the prayers. "My name is Sidi Mantra. I have a problem. My son likes to gamble. He made me poor. And now he asks a lot of money. I want to give him some, but now I want him to promise to stop his bad behavior," explained Sidi Mantra after he met the dragon. Sidi Mantra then said the prayers and rang the bell. Suddenly, jewelries came out from the dragon's body. He was very happy and immediately brought the jewelries home. This time Sidi Mantra wanted Manik Angkeran really to stop gambling. The son then promised. But soon he broke the promise and he did not have some money again. He heard that his father got the jewelries from the dragon living in Agung Mountain. So he stole his father's bell then went there. After arrived in Agung Mountain, Manik Angkeran rang the bell. The dragon knew him. "I will give you anything you want but you have to promise to stop gambling. Remember the karma!" then the dragon gave him the jewelries. Manik Angkeran was very happy. Suddenly he had a bad idea. He wanted to kill the dragon and stole all his jewelries. The dragon knew his plan and with his great power he killed Manik Angkeran. Sidi Mantra was very sad. He asked the dragon to bring his son back to life. The dragon agreed but they had to live in different places. After few moments, Manik Angkeran lived again. Then Sidi Mantra used a stick to make a big line between them on the ground. From the line, water flowed. Soon it became a river. Finally it became a strait. It separated Java and Bali. People then named the strait as Bali Strait. ***

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Lau Kawar
Folklore from North Sumatra

IT was a beautiful day. Everybody in Kawar village was happy. The farmers just had their best harvest. All the barns were full of rice. The villagers were planning to hold a party to celebrate the good harvest. 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. Did everyone go to the party? Unfortunately, there was one old woman still stayed at her house. She is too old and weak to go to the party. Her son, her daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren all went to the party. At home, the old woman felt very sad and lonely. She was very hungry too. But when she tried to find some food in the kitchen, she was very sad. Her daughter-in-law did not cook that day. 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." Then the little boy brought the food to her grandmother. The old woman was so happy. But her happiness turned into sadness when she saw the food was not in the good condition. It seemed that someone has eaten the food. It just had little rice. The fish just had the bones. Then, old woman cried and cried. She was very sad. She thought bad things about her son. She thought that her son neglected her. The old woman did not know that it was her grandson who ate the food. He did that on the way from the party to the house. But it was too late. The old woman was so sad and angry. She cursed her son. Then, an incredible thing happened. There was a great earthquake! Thunder struck the village. And heavy rain started to fall. All the villagers were so scared. They wanted to save themselves. They tried to find shelters. Slowly, the field turned into a lake. The lake was getting bigger and bigger and finally the whole village turned into a big lake. People then named the lake into Lau Kawar. (*)

The story of Panyalahan Village

A Folklore from West Java

LONG time ago in Tasikmalaya, West Java, lived a young couple. They were farmers. They lived happily with their baby. The couple also had some animals. One of them was a tiger. When the couple went to work on the paddy field, the tiger looked after their baby. As usual, the couple went to the paddy field. Before they left, they asked the tiger to look after their baby. “We will go to the field now. Look after our baby, okay?” The tiger nodded. So, the couple went to the field. They worked from morning until afternoon. When the couple arrived home, the tiger welcomed them. The tiger acted differently. He wagged his tail and rubbed his body to the couple’s legs. He looked very happy. The husband became suspicious. “Why does this tiger behave strangely? He does not act as usual?” he thought. The husband looked at the tiger carefully. He was shocked. The tiger’s mouth was full of blood. Then he remembered his baby. He thought the tiger had eaten the baby. “Why is your mouth full of blood?” he asked the tiger. “You must have done something bad to my baby! Have you killed him? Why did you do that?” he was very panicked. The husband took his knife and killed the tiger in anger. Then they both entered the house. They were shocked. They looked at each other. Their baby was sleeping peacefully in his cradle. He was not eaten by the tiger. Quickly, the wife took the baby and kissed him. The baby woke up. He opened his eyes and smiled. The couple found a very large snake under the cradle. The snake was dead and full of blood. “Oh, my wife,” the husband said. “We have done a terrible thing. The tiger is not guilty! Look at the dead snake. The tiger must have killed him. He had saved our baby, but I killed him. Oh, my God! What have I done? I am so sorry. Forgive me, my dear tiger. Forgive me, please?” The couple felt very guilty. They have killed their faithful tiger. It all happened because they did not check the baby first before they killed the tiger. Since then, the couple’s village was called Panyalahan. The word Panyalahan derives from the word “nyalahan”, which means “wrong guess”. ***

Cindelaras

Folklore from East Java

RADEN Putra was the king of Jenggala kingdom. He had a beautiful queen. Besides that, the king also had a beautiful concubine. Unlike the queen, the concubine had bad personalities. She was jealous with the queen, so she planned to make the queen leave the palace. By doing so, she could be the new queen.

The concubine asked the palace healer to help her do the bad plan. They told the king that the queen wanted to poison him. The king was angry. He sent the queen to a jungle. It is the punishment for her. There was one condition that the king did not know, the queen waspregnant.

After several months lived in the jungle, the queen gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She named him Cindelaras. He grew up as a nice, healthy, and handsome young man. One day, while Cindelaras helped her mother to collect some fire woods, an eagle dropped an egg. He took the egg and carefully took care of it.

The egg hatched into a chick and then it became a strong rooster. The rooster had a magical skill. It was very powerful and skilful in fighting with other roosters. Besides that, the rooster could also sing. The song was about Cindelaras and his father, Raden Putra. “My master is Cindelaras. He lives in the jungle. His father is a king. His name is Raden Putra.” The rooster often sang the song.

When Cindelaras first heard that song, he ignored it. However, he could not stand it anymore. He talked to his mother about it. His mother told him the whole story. Cindelaras was very surprised. He decided to go to the palace to meet the king, his father. Cindelaras also brought his rooster to go to the palace.

