West Java Folktale

Talaga Warna
retold by Renny Yaniar Long long ago there was a kingdom in West Java. The kingdom was ruled by a king. People called their king His Majesty Prabu. Prabu was a kind and wise king. o wonder i! that country was prosperous. There"s no hunger in this kingdom. #t was a very happy condition. $ut it was a pity that Prabu and his %ueen hadn"t got any children. #t made the royal couple very very sad. &ome old men and women who was respected by Prabu suggested the king to adopt a child. $ut Prabu and the %ueen didn"t agree. ' o( thank you. $ut !or us( our own daughter or son is better than adopted children.' The %ueen was very sad. &he o!ten cried. That was why Prabu decided to go. He went to the jungle. There he prayed to )od. *veryday he begged !or a child. His dream come true. + !ew months later( the %ueen got !regnant. +ll people in the kingdom !elt happy. They sent many presents to the palace to e,press their happiness. ine months later a princess was born. People sent their presents again as a gi!t to a little princess. This baby grew as a beauti!ul teenager then. Prabu and -ueen loved their daughter so much. They gave what ever she wanted. #t made Princess a very spoiled girl. When her wish couldn"t be reali.ed( she became very angry. &he even said bad things o!ten. + true princess wouldn"t do that. *venthough the princess behaved badly( her parents loved her( so did the people in that kingdom. /ay by day( the princess grew more beauti!ul. o girls couldn"t compare with her. #n a !ew days( Princess would be 01 years old. &o( people o! that kingdom went to palace. They brought many presents !or her. Their presents gi!t were very beauti!ul. Prabu collected the presents. There were really many presents. Then Prabu stored them in a building. &ome times he could take them to give to his people.

Prabu only took some gold and jewels. Then she brought them to the goldsmith. 'Please make a beauti!ul necklace !or my daughter(' said Prabu. 'My pleasure( 2our Majesty(' the goldsmith replied. The goldsmith worked with all his heart and his ability. He wanted to create the most beauti!ul necklace in the world because he loved his princess. The birthday came. People gathered in the palace !ield. When Prabu and %ueen appeared( people welcomed them happily. Prabu and his wi!e waved to their beloved people. 3heers were louder and louder when the princess appeared with her !abulous pretty !ace. *verybody admired her beauty. Prabu got up !rom his chair. + lady gave him a small and glamourous pillow. + wonder!ul necklace was on it. Prabu took that necklace. 'My beloved daughter( today # give this necklace to you. This necklace is a gi!t !rom people in this country. They love you so much. They presented it !or you to e,press their happiness( because you have growing to a woman. Please( wear this necklace(' said Prabu. Princess accepted the necklace. &he looked at the necklace in a glance. '# don"t want to accepted it4 #t"s ugly4' shouted the princess. Then she threw the necklace. The beauti!ul necklace was broken. The gold and jewels were spread out on the !loor *verybody couldn"t say anything. They never thought that their beloved princess would did that cruel thing. obody spoke. #n their silence people heard the %ueen crying. *very woman !elt sad and began crying too. Then everybody was crying. Then there was a miracle. *arth was crying. &uddenly( !rom the under ground( a spring emerged. #t made a pool o! water. The palce was getting !ull. &oon the place became a big lake. The lake sank all o! the kingdom. owadays the water on that lake is not as !ull as be!ore. There is only a small lake now. People called the lake 'Talaga Warna'. #t is mean 'Lake o! 3olour'. #t"s located in Puncak( West Java. 5n a bright day( the lake is !ull o! colour. &o beauti!ul and ama.ing. These colors come !rom shadows o! !orest( plants( !lowers( and sky arround the lake. $ut some people said that the colours are !rom the princess"s necklace( which spreads at the bottom o! the lake.
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Central Java

