Prince Amat Mude

Folklore from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

THERE was a kingdom in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. The people were sad.
Their beloved king just died. He was a great king. He loved his people very
much. And he was a wise king. The king had a son. His name was Prince
Amat Mude.
Because he was still a baby, he could not become the next king. He had to
wait until he was an adult. And for temporary, the king's younger brother
became the king. He was Prince Amat Mude's uncle.
The uncle agreed Prince Amat Mude would become the king when he was an
adult. At first everything went well, but soon the uncle changed his mind. He
did not want Prince Amat Mude replaced him as the king.
The uncle wanted to be the king until he died. The uncle had a bad plan. He
asked the soldiers to bring the prince and the queen to the jungle. The
soldiers felt very sorry for them. So they build a house in the jungle.
The queen raised the prince by herself. She taught all good things for her
son. Soon the prince became a young man, Prince Amat Mude loved fishing.
And one day he caught a lot of fish. The queen and the prince sold all the
fish in the nearest village.
When they arrived in the village they met a rich merchant. He was surprised
to see them. He was the king's best friend. When the king was alive, he often
helped the merchant. The merchant wanted to help them. He bought all the
fish and asked them to stay in his house.
At home, the merchant asked his wife to cook the fish. But when the wife cut
the fish she found gold inside the fish's body. She gave all the gold to the
queen and the prince. They then sold the gold and built a home in the
village.
The prince continued to go fishing and he always found gold inside the fish
body he caught. In just a moment the prince and the queen became very
rich. They were very generous. They often helped people with their money.
And soon they became very famous.
The bad king heard that there were very rich people in his kingdom. He did
not know that they were the queen and the prince. He wanted to know who
they were so he invited them to the palace.
When the bad king met them, he was shocked. He thought the queen and

the prince are already dead. He pretended to be sorry with their condition in
the jungle. He said he would let the prince to be the new king. But before
that he asked the prince to help him.
The bad king's wife was ill. And the cure was the coconut fruit in a remote
island. The bad king had another bad plan. He asked the prince to get him
the coconut fruit. He knew the prince could not get the fruit because a
dragon lived in the island.
The prince went to the island. And when he arrived, he met the dragon! The
prince tried to calm down. He introduced himself and asked the dragon's
permission to pick the coconut fruit. The dragon was able to talk to humans.
He was the best friend of the prince's father. He was willing to help the
prince get his crown back.
Together the prince and the dragon went back to the palace. The bad king
was so scared when he saw the dragon. He had no other choice. The people
were very happy, they knew Prince Amet Mude would become a great king
like his father. ***

The Legend of Batu Hapu Cave

Folklore from South Kalimantan
IN Tapin, South Kalimantan, there is a tourist destination. There is a cave and
people name it Batu Hapu Cave. Local people say that there is a legend how
the cave was made. Do you want to know the story? Read on!
There was an old woman who lived with his only son. The woman's name
was Nini Kudampai and her son's name was Angui. They were really poor
while Angui was still a kid. He was kind and very helpful. His father died
when he was a baby. Though he was very young, he behaved like an adult.
He knew he had to help his mother to earn a living. And that made his
mother loved him very much.
Angui had three pets. They were a white pig, a white dog, and a white cock.
He liked playing with them after helping his mother. It was a beautiful day
when Angui was playing with his three pets. A rich merchant was passing
Angui's house. He stopped and paid attention to the kid. He liked Angui very
much. He asked some people about Angui. And when he knew that Angui
came from a poor family, he wanted to adopt Angui.
The rich merchant came to Angui's house. He talked to Nini Kudampai. He
told him that he wanted to adopt Angui. He promised that he would let Angui
go home and live with her after Angui was an adult. And he also promised
that he would give Angui a good education.
Nini Kudampai was so touched. She was in a big dilemma. She was happy
that her only son would get a good education, however she was also sad that
she would not see son anymore. She agreed with the merchant's plan. She
let him adopt her soon.
With a big ship, the merchant and Angui sailed to the city. He raised Angui
very well. He sent Angui to the best school. And he also taught him how
doing business. Angui was smart. He could understand everything very fast.
The merchant was very happy. He slowly gave some of his business to Angui.
And Angui paid the trust by giving the merchant a lot of profit.
Angui was adult, the rich merchant planned to give all his business to Angui.
However the rich merchant asked Angui to get married before he could
receive the entire merchant's business. And Angui agreed.
Angui had fallen in love with a girl. He knew it was time for him to get

