Timun Mas

Long time ago, living a couple of farmers. They live in a village near the forest. They live
happy, unfortunately they have not only was a child also.

Every day they pray to the God. They pray to be soon be a child. One day a giant passes
where they reside. Giant prayer is heard that wife’s husband. Giant then provide them
with seeds cucumber.

“Plant seeds of this, Later you will soon get a female child,” said the giant.
“Thank you, giant,” said the couple.
“But there is condition, at the age of 17 years the child must be submitted with you to
me,” the giant reply.
Without thinking long they agree, because it wanted a child.

Husband and wife farmers to plant the seeds cucumber. Every day they start caring for
the plants that grow with it as best as possible. Many months and then bear a
cucumber with golden color.
Fruit cucumber that the longer become larger and heavier. When the fruit is ripe, they
take it, carefully slit the fruit. Sudenlly, in the fruit is found in infants of women who are
very beautiful. Couple was very happy, they gave the name of the baby Timun Mas.

Year after year passed, Timun Mas grown into a beautiful girl. Both parents are very
proud of her. But they became very afraid, because in the anniversary Timun Mas at 17,
the giant will back. The giant take back that promises to take Timun Mas.

Farmers are trying to calm. “Wait a moment. Timun Mas playing. My wife would called
her,” he said. Farmers find it immediately to her doughter. “My girl, take this,” she said
while giving a cloth bag. “This will help fight the giant. Now flee as soon as possible,” she
said. So even Timun Mas immediately fled.

Couple on the sad departure Timun Mas. But they are not willing if their child become
food giant. Giant waiting long time. He was not a patient. He knew, was that lied by
couple of farmers. And he also destroyed the huts of the farmers. Then it was to pursue
Timun Mas to forest.

Giant run chase immediately Timun Mas. Near the gian,Timun Mas immediately take
the handful of salt from the cloth pouch. Then salt spread it to the giant. Suddenly a
wide sea also unfold. Giant forced to swim with great difficulty.

Timun Mas ran again. But then most successful giant come closer. Timun Mas again
taking bizarre objects from a cloth bag. He took the handful chili. Chili throwed to the
giant. At once the tree branches and sharp thorns of the giant trap. Giant cried in pain.
Timun Mas while running to save herself.
But the giant is really strong. He was again nearly captured Timun Mas. So Timun Mas is
also a third issue of miraculous. She sow seeds Cucumber magic. At once grow the
cucumber garden very knowledgeable. Giant very tired and hungry. He also eat the
fresh cucumber with oneself. Because of too much eating, giant was slept.
Timun Mas again fled. She ran for dear life. But long run power out. More unlucky again
because a giant awakened from sleep. Giant again almost catch her. Timun Mas very
terrified. He also threw the last tool handful shrimp paste. Again, miracles happen. A
lake of mud spread wide. Giant fall into it. Hands almost reach Timun Mas. But the lake
mud is basic to withdraw it. Giant panic, he can not breathe, then submerged.

Timun Mas relieved. She has survived, Timun Mas is also return to home to their
parents. Father and mother’s Timun Mas happy to see Timun Mas be save. They held,
“Thank you, God. You have to save my girl,” said their delighted.

Since that time Timun Mas can live quietly with her parents. They can be happy without
living in fear again.
 Danau Toba

Once upon a time there was a prosperous village in a far away island called Sumatra. In
northern part of the island, lived a farmer whose name was Toba. He lived alone in a
hut by a small forest. He worked on his farmland to grow rice and vegetables that he
sells to local market. Once day he wanted to catch some fish so he went to a river and
fished there. He was very surprised when he got a big fish. The fish was as big as human
being. Soon he went home and put the fish in his kitchen. He planned to cook the fish
for his dinner that night. When he got to his house that afternoon he took a bath. Then
as he walked into his bedroom after taking a bath Toba was very shocked. Do you want
to know what happened?

There stood in his living room a very beautiful girl. The girl greeted him nicely. For a
moment Toba was speechless. When he could control his emotion he asked her.

‘Who are you? What’s your name? Why suddenly you are here in my house?’

‘Pardon me if I surprised you Mr. Toba, but you took me here. I was the fish that you
caught in the river. Now that I become a human being again, I would like to thank you
and I will be your servant to express my thankfulness’

‘Were you the fish?’