On the way to go there, he met some people. They asked him to fight his rooster with their roosters. Cindelaras’ rooster won the fight. He won again and again. Cindelaras great rooster was heard by King Raden Putra. So, he invited Cindelaras to the palace to fight his rooster with the king’s rooster.

The king made a bet. If Cindelaras’ rooster won the fight, he would get all king’s jewellery. However, if Cindelaras’s rooster lost, he would be punished in a jail. The two roosters fought bravely. In just few minutes, Cindelaras’ rooster won the fight! Then, the rooster sang the song.

The king was surprised, he asked who Cindelaras was. He then told the king about her mother living in the jungle. Later, the palace healer admitted his mistake. He said that the queen was innocent. She never tried to kill the king. The king was very angry. He ordered the concubine to be sent to jail. The king immediately went to the jungle to pick up his wife. He apologized for sending her to the jungle and made her the queen again. ***

The Lazy Uder 
Folklore from Central Kalimantan

He always woke up in the afternoon. Then he went fishing on the river until evening. Uder never helped his wife. That’s why she always worked alone in the field. She never gave up giving him advice. But, Uder never listened to his wife. On one afternoon, Uder went fishing. He took some worms as bait. On the way to the river, he met his neighbor. “Hey Uder, where are you going?” “I’m going fishing,” said Uder. “What do you have for the bait?” “Some worms,” answered Uder. Then he continued walking. Then he met another neighbour. Again, the neighbour asked where Uder was going and what he had for the bait. Uder answered. After that, he met another neighbour. He also asked the same question. Uder was tired of answering. He was upset. So he decided to ignore everyone. While he was walking very fast, he met a group of monkeys. They could talk like humans. “Hey Uder, are you going fishing?” asked one of the monkeys. “Yes, I am.” “What do you have for the bait?” Uder was still upset with all those same questions. This time he could not take it anymore. “I’m going to use your mother for the bait!” said Uder. “Hey! Don’t make fun with my mother!” Those monkeys were angry. They took Uder. Then they tied him in a big tree. “ Please forgive me. I did not mean to make fun with your mother. I was just upset with all those questions my neighbours had asked me?” explained Uder. “Okay, we forgive you. We will free you, if you can tell us a place where we can eat fruits. We are hungry.” “Go across the river. There you can see a very big rambutan tree. You can eat those rambutans until all of you are full.” Then the monkeys freed him. Uder then ran as fast as he could. After he arrived home, he apologized to his wife and promised to be a good husband. *** 

The Deer and the Sea Snail
Folklore from Maluku

A long time ago in a jungle in Aru Islands, Maluku, lived a group of deer. They were very proud of their ability in running very fast. They always stayed in different places. They challenged other animals in a running match. If the deer won the match, they took over the place and stayed there. Not far from the jungle, there was a beautiful beach. A group of sea snail lived there. The deer heard about the beautiful beach and planned to live there. They had a plan to challenge snails in a running match. They were very sure to win the match. Sea snails were slow in walking. “What’s the rule?” asked the leader of the sea snails after he heard about the challenge. “Do you see all the capes there? There are twelve capes, from here until there,” the deer leader pointed the capes. The distance between one cape to another was very far. “We run from the first cape until the twelfth cape. If my runner arrives first at the twelfth cape, we’re the winner. And we stay here!” The sea snails then had a meeting. They set a strategy to win the match. “My plan is to put the twelve of us in every cape. If their runner arrives in every cape, you shout. So, the deer will never rest and gets very tired,” said the leader. And the day of the match finally arrived. All animals watched this unique match, the deer versus the sea snail. The runners were standing side by side. Then, the deer ran very fast. In just a second, he already left the sea snail. After a few hours of running, he arrived at the first cape. He shouted, “Hey? Where are you?” “I’m here,” said the sea snail. He was another sea snail that was hiding in the first cape. The deer was surprised. He cancelled his plan to get some rest. He continued running. In every cape, there was always a sea snail. And the deer always cancelled his plan to get some rest. Finally, the deer almost reached the twelfth cape but he was exhausted. He was really tired. And he gave up. He did not have any more strength to run. He fell down on the ground. “Hooray!” said all the sea snails. The deer were so embarrassed. They were just tricked by the clever sea snails. So the deer came back to the jungle and never returned to the beach. ***

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Umpit and The Wild Hogs

Folklore from Bangka Belitung

A long time ago in Bangka, lived a hunter. His name was Umpit.
He was called Umpit because he always went hunting using his blowpipe. The villagers liked him very much. Umpit often hunted the wild hogs. Those animals often destroyed the villagers’ plantation. After Umpit killed the wild hogs, the villagers gave him some money.
Pak Raje was the richest man in the village. Nobody liked him. He was very stingy. He did not like to donate his money. One day he asked Umpit to hunt the wild hogs. Umpit agreed. At night he was prepared and waited at the Pak Raje’s plantation.
While he was waiting, suddenly seven wild hogs entered the plantation. Umpit prepared his blowpipe.
Then, whoosssh! One of the hogs was shot.
Amazingly, the hog disappeared.
Umpit could not find the hog anywhere.
However he found blood shed on the ground. He followed the blood trail. It went to the jungle. Finally the blood trail stopped in a big cave. Slowly he entered the cave. Then he heard a voice.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Umpit.
I’m looking for a wounded hog. I shot it using my blowpipe.”
“So, it’s you! You are the man who hurt my daughter!”
Slowly a woman appeared in front of him.
“Come, follow me,” said the woman.
She then pointed a girl. She was wounded. Her leg was bleeding.
“She was not a real hog. We are the goddess of the jungle. I will forgive you, but you have to cure my daughter.”
Umpit was so scared. He did not know that it was not the real hog. He then took some leaves. He knew some medication because his parents taught him before.
He put the leaves on the wound. After a while, the girl was cured. The woman then gave Umpit a present. Umpit immediately went home. He ran very fast.
At home, Umpit immediately opened the present. Wow! He got jewelries, gold and diamond. Umpit sold the jewelries and now he became a rich man.
Pak Raje heard that Umpit had become a rich man. He asked Umpit how he became rich. After he knew all about it, he borrowed Umpit’s blowpipe.
He waited at his plantation, and he shot a wild hog.
He followed the blood trail and arrived at the cave. He met the woman and the injured girl. Pak Raje was asked to cure the girl. But he could not do that, and that made the woman angry. She asked all the wild hogs to attack Pak Raje.
Pak Raje ran very fast. He went to Umpit’s house. He asked Umpit to help him from the wild hogs. He agreed to help if only Pak Raje donated some of his money. Pak Raje said yes and he also promised he would be helpful to the villagers. ***

