Cindelaras

 

Folklore from East Java

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Legend Of Telaga Warna

A Folktale from West Java

The king of a famous kingdom in Cipanas, West Java, is very wise man. He has a beautiful daughter. The king and queen love their daughter so much.
But all their love is not enough for the princess. Even though they give her everything, she is not happy. All the jewelries that they have are not enough for her. She is not satisfied with her gorgeous look either.
The princess then has an idea. She plans to put all the jewelries that they have in every single hair in her head. She wants to be the most beautiful girl in the world.
So the princess goes to see her mother and father and tell them about her plan. She is very sure they will not say no.

The king is surprised to hear about his daughter plan. He tries to convince her that her plan is not proper.
"My Daughter, the beauty of a princess is not measured by her clothes or by the jewelry she is wearing, but by her attitude. It's not that we don't love you, but what will people think if you go through with your plan?" says the king.
The princess is shocked to hear that. So she runs to her room to get her jewelry box. Then she returns to her parents.
She screams: "You are so miserly. Here, I am returning the every single jewelry you ever gave me." She throes her jewelry box to her father.
The wise king is outraged seeing his daughter did.
"You are ungrateful daughter!"
Suddenly, the floor of the palace erupts and water pours out from the crack. In a matter of second the palace if flooded, drowning the ungrateful princess and her jewelry. The palace then replace by a lake.
The lake always reflects multiple colors to its surrounding. Some say the colors come from the princess's jewelry. The lake is known as Telaga Warna that means colorful lake. ***

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The Golden Antelope

Folklore from West Java

THERE was an old and poor man lived alone in the jungle. His wife passed away years ago and he did not have any children. Everyday he collected some woods and sold them in the village. One day, the old man saw a beautiful antelope. The antelope was different from other antelopes. The color of the skin was golden. The old man walked slowly towards the antelope. The antelope looked very weak. He then gave the antelope some food. ÒThank you, Sir. You are very kind to me," said the antelope. "You could talk? Who are you? Are you the ghost of the jungle?" the old man was very shocked. He was so surprised to see a talking antelope.
"I'm sorry old man. I can't tell you who I am. If I did, many people will hunt me. Just donÕt tell anyone about me, OK?" asked the antelope. Since then the old man had a new friend, the golden antelope. He did not feel lonely anymore because he had a friend to talk now, it's the golden antelope. One day, the old man was ill. He could not collect the woods. "Don't worry. I will collect the woods for you," said the golden antelope. The golden antelope then went to the jungle. She did not know that some hunters were following her. One of the hunters was Prince Wijaya. Prince Wijaya took his arrow. He pointed it to the golden antelope. The arrow hit the antelope's body. Suddenly, smoke came out of the golden antelope's body. The smoke then was gone, later a beautiful girl appeared. "Thank you. You just released me from the curse. I'm Princess Sutha. A goddess cursed me into a golden antelope. I could turn back into human i a prince hit me with his arrow," she explained. Then Prince Wijaya asked her to go to the kingdom with him. Princess Sutha agreed only with one condition. She wanted the old man also to join them. They then went to the old man's house. The old man was surprised when
there were a prince and a princess in his house. He was so happy after Princess Sutha explained everything. He then agreed when they asked him to live with them in the palace. Not long after that, Prince Wijaya and Princess Sutha got married. They were happy ever after.

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The Legend of Banyuwangi

Folklore from East Java

ONCE upon a time in Sindureja Kingdom, King Sidareja was talking to his vice regent, his name was Patih Sidapaksa. The King asked Patih Sidapaksa to give him the flesh of a young deer.
Patih Sidapaksa took the mission.
When he arrived at the jungle, he saw a young deer. He pointed his arrow to the deer. Unfortunately, he missed the target. He ran after the deer. He was running and running until he arrived at a hut. Patih Sidapaksa knocked the door.

