Legend of Tangkuban Perahu

Legend of Tangkuban Perahu

          Once upon a time in west Java, Indonesia lived a wise king who had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Dayung Sumbi. She like weaving very much. Once she was weaving a cloth when one of her tool fell to the ground. She was very tired at the time she was so lazy to take it. Then she just shouted out loud, “Anybody there? Bring me my too. I will give you special present. If you are female, I will consider you as my sister. If you are a male, I will marry you.”

          Suddenly a male dog, its name is Tumang, came. He brought he the falling tool. Dayang Sumbi was very surprised. She regretted her words but she could not deny it. So she had to marry Tumang and leave her father. Then they lived in a small village. Several months later they had a son. His name was Sungkuriang. He was a handsome and healthy boy.

Sangkuriang liked hunting very much. He often went hunting to the woods using his arrow. Every time he went hunting Tumang was always with him. In the past there was a lot of deers in Java so Sangkuriang often hunted for deers.

          One day Dayang Sambi wanted to have a deer’s heart so she asked Sangkuriang to hunt for a deer. Then Sangkuriang went to the woods with his arrow and his faithful dog Tumang. After several days in the woods Sangkuriang could not find any deer. They were all disappeared. Sangkuriang was exhausted and desperate. He did not want to disappoint his mother so he killed Tumang. He did not know that Tumang was his father. At home he gave Tumang’s heart to his mother.

But Dayang Sumbi knew that it was Tumang’s heart. She was so angry that she could not control he emotions. She hit Sangkuriang at his head. Sangkuriang was wounded. There was a scar in his head. She also repelled he son, Sangkuriang left his mother in sadness.

Many years passed and Sangkuriang became a strong young man. He wandered everywhere. One day he arrived at his own village but he did not realized it. Then he met Dayang Sumbi, at the time Dayng Sumbi was given an eternal beauty by god so she stayed young forever. Both of them did not know each other. So they fell in love and then decided to marry.

          But then Dayang Sumbi recognized a scar in Sangkuriang’s head. She knew that Sangkuriang was her son. It was impossible for them to marry. She told him but he did not believed her. He wished that they would marry soon. So Dayung Sumbi gave him a very difficult condition. She wanted Sangkuriang to build a lake and a boat in one night! She said that she needed that for the honeymoon.

Sangkuriang agreed. With the help of genies and spirits Sangkuriang tried to build them. By midnight he had finished the lake by building a dam in Citarum river. Then he started building the boat. It was almost dawn when he nearly finished it. Meanwhile Dayang Sumbi kept watching on them. She was very worried when she knew this. So she made lights in the east. Then the spirits thought that it was already dawn. It was time for them to leave. Sangkuriang was very angry. He kicked the boat. Then the boat turned to be Mount Tangkuban Perahu. It means boat upside down.