The Legend of Malin Kundang

A long time ago on a small beach in Indonesia, lived a woman and her son, who was called Malin Kundang. They did not have very much money, but Malin Kundang was a healthy strong boy who was a good boatsman and swimmer. He went to the sea to catch fish, which he and his mother ate or sold in the town.

One day, Malin Kundang saw a trader’s ship in trouble. It was being raided by a small band of pirates. Malin Kundang went to help the ship and fought off the pirates. The trader was very grateful to Malin Kundang, and very impressed by his strength and bravery. He asked Malin Kundang to work with him and Malin Kundang agreed.

Malin Kundang made lots of money. He bought a huge ship of his own and married a beautiful wife.

Many years later, Malin Kundang’s ship landed on the small beach where he grew up. People on the beach recognised him, and the news travelled around the village. His mother, who had been sad and lonely without him, heard the news and ran to the beach to meet her beloved son.

Malin Kundung, wearing his expensive clothes and standing with his beautiful wife, didn’t recognise his mother and refused to greet the poor old woman. His mother begged him to see her three times, but he declined. At last Malin Kundung shouted “Enough, old woman! I have never had a dirty and ugly peasant woman like you as a mother!” and he ordered his crews to set sail.

His mother was angry. She shouted that she would turn him into stone unless he apologised. Malin Kundung laughed and started to sail away into the calm sea.

Suddenly a thunderstorm descended. Malin Kundang’s ship was tossed to and fro on the huge waves, and sank. Malin Kundang was thrown from the ship onto a small island and turned into stone.

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Legend of Lake Toba

I was cleaning up my old stuff that I brought from Indonesia the other day and found one torn-apart book. That was my elementary school book!! I went through pages and remember that one of my teachers used to give us assignment to write tales/legends/fables and present it in front of the class, oh my God I still remember those groggy moments
Anyway, one of the ‘story’ I presented at that time was about the legend of Danau Toba/Lake Toba, here goes the tale…

Once upon a time there was a man living in the area of the present day Danau Toba (Lake Toba). He lived in a simple hut in a farming field, did some gardening and fishing for his daily life. One day he caught a big golden fish in his trap. It was the biggest catch he ever had in his life.
Back home this fish turned into a beautiful princess. He felt in love with her and proposed her to be his wife. She said yes with one condition… the man had to promise not to tell a soul about the secret that she was once a fish, otherwise there would be a huge disaster. The man made the deal and they got married and had a daughter.
Few years later, this daughter would help bringing lunch to her father out in the fields. One day, this daughter was so hungry and she ate his father’s lunch. He found out and got furious, and shouted “You damned daughter of a fish”.
The daughter ran home and asked her mother. The mother started crying, felt sad that her husband had broke his promise. She told her daughter to run up the hills because a huge disaster was about to come. When her daughter left, she prayed. Soon there was a big earthquake followed by non-stop pouring rain. The princess also ran from the house, and each footprint she left became a natural spring. The whole area got flooded and became Lake Toba. The princess turned into a fish again and the man became the island of Samosir (the big island in the middle of Lake Toba).

There are tons of tales from North Sumatra that I learned from my parents and relatives. Back then I used to believe that every place, every river, every house, every stone, every banyan tree had their own story that would wow us as kids
Hmm I should find that tale about Hutabarat woman who got curse because she felt in love with a snake…

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The Legend of Sangkuriang

This is an example of how nature was converted into a legend, such as Bandung lake and Mt Tangkuban Perahu with the story of Queen Dayang Sumbi and her son Sangkuriang cited from Neuman va Padang (1971). Once Sangkuriang, whilst growing up, he was so naughty and got hurt and the wound formed an ugly scar.

The King, who loved his son above everything was so furious that his son had hurt himself that he rejected his wife. Fifteen years later, being of age, Sangkuriang asked his father permission to take a trip to West Java. After arriving in the plain of Bandung, he met a beautiful lady, fell in love and ask her to marry him and she accepted. But one day when she caressed her lover’s head she saw the wound. The loving woman, turned out to be the disowned queen, discovered that she was in love with her son and marriage was impossible.

The marriage had to be prevented. Not willing to admit that she was his mother she thought of a way out. The day before the wedding was due to take place, she said to her husband to be, tomorrow is our wedding day, and if you are true to your love to me and love me as much you say do then I want to celebrate the wedding on board a ship, a proa. Tomorrow morning at day break, I want to sail with you on a great lake in a nice boat and there must be a banquet feast. Sangkuriang was embarrassed but he was not willing to refuse. He begged the help of the lake’s helpful spirits. By causing a landslide, the lake spirit dammed the river Citarum that flowed through the plain of Bandung. The force of the water felled big tree and a boat was constructed while other lake spirits prepared the wedding banquet.

Early in the morning the Queen saw that the impossible had been realised so she prayed to Brama, the mighty God, to help her to prevent the disgrace of a marriage between a mother and her son. Brama destroyed the dam in turbulence and Sangkuriang was drowned. The queen in her agony threw herself on the capsized boat, breaking through the hull of the ship and was also drowned.

Now, the vast plain of Bandung is flanked on its north side by the volcano Tangkuban Perahu, the capsized boat. The Queen’s jump on the hull of the ship is the Kawah Ratu, the crater of the Queen. The hot fumaroles and tremors in the crater represent the tears of the sad mother still sobbing. East of Mt Tangkuban Perahu rises the Bukit Tunggul, trunk mountain, the trunk of the tree from which the boat was made and to the west we find Mt Burangrang, the “crown of leaves”. At many places along the shore of the lake Neolithic obsidian tools of primitive inhabitants are found and described by von Koeningswald (1935). These Neolithic people noticed that the hold was cut deeper and deeper by erosion caused by the lowering water. Finally only a marshy plain remained.

Centuries later the inhabitants of Bandung plain still know about the legend of the existence of a former lake. Not knowing anything about geology, but living in the taboos of spirit ghosts and Gods, geological facts were put together in a tale that was understandable.

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