List of Myth and Legend Indonesian Story (1)

7/24/2019 List of Myth and Legend Indonesian Story (1)

1/28

THE GOLDEN CUCUMBER

Long time ago, lived an old women named Mbok Sirni. She lived by herself because her husband

had long passed away and she had no children. Every day, she prayed to God would give her a

child. One night, when she was praying, a giant passed her house and heard her pray.

! can give you a child on one condition. "ou must give the child back to me when it is si# years

old.$ %he giant said to Mbok Sirni.

Mbok Sirni was so happy, she did not think about the risk of losing the child later and agreed to

take the giant&s offer. %he giant then gave her a bunch of cucumber seeds.

%he giant said, 'lant it around your house.$

!n the morning, Mbok Sirni planted the seeds. %he seeds grew within mere days, and blossomed

plentifully. (ot longer after that, a big golden cucumber grew from plants. )arefully, Mbok Sirni

plucked the golden cucumber and carried it home. *ith caution and care, she sliced the

cucumber. She was very surprised to see a beautiful baby girl inside the cucumber. %hen she

named the baby %imun Emas +it means Golden )ucumber.

"ears passed by and %imun Emas has grew to become a lovely and beautiful girl. She was alsosmart and kind. Mbok Sirni loved her very much. -ut she kept thinking about the time the giant

would take %imun Emas away from her. One night, Mbok Sirni had a dream. !n order to save

%imun Emas from the giant, she had to meet the holy man who lived in Mount Gundul. %he ne#t

morning, Mbok Sirni took leave of %imun Emas to go to Mount Gundul. %he holy man then gave

her four little bags, each one containing cucumber seeds, needles, salt, and shrimp paste.

%imun Emas can use these to protect herself,$ said the holy man to Mbok Sirni.

few days later, the giant came to see Mbok Sirni about her promise.

Mbok Sirni/ *here is %imun Emas0$ shouted the giant.


2/28

My daughter, take these bag with you. !t can save you from the giant. (ow, run through the

back door,$ said Mbok Sirni.

-ut the giant saw %imun Emas was running to the woods. %he giant was angry. Starved and

enraged, he rushed toward %imun Emas. Mbok Sirni tried to stop him, but the giant was

unstoppable.

%he giant was getting closer and closer, so %imun Emas opened the first bag she got from Mbok

Sirni. !nside the bag were cucumber seeds. She threw the seeds, and instantly they grew into

large cucumber field. -ut the giant ate them all, giving him more strength. s the giant was

getting close, %imun Emas took the second bag with needles inside and spilled the content

behind her. %he needles turned into bamboo trees, sharp and thorny. %he giant&s body was

scratched and bled.

aargh, !&ll get you, %imun Emas/$ shouted the giant as he tried to get himself out from the

bamboo field. 1e made it and still chasing %imun Emas.

%imun Emas then reached the third bag and spilled the salt inside. %he ground which the salt

touched turned into a deep sea. %he giant almost drown and had to swim to cross the sea. fter

some time, he managed to get out from the water. %imun Emas saw the giant was coming, so she

reached for the last bag. She took the shrimp paste and threw it. %he shrimp paste became a big

swamp of boiling mud. %he giant was trapped in the middle of the swamp. %he mud slowly but

surely drowned him.

1elpless, he roared out, 1elp/ 1eeeeelp2/$

%hen the giant drown and died. %imun Mas then immediately went home. Since then, %imun

Emas and Mbok Sirni live happily ever after.


3/28

THE LEGEND OF TANGKUBAN PERAHU

Long time ago in *est 3ava, lived a beautiful girl named 4ayang Sumbi. She was also smart and

clever. 1er beauty and intelligence made a prince from the heavenly kingdom of 5ahyangan

desire her as his wife. %he prince asked permission from his father to marry 4ayang Sumbi.

'eople from 5ahyangan 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. %he prince accepted

the condition.

%hey get married and lived happily in the woods until 4ayang Sumbi gave birth to a baby boy.

%he prince then changed into a dog named %umang. %heir son is named Sangkuriang. 1e was

very smart and handsome like his father. One day, Sangkuriang was ordered by his mother to

hunting animal in the 6ungle for dinner. *hen in the 6ungle he saw a deer and he shooted it with

the bow. -ut unfortunately, his shoot was missed. nd he tried again, but it was still missed.

-ecause of feeling tired and it was getting dark but he didn&t get anything. 1e decided to kill

%umang and gave its meat to his mother for dinner. fter that, he came home and gave the meat

to his mother for cooking. 4ayang Sumbi was happy with the meat but she reali7ed something.

Where is Tumang, my son?$ asked her.