married, especially when the merchant had promised to give him all the
business. He did not waste much time. Angui proposed the girl and the girl
happily accepted him.
Angui and his wife were very happy. Also, they were very rich. The merchant
remembered his promise to Nini Kudampai. He told Angui to go home. But
Angui refused. The merchant then reminded Angui about his promised. His
wife also asked Angui to go to his hometown. Angui gave up. He asked his
crew to prepare his ship. They would sail to Tapin.
The news spread very fast. People were talking that Angui would go back
home. His mother finally heard the news also. She brought Angui's pets, the
white pig, the white dog, and the white cock.
Nini Kudampai was standing at the harbor. When she saw Angui, she called
out his name. Angui saw his mother. She looked very old and shabby. He was
ashamed. His wife asked him who the old woman was, but he said that he
did not know her. He then asked his crew to continue sailing. The ship did not
stop.
Nini Kudampai was so sad, and she was also very angry. She cursed Angui for
ignoring her. She had been waiting for her son to come back. And when he
arrived, he ignored and did not want to admit her as his mother.
God heard the old woman's praying. Suddenly the rain fell down heavily.
Thunder attacked the ship. It turned upside down! The ship finally stranded.
Slowly the ship changed into a big stone. Later, the big stone slowly changed
into a cave. People then named the cave as Batu Hapu Cave. ***

Timun Mas (The Golden Cucumber)

Folklore from Central Java
ONCE upon a time, not far from a jungle, lived a husband and a wife. They
were farmers. They were diligent farmers and always worked hard in the
paddy fields. They had been married for many years and still not have a child
yet.
Every
day
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 later and agree to take the offer. Later, 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 a 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.
But 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. TimunMas then immediately went home. The
farmers were so happy that they finally together again. ***

Keong Emas (The Golden Snail)

Folklore From Central Java
PRINCE Raden Putra and Dewi Limaran were husband and wife. They lived in
a palace. The 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 in 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 better 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. ***

Putri Bungsu and the Dragons

Folklore from Aceh
ONCE upon a time, there were two dragons lived in Aceh. The dragons were
male and female, they were husband and wife. The dragons really wanted to
have a child. They always prayed to God to give them a child.
One day the dragons were resting at the river side. Suddenly they saw a
baby beside a basket. The basket was drifting by the current of the water.
"My husband, look! There is a human baby inside the basket. Let's save the
baby!" said the mother dragon.
The father dragon immediately swam fast. He brought the baby to the side.
She was a baby girl. The dragons were very happy. They had a child.
Although the baby was a human child, the dragons really loved her. They
named her Putri Bungsu.
Days passed by, Putri Bungsu was adult. She was very beautiful. The dragons
always took care of her. They also always protected her.
In mean time, putri Bungsu real parents were looking for her.
In the mean time, Putri Bungsu real parents were looking for her. There was
an incident and accidentallyPutri Bungsu was drifting in the river.

After years looking for her, Putri Bungsu's real parents finally found her.
"My child, thank God we finally found you. You are our daughter. We know it
from the mark in your hand," said the mother.
The dragons were angry! they said Putri Bunsu was their daugter.
"No! She is our daughter! We have raised her since she was a baby. We loved
her and she loved us," said the mother dragon.
Putri Bungsu's real parents and the dragons were arguing. They each claimed
to be Putri's Bungsu'sparents and they asked Putri bungsu to stay with them.
They were arguing and they did not get any solutions. Putri Bungsu's real
parents asked for help. They asked Tuan Tapa to help them. Tuan Tapa was a
holy
man.
He
also
had
supernatural
power.
Tuan Tapa then asked the dragons to let Putri Bungsu leave and stay with her
real parents. The dragons were angry. They asked Tuan Tapa not to interfere.
Tuan Tapa realized
that
the
dragons
Therefore Tuan Tapa challenged them to fight.

could

not

negotiate.