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Pak belalang

Folklore from West Sumatra

Pak Belalang was famous. He had a magic book that could tell everything. He always learned something every time he read the magic book.
It was a beautiful evening. Pak belalang had some guests. Suddenly he asked his son to get him the magic book. He wanted to show his magic ability to the guests.
After reading the magic book, he said, "I think there is a mouse in the trap."
His son immediately went to the kitchen and took the mousetrap. Pak Belalang was right! There was a mouse caught in the trap.
The guests were surprised. They were Belalang's magic book.
After all the guests went home, Pak Belalang laughed. "Ha...ha...ha... I fooled them. They didn't know I had put a mouse trap. Ha...ha...ha..."
Yes, Pak Belalang was a liar. He actually did not have a magic book. It was just an ordinary book. He lied because he wanted to be famous.
One day, the king called Pak Belalang to the palace to find the missing jewellery. The king gave him seven days to find it. Pak Belalang knew that if he could not find the jewellery, he would be punished. He would go to jail.
Pak Belalang went to every place to find the jewellery. On the seventh day he still could not find them. So, he held a farewell dinner with his family.
Pak Belalang said to his wife, "Please make some pancakes."
When the first pancake was ready, Pak Belalang said, "This one is yellow. Please make another." When the second one is ready, he said, "This is too brown, make me another one."
Within every pancake, Pak Belalang said too dark, too fat, too thin, and so on. Meanwhile, Pak Belalang did not know that some thieves were hiding under his house. Those were the thieves who stole the king's jewellery.
The thieves wanted to know what Pak Belalang would say about them. When they heard the words yellow, brown, dark, fat, thin, they become frightened because each of them were yellow, brown, dark fat and thin.
A moment later, the seven thieves knocked on his door. They cried, "Please help us, Pak Belalang! We will return the jewellery. We promise not to steal anymore!"
Pak Belalang then brought the jewellery to the palace. The king was so happy and gave him great gifts.
Pak Belalang was so thankful. he promised himself not to lie anymore. Next time he wouldn't be lucky. He could be punished for his wrong doing. ***

The legend of Senua Island

ONCE upon a time, there lived a poor fisherman. His name was Baitusen.
His wife's name was Mai Lamah. They lived in Natuna, Riau. They were so poor and they were not satisfied with their lives. They decided to go to another island. They planned to go to Benguran Island. The island was rich with the natural resources. They hoped they lives would be better. They wanted to be rich.
               When they arrived in Bunuran Island, they were so happy. The people were very nice. They were kind and helped each other, They also helped Baitusen build his house.
Baitusen and Mai Lamah were also happy to live in Bunguran Island. They were so grateful. The people did not treat them differently although they were new comers on the island. One of the people in Bungutan island was Mak Semah. She was a midwife. He helped pregnant women in childbirth. Besides that, she also helped sick people.
"Remember. Whenever you are not feeling well, do not hesitate to call me," said Mak Semah to Mai Lalmah.
               Baitusen worked very hard. He really wanted to be rich. He never complained. His work hard finally gave him plained. His work hard finally gave him great wealth. Slowly he became very rich. He build bigger house. His wife also started to buy jewelries.
               Mai Lamah changed her appearances. She wanted to look like rich woman.
She did not want to look dirty and poor. Sadly, it was not only her appearance that changed. Her attitude also changed. Previously, she was a nice and kind woman. But after she was rich, she became arrogant. She did not want to get along with her neighbors.
In one night, Mah Semah went to Baitusen's house. She wanted to ask for some rice to cook. She was poor. She hoped that Baitusen could help her.
"Please help me. May I have some rice? I'm so hungry and I don't have any money to buy rice," said Mak Semah.
               Mai lamah was upset. "What? If you want to have some rice, you have to buy. And if you don't have any money, you have to work. No, I don't want to help you."
"But, I really don't have any money. And I'm too old to work." said Mak Semah.
"I don't care. Now go away!"
               May Lamah's bad behaviour made the people hate her. However, she did not care. Indeed, she felt very happy when the people did not talk to them. So, they did not disturb her anymore.
Mai Lamah and Baitusen were happy. Mai Lamah was pregnant. They soon would have a baby. And finally it was time for Mai Lamah to deliver her baby.
She was in great pain. Baitusen asked Mak Semah to help his wife. But she refused to help. He asked other neighbors to help, but they also refuse to help.
"Don't worry. Let's go another island. I'm sure the people there will help us," said Baitusen to Mai Lamah.