A young and beautiful girl opened the door. She was very beautiful. Patih Sidapaksa fell in love at the first sight.“How can I help you Sir?” asked the girl.
"I...I...am looking for a young deer", Patih Sidapaksa was speechless.
You can find a lot of deer in the jungle. But it s already late and it will be dark soon. You can continue hunting tomorrow morning. You can come and spend the night here. Both my father and I are happy to welcome you, said the girl.
Patih Sidapaksa accepted the offer.
He introduced himself. The girl's name was Sri Tanjung and her father's name was Ki Buyut.
In the morning, Patih Sidapaksa continued his hunting and after he got a young deer he returned to the hut.
He came back because he wanted to marry Sri Tanjung.
Luckily, Sri Tanjung also loved him.
Later Patih Sidapaksa asked them to join him to the palace.
The King was very happy Patih Sidapaksa brought him a young deer.
However he was also amazed by the beauty of Sri Tanjung.
The King also fell in love with her. The King had a bad plan. He wanted to marry Sri Tanjung. So he gave Patih Sidapaksa a very difficult mission. The King asked Patih Sidapaksa to give him three golden rings from Indran Kingdom. Patih Sidapaksa knew the mission was more difficult than hunting a young deer. Indran Kingdom was not an ordinary kingdom. It was a kingdom of criminals! No one ever came back after going there. However he still accepted the mission. And before he left, he asked Sri Tanjung to wait for him.
After Patih Sidapaksa left, the King approached Sri Tanjung. He proposed Sri Tanjung to marry him. He promised Sri Tanjung to be a queen. She did not accept the proposal. She loved Patih Sidapaksa and she already promised to wait for him. The King was angry and put her in the jail.Luckily, Patih Sidapaksa could do the mission and came back to the palace. Sadly he could not meet Sri Tanjung. The King lied. He said Sri Tanjung was in jail because she asked the King to marry her. The King said Sri Tanjung wanted to be a queen.
At first Patih Sidapaksa believed the King. But Sri Tanjung then said.
Throw me to the river. If the river smells good, it means I m innocent.However if the river smells bad, then the King is lying, said Sri Tanjung.
Patih Sidapaksa then threw her into the river.
Amazingly, the river smelled good.
Patih Sidapaksa was very sorry. Sri Tanjung died. He regretted not to believe her.
When the river smelled good, people instantly said Banyuwangi. Banyu means water and Wangi means good smell.
Since then the place is named Banyuwangi.

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Lembusura

Folklore from East Java

BRAWIJAYA was the king of Majapahit Kingdom. He had a daughter, her name was Dyah Ayu Pusparani. She was very beautiful. Many young men fell in love with her. However, she always refused their marriage proposals. King Brawijaya was sad. He really wanted to see his daughter to get married.
“You have to get married soon, my daughter,” said King Brawijaya. He continued, “I’m getting older, I know you are looking for a great husband. I have an idea, I’m going to hold a competition.

If a man can stretch Kyai Garudayaksa’s bow and lift Kyai Sekardelima’s gong, he
will be your husband.
Princess Dyah Ayu Pusparani was speechless. She knew her father really wanted her to get married. She just hoped that she would marry a great man. She knew the bow and the gong had supernatural power. So the winner must had supernatural power too.
One by one men tried to stretch the bow and lifted the gong. No one succeeded.
They were injured, their hands and backs were broken.
King Brawijaya planned to stop the competition. He thought no one could win the competition. However, before he stopped it, a man came to him.
“Don’t stop the competition now. I haven’t tried it yet.”
Everybody was looking at him. He was very strange. His head was unlike human’s head. He had a bull’s head.
“What’s your name?” asked the king.
“My name is Lembusura.”
Then he tried to stretch the bow, he succeeded. The next test, he had to lift the gong. Again, he succeeded. Everybody applauded. They all were amazed by his power. However, Princess Dyah
Ayu Pusparani was sad.
She never thought that she would marry a man who had a bull’s head.
King Brawijaya was also sad. But he had no choice. He had to keep his promise.
Later, he asked his men to prepare a wedding ceremony.
The ceremony was getting closer and Princess Dyah Ayu Pusparini was really sad. She really wanted to cancel the wedding. She was thinking very hard. Finally she had an idea. She told
his father.
“Father, ask Lembusura to make a well on the top of Kelud Mountain. The well is for me to take a bath,” said Princess Dyah Ayu Pusparini.
King Brawijaya understood the plan.
He asked Lembusura to go to the top of Kelud Mountain. Lembusura agreed.
When he arrived, Lembusura dug the ground. He was digging until the hole was deep. Suddenly, some soldiers pushed him into the hole. They buried him alive. Lembusura was helpless. He could not do anything. Before he died, he cursed the King.
“King Brawijaya, wait for my revenge. I will destroy your kingdom!” cursed Lembusura.
Everybody was so scared. They really believed that Lembusura would revenge to the kingdom. Until now, every time Kelud Mountain erupts, people say that Lembusura is doing his revenge!***

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Ki Semar and Slamet Mountain

Folklore from Central Java

A long time ago, Slamet Mountain was very high. It was so high that it could reach the sky. People heard that they could take the stars if they were on top of the mountain. But no one dared to go there.
The people were afraid that the gods in heaven would be angry if people took the stars. However, the beauty of the stars made some monkeys dared to go to the top of the mountain. Led by their king, they went there and took some stars. Then, the sky became dark at night. People were sad and the gods were angry!