Sangkuriang looked very nervous, and falteringly he said He ..he ..he run away to the jungle,

mom. When we were hunting, he saw a rabbit and he tried to catch it, bbb..bb..but he didnt back

again. So, I decided to leae him.

!o, no way. He always back home be"ore eening. #ou must be lie?$his mother replied.

nd Sangkuriang said, #eah, mom. I con"ess, I was lie. %ut why you look so worry? Whereas he

just a dog. We can &et another dog i" we want.$

1is mother was silent and she didn&t answered it. !nstead she asked again, So, what meat it is ?

It doesnt look like the meat usually you get.$


4/28

Sangkuriang was getting more nervous and he said, That is Tumang meat. I am sorry, mom. I

did it because I was a"raid, we didnt hae anything "or dinner.$

#ou are "oolish. #ou hae killed your "ather. Tumang is your "ather, you know.$ 1er mother

yelled.

1er mother was very mad and she grabbed a weaving tool and hit Sangkuriang&s head with it.

She didn&t pay any attention to Sangkuriang and started to cry. Sangkuriang feel sad and also

confused. 1ow can his mother love a dog more than him0 %hen Sangkuriang decided to go away

from his home and went on a 6ourney.

!n the morning, 4ayang Sumbi finally stopped crying. She started to feel better, so she went to

find Sangkuriang. -ut her son was nowhere to be found. She looked everywhere but still

couldn&t find him. 8inally, she went home with nothing. She was e#hausted. She felt asleep, and

in her dream, she met her husband.

'ayang Sumbi, dont be sad. (o look "or my body in the woods and get the heart. Soak it with

water, and use the water to bathe, and you will look young "oreer,$said the prince in her dream.

fter bathing with the water used to soak the dog&s heart, 4ayang Sumbi looked more beautiful

and even younger.

Long time after that, Sangkuriang on his 6ourney stopped at a village and met and fell in love

with a beautiful girl. 1e didn&t reali7e that the village was his homeland and the beautiful girl

was his own mother, 4ayang Sumbi. %heir love grew naturally. One day, Sangkuriang asked

4ayang Sumbi to fi# the turban on his head and he also asked her to marry him. 4ayang Sumbi

was startled when she saw a scar on his head at the same place where she hit Sangkuriang on the

head.

Sangkuriang asked her,Would you marry me?$

4ayang Sumbi was very shocked and absolutely she re6ected it, instead she said, #y..yes I will,

but I hae a re)uirement be"ore you marry me. I" you can do it I will marry with you, but i" you

can not, absolutely I wont.$


5/28

*kay, what is the re)uirement?$answered Sangkuriang.

#ou must make a huge ark be"ore the &ee& o" dawn. I want it to be done within one night+$

9e:uested 4ayang sumbi.

*kay, its easy "or me.$9eplied Sangkuriang.

Sangkuriang accepted this condition without a doubt. -efore he made an ark, he asked the genies

to help him, because he thought it was impossible to make an huge ark only a night. *ith their

help, everything can be easily done.

*hen it was getting dark, Sangkuriang and the genies started make an ark, and in the midnight

Sangkuriang and the genies almost finished their 6ob. 4ayang Sumbi, who had been spying onhim, realised that Sangkuriang would fulfill the condition she had set. So, it made 4ayang Sumbi

worry, she decided to 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.

4eceived by false dawn, the cock crowed and farmers rose for the new day.

t the time, Sangkuriang was an upset, bewildered, and looked so stress. 1e knew the sun should not

come out yet. 1e knew he had been tricked. Out of anger, he kicked the ark to the forest and landed on the

ground in upside;down position. %he ark then became a mountain, called Mount %angkuban 'erahu

+%angkuban means upturned or upside down, and 'erahu means boat. *ith his power, he destroyed the

dam. %he water drained from the lake becoming a wide plain.

TOBA LAKE

Once upon a time there was a prosperous village in a far away island called Sumatra. !n northern

part of the island, lived a farmer whose name was %oba. 1e lived alone in a hut by a small forest.


6/28

1e worked on his farmland to grow rice and vegetables that he sold to local market. Once day he

wanted to catch some fish so he went to a river and fished there. 1e was very surprised when he

got a big fish. %he fish was as big as human being. Soon he went home and put the fish in his

kitchen. 1e planned to cook the fish for his dinner that night. *hen he got to his house that

afternoon he took a bath. %hen as he walked into his bedroom after taking a bath %oba was very

shocked. %here was a very beautiful girl who stood in his living room. %he girl greeted him

nicely. 8or a moment %oba was speechless. *hen he could control his emotion he asked her.