"Okay, but don't forget to bring our jeweleries," said Mak Lemah.
Then, they were sailing in their ship. It was loaded with their wealth.
              Unfortunately, their journey was not in the good condition. There was a great storm. Thunder attacked their ship. they asked for help. But no one helped them. Slowly their ship was sinking.
Mai Lmah's body turned into a big stone. Slowly the stone turned into an island. People named it Sanua Island. Sanua mean one person with two bodies. Meanwhile her jewelries turned into swallow birds. Until now, Bunguran island is known as home for swallow birds.***

Jangga hantuen bulan

Folklore from Central Kalimantan

A long time ago, a man lived on the moon. his name was Jangga. He lived with his mother. Jangga loved hunting. Everyday he went hunting with his dog. His mother often told him not to go hunting too long. But Jangga often ignored her.
One day Jangga and his dog went hunting as usual. He was looking for the animals. However, he could not find any of them. Sadly, he was lost. He could not find a way to his home. While he was walking, suddenly he saw an old woman.
Jangga followed the old woman. She arrived at her house. jangga wanted to stay the night at her house. He knocked the door. an old man opened the door. Jangga told him that he wanted to stay. The old man gave him the permission.
Apparently, it was a family. The old man and the old woman had a beautiful daughter. Jangga told them that he was lost. He said that he lived on the moon. The old man said that Jangga was really far from home. They were on the earth.
Jangga was so sad. He could not go back to his home and meet his mother.
The old man offered Jangga to stay at his home. Jangga agreed.
Day passed by ans soon Jangga fell in love with the old man's daughter. Then they got married.
Jangga still enjoyed hunting. With his dog, he often went hunting in the jungle. His wife often told him not to go hunting too long. However, Jangga ignored her.
Jangga's wife was pregnant. She often asked Jangga to stay at home and not to go hunting. Again, Jangga ignored her. Her wife was often angry with him.
In the morning, Jangga wanted to go hunting. This time his wife was really angry.
"Please stay. Don't go! I feel like I'm going to deliver the baby today."
"Don't worry. If the baby is a boy, name him Jangga Batuen Bulan. It means Jangga, a man from the moon. And if the baby is a girl, name her Hendan Bawi Bulan. It means Hendan, a woman from the moon," said Jangga.
Then he left his wife. Not long after that Jangga's wife delivered a baby boy. She was so angry that her husband was not next to her. She did not want her husband to see the baby.
Later Jnagga came home. He heard a baby was crying. He was so happy.
"Where is the baby? I want to see my baby," said Jangga.
"No, you can't! I don't want you to see the baby!" said Jangga's wife.
Jangga was so sad. Ans he was also very angry! He went outside of his home. His dog followed him. After that he prayed. He called out his mother.
Suddenly thunder attacked the place. Dark cloud covered him and his dog. Surprisingly, Jangga and his dog disappeared. Not long after that the baby was dead. Jangga brough the baby spirit to the moon.
Jangga's wife was so sad. She called out Jangga's name. But it was to late. Jangga and the baby now lived on the moon. Jangga's wife was crying. She never stop crying.
The Gods heard how she cried and they didn't like it. The were upset with her and changed her into a bird. People named the bird as pungguk bird.
Until now, during full moon we still can hear the sound of pungguk bird. And we can also see the image of a dog in the moon. From the legend, people make a proverb. It says, "Just like a pungguk waiting for the moon". It means that it's just waiting in vain.**

Kebo iwa

Folklore from Bali

Once upon a time in Bali, a man and his wife were praying. They have been married for a long time but did not have any children. They asked God to give them a child. They prayed and prayed. God finally answered their pray. The wife, then, got pregnant and they had a baby boy. They were very happy.
The baby was extraordinary. He was very much different from other babies. He ate and drank a lot. Day after day he ate more and more. His body was getting bigger and bigger. And by the time he was a teenager, his body was as big as a buffalo. People then started to call him Kebo Iwa.
Because of his eating habit, Kebo Iwa’s parents spent a lot of money to buy his food in large amount. They finally went bankrupt. They gave up and asked the villagers to help them provide the food.
The villagers then worked together to cook and build a big house for Kebo Iwa. He was like a giant. He could not stay in his parents’ house anymore because of his big body. Sadly, after a few months, the villagers also could not afford to cook him the food. They then asked Kebo Iwa to cook his own food. The villagers just prepared the raw materials.
Kebo Iwa agreed and as an expression of his gratitude to the villagers, he built a dam, dug wells, and he also protected the villagers from animals and people who wanted to attack their village. He did those things by himself.
Meanwhile, the troops of Majapahit were planning to attack Bali. They knew about Kebo Iwa. And they also knew that they could not conquer Bali with Kebo Iwa there. Kebo Iwa was more powerful than they were.
Gajah Mada, the Maha Patih (Chief Minister) of Majapahit then planned something. They were pretending to invite Kebo Iwa to Majapahit to help them dig some wells. They said that Majapahit was suffering from a long dry season and needed much water. Kebo Iwa did not know the plan, so he went to Majapahit.
When Kebo Iwa was busy digging a very big well, the troops covered the well. Kebo Iwa had difficulty in breathing and buried alive. He died inside the well.
After the death of Kebo Iwa, Bali was conquered by Majapahit. Until now, people still remember Kebo Iwa because he had done a lot for Majapahit and Bali. The stone head of legendary Kebo Iwa can be found in Pura Gaduh temple in Blahbatuh. ***

Joko Panjer and Lara Inten
A Folktale from East Java

'JOKO Panjer, take the cows home.It’s late and going to rain soon.’ “Yes, father. I’m going home now. The cows are also full.” The boy, Joko Panjer, was a shepherd. Everyday his father always asked him to take the cows to the field to eat some grass. Joko Panjer was a nice and diligent boy. He always obeyed and helped his poor parents. One day, while Joko was busy looking after the cows, a little girl came to him. “Hello, young girl. What’s your name? And what are you doing here? Where do you live?” Joko gave her some questions. He was surprised to see a little girl on the field. He felt that the girl was not from his neighbourhood. She dressed beautifully. “My name is Lara Inten. May I be your friend? I don’t have a friend to play,” said the little girl. “I’m Joko Panjer. Lara Inten, where do you live? Where are you from?” “If I tell you, you don’t want to play with me. So, may I be your friend?” Actually, Joko was also lonely on the field. Everyday he did not have a friend to talk and play together. All of his friends were in the village. Since then, Lara Inten and Joko were friends. They always had a good time on the field. Sometimes, they played hide and seek and other times they just sang some songs. They were happy! In one afternoon, while Joko and Lara were playing, suddenly some men came to them. Those men were soldiers from the kingdom. “Princess Lara, here you are. Now we know why you always disappear in the palace. Please come back with us, the king and the queen are waiting for you.” “You are a princess? Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Joko to Lara. “Joko, I already told you. If you know who I am, you don’t want to play with me. I want you to be my friend, because I am lonely.” Lara Inten then returned back to the palace. She talked to her parents about Joko. The king and the queen then decided to ask Joko and his family to stay in the palace. Now everyday, Joko and Lara could play together. Joko’s parents were very happy. Now the family were not poor anymore. 