Batara Guru was the leader of the gods. He held a meeting. He invited Batara Narada, Batara Brama, Batara Bayu, and others. Batara Narada had an idea how to stop the monkeys. They would ask Ki Semar to help them.
Ki Semar was actually one of the gods. He was even older than Batara Guru. But Ki Semar did not live in heaven. He lived on earth with his children, Gareng, Petruk, and Bagong. Ki Semar had a great supernatural power. He could cut the top of the mountain easily. But first, he wanted to give a lesson to the naughty monkeys. They had to be punished for stealing the stars. He then set a plan with his children to trap the monkeys.
Gareng then went to the top of the mountain. He had to attract the monkeys to go down by giving them some bananas. It worked! The monkeys followed Gareng.
After the monkeys left the top of the mountain, Ki Semar immediately cut the top of the mountain. He threw the biggest part to Cirebon. It became Ceremai Mountain and the small parts became small mountains, like Clirit Mountain, Tapak Mountain, and others.
After the monkeys left the mountain and followed Gareng, Petruk was ready with some hot water. He planned to pour the hot water over the monkeys. He waited and waited but the monkeys never came to him. He did not know that while the monkeys chased Gareng, they met a giant dragon. The monkeys had a fight with the dragon. It was so terrible that both the monkeys and the dragon finally died.
Because of tired waiting for the monkeys, Petruk then left the place. He did not bring his hot water and left it there. People then named the place where Petruk left his hot water as Guci. It is about 50 kilometers from Tegal, Central Java. It is famous for its hot wate

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Roro Jonggrang

Folklore from Central Java

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom named Prambanan. The people lived peacefully. However, soon their happy lives were disturbed by Pengging Kingdom. The king, Bandung Bondowoso, wanted to occupy Prambanan. He was a mean king.
The war between Prambanan and Pengging could not be avoided. Prambanan lost the war and led by the new king, Bandung Bondowoso. Pengging could win the war because Bandung Bondongwoso had a supernatural power
His soldiers were not only humans but also genies. Those creatures always obeyed Bandung Bondowoso. They always did whatever Bandung Bondowoso asked them to do. The king of Prambanan had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Loro Jonggrang. Bandung Bondowoso fell in love with her and wanted to marry her.
"If you want to marry me, you have to build a thousand of temples in just one night," said Loro Jonggrang. She hated Bandung Bondowoso because he made the people of Prambanan suffered. "What? Impossible! You just gave me an excuse for not marrying me!" said Bandung Bondowoso. But he did not give up. He asked the genies to help him.
Then all those genies worked hard to build the 1.000 temples. Meanwhile, Loro Jonggrang heard from the lady-inwaiting that the building of 1.000 temples was almost finished.
She was so scared; she did not want to marry Bandung Bondowoso. And then she had a great idea. She asked all the ladies-inwaiting to help her.
"Please prepare a lot of straw and mortar. Come on! Hurry up!" said Loro Jonggrang. All those ladies-in-waiting were confused. They did not know why Loro Jonggrang asked them to prepare a lot of straw and mortars in the middle of the night.
"Listen, all those genies are building the temples, right? We have to stop them by burning the straw and make some noise by pounding the mortar. The genies will think that sun is going to rise and they will run away. Genies are afraid of sunlight." It worked! All those genies thought that sun rose. They did not know the light was from the fire that burning the straw. And the noise from pounding the mortar was like the start of a new day.
Bandung Bondowoso was angry. He knew Loro Jonggrang just tricked him. "You cannot fool me, Loro Jonggrang. I already have 999 temples. I just need one more temple. Now, I will make you the one-thousandth temple." With his supernatural power, Bandung Bondowoso made Loro Jonggrang a temple. Until now, the temple is still standing in Prambanan area, Central Java. And the temple is named Loro Jonggrang temple

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Keong Emas (The Golden Snail)

Folklore From Central Java

PRINCE Raden Putra and Dewi Limaran were husband and wife. They lived in a palace. Prince Raden Putra's father was the king of the kingdom.
One day, Dewi Limaran was walking around in the palace garden. Suddenly she saw a snail. It was ugly and disgusting. "Yuck!" said Dewi Limaran and then she threw it away into a river. She did not know that the snail was actually an old and powerful witch. She could transform herself into anything. The witch was angry to Dewi Limaran. The witch put a spell on her and changed her into a golden snail. The witch then threw it away into the river.