%oba was really shocked and he asked her, Who are you? Whats your name? Why suddenly you

are here in my house?$

Im sorry i" I sur&rised you Toba, but you took me here. I was the "ish that you caught in the

rier. !ow that I become a human being again, I would like to thank you and I will be your

serant to e&ress my thank"ulness.$9eplied the girl

-re you the "ish?$asked %oba again

#es, I am the "ish. ook at your kitchen.$nswered the girl

%oba immediately rushed to his kitchen and the fish was nowhere to be seen. 1e saw some gold

coins instead.

Whose coins are these? Why there are some coins here?$he said

She answered, Those coins are mine. -s I changed into human being my scales changed into

gold coins.$

%oba said, *k you can lie here and work "or me. #our room is oer there$

Thank you ery much Toba.$She said

Everyday toba was accompanied by the girl. %oba was happy for that.


7/28

I am agree to be your wi"e, but dont eer tell my secret, my condition that I was a "ish,$ said

the girl.

%oba agreed the girl&s re:uiretmen. nd then they got married. %oba was happy to have such a

beautiful wife. %hey lived happily because they loved each other.

"ears gone by. %oba&s wife was pregnant and then not so long after that she gave birth. %oba was

so happy. %he baby was a boy, named Samosir. %hey took care their only child. %hey showered

the boy with love. !t seemed that they were happy family.

= years later,

%he mother spoiled the boy too much. (o wonder, Samosir became spoiled child. 1e didn&t want

to help his father to work on farm. 1e only stayed at home doing nothing. 1e was a very la7y

boy. One day the mother asked Samosir to bring lunch for his father who worked in a farm.


8/28

Mother was angry to hear that. She was so upset and threatened Samosir if he didn&t do what

she&s asked. She wouldn&t give samosir lunch. -ecause of his mother&s anger, he felt forced to do

what his mother&s re:uest.

-ll right, mom. I will bring it to my "ather,$Samosir said.

Samosir went to his father&s farm. -ut he grumbled continously as he wanted to play with his

friends. On the way to his father&s farm, he ate the lunch little by little. 1e felt hungry, too.

-ecause of this, there&s 6ust a little lunch left. Meanwhile, the day was getting hot. %oba decided

to rest under the tree. 1e felt thirsty and hungry. 1e asked himself why his wife didn&t bring

lunch for him. *aiting in a hungry was such a terrible thing for %oba. 1e got angry that time.

8inally he saw somebody in a distance. 1e hoped the somebody was his wife who brought lunch

for him. -ut, he was surprised to see Samosir, his son, who came to the farm.

What do you do here, my son. Where is your mother? Why she didnt bring my lunch?$%oba

said angrily.

/other is busy to do other things. So, she asked me to bring this lunch "or you$said Samosir

while gave the lunch to his father.

%oba took the lunch :uickly as he couldn&t bear his hunger anymore. -ut, when he saw the lunch

bo#, he was surprised. %he lunch was no more left.

What? Where is the lunch ? Why this bo is em&ty0$ %oba said angrily.


9/28


10/28

Well, you must obey my adice without com&laining,$the beautiful girl told his son.

fter that, Samosir went away and climbed the highest tree in the village. 1e stayed there,

obeyed his mother&s instruction. 1e still didn&t know why his mother told him to do this. 1e 6ust

waited what happened ne#t.

s soon as she finished saying that suddenly the weather changed. Sunny day suddenly turned into cloudy

day. (ot long after that the rain poured heavily. %he rain last for several days. )onse:uently the area was

flooded. Meanwhile, %oba, who was still in his farm shocked with this disaster. 1e couldn&t save himself.

1e was drown by the flood and finally died. nd, the spoiled child, Samosir, although he climbed the

highest tree, he still couldn&t save himself from this great disaster. 1e died as his parents. 1is body wasfloating. nd then became small island which now was called Samosir Island. nd, the village was sink

and became a huge lake. %his lake was named as %oba&s name, that is Lake Toa.


11/28

HANGING ROCK

Once, in a rural village ne#t to Lake %oba (orth Sumatera, there lived a husband and a wife with

a beautiful daughter named Seruni. (ot only beautiful, Seruni was also very diligent in helping

her parents in the field. Every day this family worked in this field on the edge of Lake %oba, and

the outcomes are used for their daily needs.

One day, Seruni went to the field alone, because his parents went to a neighboring village. Seruni

was only accompanied by her beloved dog named %oki>s. rriving at the farm, she didn&t work

but she 6ust sat there looking at the natural beauty of Lake %oba as if she had solved a difficult

problem. *hile the dog, the %oki, came sitting ne#t to her, staring at her face as if he knew whatSeruni thought. Once in a while the dog barked to distract Seruni, but she is not teased.

%he last few days Seruni looked glum. She was very sad, because she was given in marriage by

her parents with a young man who was his cousin. %hough she had chosen his loved man and she

had promised to live together with him. She was very confused. On the other hand, she did not

want to disappoint her parents, and she could not afford to part with her love. -ecause of being

unable to bear the heavy burden, she was getting hopeless.

