Once upon a time, there was a vicious King by the name King Baka, who liked to sacrifice humans everyday. He had a preference for killing young people.
This behavior caused the people to be always in panic, but they could not do anything because the King was so powerful. So everyday he sent his soldiers to find people suitable to be killed. These soldiers looked as vicious as their master. But the soldiers were also afraid of King Baka, because if they failed to find the victim, they became the victim instead.
So, from day to day people became more worried and many of them fled to the neighboring places to find safety away from the vicious King. Fortunately, a neighboring kingdom was headed by a very wise King, the King of Pengging. He always took care his people and protected them against any threat. He heard about the vicious King, and he tried to find ways to kill King Baka. He knew that one day the vicious King might attack his Kingdom. The wise King had a son called Bandung Bondowoso, his only son whom he loved so much. Bandung Bondowoso grew up to be a young man whom his father expected to take over the kingdom at a later time. One day Bandung Bondowoso asked his father if he might go to meditate in faraway place in order to improve his spiritual strength. His father was very pleased with his son's idea. So the King ordered his soldiers to accompany his son on his journey to a place for meditation. Bandung Bondowoso was committed to a period of meditation after he got a blessing from God . At last he finished his meditation after 15 years in a dense wood. So Bandung Bondowoso became a powerful young man, invulnerable to injury because of his powerful spiritual strength. He returned to his father's palace. All the people were very happyto see Bandung Bondowoso returned home, especially his father, the King. The people of Pengging Kingdom expected Bandung now to be able to kill the neighboring vicious King Baka. His father told Bandung Bondowoso to be prepared for a battle with King Baka.
Up to that time, no one had been able to defeat King Baka, and many countries had been brought under his authority and had to pay their tribute to him. So one night, Bandung Bondowoso stayed awake praying to God, asking him for His Blessing in the coming fight against King Baka. The next morning, Bandung Bondowoso and his soldiers marched to King Baka's Palace. His arrival was unexpected. The battle could not be avoided. There now followed more than 1 0 days of fighting, many casualties resulted on both sides. The air stank with the smell of the dead bodies of the soldiers. Then King Baka realized that Bandung Bondowoso was strong enough to kill all of his soldiers. So he decided to face Bandung Bondowoso by himself, one to one, in battle to avoid more casualties among the soldiers.
The anger of King Baka was no longer in control. He raced down into the battle area to confront Prince Bandung Bondowoso. The soldiers of King Baka hailed him loudly. Both King Baka and Prince Bandung Bondowoso used their full strength and skill against each other. But in time the younger Prince Bandung Bondowoso was able to defeat King Baka, and finally with his last blow, Bandung Bondowoso killed King Baka. King Baka's soldiers ran away, fleeing from the battle ground for safety.
Then the victorious Prince Bandung Bondowoso and his soldiers marched into King Baka's Palace. He went through every part of the palace, and finally he met a very beautiful girl inside the royal park. Bandung Bondowoso was stunned by the beautiful girl in front of him. He had no idea at all who she was. He approached the girl and asked her softly who she was. But the girl was so frightened that she could not answer him. Calmly he looked at his soldiers, waiting for an explanation. Then one of his soldiers explained him that she was the daughter of King Baka, Princess Lorojonggrang. He was once again surprised that the vicious King Baka had such a beautiful daughter. He wanted to hear from the girl herself that she was the daughter of King Baka. He asked the princess, " Is it true that you are the daughter of King Baka ?". Gently she whisper to him that she was. In his heart Prince Bandung Bondowoso admired the princess' beauty. If he had known that King Baka had a beautiful daughter, he would not have killed the King . Bandung Bondowoso felt pity for Lorojonggrang but he could not undo the killing of her father.