Princess Tandampalik

Folklore from South Sulawesi

KING of Luwu had a very beautiful daughter. Her name was Princess Tandampalik. She was very beautiful. Any man who saw her would fall in love with her. Everybody knew about her beauty, including King of Bone. Bone was a kingdom that was far away from Luwu Kingdom. Then, King of Bone paid a visit to Luwu in order to propose Princess Tandampalik to be her daughter in-law. His son, Prince of Bone, was still single. King of Luwu actually did not want to accept the proposal. According to the culture, he could not have a son-in-law who lived very far from him. Otherwise, he would suffer from terrible disease. But, he knew if he refused it, kingdom of Bone would attack Luwu. Many of his people would suffer. After that, King of Bone came to Luwu and talked about the marriage proposal. King of Luwu said he needed time to decide. King of Bone understood and went home. Suddenly, a bad thing happened. Princess Tandampalik was ill. She got skin rash. The kingdom healer said the disease could infect others. The king then decided to put the princess in a safe place. It was in a remote island named Wajo Island. The princess was not alone. Some soldiers accompanied her. The princess was sad. But she knew if she stayed in the kingdom, many people would be infected. So she was not angry with her father for making her stay in a remote island. Several days after Princess Tandampalik lived in Wajo Island, a cow came to her. The cow was different from other cows. The skin was albino. The cow licked Princess Tandampalik's skin. Amazingly, the disease was cured. Her skin was smooth again. Her beauty was back! In the mean time, Prince of Bone was sailing in the sea. He landed in Wajo Island. He was so surprised to see a very beautiful girl lived in such a remote island. "Wow, may be she is an angel," he thought. "Who are you, beautiful girl? Do you live here?" asked Prince of Bone. Princess Tandampalik then explained everything. Prince of Bone had heard about her before. He was so happy that he finally met her. He immediately brought Princess Tandampalik and the soldiers back to Luwu Kingdom. The King of Luwu was so happy that her daughter was cured. Not long after that, the King held a wedding party for her daughter and Prince of Bone. ***

A Farmer and
a Hedgehog Statue
Folklore from West Kalimantan

IT was a very hot day. A farmer was working on his field. He was there for several hours. He was very tired and wanted to get some rest. Just before he found a nice place to rest, he saw something very shiny. He came to the shiny object and took it. It was a hedgehog statue. It was very beautiful. Its eyes were made of diamond. Those were the shiny objects he saw. The farmer then brought the statue home. He wanted to show it to his wife. His wife was so happy. They were so poor and planned to sell the statue. At night, the farmer had a dream. A giant hedgehog came to him. He said, “Please let me stay in your home. As a 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.” 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, a magic thing happened. 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. It worked! The rice then stopped coming out from the statue's mouth. Now the farmer mentioned other things, they were jewellery and other stuffs they needed. In just a moment, the farmer and his wife became very rich. They then shared their materials with the neighbours. There was one neighbour who was very jealous. He was actually a thief! He wanted to know how the poor farmers became rich. After the thief found out, he stole the magic hedgehog statue. He immediately took it and ran away. He was very tired from running and was very thirsty. He wanted to get some water from the statue. He said the prayer. His wish came true. Water came out of the statue’s mouth. The thief was so happy. He drank and drank the water. He wanted to stop drinking but he did not know how to stop the water. He forgot the prayer to stop the wish. Water kept on coming out. He did not know what to do. He was really panic. He asked for help. People who saw the incident were really scared. They ran away to avoid the water. More and more water surrounded him. Slowly, it became a small pond. Water flowed on the ground. It became a river. People then named the river as Hedgehog River or Sungai Landak. ***

A Test for the King

A Folktale from Central Java

There is a small kingdom called Mergosono. Although Mergosono is small, it is famous because the king is a very good and wise man. One day, the gods hear about the king’s goodness and wisdom. So, they decide to test him. The king of the gods sends four of his gods to Mergosono to test the king. At that time, the king’s son, Pangeran Sembara is studying abroad. So one of the gods disguise as Pangeran Sembara. Two other as villagers while one disguise as a villager who is killed by Pangeran Sembara. The two villagers then go to see the king to tell him about the death of their friend. They say that they saw the prince killed their friend. ÒI accept your report. But my son hasn’t returned from his study. I will hold my judgement until his return. If my son indeed killed your friend then I will give him the punishment he deserve. But if you lie then I will punish you for ruining my family’s good name,” says the king. When the two villagers leave, the king calls his trusted advisors. He asks for their opinion about this matter. They all agree that if the report is true then the prince should be punished. The king is sad to hear that but he knows he must uphold the law. The next morning the false prince comes to see his father. He admits killing the vilager. So the king decides to execute the prince for his wrong doing. The next day the prince is going to be hung as his punishment. When the executioner hang the prince, suddenly his body disappear and a voice is heard across the field. “King of Mergosono, you really are a wise and justfull king. You pass my test. So I will give you and your people prosperity as long as you and your descendant stay true and wise. Don’t be sad. Your son is well and on his way home to see you.” When the sound is gone, the people of Mergosono yells with joy. Their prince is safe and they know that their king is a wise man. When the prince finally arrives home, they hold a party to celebrate the event. (BP/X-12)