?O God/ ! am not able to live with this burden, ?complained the Seruni.

few moments later, Seruni moved from his seat. *ith tears, she walked slowly toward the

Lake %oba. pparently she wanted to end his life by 6umping into the lake>s and the %oki,

followed his master from behind while barking. *ith a mind raging, Seruni walked toward the

cliffs of Lake %oba without paying attention to the road in its path.


12/28

understood if Seruni re:uired his help, but he could not do anything e#cept 6ust barking at the

hole. Seruni screamed several times for help, but the %oki really could not afford helping her.

8inally she was getting desperate.

?h, !>d rather die than live a long time to suffer,? Seruni resigned

9ock walls were moving ever closer.

?'arapat.../ 'arapat 'arapat ... ?ordered Seruni to press her body with the stone

-eing unable to help Seruni, %oki immediately ran home to ask for helping. rriving at the

master>s house, he immediately went to Seruni parents.

?uggg .../ auggg .../ auggg ... ?%oki>s barking while clawing at the ground to tell the parents that

the Seruni in danger.

?%oki, where is Seruni0 *hat happened to her0 ?sked the father to the dog>s Seruni.

?uggg .../ auggg .../ auggg .../ ?he continued barking and ran back and forth to invite them to a

place.

!t looks like Seruni in danger,? said the mother of Seruni.

?Mom was right. %he %oki invites us to follow, ?said the father of Seruni.

?-ut how do we get there0 ?Said the mother.


13/28

?"ou prepare a torch/ !>ll be looking for help to neighbors, ?cried the father.

Soon, the whole neighborhood had gathered at the home page Seruni>s father, carrying the torch.

fter that they followed the %oki to the scene. Once they were in the field, the %oki directly

toward the mouth of the hole.

-oth parents of Seruni immediately approached the mouth of the hole. *hat a surprise when

they saw a hole big enough rock on the edge of their field. !n the pit was heard the faint sound of

a woman@ ?'arapat .../ 'arapat 'arapat stone .../ ?

?Sir, listen to that voice/ %hat voice is of our child/ Seruni&s mother cried frantically.

?"es, ma>am/ %hat sounds Seruni/ ?9eplied the father panic.

?-ut, why would he shout@ 'arapat, parapatlah stone0? sked the mother.

?! do not know, mom/ !t seems like there>s something wrong in there, ?said the father an#iously.

8armer was trying to light up the hole with a torch, but the bottom of the hole was so deep that

it can&t be penetrated by torchlight

?Seruniii .../ Seruniii .../ ?)ried the father of Seruni.


14/28

?Seruni ... my daughter/ %he mother and father came to help you/ ?1er mother shouted.

Several times they yelled, but they did not get a response from Seruni. Only voice drifted Seruni

who sent the stone closer to s:uee7ing.

?'arapat .../ 'arapat stone / 'arapat/ ?

?Seruniiii, my daughter/? Once again the mother screaming and crying hysterically Seruni.

'eople in attendance at the place were trying to help. One held ropes to the bottom of the hole,

but the slap was not touched at all. Seruni>s father increasingly concerned with the state of her

father. 1e also decided to follow her foray into the rock pit.

?Mom, hold the torch/? )ommand of the father.

?*here do you want to go0? sked the mother.

?!>m following the Seruni into the hole,? he replied firmly.

?(o dad, it>s dangerous/? 'revent the mother.

?"es sir, the hole was very deep and dark,? said people


15/28

moment later, suddenly heard a roar. %he earth shook violently as if to an end. 9ock hole

suddenly closes itself. %he cliffs at the edge of Lake %oba was falling. Seruni>s father and mother

and all the people ran thither to escape. %hey left the mouth of the hole the rock, so that poor

Seruni could not be rescued from the crush of rock.

Some time after the earth:uake stopped, suddenly appeared a large rock that resembles a girl>s

body and as if hanging on the wall of the cliff at the edge of Lake %oba. Local people believe that

the stone is the embodiment Seruni oppressed in the hole. -y those stones were then given the

name ?1anging 9ock?. +-%< G(%


16/28

Long time ago in west 3ava there was a kingdom called Galuh. %he ruler was 5ing -arma

*i6aya 5usuma. 1e had two wives A 'ohaci (aganingrum and 4ewi 'angreyep. t that time

both of them were pregnant. %he king was very happy when 4ewi 'angreyep gave birth to a

baby boy. %he king named him 1ariang -anga. 1e was a handsome boy.

Several months later 'ohaci (aganingrum also gave birth. 4ewi 'angreyep helped her during

the birth process but she had an evil plan. She had prepared a baby dog and gave it to 'ohaci.