Timun Mas
retold by Renny Yaniar Long long time ago( there was a !armer couple. They were staying in a village near a !orest. They lived happily. 8n!ortunately( they hadn9t had any children yet. *very day they prayed to )od !or a child. 5ne day a giant passed their home. He heard what they were praying. Then the giant gave them a cucumber seed. 'Plant this seed( then you9ll get a daughter(: said the giant. ;Thank you( )iant(: said the couple. ;$ut in one condition( in her 01<th birthday( you must give her to me(: said the )iant. The couple wanted a child so much that they agreed without thinking !irst. Then the couple planted the cucumber seed. *ach day they took care the growing plant so care!ully. Months later( a golden cucumber grew !rom the plant. The cucumber was getting heavier and bigger each day. When it was ripe( they picked it. 3are!ully they cut out the cucumber and how surprised were they when they !ound a beauti!ul baby inside. They were so happy. They named the baby Timun Mas( or )olden 3ucumber. 2ears were passing by and Timun Mas had grown into a beauti!ul girl. Her parents were very proud o! her. $ut their happiness turned to !ear when her 01th birthday came. The giant returned to ask !or their promise. He was going to take Timun Mas away. The !armer tried to be calm. ;Just a moment( please. Timun Mas is playing. My wi!e will call her(: he said. Then the !armer came to his daughter. ;My child( take this(: as he was giving her a little bag to Timun Mas. ;This will help you !rom the giant. ow( run as !ast as you can(: he ordered. &o Timun Mas ran away. The couple was very sad about her leaving. $ut they didn9t want the giant to eat Timun Mas. Meanwhile( the giant had been waiting !or too long. He became

impatient. &omehow he knew that the couple had lied to him. &o he destroyed their house and ran !or Timun Mas. The giant was chasing Timun Mas and he was getting closer and closer. Timun Mas then took a hand!ul o! salt !rom her little bag. &he spread out the salt behind her. &uddenly a wide sea appeared between them. The giant had to swim to reach her Timun Mas was still running( but now the giant almost caught her. Then she took some chilly and threw them to the giant. The chilly suddenly grew into some trees and trapped the giant. The trees grew some thorns as sharp as a kni!e. The giant screamed pain!ully. +t the mean time( Timun Mas could escape again. $ut the giant was very strong. +gain he almost caught Timun Mas. &o Timun Mas took the third magic stu!!( the cucumber seeds. &he threw the seeds and suddenly they became a wide cucumber !ield. The giant was very tired and hungry so he ate those !resh cucumbers. He ate too much that he !elt sleepy and !ell asleep soon. Timun Mas kept on running as !ast as she could. $ut soon she was very tired hersel!. To make things worse( the giant had woken up4 Timun Mas was so scared. /esperately she then threw her last weapon( terasi =a kind o! shrimp pasta>. #T did a miracle again. The pasta became a big swamp. The giant !ell into it but his hands almost reached Timun Mas. &uddenly the lake pulled him to the bottom. The giant panicked and he couldn9t breathe. +t last he was drown. Timun Mas was very relieved. &he was sa!e now. Then she returned to her parents9 house. Her parents were o! course very happy to see their daughter sa!e and sound. ;Thanks )od. 2ou have saved my daughter(: they cried happily. ?rom then on( Timun Mas lived happily with her parents with no !ear anymore.
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Malin Kundang
Once upon a time, on the north coast of Sumatra lived a poor woman and his son. The boy was called Malin Kundang. They didnt earn much as fishing was their only source of income. Malin Kundang grew up as a skillful young boy. e always helps his mother to earn some money. owever, as they were only fishermans helper, they still lived in poverty. !Mother, what if " sail overseas#$ asked Malin Kundang one day to his mother. er mother didnt agree but Malin Kundang had made up his mind. !Mother, if " stay here, "ll always be a poor man. " want to be a successful person,$ urged Malin kundang. is mother wiped her tears, !"f you really want to go, " cant stop you. " could only pray to %od for you to gain success in life,$ said his mother wisely. !&ut, promise me, youll come home.$ "n the ne't morning, Malin Kundang was ready to go. Three days ago, he met one of the successful ships crew. Malin was offered to (oin him. !Take a good care of yourself, son,$ said Malin Kundangs mother as she gave him some food supplies. !)es, Mother,$ Malin Kundang said. !)ou too have to take a good care of yourself. "ll keep in touch with you,$ he continued before kissing his mothers hand. &efore Malin stepped onto the ship, Malins mother hugged him tight as if she didnt want to let him go. "t had been three months since Malin Kundang left his mother. *s his mother had predicted before, he hadnt contacted her yet. +very morning, she stood on the pier. She wished to see the ship that brought Malin kundang home. +very day and night, she prayed to the %od for her sons safety. There was so much prayer that had been said due to her deep love for Malin Kundang. +ven though its been a year she had not heard any news from Malin Kundang, she kept waiting and praying for him. *fter several years waiting without any news, Malin Kundangs mother was suddenly surprised by the arrival of a big ship in the pier where she usually stood to wait for her son. ,hen the ship finally pulled over, Malin Kundangs mother saw a man who looked wealthy stepping down a ladder along with a beautiful woman. She could not be wrong. er blurry eyes still easily recogni-ed him. The man was Malin Kundang, her son. Malin Kundangs mother .uickly went to see her beloved son. !Malin, youre back, son/$ said Malin Kundangs mother and without hesitation, she came running to hug Malin Kundang,!" miss you so much.$ &ut, Malin Kundang didnt show any respond. e was ashamed to admit his own mother in front of his beautiful wife.!)oure not my Mother. " dont know you. My mother would never wear such ragged and ugly clothes,$ said Malin Kundang as he release his mother embrace. Malin Kundangs mother take a step back, !Malin0)ou dont recogni-e me# "m your mother/$ she said sadly. Malin Kundangs face was as cold as ice. !%uard, take this old women out of here,$ Malin Kundang ordered his bodyguard. !%ive her some money so she wont disturb me again/$ Malin Kundangs mother cried as she was dragged by the bodyguard,$Malin0 my son. ,hy do you treat your own mother like

