THE LEGEND OF BALI STRAIT

Folklore from Bali

A long time ago, lived a very rich family in Bali. The father was Sidi Mantra. He was very
famous for his supernatural power. He lived happily with his wife and his only child Manik
Angkeran. Manik Angkeran was a spoiled son. He also had a bad habit. He liked to gamble.
Because of his bad habit, his parents soon became poor. They always advised Manik
Angkeran to stop his bad habit, but he never listened to them. Instead he kept on begging for
his parents to give him a lot of money.
The parents then did not have the heart to see him begging. Sidi Mantra then went to
Agung Mountain. There lived a mighty dragon with his great supernatural power. He could
provide jewelries to those who could say the right prayers and ring the bell. Sidi Mantra had
the bell and he also knew the prayers.
"My name is Sidi Mantra. I have a problem. My son likes to gamble. He made me poor.
And now he asks a lot of money. I want to give him some, but now I want him to promise to
stop his bad behavior," explained Sidi Mantra after he met the dragon.
Sidi Mantra then said the prayers and rang the bell. Suddenly, jewelries came out from
the dragon's body. He was very happy and immediately brought the jewelries home. This time
Sidi Mantra wanted Manik Angkeran really to stop gambling.
The son then promised. But soon he broke the promise and he did not have any money
again. He heard that his father got the jewelries from the dragon living in Agung Mountain. So
he stole his father's bell then went there.
After arriving at Agung Mountain, Manik Angkeran rang the bell. The dragon knew him.
"I will give you anything you want but you have to promise to stop gambling. Remember
the karma!" then the dragon gave him the jewelries.
Manik Angkeran was very happy. Suddenly he had a bad idea. He wanted to kill the
dragon and stole all his jewelries. The dragon knew his plan and with his great power he killed
Manik Angkeran. Sidi Mantra was very sad. He asked the dragon to bring his son back to life.
The dragon agreed but they had to live in different places.
After a few moments, Manik Angkeran lived again. Then Sidi Mantra used a stick to
make a big line between them on the ground.
From the line, water flowed. Soon it became a river. Finally it became a strait. It
separated Java and Bali. People then named the strait as Bali Strait.
 THE LEGEND OF SITU BAGENDIT
Folklore from West Java

Once upon a time, a widow lived. She was called Nyai Bagendit. She was knows as the
richest person in the village where she lived. She lived at a large house. There was a great
deal of jewelleries in the house. There were also several servants to serve her.
Although Nyai Bagendit was prosperous, she rarely helped the villagers. She was also
regarded as a mean person with bad attitudes. The villagers who borrowed her money had to
return it double. If they couldn’t return her money, she would take everything they had.
One day, a beggar came to Nyai Bagendit. The beggar was a very old woman. She
looked so weak. She begged for some food to Nyai Bagendit, but she was instead chimed.
She told her servants to take the beggar away. The beggar cried while she stepped leaving
the house, she prayed inside her heart.
Soon after the beggar prayed, she heard a scream from Nyai bagendits house. An
earthquake occurred, but its only Nyai bagendits house. All the villagers also came to see
what happened. Nyai Bagendit cried for help loudly. But, no one helped her. The villagers
knew that god was punishing Nyai Bagendit.
The earthquake was so huge that Nyai Bagendits house ruined down. All the jewelries
and things owned by Nyai Bagendit were also damaged and gone because of the earthquake.
Then the ruined house was amazingly changed into a lake. The villagers named it Situ
Bagendit.
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 in 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 has been named Banyuwangi.