So, Prince Bandung Bondowoso approached Princess Lorojonggrang once again saying that he did not know that King Baka had a beautiful daughter. She moved away frightened, looking at Prince Bandung Bondowoso, who appeared strong and well built, but his face was as ugly as a giant's. Princess Lorojonggrang kept silent. Then Prince Bandung Bondowoso asked her if she already had a husband. While she wiped the sweat from her frightened face she answered that she was still a maiden. She asked Bandung Bondowoso if he was the one who killed her father. The Prince answered that it was so. On hearing the Prince' answer, the princess felt a new hatred grow in her heart toward this man who had asked her to marry him. The Princess tried several times to avoid the question and moved further away from the Prince . Gently he approached her and whispered : "Will you marry me and be my only wife?", "Whatever you wish I will give anything you want", she responded. " Don't think to what has had happened. If your father were alive, I would extend my proposal to him. But things have been done and God has decided our fate, and we should accept whatever God has decided". The princess remained silent. In her mind she was trying to think how to stay alive and not anger Bandung Bondowoso . She decided that she would not marry an ugly man, whoever he was.
Softly she agreed to marry Bandung Bondowoso on one condition. She asked Bandung Bondowoso to make 1000 temples for her in one night. The Prince was surprised at the condition she proposed. He said, " Why must I build so many temples for you?". Princess Lorojonggrang answered, "Oh, I love the temples. They can be used to beautify our park and as ornaments for the ladies park. We can also use the temples for our honeymoon and besides they will be nice for our children to play in". The Prince was stunned for awhile, but his love to Lorojonggrang and his powerful spiritual strength helped him decide that he would make 1000 temples as proposed.
Before the sunset, he meditated and asked help from God, and from all the spirits to help him build the 1000 temples. Then the work started, With the Prince and his soldiers helped by all the Spirits and Demons, the work ran so fast that it worried Lorojonggrang She prayed to all the heavenly beings, saying that it was unfair for her to marry an ugly man like Bandung Bondowoso. She asked God to keep her from marrying this ugly man. Then God whispered to her what she must do. Very early in the morning, before the cock started crowing, she went out from the Palace heading toward the village.There she ordered all the villagers, mostly women, to bang the bamboo drum, creating a loud noise as a signal that sunrise was approaching. The first bamboo drum sounding encourages all to do likewise and soon all the people were sounding the bamboo drums. Suddenly, the cock crowed more and more, harder and harder, until all cocks in the village were crowing together: Everyone came out from the houses carrying their farm tools as if they were ready to work in the fields. In fact the day was still dark, no sign of sunrise. The heavenly beings, the ghosts and other spiritual souls, now hear the drumming and believe the morning sun will came out soon. People be starting their field work right away, and those ghost and spiritual souls, who were busy making the temples, were afraid of seeing people, So they fled. The princess had found a way to trick Bandung Bondowoso away from his work.
Suddenly, the sound from the working of the temples stopped . Bandung Bondowoso was surprised; why had the work stopped. He counted the number of temples which had been finished, ........ in all there were 999 temples. One more temple and he would be able to marry Lorojonggrang. He looked around trying to find what had stopped the work. Then he saw Lorojonggrang still banging on the bamboo drum, accompanied by the village girls. Now Bandung Bondowoso realized that it was Lorojonggrang who caused the work to stop. Bandung Bondowoso shouted at her angrily, "Lorojonggrang, now I know that you are a very treacherous woman, a liar, a vicious woman, damn you girl. I almost finished making the 1000 temples, why did you interrupt my work. One more temple and you become my wife." "Calm down my dear Prince, I love you because you are so strong and powerful" replied Lorojonggrang." It seems that God did not permit us to be husband and wife " continued Lorojonggrang. Prince Bandung Bondowoso's anger was no longer under control. "You are not worthy to live, may God curse you" yelled the Prince. "Since I need one more temple to finish the 1000 , I will make you the statue of Lorojonggrang to complete my 1000 temples" shouted the Prince, roaring like an angry tiger. At that at moment the world stood still, and the beautiful Princess Lorojonggrang became a stone statue. The Prince was silent, amazed that the Princess had really changed into a stony yet beautiful statue . Still in his remaining anger, he looked towards the village girls and said : "You, Prambanan girls, you will never marry anybody, you will be old maids."