The golden snail was drifting away in the river and got caught into a net. An old woman was fishing and used her net to catch some fish. She was surprised to see a golden snail in her net. She took it and brought it home. When the old woman woke up in the morning, she was surprised that the house was in the good condition. The floor was mopped. And she also had food on the table. She was thinking very hard. "Who did this to me? The person is very kind." It happened again and again every morning.
The old woman was very curious. One night she decided to stay up late. She was peeping from her room to know who cooked for her. Then, she could not believe what she saw. The golden snail she caught in the river turned into a beautiful woman. The old woman approached her. "Who are you, young girl?" "I am Dewi Limaran, Ma'am. A witch cursed me. I can change back as a human only at night," explained Dewi Limaran. "The spell can be broken if I hear the melody from the holy gamelan," continued Dewi Limaran. The old woman then rushed to the palace. She talked to Prince Raden Putra about her wife. Prince Raden Putra was so happy. He had been looking for his wife everywhere.
He then prayed and meditated. He asked the gods to give him the holy gamelan. He wanted to break the witch's spell. After several days praying and meditating, finally gods granted his wish. He immediately brought the holy gamelan to the old woman's house. He played it beautifully. And then amazingly the golden snail turned into the beautiful Dewi Limaran. The couple was so happy that they could be together again. They also thanked the old woman for her kindness. As a return, they asked her to stay in the palace

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Aji Saka

Folklore from Central Java

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

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Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih

 

Folklore from Central Java

BAWANG Putih lived with her step mother and her step sister, Bawang Merah. Bawang Putih's mother died when she was a baby. Her father remarried another woman and later her step sister was born. Unfortunately, not long after that her father died. Since then, Bawang Putih's life was sad. Her step mother and her step sister treated Bawang Putih badly and always asked her to do all the household chores. One morning, Bawang Putih was washing some clothes in a river.
Accidentally, her mother's clothes were washed away by the river. She was really worried so she walked along the river side to find the clothes. Finally she met an old woman. She said that she kept the clothes and would give them back to Bawang Putih if she helped the old woman do the household chores. Bawang Putih helped her happily. After everything was finished, the old woman returned the clothes. She also gave Bawang Putih a gift. The old woman had two pumpkins, one pumpkin was small and the other one was big. Bawang Putih had to choose one.
Bawang Putih was not a greedy girl. So she took the small one. After thanking the old woman, Bawang Putih then went home. When she arrived home, her step mother and Bawang Merah were angry. They had been waiting for her all day long. Bawang Putih then told about the clothes, the old woman, and the pumpkin. Her mother was really angry so she grabbed the pumpkin and smashed it to the floor. Suddenly they all were surprised. Inside the pumpkin they found jewelries. "Bawang Merah, hurry up. Go to the river and throw my clothes into the water. After that, find the old woman. Remember, you have to take the big pumpkin," the step mother asked Bawang Merah to do exactly the same as Bawang Putih's experience. Bawang Merah immediately went to the river. She threw the clothes and pretended to search them. Not long after that, she met the old woman. Again she asked Bawang Merah to do household chores. She refused and asked the old woman to give her a big pumpkin. The old woman then gave her the big one. Bawang Merah was so happy. She ran very fast. When she arrived home, her mother was impatient. She directly smashed the pumpkin to the floor. They were screaming. There were a lot of snakes inside the pumpkin! They were really scared. They were afraid the snakes would bite them. "Mom, I think God just punished us. We had done bad things to Bawang Putih. And God didn't like that. We have to apologize to Bawang Putih," said Bawang Merah. Finally both of them realized their mistakes. They apologized and Bawang Putih forgave them. Now the family is not poor anymore. Bawang Putih decided to sell all the jewelries and used the money for their daily lives

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Mr. Dungu

 