this#$ Malin Kundang ignored his mother and ordered the ship crews to set sail. Malin Kundangs mother sat alone in the pier. er heart was so hurt, she cried and cried. !1ear %od, if he isnt my son, please let him have a save (ourney. &ut if he is, " cursed him to become a stone,$ she prayed to the %od. "n the .uiet sea, suddenly the wind blew so hard and a thunderstorm came. Malin Kundangs huge ship was wrecked. e was thrown by the wave out of his ship, and fell on a small island. Suddenly, his whole body turned into stone. e was punished for not admitting his own mother. http677indonesian!olktale.blogspot.com7@A0A7AB7malin<kundang.html

storie of sangkuriang
2ong time ago in ,est 3ava, lived a beautiful girl named 1ayang Sumbi. She was also smart and clever. er 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 1ayang Sumbi. 4eople 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 1ayang Sumbi gave birth to a baby boy. The prince then changed into a dog named Tumang. Their son is named Sangkuriang. e was very smart and handsome like his father. +veryday, he hunted animals and looked for fruits to eat. One day, when he was hunting, Sangkuriang accidentally killed Tumang. is arrow missed the deer he was targeting and hit Tumang instead. e went home and tells her mother about the dog.!,hat#$ 1ayang Sumbi was appalled. 1riven by sadness and anger, she grabbed a weaving tool and hit Sangkuriangs head with it. 1ayang Sumbi was so sad5 she didnt pay any attention to Sangkuriang and started to cry. Sangkuriang feel sad and also confused. ow can his mother love a dog more than him# Sangkuriang then decided to go away from their home and went on a (ourney. "n the morning, 1ayang Sumbi finally stopped crying. She started to feel better, so she went to find Sangkuriang. &ut her son was no where to be found. She looked everywhere but still couldnt find him. 6inally, she went home with nothing. She was e'hausted. She fell asleep, and in her dream, she meets her husband.!1ayang Sumbi, dont be sad. %o 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. *fter bathing with the water used to soak the dogs heart, 1ayang Sumbi looked more beautiful and even younger. *nd time passed by. Sangkuriang on his (ourney stopped at a village and met and fell in love with a beautiful girl. e didnt reali-e that the village was his homeland and the beautiful girl was his own mother, 1ayang Sumbi. Their love grew naturally and he asked the girl to marry him. One day, Sangkuriang was going on a

hunt. e asked 1ayang Sumbi to fi' the turban on his head. 1ayang Sumbi was startled when she saw a scar on his head at the same place where she, years ago, hit Sangkuriang on the head. *fter the young man left, 1ayang Sumbi prayed for guidance. *fter praying, she became convinced that the young man was indeed her missing son. She reali-ed that she had to do something to prevent Sangkuriang from marrying her. &ut 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. e had spent his youth studying magical arts. *fter the sun went down, Sangkuriang went to the hill. Then he called a group of genie to build a dam around 7itarum 8iver. Then, he commands the genies to cut down trees and build a boat. * few moments before dawn, Sangkuriang and his genie servants almost finished the boat. 1ayang Sumbi, who had been spying on him, realised that Sangkuriang would fulfill the condition she had set. 1ayang Sumbi immediately woke all the women in the village and asked them to wave a long red scarf. *ll the women in the village were waving red scarf, making it look as if dawn was breaking. 1eceived by false dawn, the cock crowed and farmers rose for the new day. Sangkuriangs genie servants immediately dropped their work and ran for cover from the sun, which they feared. Sangkuriang grew furious. ,ith 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 4erahu 9Tangkuban means upturned or upside down, and 4erahu means boat:. ,ith his power, he destroyed the dam. The water drained from the lake becoming a wide plain and nowadays became a city called &andung 9from the word &endung, which means 1am: http677indonesian!olktale.blogspot.com7@A0A7AC7storie<o!<sangkuriang.html