Aji Saka
Folklore from Central Java

A long time ago there was a kingdom. Its name was Medang Kamulan. The people in the kingdom were very scared. They wanted to leave the kingdom. It all happened because the king was a beast. His name was Prabu Dewata Cengkar and he ate humans! Every day Patih Jugul Muda always provided some humans to be eaten by the king! Not far from the kingdom, there was Medang Kawit village. A young man with a great supernatural power lived there. His name was Aji Saka. Everybody liked him because Aji Saka was nice, diligent, and kind hearted. One day, Aji Saka saw an old man was wounded. Some thieves just hit him and stole his money. The old man was the villager in Medang Kamulan kingdom. He told what happened in his kingdom to Aji Saka. Aji Saka was very angry. He decided to go to Medang Kamulan to give Prabu Dewata Cengkar a lesson. The king had to stop his bad behavior, eating humans. Aji Saka then went to the kingdom. He was wearing his magic turban. When he arrived in the kingdom, the king was angry to Patih Jugul Muda. He was not able to give the king some humans. All the villagers already saved themselves by leaving the kingdom. “Who are you, young man? Ha...ha...ha.... I’m glad you are here. I'm starving,” said the king. He was so happy to see Aji Saka. He thought Aji Saka was there to be eaten by him. “I would gladly let you eat me. But I have one request. You give me your land with the size of my turban,” said Aji Saka. He then took off his turban and threw it on the ground. The king and Aji Saka then measured the size of the turban. Suddenly the turban grew bigger and bigger. It finally covered the whole kingdom. The king was totally angry. He knew Aji Saka was planning to take over his kingdom. He then attacked Aji Saka. With his supernatural turban, Aji Saka twisted the king’s body and threw him to the ocean. The king never returned to the kingdom. Aji Saka then asked the villagers to come back. They all were very happy. They also asked Aji Saka to be their king. Aji Saka then ruled the kingdom wisely. He led Medang Kamulan kingdom into its golden moment. The people lived happily and peacefully. ***

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(The Golden Snail)
Folklore From Central Java

PRINCE Raden Putra and Dewi Limaran were husband and wife. They lived in a palace. Prince Raden Putra's father was the king of the kingdom.

One day, Dewi Limaran was walking around in the palace garden. Suddenly she saw a snail. It was ugly and disgusting. "Yuck!" said Dewi Limaran and then she threw it away into a river. She did not know that the snail was actually an old and powerful witch. She could transform herself into anything. The witch was angry to Dewi Limaran. The witch put a spell on her and changed her into a golden snail. The witch then threw it away into the river.

The golden snail was drifting away in the river and got caught into a net. An old woman was fishing and used her net to catch some fish. She was surprised to see a golden snail in her net. She took it and brought it home. When the old woman woke up in the morning, she was surprised that the house was in the good condition. The floor was mopped. And she also had food on the table. She was thinking very hard. "Who did this to me? The person is very kind." It happened again and again every morning.

The old woman was very curious. One night she decided to stay up late. She was peeping from her room to know who cooked for her. Then, she could not believe what she saw. The golden snail she caught in the river turned into a beautiful woman. The old woman approached her. "Who are you, young girl?" "I am Dewi Limaran, Ma'am. A witch cursed me. I can change back as a human only at night," explained Dewi Limaran. "The spell can be broken if I hear the melody from the holy gamelan," continued Dewi Limaran. The old woman then rushed to the palace. She talked to Prince Raden Putra about her wife. Prince Raden Putra was so happy. He had been looking for his wife everywhere.

He then prayed and meditated. He asked the gods to give him the holy gamelan. He wanted to break the witch's spell. After several days praying and meditating, finally gods granted his wish. He immediately brought the holy gamelan to the old woman's house. He played it beautifully. And then amazingly the golden snail turned into the beautiful Dewi Limaran. The couple was so happy that they could be together again. They also thanked the old woman for her kindness. As a return, they asked her to stay in the palace. ***

Ki Semar and Slamet Mountain
Folklore from Central Java

A long time ago, Slamet Mountain was very high. It was so high that it could reach the sky. People heard that they could take the stars if they were on top of the mountain. But no one dared to go there. The people were afraid that the gods in heaven would be angry if people took the stars. However, the beauty of the stars made some monkeys dared to go to the top of the mountain. Led by their king, they went there and took some stars. Then, the sky became dark at night. People were sad and the gods were angry! Batara Guru was the leader of the gods. He held a meeting. He invited Batara Narada, Batara Brama, Batara Bayu, and others. Batara Narada had an idea how to stop the monkeys. They would ask Ki Semar to help them. Ki Semar was actually one of the gods. He was even older than Batara Guru. But Ki Semar did not live in heaven. He lived on earth with his children, Gareng, Petruk, and Bagong. Ki Semar had a great supernatural power. He could cut the top of the mountain easily. But first, he wanted to give a lesson to the naughty monkeys. They had to be punished for stealing the stars. He then set a plan with his children to trap the monkeys. Gareng then went to the top of the mountain. He had to attract the monkeys to go down by giving them some bananas. It worked! The monkeys followed Gareng. After the monkeys left the top of the mountain, Ki Semar immediately cut the top of the mountain. He threw the biggest part to Cirebon. It became Ceremai Mountain and the small parts became small mountains, like Clirit Mountain, Tapak Mountain, and others. After the monkeys left the mountain and followed Gareng, Petruk was ready with some hot water. He planned to pour the hot water over the monkeys. He waited and waited but the monkeys never came to him. He did not know that while the monkeys chased Gareng, they met a giant dragon. The monkeys had a fight with the dragon. It was so terrible that both the monkeys and the dragon finally died. Because of tired waiting for the monkeys, Petruk then left the place. He did not bring his hot water and left it there. People then named the place where Petruk left his hot water as Guci. It is about 50 kilometers from Tegal, Central Java. It is famous for its hot water.***