Folklore from Central Java

PAK Dungu and his wife lived in a village. His name is Dungu because people thought that he is stupid. People always made fun of him.
One day, his wife asked Pak Dungu to sell their cow to the market. “Remember, don’t sell the cow less than 250 rupiahs,” said the wife to Pak Dungu.
Unfortunately, Pak Busuk heard their conversation. He is a bad man and always tricks people.
He immediately went to his friend’s house, Pak Cokel and Pak Colek. Together, they were planning to trick Pak Dungu.
On the way to the market, Pak Dungu met Pak Busuk.
“Where are you going, Pak Dungu?” asked Pak Busuk.
“I want to go to the market. I want to sell my cow,” answered Pak Dungu.
“A cow? Are you kidding? This is not a cow, this is a goat.”
Pak Dungu was upset, and then continues walking. Later, he met Pak Cokel. He asked Pak Dungu the same question.
“How much?” asked Pak Cokel.
“Two hundred and fifty rupiahs.”
“Wow, that is too expensive for a goat,” said Pak Cokel.
Again Pak Dungu was upset. He thought Pak Cokel was crazy just like Pak Busuk. They thought his cow as a goat.
He ignored Pak Cokel and continued walking, and then he met Pak Colek. Again, Pak Colek said that Pak Dungu did not have a cow but a goat. Pak Dungu was confused. Because Pak Dungu did not want to lose a lot of money, he then sold his ‘goat’ to Pak Colek.
At home, his wife was angry. She asked Pak Dungu to find Pak Colek to get his cow back. Pak Dungu was very sad. He blamed himself for being stupid. He then prayed and then got an idea. He bought a small bell and told all the sellers to help him. Every time he ate or bought something at their places, Pak Dungu did not have to pay. All the sellers agree to help; they knew Pak Dungu was a kind man.
“Hello friends, I want to treat you. Let’s eat,” said Pak Dungu to Pak Busuk, Pak Cokel, and Pak Colek.
They all were eating and after they had finished, Pak Dungu rang the bell. When the seller heard the bell ring, he said, “Ok, you have already paid.”
They then walked to another seller. After Pak Dungu rang the bell, the seller said Pak Dungu had already paid.
Pak Busuk, Pak Cokel, and Pak Colek thought that Pak Dungu had a magic bell. So they asked Pak Dungu to sell it for them. Pak Dungu agreed but he said that the price was Rp250. They agreed and paid the money to Pak Dungu.
After they had the bell, they went to a big restaurant. They ordered a lot of food. After they were full, they rang the bell and left. They restaurant owner was angry. He called the police and said that they were criminals. They ate and did not want to pay. The police then sent them to the jail

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Kebo Iwa

Folklore from Bali

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

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A Loyal Farmer

A long time ago, there was a small village in Bali. The villagers were farmers they were very happy. Gods gave them fertile land. They always had great harvest. There were no poor family in that village.
One day, a young man came to the village. He came from a very far place. He went to the richest farmer in the village. The richest farmer's name was Jero Pasek.

"My name is I Tundung. I came here to work, Sir. I promise I will work hard."
"Hmm...Okay, I will let you work in my rice field. But remember, I will ask you to leave if you are lazy." said Jero Pasek.
I Tudung was very happy. He did not want to disappoint Jero pasek, his master. He worked diligently. Jero Pasek was very grateful. The harvest was much better. Besides cultivating, I Tundung also look care of the animals, such as chickens, ducks, goats and cows. The number of the animals also increased. Jero Pasek become richer.
Jero pasek planned to ask I Tundung to cultivate his field in Kangin Hill.
Unlike the land in the village, the land in Kangin Hill was not fertile.
However, I Tundung accepted it very happy. He felt that Jero Pasek had already trusted him. He wanted to repay his trust by giving him great harvest.
The land in the hill was arid. It was very dry. However, I Tundung was never gave up. There was a small spring. I Tundung made irrigation. He used the water in the spring and flew it through the irrigation.
It worked! The land was not dry anymore. The plants grew very well. And again they had great harvest. Now the whole hills are green, thanks to I Tundung.
Unfortunately, their happiness did not last long. A thief stole the harvest and the animals.
Sadly, I Tundung was never able to catch the thief. The harvest and the animals kept on missing, Jero Pasek was angry.
"I'm very disappointed in you. I have lost a lot of harvest and animals!"
I Tundung was sad. He went to a temple to pray. While he was meditating, he heard a voice.
"I know your promlem and I can help you."
"Thank you. I'm willing to do anything as long as I can protect my master's harvest and animals." said I Tundung.
"I will change you into a big black snake. You will live in the hill and you can protect the harvest and the animals."
I Tundung agreed. he did not want to make his master disappointed and angry at him. Slowly, he changed into a big black snake.
Meanwhile, Joko Pasek was looking for I Tundung. And when he arrived at his field, he saw abig black snake. He was so surprised when the snake was able to talk!
"Don't be afraid, Sir. It's me, I Tundung. From now on, I will always protect your harvest and your animals."
Jero Pasek was very sad. He never meant to ask I Tundung to do anything.