Mouse Deer and Tiger

5ne upon a time( there was a mouse deer living in a !orest. +lthough he was small( he wasn9t a!raid o! the other bigger animals who wanted to eat him. He was so smartD he always managed to ditch them. 5ne day( a tiger was wandering around !or !ood. He hadn9t been eating !or days. He was really hungry. While he was walking in the !orest( he saw Mouse /eer. The tiger wanted to eat him. Tiger slowly ducked( crawled( approaching Mouse /eer( thenE:)otcha4: said Tiger. He caught Mouse /eer. ;Hello( Mouse /eer4 #9m really hungry right now. 2ou9ll be my lunch4: said Tiger. Mouse /eer didn9t want to be his lunch. He tried to be calm. He looked around and saw some bu!!alo9s dung. He had an idea. ;#9m sorry( Tiger. # can9t be your lunch now. The Fing has ordered me to guard his cake(: said Mouse /eer calmly. ;His cakeG: said Tiger curiously. ;2es( there it is. #t9s very delicious. The Fing doesn9t want anyone else to eat it( so he ordered me to guard it(: Mouse /eer pointed the bu!!alo9s dung. ;3an # taste itG: Tiger asked. ;5! course you can9t. The Fing would be very angry(: said Mouse /eer re!used. ;Just one little bite( Mouse /eer4 The Fing will never know(: said Tiger. ;Well( okay( Tiger. $ut !irst let me run !ar away( so the Fing won9t blame me(: said Mouse

/eer. ;+ll right( Mouse deer. 2ou can go now.: Mouse /eer ran %uickly out o! sight. Tiger then took a big mouth!ul o! the Hcake9. ;Phoooey4: He spit it out. ;2uck( that9s not cake. That9s bu!!alo9s dung.: Tiger ran through the !orest. He caught up with Mouse /eer.;Mouse /eer( you tricked me. $ut now you will be my lunch.: Mouse /eer looked around and saw a wasp nest in a tree.;#9m sorry( Tiger. # can9t be your lunch now. The Fing has ordered me to guard his drum(: said Mouse /eer calmly. ;His drumG: said Tiger curiously. ;2es( there it is. #t has the best sound in the world. The Fing doesn9t want anyone else to hit it(: Mouse /eer pointed the wasp nest. ;3an # hit the Fing9s drumG: Tiger asked. ;5! course you can9t. The Fing would be very angry(: said Mouse /eer re!used. ;Just one little hit( Mouse /eer4 The Fing will never know(: said Tiger. :Well( all right( Tiger. $ut !irst let me run !ar away( so the Fing won9t blame me(: said Mouse /eer. ;+ll right( Mouse /eer. 2ou can go now.: Mouse /eer ran %uickly out o! sight. Tiger then reached up and hit the wasp nest. $.......E4 ;5uchEouch4 That9s not a drum. That a wasp nests4: Tiger ran away. $ut the wasps keep !ollowing him. He came to the river. He jumped in and stayed underwater as long as he could. +t last the wasps went away. Then he jumped out. He ran through the !orest till he !ound Mouse /eer.;Mouse /eer( you tricked me again. $ut now you will be my lunch.: Mouse /eer looked around and saw a cobra. The snake was coiled asleep on the ground.;#9m sorry( Tiger. # can9t be your lunch now. The Fing has ordered me to guard his belt(: said Mouse /eer calmly. ;His beltG: said Tiger curiously. ;2es. There it is. #t9s the best belt in the world. The Fing doesn9t want anyone else to wear it(: Mouse /eer pointed the cobra. ;3an # wear itG: Tiger asked. ;5! course you can9t. The Fing would be very angry(: said Mouse /eer re!used. ;Just !or one moment( Mouse /eer4 The Fing will never know(: said Tiger. :Well( all right( Tiger. $ut !irst let me run !ar away( so the Fing won9t blame me(: said Mouse /eer. ;+ll right( Mouse /eer. 2ou can go now.: Mouse /eer ran %uickly out o! sight. Tiger then took the snake and started to warp it around himsel!. The cobra woke up. #t s%uee.ed Tiger and bit him. &&ssssstt4;5ouch4 5w4 5oow4 That9s not a belt4 That9s a cobra4 Help4 Mouse /eer4 Help4: $ut Mouse /eer was already !ar away. He laughed aloud. Mouse /eer was sa!e !rom Tiger now. http677indonesian!olktale.blogspot.com7@A007AC7mouse<deer<and<tiger.html