It is said that among the statues in Lorojonggrang Temple, there is one statue that looks lonely. The story of Bandung Bondowoso is a tale reminding people, that excessive power can mislead one's wisdom, and turn one into a ruthless person whatever his or her position in the community, as happened with King Baka. On the other hand, Prince Bandung Bondowoso, who had shown his loyalty to his father and his people, when he became too strong, his own strength did not always lead to the satisfaction of all his desires. When he was unable to control himself during his anger, his only words brought tragedy upon him.
from:www.bsu.edu
Once upon a time there lived in a pretty cottage, on the borders of a great forest, a woodman and his wife who had one little daughter, a sweet child, and a favorite with every one. She was the joy of her mother's heart, and to please her, the good woman made her a little scarlet cloak and hood, in which she looked so pretty, that everybody called her Little Red Riding-Hood.One day her mother told her she meant to send her to her grandmother-- a very old lady who lived in the heart of a neighboring wood--to take her some fresh butter and new-laid eggs and a nice cake. Little Red Riding-Hood was delighted at being sent on this errand, for she liked to do kind things, and it was such a very long time since she had seen her grandmother, that she had almost forgotten what the old lady looked like. The sun was shining brightly, but it was not too warm under the shade of the old trees, and Little Red Riding-Hood went on her way singing and gathering great bunches of wild flowers to give to her grandmother. She sang so sweetly that a cushat dove flew down from a tree and followed her. Now, it happened that a wolf, a very cruel, greedy creature, also heard her as she passed, and longed to eat her for his breakfast, but he knew Hugh, the woodman, was at work very near with his great dog, and he was afraid they might hear Little Red Riding-Hood cry out if he frightened her, and then they would kill him. So, after following her a little way, he came up to her very gently and said, "Good day, Little Red Riding-Hood, where are you going?" "To see my grandmother," said the child, "and take her a present from mother of eggs and butter and cake." "Where does your grandmother live?" asked the wolf. "Quite in the middle of the wood," she replied. "Oh! I think I know the house. Good-bye, Little Red Riding-Hood." And the wolf ran off as fast as he could go. Little Red Riding-Hood was not in a hurry, and there were many things to amuse her in the wood. She ran after the white and yellow butterflies that danced before her, and sometimes she caught one, but she always let it go again, for she never liked to hurt any creature. And then there were the merry, cunning little squirrels to watch, cracking nuts on the branches of the old trees, and every now and then a rabbit would hurry away through the tall ferns, or a great bee come buzzing near her, and she would stop to watch it gathering honey from the flowers and wild thyme. So she went on very slowly. By-and-by she saw Hugh, the woodman. "Where are you going, Little Red Riding-Hood," said he, "all alone?" "I am going to my grandmama's," said the child, "Good-bye; I must make haste now, for it is becoming late." While little Red Riding-Hood was playing in the wood, the great wolf galloped on as fast as he could to the old lady's house. She lived all by herself, and a neighbor's child came once or twice a day to tidy the house and get her food. Now, grandmother was very feeble, and was often obliged to keep her bed; and it happened that she was in bed the day Little Red Riding-Hood went to see her. When the wolf reached the cottage door he tapped. "Who is there?" asked the old lady. "Little Red Riding-Hood, granny," said the wolf, trying to speak like the child. "Come in, my dear," said the old lady, who was a little deaf. "Pull the string and the latch will come up." The wolf did as she told him, and went in, and you may think how frightened poor grandmother was when she saw him instead of Little Red Riding-Hood. Now, the wolf, who was quite hungry after his run, soon eat up the poor old lady. Indeed, she was not enough for his breakfast, and so he thought he would like to eat sweet Little Red Riding-Hood also. Therefore, he dressed himself in granny's night-cap and got into bed, and waited for the child to knock at the door. By-and-by, Little Red Riding-Hood reached her grandmother's house, and tapped at the door. "Come in," said the wolf, in a squeaking voice. "Pull the string, and the latch will come up." Little Red Riding-Hood thought her grandmother must have a cold, as she spoke so hoarsely; but she went in at once, and there lay her granny, as she thought, in bed. "If you