‘Yes, I was the fish. Look at your kitchen’.

Toba immediately rushed to his kitchen and the fish was nowhere to be seen. He saw
some gold coins instead.

‘Whose coins are these? Why there are some coins here?’

‘Those coins are mine. As I changed into human being my scales changed into gold
coins’

‘Ok you can live here and work for me. Your room is over there’

‘Thank you very much Mr. Toba’

Since that day the beautiful girl lived in Toba’s house. Since she was very beautiful Toba
fell in love with her and not long after that they got married. The girl married to Toba on
one condition that he would never tell anybody about her past. Toba agreed to the
condition. Several months later Toba’s wife delivered to a baby boy. Their son was
healthy. Soon he grew up into a handsome boy. Toba named him Samosir.
Unfortunately Samosir was a lazy boy. He did not want to work at all. When his father
worked hard in his rice field and farm, Samosir just slept. When he was awake he talked
a lot and he ate a lot. Toba was very disappointed with his son’s nature. He hoped that
one day Samosir would change into a diligent boy. Day in and day out but Samosir
never changed.

Toba used to go to his farm and rice field early in the morning. Then at midday his wife
would bring him food. They used to eat lunch at their farm. As he was a teenager Toba
and his wife tried to change his behavior. They ordered Samosir to bring food for his
father for lunch while her mother stayed at home to do household chores. But Samosir
never did his duty well. He always woke up very late. He woke up after midday. Then
one day his mother forced him to bring the food.

‘Sam, wake up. Go to the farm and bring the food for your father. He must be very tired
and hungry now’.

But Mom, I am tired and hungry too’

‘What makes you tired? You just wake up. Go now. You father needs the food’

Toba reluctantly went to the farm. But he did not go to the farm immediately. He
stopped somewhere in the street and ate the food. It was already late afternoon when
he got to the farm. His father was disappointed. Then he was angry as he realized that
his son had eaten his food. He said sarcastically.

‘O, you are stupid lazy boy. You are son of a fish!’

Samosir was hurt. He went home right away and as he got home he told his mother
about his father’s words. Samosir’s mother was shocked. She was also deeply hurt.

‘O Toba. You break your promise so I cannot live with you here anymore. Now you have
to accept to consequence of what you did. Samosir, now go to the hill, find the tallest
tree and climb it’

‘Why mom? What will happen?’

‘Just do it, never ask any question. Good bye’

As soon as she finished saying that suddenly the weather changed. Sunny day suddenly
turned into cloudy day. Not long after that the rain poured heavily. The rain last for
several days. Consequently the area was flooded. The whole area became a big lake.
Then it was called Lake Toba and in the middle of the lake there is an island called
Samosir Island. Meanwhile Toba’s wife disappeared.
 Sangkuriang
Long ago, in West Java, lived a princess named Dayang Sumbi. She had a son named
Sangkuriang. The child was very fond of hunting in the woods. He was always accompanied
by his beloved dog named Tumang while hunting. Tumang was actually the incarnation of a
god and also the biological father of Sangkuriang. But Sangkuriang did not know it because
his mother carefully hid it.

One day, Sangkuriang went into the forest to hunt as usual. Once he arrived, he started
looking for prey. Sangkuriang saw a bird perched on a branch, then without thinking, shot it
right on target. Sangkuriang then commanded Tumang to take his prey, but Tumang was
silent and did not want to follow his command. Sangkurian was very angry with Tumang, and
he expelled Tumang and would not allowed it to go home with him again.

At home, Sangkuriang told her mother about the incident. After hearing the story of her son,
Dayang Sumbi, was very angry. She picked up the spoon and hit the head of Sangkuriang.
Feeling disappointed with the treatment of his mother, Sangkuriang decided to go wandering
and left his house.

Dayang Sumbi deeply regretted her actions after he left. She prayed every day and asked that
one day she could see her son again. Because of her sincerity in prayer, God gave her the
gift of eternal beauty and youth forever.

After many years of wandering, Sangkuriang eventually intends to return to his hometown.
Once there, he was very surprised, because his hometown had changed completely.
Sangkuriang's pleasure increased when he met a woman who is very beautiful, which is none
other than Dayang Sumbi. Fascinated by her beauty, Sangkuriang proposed to her for
marriage. Finally, the proposal was received by Dayang Sumbi Sangkuriang, and she agreed
to marry in the near future.