Siranggir the Cow
Folklore from North Sumatra

SIRANGGIR was a cow. She had some children. Everyday they went to a field to eat some grass with their owner, Aji Tonggal. He was a young man and he loved his cows very much. He even could talk with them.
Aji Tonggal and his parents build a new house for them. The people had a tradition. Before a family stayed in their new house, they had to sacrifice a cow. So, the father asked Aji Tonggal to sacrifice the biggest cow they had. And it was Siranggir, the mother cow.
Siranggir was very sad. But Aji Tonggal had to listen and obey his parents. So, he went to Siranggir and explained what happened. Siranggir knew about the tradition, and he also knew that sooner or later she would also be sacrificed.
"Don't worry, Aji Tonggal. I'm ready to be sacrificed. Please promise that you will always take care of my kids after I have gone. And I have a request. Give me time to talk to my children. I want to say good bye to them," said Siranggir.
All the children were very sad. They did not want to lose their mother. They understood about the tradition after their mother explained it to them.
Then, it was time for the ceremony. Aji Tonggal did not have the heart to kill his beloved cow. He asked somebody else to do that. After Siranggir was killed, Aji Tonggal's parents shared the meat to the neighbours. The family still kept Siranggir's head. The head was hung in the kitchen.
Several days after the ceremony, a strange thing happened to the family. Every morning, the family went to the field and when they arrived home in the afternoon, they always had food in the kitchen. The food was enough for the whole family.
Aji Tonggal was really curious. One day, he went home earlier. He saw a beautiful girl was cooking in the kitchen. Slowly he walked towards the girl, and grabbed her hand.
"Please let me go. I will explain everything. I am Siranggir. Even though I'm dead, I still want to dedicate my life to you. That's why I transformed my life into a girl," said the girl.
Aji Tonggal was surprised. He then looked for Siranggir's head in the kitchen. But he could not find it. Then he believed that Siranggir's head had already transformed into a young girl.
Aji Tonggal then fell in love with the girl. After that, he talked to his parents. He wanted to marry the girl. The parents agreed. Once again the family had a ceremony. This time, it was ceremony for their marriage. 

Nyi Banjarsari 

Folklore from Banten

IT was a rainy season. The villagers were happy, most of them were farmers. Rain would water their rice field and soon they would harvest their rice. Pak Bong was one of the farmers. He was also very happy. He wanted to buy some clothes for himself, his wife, and his beloved daughter, Nyi Banjarsari. She was a very beautiful girl. Her parents loved her because she was very obedient. One night, Pak Bong had a terrible dream. An old man came to him and said the rain would never stop. There would be a great flood. At first Pak Bong thought it was just a dream but he had the same dream in the following nights. He decided to tell all the villagers about his dream and asked them to evacuate on a hill not far from their village. "Ha ha ha? You are joking, Pak Bong. How can we leave our rice field? We are going to have great harvest, remember?" Everybody was laughing at Pak Bong. Pak Bong did not give up. He kept on asking the villagers to evacuate to the hill. Finally some villagers believed him. Together with his wife, and his daughter Nyi Banjarsari, Pak Bong and his friends went to the hill. In the meantime, heavy rain fell days and nights. It continued until water entered the houses. The villagers were sorry they did not listen to Pak Bong and ignored his advice. Soon, the village was drowned! Pak Bong and his friends could not do anything. They were sad because their village was under water. Then they prayed to God. They asked God how the water dried up from their village. The answer came in Pak Bong's dream. In his dream, the same old man told him how to save their village. "If you want the water to dry up, you have to sacrifice your daughter. She has to jump into the water!" said the old man. Pak Bong was very sad. He then told his family about his dream. His wife did not agree at all. She did not want to lose her lovely daughter. "That's OK, Mother. If this is the only way to save our village, I would jump into the water," said Nyi Banjarsari. Her parents could not say anything. They could not prevent their daughter from jumping into the water. Slowly, water dried up. Pak Bong and his friends then returned to their village. They built their houses and had their lives back. To show their thankfulness and gratefulness to Nyi Banjarsari, the villagers named their village into Banjarsari.(*)

The Story of Pari Temple
Folklore from East Java

A long time ago, an old man lived in Penanggungan Mountain. His name was Kiai Gede Penanggungan. He had supernatural power. Kiai Gede Penanggungan also had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Dewi Walangangin. Although very beautiful, she was not married yet. That's why Kiai Gede Penanggungan prayed days and nights for her daughter. Finally, God answered his prayer. A young handsome man came to his place. "My name is Jaka Pandelegan. I came here because I want to be your student. I want to learn a lot of things from you," said the young man. "I will take you as my student but you have to marry my daughter. Agree?" Jaka took a deep breath. Then he said,"Yes, I agree. I will marry your daughter." Both Dewi Walangangin and Jaka Pandelegan lived a happy marriage. Especially Jaka, he was even happier. Kiai Gede Penanggungan taught him many things. After several years living with Kiai Gede Penanggungan, now it was time for the couple to leave him and found a new life as husband and wife. "I know you can't live with me forever. Before you go, take this seed of pari. Every time people ask you, give them some. Don't be arrogant when you are rich." After that, the couple left him and brought pari seed. Pari means rice. Then, in the new place, they planted the seed. Soon, grew a lot of rice. Now the couple became very rich. The poor neighbours came to the couple to ask for some pari seed. "No way! If you want to eat, you have to work hard like me!" said Jaka. Kiai Gede Penanggungan heard his bad behaviour. So, he decided to visit him. He wanted to remind him about his promise. Kiai Gede Penanggungan immediately called their names when he arrived in the rice field. "Jaka Pandelegan, come here! I want to talk to you." But Jaka ignored him. He kept on doing his activity. "My daughter, Dewi. It's me, your father." But Dewi also ignored him. Kiai Gede Penanggungan was really angry. He then said, "You two are like temples. You cannot listen to me." Right after he said those words, an incredible thing happened. Slowly, Jaka and Dewi turned into temples. Because the temples stood among the pari, people then named them as Pari Temple.***