"If you win, you can keep her. However you have to let her go and stay with
her real parents if you both lose the fight," said Tuan Tapa.
"Ha ha ha...No problem! We will win the fight!"
Then Tuan Tapa and the dragons were fighting bravely. Although he was
alone and had to fight with two dragons, Tuan Tapa was very brave. he used
all
his
skills
to
fight
them.
And finally he won the fight! The father dragon was dead. The mother dragon
was very sad and angry. She knew she could not win the fight. She escaped.
The mother dragon was very angry. She wagged her tail. It broke an island
into two small islands. people named the islands as Pulau Dua.
The tail also wagged another big island into many small islands. People
named
the
island
as PulauBanyak.
While the body of the father dragon changed into a big stone.
People named it as Batu Hitam. And the blood dried into a big red stone,
people named it as BatuMerah.***

The Legend of Laut Tawar Lake

Folklore from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
A long time ago, there was a kingdom in Takengon, Nanggroe
Aceh Darussalam. The king and the queen had a beautiful princess. Her
name was Princess Pukes. She was single. The king and the queen wanted
her to get married soon.
However they did not know that their daughter already had a boyfriend. The
princess did not tell his parents because they did not approve their
relationships. The
princess
really
loved
her
boyfriend.
They did not want to separate. Therefore they secretly got married. Soon the
king found out their marriage. The king was really angry. He asked
the soldiers
to lock
her
in her
room.
The princess could not meet her husband. She was locked for many days.
Meanwhile her husband always waited for her. The princess tried to escape.
But she always failed. And finally she succeeded! She jumped through the
window and ran towards the palace garden.
Unfortunately, she was caught! The soldiers immediately brought her to the
king. The king was so angry.
You really make me angry! You are truly ungrateful daughter. If you want to
leave this place, leave now! You can meet your husband. But remember on
the way you go, dont look back. Something bad will happen to you if
you look back, cursed the king.

Princess Pukes was sad. She was really confused. She had to choose between
her parents and her husband. She loved her husband and she did not want to
be apart from him.
Sadly, she walked and left the palace. Some soldiers followed her. The king
asked them to guard her.
While she was walking, Princess Pukes heard her mother crying. Princess
Pukes wanted to see her mother for the very last time. But she remembered
her
fathers
message,
not
to
look
back or something bad would happen to her.
She could not hold it anymore. She desperately wanted to see her mother.
Then she looked back. Surprisingly, thunder attacked the kingdom. It was a
very bright day, but suddenly rain fell heavily.
The guards asked the princess to go to a cave. The rain was so heavy. The
guards did not want the princess to be wet.
Later the princess went inside the cave. She was standing in the corner
of the cave. And after the rain stopped, the guards asked the princess to
continue walking. They called out the princess to go out.
My princess, lets go now. The rain has stopped. We can continue walking,
asked
the guards.
But the princess did not respond. Again, the guards asked her to go out. But
still the princess did not respond. The guards were so curious. They went
inside the cave. They were surprised. The princess had changed into a stone.
Meanwhile, the heavy rain had created a new lake. The lake was so big and
then people named it as Laut Tawar Lake. People also can still find the stone
of Princess Pukes. The local people say that when someone visits the
stone and feels sad about the story of the princess, the stone will also cry!***