One day, Sangkuriang asked his future wife for permission to hunt in the forest. Before
leaving, he asked Dayang Sumbi to tighten and fix his head belt. Surprisingly, Dayang Sumbi
saw a scar. The scar was similar to his son's. After asking about the cause of the wound,
Dayang Sumbi was extremely surprised, because it was true that her future husband was her
own son.

Dayang Sumbi was very confused, because she should not marry her own son. After
Sangkuriang came home, Dayang Sumbi tried to speak to Sangkuriang about canceling their
wedding plan. Dayang Sumbi's request was rejected by Sangkuriang.

Every day, Dayang Sumbi thought about how to cancel their wedding. Dayang Sumbi finally
found the best way. She offered two requirements to Sangkuriang. If Sangkuriang could meet
both requirements, Dayang Sumbi wanted to be a wife, otherwise the marriage would be
canceled. The first requirement was that Dayang Sumbi wanted the Citarum river dammed.
The second one was ordered by Sangkuriang to create a very large boat to cross the river.
Both requirements must be completed before dawn.

Sangkuriang challenged both Dayang Sumbi's requests and promised to finish before dawn.
With his magic, Sangkuriang ordered his friends from the jinn to help complete the
requirements. Dayang Sumbi spied on Sangkuriang's job. She was shocked, because
Sangkuriang had almost completed all the requirements given by Dayang Sumbi before
dawn.

Dayang Sumbi then asked for help to hold a red silk cloth to the east of the city. When
looking at the red color in the eastern city, Sangkuriang thought that it was already dawn.
Sangkuriang immediately stopped work and thought he was unable to meet the requirements
that had been submitted by Dayang Sumbi.

Sangkuriang was disappointed and then broke down his own dam. Because of the breakdown
of the dam, there was a flood and the whole town was underwater. Sangkuriang also kicked
the big boat that has been made. The canoe was drifting and fell upside down. Later, it
changed into a mountain called Tangkuban Perahu.
 The Story of Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih)

Along with her stepmother, Bawang Putih shared a home with Bawang Merah, her
stepsister. When Bawang Putih was a baby, her mother passed away. Her step-sister was
then born after her father remarried a different woman.

Unfortunately, her father passed away soon after. Bawang Putih's life has been so miserable
ever since. Bawang Putih was mistreated by her stepmother and stepsister. She was
frequently required to perform all household duties.

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
riverside 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 was
small and the other one was bigger. Bawang Putih had to choose one.

Bawang Putih was not a greedy girl. So she took the small one. Bawang Putih returned home
after thanking the elderly lady. When she arrived home, her stepmother and Bawang Merah
were angry. They had been waiting for her all day long. Bawang Putih then told them 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 were all 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 stepmother asked
Bawang Merah to do exactly the same as Bawang Putih's experience.

Bawang Merah immediately went to the river. She threw the clothes into the water and
pretended to search for 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 smashed the pumpkin on 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 is just punishing us. We have done bad things to Bawang Putih, and God
doesn't like it. We have to apologize to Bawang Putih," said Bawang Merah.
Finally, they both realized their mistake. They apologized and Bawang Putih forgave them.
Now the family is no longer poor. Bawang Putih decided to sell all the jewelry and use the
money for their daily life.
 The Golden Snail

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.

This golden snail was then found by an old woman. One day, the old woman peeked out of

her room to see who was going to cook 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.

 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. Every day 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 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.
 The Legend of Roro Jonggrang

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 Roro 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
Roro 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, Roro Jonggrang
heard from the lady-in waiting 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-in waiting to help her.

"Please prepare a lot of straw and mortar. Come on! Hurry up!" said Roro Jonggrang. All
those ladies-in-waiting were confused. They did not know why Roro 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 the sun is
going to rise and they will run away. Genies are afraid of sunlight." It worked! All those
genies thought that the 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 Roro Jonggrang just tricked him. "You cannot fool
me, Roro 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 Roro Jonggrang a temple. Until now, the temple is still standing in Prambanan area,
Central Java. And the temple is named Roro Jonggrang temple.