THE LEGEND OF LAU KAWAR LAKE

Folklore from North Sumatra
 It was a beautiful day. Everybody in the Kawar village was happy. The farmers had just
had their best harvest. The villagers were planning to hold a party to celebrate the good
harvest. On one beautiful day, all the villagers gathered in a field. They wore beautiful dresses
and made delicious food. Everybody was having good times! They were singing, laughing
and, of course, eating delicious food.
Did everyone go to the party? Unfortunately, there was one old woman still staying at
her house. She was too old and weak to go to the party. Her son, her daughter-in-law, and
her grandchildren all went to the party. At home, the old woman felt very sad and lonely. She
was very hungry too. She tried to find some food in the kitchen, but she was very
disappointed. Her daughter-in-law did not cook that day. At the party, the son asked her wife,
“Why don’t you take some food from the party and give it to my mom? Ask our son to deliver
it.” Then the little boy brought the food to her grandmother. The old woman was so happy. But
her happiness turned into sadness when she saw the food was not in a good condition. It
seemed that someone had eaten the food. She just got little rice and fish bones.
The old woman was very sad. She thought bad things about her son. The old woman
did not know that it was her grandson who had eaten the food on the way from the party to
the house. She cursed her son. Then, a terrible thing happened. There was a great
earthquake! Thunders struck the village. And heavy rains started to fall. All the villagers were
so scared. They wanted to save themselves. They tried to find shelters. Slowly, the field
turned into a lake. The lake was getting bigger and bigger, and finally the whole village turned
into a big lake. People then named the lake Lau Kawar.

THE LEGEND OF TELAGA WARNA

A folklore from West Java
 Long time ago, there was a kingdom in West Java. The kingdom was ruled by a king
named His Majesty Prabu.
Prabu was a kind and wise king. But it was a pity that Prabu and his queen hadn’t got
any children. The queen often cried. That was why Prabu went to the jungle. There he prayed
to God every day, begging for a child.
A few months later, the queen got pregnant. Nine months later, a princess was born.
Prabu and Queen loved their beautiful daughter so much. They gave whatever she wanted. It
made Princess turn into a very spoiled girl.
One day, the princess celebrated her 17th birthday party. Many people gathered in the
palace. Then, Prabu took out a necklace which was made from gold and jewel.
“My beloved daughter, today I give you this necklace. Please, wear this necklace,” said
Prabu.
“I don’t want to wear it! It’s ugly!” shouted the princess. Then she threw the necklace.
The beautiful necklace was broken. The gold and jewels were spread out on the floor.
Everybody couldn’t say anything. They never thought that their beloved princess would do
that cruel thing. In their silence, people heard the queen crying. Every woman felt sad and
began crying, too. Then, everybody was crying. Then, there was a miracle. Earth was crying.
Nowadays, people called the lake “Telaga Warna”. It means “Lake of Color”. On a bright
day, the lake is full of color. These colors come from shadows of forest, plants, flowers, and
sky around the lake. But some people said that the colors are from the princess’s necklace,
which spreads at the bottom of the lake.

THE LEGEND OF BANYUWANGI

A folklore from East Java
 Once upon a time, there was a local ruler named King Sulahkromo. The king had a
Prime Minister named Raden Sidopekso. The Prime Minister had a wife named Sri Tanjung.
She was so beautiful that the king wanted her to be his wife.
One day, the King sent his Prime Minister to a long mission. While the Prime Minister
was away, the King tried to get Sri Tanjung. However he failed. He was very angry. Thus,
when Sidopekso went back, the King told him that his wife was unfaithful to him. The Prime
Minister was very angry with his wife. Sri Tanjung said that it was not true. However,
Sidopekso said that he would kill her.
He brought her to the river bank. Before he kill her and threw her into the river, she said
that her innocence would be proven. After Sidopekso killed her, he threw her dead body into
the dirty river.
The river immediately became clean and began to spread a wonderful fragrance.
Sidopekso said, “Banyu…Wangi… Banyuwangi”. This means “fragrant water”. Banyuwangi
was born from the proof of noble and sacred love.

THE LEGEND OF PHILIPPINES

Many thousands of years ago, a man and his wife lived in the Philippines, they were
called Angngalo and Angngarab.
 One morning, they went to gather some shellfish. Inside one, they found a pearl. It was
an unusual yellow colour and very large.
Angngalo gave it to Angngarab. “Oh!” she said, “I can find many more pearls than you!”
Soon they were quarrelling and shouting at each other. They ran along the seashore
looking for shellfish. Before, they had a big pile in front of them. They pulled open the shells
and looked in them for pearls.
“I’ve got more pearls than you!” shouted Angngalo.
“No, you haven’t!” answered Angngarab. “Anyway, my pearls are bigger than yours!”
Soon, they were fighting. They threw the shells and pearls at each other. (That is why
there are so many shells and pearls in the Philippines) They rolled on the ground and
stamped their feet.
There was aloud “Boom!” and “Crack!”. The mountains and hills began to split. The
water in the rivers and lakes flooded the land.
They still continued fighting. Suddenly, there was a great storm, with thunder lighting.
The land broke into several parts. Luzon was in the north, the Visayan Islands were in the
middle, and Mindanao in the south.
Because of this, there are now over seven thousand islands in the Philippines.