please, granny, mother has sent me with some butter and eggs." But when Little Red Riding-Hood saw the wolf she felt frightened. She had nearly forgotten her grandmother, but she did not think she had been so ugly. "Grandmother," she said, "what a great nose you have." "All the better to smell with, my dear," said the wolf. "And, grandmother, what large ears you have." "All the better to hear with, my dear." "Ah! grandmother, and what large eyes you have." "All the better to see with, my dear," said the wolf, showing his teeth, for he longed to eat the child up. "Oh, grandmother, and what great teeth you have!" said Little Red Riding-Hood. "All the better to eat you up with," growled the wolf, and, jumping out of bed, he rushed at Little Red Riding-Hood, and would have eaten her up, but just at that minute the door flew open, and a great dog tore him down. The wolf and the dog were still fighting when Hugh, the woodman, came in and killed the wicked wolf with his axe. Little Red Riding-Hood threw her arms round the woodman Hugh's neck, and kissed him, and thanked him again and again. "Oh, you good, kind Hugh, she said, how did you know the wolf was here, in time to save me?" "Well," said Hugh, "after you had passed, I remembered that a wolf had been seen about the wood lately, and I thought I would just come after you and see if you were safe. When we came near your grandmother's house, Trim sniffed and ran to the door and whined, and then he pushed it open--as you had not shut it close--and rushed in; and I followed him, and between us we have killed the wolf." Then Hugh took the child home, and her mother and father could not thank him enough for saving their Little Red Riding-Hood, who was immediately clasped in her delighted mother's arms. from: www.allthingsfrugal.com
Once upon a time . . . a very poor woodcutter lived in a tiny cottage in the forest with his two children, Hansel and Gretel. His second wife often ill-treated the children and was forever nagging the woodcutter. "There is not enough food in the house for us all. There are too many mouths to feed! We must get rid of the two brats," she declared. And she kept on trying to persuade her husband to abandon his children in the forest. "Take them miles from home, so far that they can never find their way back! Maybe someone will find them and give them a home." The downcast woodcutter didn't know what to do. Hansel who, one evening, had overheard his parents' conversation, comforted Gretel. "Don't worry! If they do leave us in the forest, we'll find the way home," he said. And slipping out of the house he filled his pockets with little white pebbles, then went back to bed. All night long, the woodcutter's wife harped on and on at her husband till, at dawn, he led Hansel and Gretel away into the forest. But as they went into the depths of the trees, Hansel dropped a little white pebble here and there on the mossy green ground. At a certain point, the two children found they really were alone: the woodcutter had plucked up enough courage to desert them, had mumbled an excuse and was gone. Night fell but the woodcutter did not return. Gretel began to sob bitterly. Hansel too felt scared but he tried to hide his feelings and comfort his sister. "Don't cry, trust me! I swear I'll take you home even if Father doesn't come back for us!" Luckily the moon was full that night and Hansel waited till its cold light filtered through the trees. "Now give me your hand!" he said. "We'll get home safely, you'll see!" The tiny white pebbles gleamed in the moonlight, and the children found their way home. They crept through a half-open window, without wakening their parents. Cold, tired but thankful to be home again, they slipped into bed. Next day, when their stepmother discovered that Hansel and Gretel had returned, she went into a rage. Stifling her anger in front of the children, she locked her bedroom door, reproaching her husband for failing to carry out her orders. The weak woodcutter protested, torn as he was between shame and fear of disobeying his cruel wife. The wicked stepmother kept Hansel and Gretel under lock and key all day with nothing for supper but a sip of water and some hard bread. All night, husband and wife quarreled, and when dawn came, the woodcutter led the children out into the forest. Hansel, however, had not eaten his bread, and as he walked through the trees, he left a trail of crumbs behind him to mark the way. But the little boy had forgotten about the hungry birds that lived in the forest. When they saw him, they flew along behind and in no time at all, had eaten all the crumbs. Again, with a lame excuse, the woodcutter left his two children by themselves. "I've left a trail, like last time!" Hansel whispered to Gretel, consolingly. But when night fell, they saw to