%hen she put the baby in a bo# and had it thrown to a river. Lengser, the man who received the

order to throw the baby in a river, put him in a safe bo# and gave an egg. Meanwhile 4ewi

'angreyep reported to the king that 'ohaci had given birth to a baby dog.

BOh, "our Ma6esty, 'ohaci is an evil woman. Last night he gave birth but her baby is a dog/

%hey are sinners. God had punished them. %his a shame for "our ma6esty the 5ing and the

whole kingdom$

%he king was shocked and very angry to hear that. 1e thought it was a shame for the royal

family. So he ordered his soldier to kill 'ohaci and the baby.

B%here is no place here for sinners. %hey must go to hell$

%hen the king called his servant , Lengser.

Lengser / -ring them to the wood and kill them/$

"es, "our Ma6esty$

Lengser, who had to carry out the order, did not dare to do it. 1e saved 'ohaci instead. %hen

'ohaci lived in a remote village.

Meanwhile in a village by the river lived a couple of husband and wife. ki -alangantran lived

with his wife (ini -alangantran. Several years had passed after their marriage but still they had

no children. 4ay and night they prayed to god to ask for children. One night (ini was dreaming

that she saw a full moon. ki interpreted the dream that they would receive provision from god.

%he ne#t morning ki went to a river with his net to fish. Suddenly something caught his


17/28

attention. !n the middle of the river there was a wooden bo# floating on the water. %hen he

grabbed it. 1e was shocked when he saw a baby inside it. 1e brought the baby home and gave

him a name of )iung *anara. !n Sundanese language )iung means bird and *anara means

monkey. %hey were very happy since they had no children.

Several years later )iung *anara grew up to be a handsome and smart boy. %he egg had become

a cock. )iung loved cock fighting. 1e went everywhere to play cock fighting game. 1is cock

was so :uick and strong that it won all of its fights. Soon he and his cock became famous in

Galuh. Everybody knew them.

%hen the king of Galuh who had many cocks and also loved cock fighting heard the news. So he

ordered Lengser, his faithful assistant, to find the boy. s Lengser got to )iung&s house he was

surprised to see the bo#. 1e reali7ed that it was the bo# he threw into the river some years

earlier. *hen he asked )iung&s father he was sure that )iung was the king&s son from 'ohaci

(aganingrum. %hat time he wanted to do a good deed for )iung. %hen he told )iung that the

king invited him to palace for a cock fight. 1e also told ciung to ask for the kingdom if his cock

win the fight. )iung agreed so they went to palace immediately.

Later in the palace of Galuh, )iung told the king that he had a condition for the cock fight. !f

his cock wins, he wants the king to give him his kingdom. !f he his cock loose, then he will givehis head. %he king agreed because he was sure that his cock would win. %hen in a fierce fight

)iung&s cock won the fight. Everybody was surprised. %he king had no choice. 1e had to keep

his words and give his kingdom to ciung *anara. %hen Lengser told the king that ciung was

actually hing own son from 'ohaci naganingrum. 1e revealed 4ewi 'angreyep&s evil action.

%he king was shocked and very angry. 1e ordered his soldiers to arrest and punish 4ewi

'angreyep. %his event made 'rince 1ariang -anga got very angry. 1e :uickly attacked )iung

*anara. 8inally the king decided to divide his kingdom into two parts. %he border was

)ipamali river. %he west of the river was given to 1ariang -anga while )iung *anara ruled the

eastern part of the kingdom.

MEDUSA


18/28

Many years ago there was a beautiful women called Medusa. She lived in a place called thens

in Greece. She was a very kind and she obeyed her Greek gods and goddesses. Even though

there was pretty girls there, Medusa was one of them. Every single day Medusa always boasted

about her self. She says to other people, she is the most prettiest out of everyone in the whole

wide world.

On Sunday, Medusa told the miller that her skin is more beautiful then fresh white snow. On

Monday, she babbled the cobbler that her hair is brighter than the sun. On %uesday, she

commented the blacksmith>s son that her eyes are greener than egean sea. On *ednesday, she

boasted to the public that her lips are redder than the reddest rose in the world.

*hen Medusa wasn>t busy she would boast about her self while looking in a mirror. She thought

she was the prettiest woman in the whole wide world. She admired her self.

On and on Medusa went about her beauty to anyone and everyone who stopped long enough to

hear her.


19/28

%hen Medusa>s friend grew pale. %he priestesses heard what Medusa said and they gasped. %he

roomer went really :uickly through the whole temple and everyone started to leave. Everyone

knew thena will get angry if anyone compared her to someone else.

-efore long the temple was empty of everyone e#cept Medusa, who was so busy ga7ing proudly

at her reflection in the large bron7e doors that she hadn>t noticed the fast departure of everyone

else. *hile Medusa was ga7ing the figure changes. %he figure changed into goddess thena.