THE LEGEND OF BALI STRAIT

Long time ago, Java and Bali was one. And in the country of Blambangan there was a
spiritual man called Begawan Sidi Mantra. He has a son, Manik Angkeran. Manik Angkeran
was a spoiled son. He liked to gamble. Because of his bad habit, his parents soon became
poor.
Sidi Mantra beg to the Giant Dragon named Basuki to give a money to paid his son debt
and change his son habbit. The dragon agree to help in the condition that his son has to stop
gambling. But Manik Angkeran had a bad idea. He wanted to kill the dragon and stole all his
jewelry. The dragon knew his plan, and with his great power he killed Manik Angkeran.
Sidi Mantra was very sad knowing that Manik Angkeran was killed. He asked the dragon
to bring his son back to life. The dragon agreed, but they had to live in different places. After a
few moments, Manik Angkeran lived again. Then, Sidi Mantra used a stick to make a big line
between them on the ground. From the line, water flowed. Soon it became a river. Finally, it
became a strait which separated Java and Bali. People then named the strait as Bali Strait.

THE LEGEND OF SALATIGA

A folktale from Central Java
 Many years ago there was a very honest sunan. He taught people about the meaning of
life and about religion, he is known as Sunan Kalijaga. He traveled to spread his precious
lesson.
One day, Sunan Kalijaga arrived at a village. Sunan went to the village chief's house.
Then Sunan Kalijaga asked for a job without telling his real name. The wife of the chief said
he could help cut the grass.
Sunan Kalijaga started working by cutting grass to feed the chief's horses.
Soon, the chief of the village realized that his employee was Sunan Kalijaga. The chief
was extremely surprised. Then he decided to follow the lesson of Sunan Kalijaga.
To follow the lesson of Sunan Kalijaga, the chief had to leave everything behind. But the
wife didn't agree so she brought her jewelry in bamboo.
When the three of them were taking a rest in a village, a robber approached and took
everything from the wife of the chief. Sunan said that this village would be full of people and
really busy.
Then Sunan named the place Salatiga which means three wrong people. The three
wrong people were the chief, his wife, and also the robber who loves collecting things.
And now, this village is known as Salatiga.

PUTRI KEMUNING
A folklore from East Java
 Putri Kemuning and her mother lived in a jungle. They were poor. Putri Kemuning
helped her mother collect woods in the jungle and sell them to the market.
In the jungle, Putri Kemuning had animal friends. One day, Putri Kemuning’s mother
was very ill. Putri Kemuning was very sad because she did not have enough money to buy
medicine. She then collected many woods and plans to sell them. She wanted to spend the
money to buy medicine.
While She was collecting the woods, Putri Kemuning met her animal friend, the rabbit.
He was worried because Putri Kemuning looked very sad. Putri Kemuning told the problem to
the rabbit. “I can help you. Take this ring and then sell it,” says the rabbit. “Is this your ring?”
asked Putri Kemuning. “No. This is the King Ngarancang Kencono’s ring. It fell when he was
hunting here.” Putri Kemuning hesitated. She really needed the money but it was not her ring.
Finally she said, “No, I have to return this ring to the king.”
Putri Kemuning then went to see the king at his palace. “What is your name and what is
your purpose here?” said the king. “My name is Putri Kemuning. I want to return your ring,”
said Putri Kemuning. “Thank you very much. Now, I want to give you something. What do you
want?” “I don’t anything. I just want to go home. My mother is very ill,” replied Putri Kemuning.
“You are a very kind girl. Now, take this gift,” said the king.
Putri Kemuning went home. When she arrived, Putri Kemuning told her mother about
the king’s ring. Her mother was very proud of her. When they opened the gift, they saw a bag
full of gold coins. They were very happy because they can buy medicine.