Origin story from Telaga Sarangan, Magetan
Kyai Pasir and Nyai Pasir are husband and wife who live in Lawu mountain forests. They take shelter in a house (cabin) in the East Lawu forest slopes. The cottage was made of wood leaves the forest and thatched roof. With a very modest cottage is both already felt very safe and not afraid of the danger that happened, like a wild animal disturbance and so on. Moreover they have long lived in the forest is so understanding of the situation Continue reading
The early settlers in the United States had a life of hardship and had little outside source of entertainment. They could laugh at their hard life, however, and used their imagination to create their own entertainment. One way in which they amused themselves was by telling “tall tales”. These stories combine practical facts with exaggerated fancies. They are told as if they really happened. “Henry The Tall-Tale Trout” is one example of a tall tale. In varying forms, Continue reading
The Owl and The Moon
( a tale from South Sulawesi )
One day, Sri Maharaja Mambang, the King or a fairy kingdom in Heaven, called all the wise men in his country to his palace. His kingdom was rich and his people were happy and loved their ruler. There was only one thing that was missing in their lives of the king and queen. Although they had three handsome sons, the king and queen had no daughter – and how they wished for a little girl.
“Look at the palm of my Continue reading
The Chickens from Kamal
( a tale from Madura )
It is well-known that there are many strong chickens around the town of Kamal on the south coast of Madura. This story tells you why.
Long ago, when the gods were still on earth, a gang of cruel pirates attacked a rice ship which was on its way to Java from the Sunda islands. The pirates The Chickens from Kamal ( a tale from Madura )
It is well-known that there are many strong chickens around the town of Kamal on the Continue reading
One morning, a young man called Appu, came whistling down the road. He was leading a fat cow on a rope. He was going to sell it in the market for twenty rupees.
Suddenly a voice came from behind him, “Hey little fellow, where are you taking that skinny billy goat ?”
“Goat ?” Appu cried. He turned around and saw three big, ugly men behind him. “Goat ? Are you blind ? This is fine healthy cow. I’m taking her to the market, and I’ll sell her Continue reading
The Clever Potalla
( South Sulawesi )
Once, a headman lent a sum of money to a peasant called Potalla. When the time came to return the money, the headman came to visit Potalla and asked him for the money. Potalla had no money. He said to the headman, “I haven’t got the money yet. Somebody else has borrowed it from me. Please wait a few more days, so that I will have to collect what people owe me.”
The headman agreed and said that he would return in four Continue reading
How The Queen of The Sea Punished Greed
(Central Java)
It was a very dark night. On the beach everything was quiet. Only the song of the waves broke the deep silence. There was nobody to be seen on the sand. There was not a single man or a single animal.
At one place near the sea there rose a high rock. The waves had been throwing themselves for centuries against the walls of this rock and had made holes in them. Some of the holes were small, but some were big and formed Continue reading
The Origin of Lake Toba
( Sumatra )
In North Sumatra there is a lake which is said to be the largest lake in Southeast Asia, and one of the deepest in the world. It lies 900 metres above sea-level and is surrounded by pine-covered beaches, high cliff, and steep mountain slopes. This famous lake is called Lake Toba, the birthplace of the Batak people. Here is the story which tells how the lake was formed.
A long time ago, there was a fisherman called Batara Guru Sahala. Day Continue reading
The Tiger People
(A tale from Sumatra)
In the dark green forests of Sumatra there used to be many tigers. The villagers were frightened of these big cats which, from time to time, stole away their cattle. When they spoke about a tiger, the villagers would never call the animal by its real name. They respectfully called the tiger “Master” or “Grandfather”. They thought the tiger could understand the human language and that they would feel insulted if weak Continue reading
There were once three sisters who lived by themselves in the heart of the thick forest. The two elder sisters were mean and bad tempered, but the youngest sister was very kind hearted and helpful.
Every summer they used to go out into the forest to collect all the different kinds of berries which were there, and there were so many berries to pick that it was often growing dark before they returned home.
One summer evening the eldest sister had just filled her basket when she Continue reading