Cain and foolish girl. "ou think your a prettier girl than me. *hile other people are working,

playing or learning you 6ust boast about your self. Medusa there is more to life than beauty alone

you see.$ thena shouted angrily

Medusa tried to point out that her beauty was an inspiration to those around her and that she

made their lives better by simply looking so lovely, but thena silenced her with an angry wave.

?(onsense,? screamed thena ?One day beauty will fade away. -ut ! will make it fade away now

and all your loveliness will be gone forever.?

*hen thena uttered those words Medusa turned into a terrible monster. 1er hair thickened into

hissing snakes and body turned into a snake.

?re you happy for what ! have done0 (ow anyone who looks in your eyes will now turn into

stone and no one will be able to save them,? snapped thena, ?Even you, Medusa, should you

seek your reflection, will turn to rock the moment you see your face.?

thena then sent Medusa with her hair of snakes to live with the blind monsters, the gorgon

sisters, at the end of the earth, so that no innocent people would be turned to stone at the sight of

her by accident.

LA LLORONA


20/28

Long years ago in a humble little village there lived a fine looking girl named Maria. She was the

most beautiful girl in the world/ nd because she was so beautiful, Maria thought she was better

than everyone else.

s Maria grew older, her beauty increased and her pride in her beauty grew too. *hen she was a

young woman, she would not even look at the young men from her village. %hey weren>t good

enough for her/

?*hen ! marry,? Maria would say, ?! will marry the most handsome man in the world.?

nd then one day, into Maria>s village rode a man who seemed to be 6ust the one she had been

talking about. 1e was a dashing young ranchero, the son of a wealthy rancher from the southernplains. 1e could ride like a )omanche/ !n fact, if he owned a horse, and it grew tame, he would

give it away and go rope a wild horse from the plains. 1e thought it wasn>t manly to ride a horse

if it wasn>t half wild.

1e was handsome and could play the guitar and sing beautifully. Maria made up her mind;that

was, the man for her/ She knew 6ust the tricks to win his attention.

!f the ranchero spoke when they met on the pathway, she would turn her head away. *hen hecame to her house in the evening to play his guitar and serenade her, she wouldn>t even come to

the window. She refused all his costly gifts. %he young man fell for her tricks.

?%hat haughty girl, Maria, Maria/ ? he said to himself. ?! know ! can win her heart. ! swear !>ll

marry that girl.?

nd so everything turned out as Maria planned. -efore long, she and the ranchero became

engaged and soon they were married. t first, things were fine. %hey had two children and theyseemed to be a happy family together. -ut after a few years, the ranchero went back to the wild

life of the prairies. 1e would leave town and be gone for months at a time. nd when he returned

home, it was only to visit his children. 1e seemed to care nothing for the beautiful Maria. 1e

even talked of setting Maria aside and marrying a woman of his own wealthy class.


21/28

s proud as Maria was, of course she became very angry with the ranchero. She also began to

feel anger toward her children, because he paid attention to them, but 6ust ignored her.

One evening, as Maria was strolling with her two children on the shady pathway near the river,the ranchero came by in a carriage. n elegant lady sat on the seat beside him. 1e stopped and

spoke to his children, but he didn>t even look at Maria. 1e whipped the horses on up the street.

*hen she saw that, a terrible rage filled Maria, and it all turned against her children. nd

although it is sad to tell, the story says that in her anger Maria sei7ed her two children and threw

them into the river/ -ut as they disappeared down the stream, she reali7ed what she had done/

She ran down the bank of the river, reaching out her arms to them. -ut they were long gone.

%he ne#t morning, a traveler brought word to the villagers that a beautiful woman lay dead on

the bank of the river. %hat is where they found Maria, and they laid her to rest where she had

fallen.

-ut the first night Maria was in the grave, the villagers heard the sound of crying down by the

river. !t was not the wind, it was La Llorona crying. ?*here are my children0? nd they saw a

woman walking up and down the bank of the river, dressed in a long white robe, the way they

had dressed Maria for burial. On many a dark night they saw her walk the river bank and cry for

her children. nd so they no longer spoke of her as Maria. %hey called her La Llorona, the

weeping woman. nd by that name she is known to this day. )hildren are warned not to go out

in the dark, for, La Llorona might snatch them and never return them.

Tela#a !arna


22/28

Long long ago, there was a kingdom in *est 3ava. %he kingdom was ruled by a king named

1is Ma6esty 'rabu.'rabu was a kind and wise king. -ut it was a pity that 'rabu and his :ueen

hadn>t got any children. %he :ueen often cried. %hat was why 'rabu went to the 6ungle. %here he

prayed to God every day, begging for a child.

few months later, the :ueen got pregnant. (ine months later, a princess was born. 'rabu and

Dueen loved their beautiful daughter so much. %hey gave whatever she wanted. !t made 'rincess

turn into a very spoiled girl.One day, the princess celebrated her = thbirthday party. Many people

gathered in the palace. %hen, 'rabu took out a necklace which was made from gold and 6ewel.