Kepar
Folklore from Nangroe Aceh Darussalam
A long time ago in Tanah Alas, Aceh, lived a widow with her son named
Kepar. They lived alone in a hut. Kepar was a kind kid. He always helped his
mother. Kepars parents divorced when he was a baby. Kepars father left and
stayed in other place. He never visited Kepar.
That made Kepar did not know his father. Kepars friends always made fun of
him. They said that Kepar was not a normal kid because he did not have a
father. They said that Kepars father hated Kepar so much and that was why
he left Kepar.
One day, Kepar could not hold it anymore. He dared himself to talk to his
mother and asked about his father. At first, his mother refused to tell him.
But Kepar kept on pushing her to tell him the truth. Finally, Kepars mother
gave up. She then told everything about his father.
After he knew all about his father, Kepar went to look for him. He went to a
very high mountain where his father lived. He was walking for days and
nights. Finally he arrived at his fathers hut.
Good morning, Sir, said Kepar.
Good morning kid. Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Kepar. Im from Tanah Alas, answered Kepar.

The man was surprised. He knew his son and his former wife lived there.
Kepar then told him about himself and his mother.
So, you are my son, cried his father. They were hugging each other.
I missed you, Father. I always think about you. My friends said that you
hated me and so you left me, said Kepar.
They were wrong. I never hated you. Your mother and I had to live
separately. But dont worry, now you can stay with me also, said Kepars
father.
Kepar was so happy. Since then he lived in two houses. He stayed at his
fathers for a week and stayed with his mother in another week. One day
Kepar had an idea to reunite his parents.
Father, I am really sad to see you live alone. Why dont you remarry? I can
find you a beautiful woman for you, said Kepar.
I dont know about that Kepar. Let me think about it, answered Kepars
father.
Kepar also said the same thing to his mother. There was a man who wanted
to marry her. Kepar then set the time and place for his parents meeting.
When they finally met, Kepars parents were surprised. They havent seen
each other for a long time.
At first, they did not recognize each other. Kepars mother was still beautiful
and his father was still handsome. Kepar then begged to them. He asked
them to reunite. Kepars parents then forgave each other. To make their son
happy, they remarried and lived happily ever after. ***

The Parakeet King

A folktale from Nangroe Aceh Darussalam
In the jungle of Aceh, parakeet birds live peacefully with their wise king.
However, now their peaceful life is disturbed. A hunter goes into their jungle
and
plans
to
catch
them.
It's a beautiful morning. The parakeets and their king perch on a branch of
tree. They do not know that the hunter is hiding. The hunter wants to catch
the
parakeets
with
his
net.
The hunter throws his net towards the parakeets. Some parakeets and the
parakeet king are caught under the net. The parakeets are scared but the
parakeet
king
tells
them
what
to
do.
"Relax. I have a plan. We all pretend to be dead. When the hunter lifts the
net up, we fly fast to the sky," advise the parakeet king. The hunter goes to
his net. He is upset! He thinks all the parakeets are dead.
"Oh no! I can't sell dead birds to people." He then lifts the net up.

Not long after that, the parakeets free themselves and fly to the sky. But the
parakeet king is still trapped. He does not want to fly to the sky until the
parakeets are free.
The hunter is surprised when he sees the parakeets are flying. He sees there
is one parakeet left in the net.
He moves quickly. "Gotcha!" he catches the parakeet king.
And then the hunter goes home. He puts the parakeet king in a birdcage.
In the jungle, all the parakeets are sad because their king is locked in a
birdcage. They set a plan to free their king. All the parakeets fly to the
hunter's house. With their beaks, the parakeets peck the birdcage. Slow but
sure, the birdcage is destroyed. Then the parakeet king can free himself.
Thank you. You all are very kind to me. Without your help, I'm still trapped
in this birdcage, "says the parakeet king. ***

Mentiko Betuah
Folklore from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
A long time ago, there was a kingdom in Semeulue, Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam. The king and the queen had a son, the prince. They loved the
prince very much. They always gave him anything he wanted and that made
him
grow
as
a
spoiled
young
man.
The king realized his mistake. He wanted to give the prince a lesson. He
asked the prince to leave the palace and became a merchant.
"I will give you some money. Use the money only for trading. Don't come
back until you are rich!" asked the king.
The prince was sad. He knew his father was angry with him because he was
a spoiled boy. He then promised to himself that he could become a great
merchant.