their horror, that all the crumbs had gone. "I'm frightened!" wept Gretel bitterly. "I'm cold and hungry and I want to go home!" "Don't be afraid. I'm here to look after you!" Hansel tried to encourage his sister, but he too shivered when he glimpsed frightening shadows and evil eyes around them in the darkness. All night the two children huddled together for warmth at the foot of a large tree. When dawn broke, they started to wander about the forest, seeking a path, but all hope soon faded. They were well and truly lost. On they walked and walked, till suddenly they came upon a strange cottage in the middle of a glade. "This is chocolate!" gasped Hansel as he broke a lump of plaster from the wall. "And this is icing!" exclaimed Gretel, putting another piece of wall in her mouth. Starving but delighted, the children began to eat pieces of candy broken off the cottage. "Isn't this delicious?" said Gretel, with her mouth full. She had never tasted anything so nice. "We'll stay here," Hansel declared, munching a bit of nougat. They were just about to try a piece of the biscuit door when it quietly swung open. "Well, well!" said an old woman, peering out with a crafty look. "And haven't you children a sweet tooth?" "Come in! Come in, you've nothing to fear!" went on the old woman. Unluckily for Hansel and Gretel, however, the sugar candy cottage belonged to an old witch, her trap for catching unwary victims. The two children had come to a really nasty place . . . "You're nothing but skin and bones!" said the witch, locking Hansel into a cage. I shall fatten you up and eat you!" "You can do the housework," she told Gretel grimly, "then I'll make a meal of you too!" As luck would have it, the witch had very bad eyesight, and when Gretel smeared butter on her glasses, she could see even less. "Let me feel your finger!" said the witch to Hansel every day to check if he was getting any fatter. Now, Gretel had brought her brother a chicken bone, and when the witch went to touch his finger, Hansel held out the bone. "You're still much too thin!" she complained. When will you become plump?" One day the witch grew tired of waiting. "Light the oven," she told Gretel. "We're going to have a tasty roasted boy today!" A little later, hungry and impatient, she went on: "Run and see if the oven is hot enough." Gretel returned, whimpering: "I can't tell if it is hot enough or not." Angrily, the witch screamed at the little girl: "Useless child! All right, I'll see for myself." But when the witch bent down to peer inside the oven and check the heat, Gretel gave her a tremendous push and slammed the oven door shut. The witch had come to a fit and proper end. Gretel ran to set her brother free and they made quite sure that the oven door was tightly shut behind the witch. Indeed, just to be on the safe side, they fastened it firmly with a large padlock. Then they stayed for several days to eat some more of the house, till they discovered amongst the witch's belongings, a huge chocolate egg. Inside lay a casket of gold coins. "The witch is now burnt to a cinder," said Hansel, "so we'll take this treasure with us." They filled a large basket with food and set off into the forest to search for the way home. This time, luck was with them, and on the second day, they saw their father come out of the house towards them, weeping. "Your stepmother is dead. Come home with me now, my dear children!" The two children hugged the woodcutter. "Promise you'll never ever desert us again," said Gretel, throwing her arms round her father's neck. Hansel opened the casket. "Look, Father! We're rich now . . . You'll never have to chop wood again . . ." And they all lived happily together ever after. from : www.allthingsfrugal.com
A long time ago, a child was born to a queen and king and she was called Snow White. When the queen died, the king married again. This new queen was wicked and hated Snow white. The queen gave orders that Snow White was to be treated as a servant.
Snow White grew very beautiful and one day a Prince riding by, saw her at work and fell in love with her.
The queen was beautiful too, and every day she asked her Magic Mirror, "Who is the fairest in the land?" and the mirror always answered, "You are the fairest one of all".
But one day the mirror answered Snow White was the fairest in the land, and in a rage the queen gave orders to one of her Huntsmen to take Snow White into the woods and kill her.
The Huntsman had a kind heart and couldn't do the deed so told her to run away. She fled into the woods where Seven little dwarfs lived. Their house was small and strange.
Snow White entered the little house and finding it very untidy, started to clean up. Upstairs she found seven little beds. She was very tired and stretching out on one of the beds, was soon asleep.