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Lutung Kasarung

PRABU Tapa Agung was an old king. He had two daughters, Purbararang and Purbasari. Prabu Tapa Agung planned to retire as a king. He wanted Purbasari to replace him as the leader of the kingdom. Hearing this, Purbararang was angry.
"You cannot ask her to be the queen, Father. I'm older than she is. It's supposed to be me, not her!" said Purbararang.

But the king still chose Purbasari to be the next queen.
Purbararang then set a bad plan with her fiance, Indrajaya. Together they went to a witch and asked her to put a spell on Purbasari. Later, Purbasari had bad skin. There were black dots all over her body.
"You are not as beautiful as I am. You cannot be the queen. Instead, you have to leave this palace and stay in a jungle," said Purbararang.
Purbasari was very sad. Now she had to stay in the jungle. Everyday she spent her time playing with some animals there. There was one monkey that always tried to cheer her up. It was not just an ordinary monkey, he had magical power. And he also could talk with humans. The monkey's name was Lutung Kasarung. He was actually a god. His name was Sanghyang Gurumina. Lutung Kasarung planned to help Purbasari. He made a small lake and asked her to take a bath there. Amazingly, her bad skin was cured. Now she got her beautiful skin back.
After that, she asked Lutung Kasarung to accompany her to go back to the palace. Purbararang was very shocked. She knew she had to come up with another bad idea. She then said, "Those who have longer hair will be the queen."
The king then measured his daughters' hair. Purbasari had longer hair. But Purbararang did not give up. "A queen must have a handsome husband. If my fiance is more handsome than yours, then I will be the queen," said Purbararang.
Purbasari was sad. She knew Purbararang's fiance, Indrajaya, was handsome. And she did not have a fiance yet. "Here is my fiancé, Indrajaya. Where is yours?" asked Purbararang. Lutung Kasarung came forward. Purbararang was laughing very hard. "Your fiance is a monkey, ha ha ha."
Suddenly, Lutung Kasarung changed into a very a handsome man. He was even more handsome than Indrajaya. Purbasari then became the queen. She forgave Purbararang and her fiance and let them stay in the palace.

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Gold Cucumber

Folklore from Central Java

Once upon a time, not far from a jungle, lived husband and a wife. The were farmers. The were diligent farmers and always worked hard on the paddy fields. They had been married for many years and still not have a child yet. Everyday they prayed and prayed for a child.
One night, while they were praying, a giant passed their house. The giant heard they pray. "Don't worry farmers.
. I can give you a child. But you have to give me that child when she is 17 years old," said the giant.
The farmers were so happy. They did not think about the risk of losing their child letter and agree to take the offer. Letter, the giant gave them a bunch of cucumber seeds. The farmers planted them carefully. Then the seeds changed into plants.
Not longer after that, a big golden cucumber grew from plants. After it had ripe, the farmers picked and cut it. They were very surprised to see beautiful girl inside the cucumber. They named her Timun Mas or Golden Cucumber. Years passed by and Timun Mas has changed into a beautiful girl.
On her 17th birthday, Timun Mas was very happy. However, the parents were very sad. They knew they had to keep their promise to the giant but they also did not want to lose their beloved daughter. "My daughter, take this bag. It can save you from the giant," said the father. "What do you mean, Father? I don't understand," said Timun Mas.
Right after that, the giant came into their house. "Run Timun Mas. Save your life!" said the mother. The giant was angry. He knew the farmers wanted to break their promise. He chased Timun Mas away. The giant was getting closer and closer.
Timun Mas then opened the bag and threw a handful of salt. It became sea. The giant had to swim to cross the sea. Later, Timun Mas threw some chilly. It became a jungle with trees. The trees had sharp thorns so they hurt the giant.
However, the giant was still able to chase Timun Mas. Timun Mas took her third magic stuff. It was cucumber seeds. She threw them and became cucumber field. B
ut the giant still could escape from the field. Then it was the last magic stuff she had in the bag. It was a shrimp paste, terasi. She threw it and became a big swamp.
The giant was still trying to swim the swamp but he was very tired. Then he was drowning and died. Timun Mas then immediately went home. The farmers were so happy that they finally together again

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