After he left the palace, he went to a village. While he was walking, he saw
some kids were trying to shoot a bird using their slingshots.
"Stop! Don't hurt the bird! I'll give you some money if you stop hurting him,"
said the prince. After that, he gave some money to those kids.
Later, he saw some men were torturing a snake. Again, the prince asked
them to stop hurting the snake. He also gave them some money. He kept on
giving some money to people who tortured animals. Finally he did not have
any money at all. He was so worried. He knew he could not become a
merchant without any money in his pocket. He was also scared of going
home. His father would be very angry at him.
Next, the prince went to the forest. He did not know anywhere to go. While
he was sitting under a big tree, a giant snake came to him. He was so
frightened.
"Don't worry, young man. I will not eat you. I am the king of snakes in this
jungle. I heard you helped many animals from being tortured. Now, I want to
give you a gift. This is Mentiko Betuah. This magical stone can give you
anything you want."
The prince was happy. He asked the Mentiko Betuah to give him a lot of
money. Amazingly, the prince later had a lot of money. So he went home and
told his father that the money was from his business as a merchant.
The prince kept the Mentiko Betuah carefully. He went to a goldsmith and
asked him to make the magical stone as a ring. Unfortunately, the goldsmith
stole the Mentiko Betuah. The prince was angry. Luckily he had made friends
with the animals. Then they all helped him find the Mentiko Betuah.
A cat, a dog, and a mouse went together to find the magical stone. They
finally found the goldsmith. However they could not enter his house, only the
mouse could. After waiting for a moment, the mouse came out of the house.
He said he could not find the magical stone.
After that they all went back to the palace. The cat and the dog did not know
that the mouse actually had found the magical stone. He was hiding it in his
mouth. He then gave the Mentiko Betuah to the prince. He was so happy and
said that the mouse was the hero.
The cat and the dog were jealous and angry. They tried to kill the mouse.
That's why until now cats and dogs always try to catch mice. ***

MALIN KUNDANG
a Story from West Sumatra
A long time ago, there's old widow with her son, named Malin Kundang. They
lived in a hut in the vilage near the sea. They were very poor.
Malin Kundang thought, "if I stay here, I won't have a better life. I have to
leave this vilage and look for a job."
His mother was sad to hear it. But she knew that Malin Kundang was right.
So she let him go.
After her son had left, Malin Kundang's mother went to the beach every day.
She hoped her son would return soon. At night she would pray for her son's

safety. She would ask the captain of the ship whether he saw her son or not.
But she got no news about Malin Kundang.
After years, when she was very old, a captain of a ship told her, "Malin
Kundang? I met him some month ago. He is now married to a beautiful girl.
She is the daughter of a wealthy man."
Malin Kundang's mother was very happy to hear it.
"Thank you, God!" she prayed. She was sure that Malin Kundang would
return home one day.
One morning, a big beautiful ship docked. A young couple stood at the dock.
They wore beautiful clothes.
Malin Kundang's mother cried joyfully. "Malin Kundang! My son! You are
home!" she hugged the young man.
Malin Kundang did not believe her. He thought,"This can't be my mother! She
was a strong woman when I left."
But his wife said angrily,"Why didn't you tell me that your mother is poor and
old?" Then she spitted on the old woman.
The old woman cried. She could not believe what she heard.
"Malin, I am your mother."
But Malin Kundang did not listen. He was embarrassed to have an old
mother. So he kicked the old woman yelled at her, "Go away, ugly woman.
My mother does not look like you at all."
The woman fell on the ground. She cried. Then she prayed,"My dear God, if
he really is my son, punish him."
Suddenly, there was a thunderstorm. Big waves hit the shore with a loud
noise. They hit everything from big ships to coconut trees along the shore.
The thunderstorm was a fierce one.
The storm stopped in the morning. But the villagers could see what the storm
had done. Not far from the shore, there were rocks that looked like wreckage
and the passenger of a ship. People believed that it was Malin Kundang's
ship, and Malin Kundang changed into a coral reef. God had punished him.