A Story from roti island

Folklore from Nusa Tenggara Timur

ONCE upon a time, a grandmother and her grand daughter lived in Roti Island, Nusa Tenggara Timur. They had a field and grew some vegetables. The grandmother sold them at the market. On one morning, the grandmother would go to the market. Before she left, she asked her granddaughter to cook. “ Please cook some rice for lunch. But just cook one grain of rice. It’s enough for both of us.” “Why, Grandma?” asked the girl. “Just do what I said.” The grandmother then left for the market. Later, the girl started to cook. However, she felt a grain of rice would not be enough for them. “I think it’s not enough for me and my grandmother.” Then she took two handful of rice. Suddenly, something bad happened to the rice pot. “Oh, no! The rice flowed out of the pot!” shouted the girl. “What should I do?” The rice became rice porridge. It flowed and flowed until it covered the kitchen. Suddenly, the grandmother came home. The girl explained what happened. “You are a naughty girl! Why didn’t you listen to me?” the grandmother was so angry. She hit the girl with a wooden stick. “ Please forgive me, Grandma!” the little girl cried and cried. But the grandmother kept hitting her. Then, an incredible thing happened! The girl turned into a monkey. The monkey then ran away and climbed a tree. The grandmother chased the monkey. From the tree, the monkey said. “Grandmother, I’m a monkey now. I cannot live with you anymore. You are all alone.” Then the monkey climbed up and disappeared. The grandmother was very sad. She regretted what she done to her beloved grand daughter. “ Please come back to me. Please forgive me, my grand daughter!’ but it was too late. The little girl has turned into a monkey and never came home. The people of Roti Island believe this story. And that is why until now; people in Roti Island never hit their children or other people’s child. They are afraid that the child would turn into a monkey. ***

Nai Manggale
Folklore from North Sumatra

Once upon a time, there lived a famous sculpture in Tapanuli, North Sumatra. His name was Datu Panggana. He could carve wood into many things. One day, he got an inspiration to carve a wood into a statue of a beautiful woman. Then, he put the statue in front of his house. It was not finished yet. The statue still had any clothes yet. Later, a young merchant passed by in front of Datu PangganaÕs house. His name was Bao Partigatiga. He sold jewelleries and clothes. He was very impressed by the beauty of the statue.
"She would be more beautiful by wearing my clothes," said Bao Partigatiga. He then put on the clothes he wanted to sell on the statue. Bao Partigatiga was very pleased now. The statue looked like a real human. Then he left Datu Panggana's house. After that, a priest and his wife passed by. They were also impressed by the beauty of the statue. "I want to pray to God to make her live like a real human. I want to make her as our daughter," said the priest to his wife. The couple had any children yet. Their dream came true. The statue had changed into a very beautiful girl. The priest and his wife then took the girl home. They named her Nai Manggale. The news about Nai Manggale spread very fast. All the villagers came to the priest's house to see Nai Manggale. Among them were Datu Panggana and Bao Partigatiga. Datu Panggana said, "She has to stay in my house. The statue was mine." But, Bao Partigatiga also claimed the same thing. "She is wearing my clothes. So, she has to stay in my house." The priest did not want to lose Nai Manggale. "Remember, I am the one who made her live like a human. So, she stays here." Those three men then were busy arguing. They claimed to have the rights of Nai Manggale. To calm them, an elderly of the village gave a solution. His name was Aji Bahir. "You all can have her and have a relationship with her. Datu Panggana, you are her uncle. Bao Partigatiga, you are her brother. And you the priest, you are her father."The three men accepted Aji Bahir's advice. And now they were happy because they all could ask her to stay in their houses. Besides that, now those three men were related. ***

Mouse deer and tiger

Folklore from Central Java

Long Time ago in a jungle of Java, tiger was wandering around for food. He hadn't been eating for days. He was really hungry! While he was approaching a small lake, he saw Mouse Deer drinking. The tiger want to eat him.
Tiger smiled, "Hmmm yummy, finally I get my lunch!"
Tiger slowly ducked, crawled, and held his breath. And then..."Gotcha!" said Tiger. He caught Mouse Deer and bit his leg. Mouse Deer was trembling. He was really shocked. But he tried to be calm. He was thinking of a plan to escape from Tiger. He looked around and suddenly he had an idea!
He said, "Hey Tiger, I know you are hungry and want to eat me. But the king will angry if he knows you eat me now."
"Why? The king knows that I eat meat. I eat animals like you! Said Tiger.
Mouse Deer explained, "I guard king's cake. It's very delicious. Only the king and his family eat it. "Mouse Deer pointed at one big, black lump near the lake. It did not look delicious at all. But Tiger was curious.
"Don't be fooled by its appearance. Its taste is very delicious. That's why it meant for kings. And you won't get hungry for a month after you eat it. I tasted it once, "said Mouse Deer.
Tiger's mouth watered. "Can I taste it?"
"Of course you can not The king will punish me like he did when I tasted it last time. He would kill me if something happened to the cake again!"
Well...it's all up to you. I eat you or I eat the cake.
The choice is yours."
"Well, then. You don't give me much choice, Tiger. You can have the cake. But first, let me run away as far as I can. By the way, the king won't be able to get me."
"All right...Now, go!" He was really hungry. He could not wait any longer to eat king's cake.
Mouse Deer took a save distance away from Tiger. But he still could watch him, as Tiger eagerly took the peace of the 'cake'.
Phooey, it's no cake! It's...it's buffalo's dung! I'll get you, Mouse Deer! You! Watch it!"
But Mouse Deer was already far away. He laughed aloud. Mouse Deer was safe for now. But Next Time, he might meet face to face with Tiger again.***