?My beloved daughter, today ! give you this necklace. 'lease, wear this necklace,?

said 'rabu.

?! don>t want to wear it/ !t>s ugly/? shouted the princess.

%hen she threw the necklace. %he beautiful necklace was broken. %he gold and 6ewels were

spread out on the floor. Everybody couldn>t say anything. %hey never thought that their beloved

princess would do that cruel thing. !n their silence, people heard the :ueen crying. Every woman

felt sad and began crying, too. %hen, everybody was crying. %hen, there was a miracle. Earthwas crying.

Suddenly, from the underground, a spring emerged. !t made a pool of water. Soon, the place

became a big lake. %he lake finally sank the kingdom. (owadays, people called the lake ?%elaga

*arna?. !t means ?Lake of )olor?. On a bright day, the lake is full of color. %hese colors come

from shadows of forest, plants, flowers, and sky around the lake. -ut some people said that the

colors are from the princess>s necklace, which spreads at the bottom of the lake.

Aio#a S$or%


23/28

Everybody agreed that ioga was a very beautiful girl. !n fact, the villagers told her that she was

the most beautiful girl in their village. %his made ioga vain. She became proud of her beauty

and each day looked at herself in the mirror. She liked her looks so much that daily she went to

look at herself in the stream that ran past her house.

One day, her mother asked her to wash the dishes. ioga spent so much time admiring

her reflection in the dishes that her mother was annoyed. ioga, you&re becoming too vain and

la7y. "ou do nothing but admire yourself each day. %his has got to stop. Even our neighbours are

complaining. %hey say that you&ve become proud and won&t even talk to their daughters. "ou

make me so ashamed.$

ioga sulked and refused to do any more work. She thought her mother was treating her

badly. She became even la7ier. Each day, she lay in bed until the sun was high in the sky. 1er

mother did not know what to do with her.

ioga, please go to the stream and fetch some water. ! want to bake some cakes for tea,$

said her mother.

-ut ! may fall into the water,$ said ioga.

1er mother sighed. She was slowly losing patience with her daughter. 1old on to a bush

and you won&t fall in.$

-ut the bush may fall into the stream,$ complained her daughter.

-ut all the bushes by the stream have thorns and ! may scratch my pretty hands,$ said

the girl.

1er mother grew steadily more impatient. ioga, put on your mittens. %hey&ll not only

keep you warm but will also stop you from getting scatched.$ ioga then complained that her

mittens were torn. 1er mother then handed her a needle and thread.

*hat if the needle breaks0? asked the girl. ioga did not sew her mittens but instead

spent the time looking at herself in the mirror.

1er mother was very angry with her, and when her husband returned from work, she

spoke to him about their daughter. 1e was angry too when he heard what his wife had told him,

so he sent for ioga. ioga, go this minute and get a really thick needle from the workbasket

and mend your mittens,$ he said.

-ut, 'apa, what if the needle pricks my finger0$

"ou can use a thimble made of strong skin,$ he said.


24/28

-ut if the thimble is pierced !&ll hurt my finger,$ said the girl.

ioga&s younger sister, who was good and sweet;natured, came into the room. )heerfully,

she offered to fetch the water. She ran to the stream, filled the bucket and then helped her mother

bake some cakes. *hen ioga saw the lovely golden cakes, her mouth began to water. %hey

looked delicious.

$Mother, give me some cakes,$ she said.

%hey&re hot and you&ll burn your fingers,$ said her mother. !&ll put on my mittens.$

-ut your mittens are torn. -esides, they&re damp as you did not dry them out yesterday

after playing in the snow,$ said her mother.

!&ll dry them now before the fire,$ said the girl.

(o, drying them out too :uickly will make them stiff. nd you won&t be able to hold the

cakes,$ said her mother.

ioga was hungry and the cakes smelled so delicious. !&ll soften them with some wa#,$

she said.

-ut your hands will get dirty. *hy should you work and spoil your looks0 !t would be

better if ! gave the cake to your sister who doesn&t mind using her hands,$ said ioga$s mother.

*hen she saw her mother give her sister the cake, ioga ran out of the house to the

stream. She was very angry as she thought that her mother was very unfair. She saw her sister

en6oying the cake and turned to stare angrily at her. ioga, please don&t be angry. !&ll share my

cake with you,$ she said. 1er sister was only trying to be kind but ioga was proud. 1ow could

she, the village beauty, accept a half;eaten cake/ She turned round and slapped her sister hard.