When the Dwarfs came home they were surprised to find Snow White and after some argument, decided to let her stay. She promised to cook and look after them.
The Queen discovered where Snow White was living and disguising herself as a witch, took a poisoned apple and set out for the Dwarfs cottage. She gave Snow White the poisoned apple to eat and as soon as she bit the apple, she sank into unconsciousness.
Thinking she was dead, the Dwarfs built a glass coffin and put her in it. For days she lay in the forest in her glass coffin. One day, the Prince was riding through the forest looking for Snow White and found her. He leaned over and kissed her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a smile. Everyone was happy. The Prince took Snow White to his palace where they were married and lived happily ever after.
from :www.overplayers.org.uk
Once upon a time there lived an unhappy young girl. Her mother was dead and her father had married a widow with two daughters. Her stepmother didn't like her one little bit. All her kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. Nothing was too good for them - dresses, shoes, delicious food, soft beds, and every home comfort.
But, for the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters’ hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but scraps. No rest and no comfort. She had to work hard all day. Only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders. That’s why everybody called her Cinderella.
Cinderella used to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat. The cat said, . Miaow. , which really meant, . Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepsisters has and that is beauty.. It was quite true. Cinderella, even dressed in old rags, was a lovely girl. While her stepsisters, no matter how splendid and elegant their clothes, were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and always would be.
One day, beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A ball was to be held at the palace and the stepsisters were getting ready to go. Cinderella didn't even dare ask if she could go too. She knew very well what the answer would be: . You? You're staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. They will come home tired and very sleepy.. Cinderella sighed, . Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!. and the cat murmured . Miaow..
Suddenly something amazing happened. As Cinderella was sitting all alone, there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared. . Don't be alarmed, Cinderella,. said the fairy. . I know you would love to go to the ball. And so you shall!. . How can I, dressed in rags?. Cinderella replied. . The servants will turn me away!
The fairy smiled. With a flick of her magic wand Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. . Now for your coach,. said the fairy; "A real lady would never go to a ball on foot! Quick! Get me a pumpkin!. . Oh of course,. said Cinderella, rushing away. Then the fairy turned to the cat. . You, bring me seven mice, and, remember they must be alive!.
cinderella soon returned with the pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he had caught in the cellar. With a flick of the magic wand the pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachman in a smart uniform and carrying a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes.
Cinderella had a wonderful time at the ball until she heard the first stroke of midnight! She remembered what the fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye she slipped from the Prince. s arms and ran down the steps. As she ran she lost one of her slippers, but not for a moment did she dream of stopping to pick it up! If the last stroke of midnight were to sound... oh... what a disaster that would be! Out she fled and vanished into the night.
the Prince, who was now madly in love with her, picked up the slipper and said to his ministers, “Go and search everywhere for the girl whose foot this slipper fits. I will never be content until I find her!”
So the ministers tried the slipper on the foot of every girl in the land until only Cinderella was left.
That awful untidy girl simply cannot have been at the ball,. snapped the stepmother.Tell the Prince he ought to marry one of my two daughters! Can't you see how ugly Cinderella is?. But, to everyone. s amazement, the shoe fitted perfectly.
Suddenly the fairy appeared and waved her magic wand. In a flash, Cinderella appeared in a splendid dress, shining with youth and beauty. Her stepmother and stepsisters gaped at her in amazement, and the ministers said, "Come with us Cinderella! The Prince is waiting for you." So Cinderella married the Prince and lived happily ever. As for the cat, he just said "Miaow!"
from:www.bgfl.org
A very long time ago in West Java, there lived a king, named Raden Sungging Pebangkara. He was a good ruler. He liked hunting in the forest very much. In the forest, there lived a she-pig, actually a cursed goddess. One day, she came out of her hiding place looking for water. There, she saw a coconut shell lled with water. Expecting it to be a fresh water, she drank it, having no suspicious that it was the king’s urine left there the day before when he went hunting. The consequence was very strange. She became pregnant. A few months later she gave birth to a very pretty girl. When the king was hunting again in the forest, he saw the girl and was attracted by her beauty. He took her to his palace, then he called her Dayang Sumbi and treated her as his own daughter.