Go away. ! don&t want anything from you. 3ust leave me alone.$ ioga began to hit her

sister again. Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell into the stream. %he Goddess of the Stream

who had seen ioga treat her sister badly, changed her into a goose. ll day long ioga, the

goose, swam around in the stream. Gal Gal *hat a beauty ! am,$ she said, looking at herself in

the stream.

s time went by she forgot how to speak. ll she remembered was her name, and

whenever she saw anyone, she would say, i;oga/ i;oga/$ so that all would remember the

village beauty who turned into a goose.


25/28

T&e Le#end O' Ra(a Penin#

Once upon a time in old 3ava there was a village. 'ening was its name. 'ening was a prosperous

village. %he land was fertile and the weather was always good all year round. !t was on the slope

of Mount Merbabu so the climate was cool. 'eople made their living by cultivating rice,

vegetables and fruits. %he harvest was always satisfying. So all of them lived a happy life. %hat&s

why once a year they held a ceremony called B -ersih desa &. !t was a kind of thanks giving day.

!t was a day when they e#press their thankfulness to God for a successful harvest. %hey would

clean their village and then they would pray together. t night they would have a dinner together

and held teater performances.


26/28

One day after a succesful harvest they would celebrate it. %hat time they wanted something

special. %hey wanted more meat for dinner. So they went hunting in a wood. 3ust outside of the

village there was a wood where there were many animals like deer, buffalo, mouse deer, lamb

and many other. -ut that day there was no animal at all. nimals were nowhere to be seen. %hey

had searched every inch of the wood but still their effort were in vain. *hen it was almost dark,

they were very tired so they took a rest. %hey sat on something that look like a rock and a big

root. Everybody was silent because they were e#hausted and disappointed. %hen suddenly

someone chopped the big root with his sword to relief his disappointment. ma7ingly there was

blood coming out of the root. %hey were surprised.

Someone tried to chop it deeper. 1e found meat / So they chopped more and more. fter their

bags were full of meat they were satisfied. %hen they went home happily. %hat night the people

of 'ening were preparing a big dinner. %hey wanted a special dinner with the meat they got from

the wood. 3ust as they were preparing dinner, a boy came to the village. 1e looked poor. 1e

begged food to some people. -ut they refused. Someone said @

B*e are preparing dinner. "ou may come to our dinner tonight. -ut not now&.

B-ut ! am very hungry, please&.

B3ust come here tonight&.

-ut then there was an old widow who took care of him. She was 6ust a poor widow. She gave

him food and shelter.

B"ou may take a rest here. 3oin us tonight for dinner&.

B%hank you very much. "ou are very kind to me. "ou are the only one who helped me. %hat&s

why ! will save you. %onight there will be a great event here&.

B"es, there will be a great party&.

B(o, ! mean something special&

B*hat do you mean0&

B! cannot say now. -ut listen to me. 'repare a boat for you&

B*hy0 *hat will happen0&

B3ust do as ! say&

B'lease tell me what will happen0&

BO5, you are very kind to me so ! will tell you but please promise me you won&t tell anyone&.


27/28

BO5, ! promise&

B! am (aga -aru 5linting. ! am a dragon. ! was meditating in the slope of Mount Merbabu when

your people hurt me. %hey hurt me by chopping my body. (ow they are preparing dinner with

meat from my body. So ! will take my revenge tonight, but ! will save you. 'repare a boat for

you&.

BOh, please don&t do that. 8orgive my people&

B*hatever will be , will be. Good bye&.

%hen the boy left. 3ust before the dinner began at the village hall some boys were playing in the

yard. Suddenly a boy came to them.

B1i guys a have a game for you&

%hen he held a small bamboo and attached it to the ground.

B!f you can pull it, ! will give you a special present&

BOh, that&s very easy&, a boy said.

1e tried to pull it but it was very strong so he could not pull it. nother boy tried but he also

failed. Everybody failed. %hen this game drew adult&s attention. One by one they tried to pull but

all of them could not make it. *hen many people gathered then the boy said.

BO people of 'ening. ! am (aga -aru 5linting. ! am a dragon. ! was meditating in the slope of

mount Merbabu when you chopped me. (ow ! will take my revenge. En6oy your party&. %hen he

pulled the bamboo. ma7ingly, water poured from the ground. %he water

immediately flooded the village. 8inally the whole village sank under water. %hey were all

drowned and died in the lake. %here was only one survivor. %he poor old widow. She had

prepared a simple boat so she could survive. Since then on the lake is called 9awa 'ening. 9awa

means lake in 3avanese and !ndonesian language. %oday the lake is located in the province of

central 3ava, !ndonesia.


28/28

Documents

List of Myth and Legend Indonesian Story (1)