Time passed and Dayang Sumbi grew up into a beautiful girl. She was fond of weaving.
One morning as she was weaving, her weaving spool flew out of the window to the eld. Because she was very tired, she mumbled, “Whoever is willing to help me pick up the spool, I’ll treat her as my sister if she is a girl. If he is a man, I’ll treat him as my husband”. These words were heard by a dog, called Tumang, actually a cursed god too. He immediately picked up the spool and gave it to Dayang Sumbi. Seeing the dog had helped her, she fainted. The god had decided for her to undergo the fate. She became pregnant and a short time afterwards she gave birth to a healthy strong son whom she called Sangkuriang. Sangkuriang became a handsome young man, as time went by. Like his grandfather, he was fond of hunting in the forest and Tumang was his faithful friend when roaming the woods. He didn’t realize that Tumang was actually his father. One day, when the dog didn't obey him to chase the pig, Sangkuriang was very angry and killed the dog and cut up his esh into pieces and took it home to his mother. For a moment Dayang Sumbi was speechless and took a spool and ung it at him. This left a scar on the spot. Then Dayang Sumbi sent him away. Sangkuriang left and wandered through the woods. He walked for years. Finally he returned to his nativeplace, but did not recognise it any longer. At the end of a vast rice eld, he noticed a house and saw a young girl sitting at her weaving-loom. Heapproached her and was charmed by her beauty. He was unaware that she was his own mother. Dayang Sumbi had been given eternal beauty by the gods which was why she looked young forever. She looked at him and noticing his good looks, she promised to marry him. They made plans for their wedding day, but one day she discovered the scar on his forehead. She knew that he was her own son who had come back to his village. She made an effort to make him understand that marriage between them was impossible, but Sangkuriang refused to accept it. She had an idea and said to him “All right, you shall marry me if only you can dam up the Citarum river and build a big vessel all in one night”. Sangkuriang agreed and started to work by using his magic powers and his praying to the gods for help. To prevent the marriage, before Sangkuriang finished his work, she stretched the red veil which covered her head over the eastern side of the plain. Through her magic powers, the red light spread over the landscape, giving the impression that the sun was rising and that the time was up. Angrily, Sangkuriang kicked the vessel which was almost finished, upside down. Some times later the vessel became the mountain of Tangkuban Perahu on the northern side of Bandung.
Adapted from Folk Tales from Indonesia., 1999
Long time ago, in a small village near the beach in West Sumatera, lived a woman and her son, Malin Kundang. Malin Kundang's father had passed away when he was a baby, and he had to live hard with his mother.
Malin Kundang was a healthy, dilligent, and strong child. He usually went to the sea to catch fish, and brought it to his mother, or sold it in the town.
One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing as usual, he saw a merchant's ship which was being raided by a small band of pirates. With his brave and power, Malin Kundang defeated the pirates. The merchant was so happy and asked Malin Kundang to sail with him. Malin Kundang agreed.
Many years later, Malin Kundang became a wealthty merchant, with a huge ship, loads of trading goods, many ship crews, and a beautiful wife. In his journey, his ship landed on a beach. The villagers reconigzed him, and the news ran fast in the town: Malin Kundang became a rich man and now he is here. His mother, in deepful sadnees after years of loneliness, ran to the beach to meet her beloved son again.
When the mother came, Malin Kundang, in front of his well dressed wife, his crews and his own gloriness, denied to meet that old, poor and dirty woman. For three times she begged Malin Kundang and for three times yelled at him. At last Malin Kundang said to her "Enough, old woman! I have never had a mother like you, a dirty and ugly peasant!" Then he ordered his crews to set sail.
Enraged, she cursed Malin Kundang that he would turn into a stone if he didn't apologize. Malin Kundang just laughed and set sail.
In the quiet sea, suddenly a thunderstorm came. His huge ship was wrecked and it was too late for Malin Kundang to apologized. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship, fell on a small island, and suddenly turned into stone.
