Folklore from Bengkulu

The Legend of Tes Lake

Folklore from Bengkulu

THERE was a man lived in Kutei Donok village, Bengkulu. People call him Pahit Lidah. He was named Pahit Lidah because he had magical power. Whatever he said would come true. That was why Pahit Lidah was always careful with his words.
Pahit Lidah had a son. One day Pahit Lidah left his village. He wanted to open new rice field. He asked permission to the head of the village.
The head of the village gave him the permission.
Pahit Lidah went alone.
His son still stayed at home.
After walking for several hours, he finally found a good place for his new rice field. He brought his hoe and started using it. He dug the soil and threw it to the Air Ketahun River.
He was working days and nighst and he never stopped to rest. He was very powerful. He kept on hoeing the soil and always threw it to the river.
He had been working for two days and there was a lot of land covering the river. Slowly the soil blocked the water. The soil in the river made the water did not flow smoothly.
The villagers were restless. They knew if Pahit Lidah kept on throwing the soil to the river, finally the river would totally blocked by the soil. They were afraid that the water would overflow and their village would be flooded.
The villagers then reported this to the head of the village. After he knew the problem, the head of the village sent some villagers to meet Pahit Lidah. They had to persuade him to stop working and returned home.
“If he still does not want to go home, tell him that his son is dead,” said the
head of the villagers.
Later the villagers left. They finally met Pahit Lidah.
As planned, they tried to persuade him to stop working. However, Pahit Lidah ignored them. Then they told him that his son was dead.
“Impossible. My son is fine. He is still alive,” said Pahit Lidah.
They villagers gave up. They went home and reported to the head of the village.
“I’m sorry, Sir. Pahit Lidah did not want to listen to us. Maybe if you tell him, he will listen to you. He really respects you,” said one villager.
“Hmmm. Alright, I will go now,” said the head of the village.
The head of the village then found Pahit Lidah still hoeing the soil. Later he persuaded Pahit Lidah.
“Pahit Lidah, let’s go home now. Your son is dead,” said the head of the village.
Pahit Lidah stopped working. He really respected the head of the village.
Then he said, “Because you said that my son is dead, now I really believe that my son is dead,” said Pahit Lidah sadly.
“So, why don’t you go home now?”
“I will, Sir. I just need to hoe the soil a little more,” said Pahit Lidah.
After that, the head of the village left him. Pahit Lidah just realized his mistake.
Pahit Lidah was so sure that his son was not dead, then his son was indeed dead. He was so angry. However it was too late. He kept on hoeing and throwing the soil to the river. And finally the land completely blocked the river and it made a new lake. People named the lake as Tes Lake.***

The legend of n'Daung Snake

Folklore from Bengkulu

ONCE upon a time in Bengkulu, a widow lived with three daughters. They all were beautiful but they had different personalities. The oldest and the middle daughter were lazy but the youngest daughter was diligent. One day, their mother was terribly ill. She could be cured only by eating special leaves that cooked by magical fire. Unfortunately, the leaves and magical fire were on top of the mountain and were guarded by a snake. It was not just an ordinary snake.
The snake had magical power. The name was n'Daung Snake. The oldest and the middle daughter did not want to go to the top of the mountain. "I will go there, Mother. I'll take the leaves and the magical fire for you," said the youngest daughter. Actually she was also very scared of the n'Daung Snake.
Then, after several days climbing the mountain, she finally arrived at the n'Daung Snake's place. It was a cave. The special leaves and the magical fire were inside the cave. Suddenly, she heard some noises. The n'Daung Snake was coming! She was very terrified but she did not want to run. She wanted to talk about her problem to the Snake.
In just a minute, the snake was already in front of her. "Who are you, young girl? What are you doing here?" asked the snake politely. She was surprised. Although the snake looked scary, he was very polite. Then, she asked the snake to give her the leaves and the magical fire. "You can take them, but you have to be my wife. Agree?" asked the snake. She did not think twice. She just wanted her mother to be cured soon. Then, the snake gave her the leaves and the torch burned with the magical fire. She directly went home.
Later, the mother got cured. The youngest daughter knew that she had to keep her promise to n'Daung Snake. So, she left the house without saying goodbye. When she arrived at the cave, it was already in the evening. She went inside the cave but she could not find the snake. She met a handsome man instead. "Don't be afraid. My name is Prince Abdul Rahman Alamsjah. My uncle cursed me into a snake only during daylight. In the evening, I became a human. My uncle did not want me to be a king," explained the man. In the meantime, her mother and her older sisters were looking for her. They finally arrived at n'Daung Snake's cave. It was also already in the evening. They saw the youngest daughter was with a handsome man.
After they knew who the man was, the older sisters were jealous. They burned the snakeskin. They hoped n'Daung Snake could not change back as a human. However, the result was the opposite. By burning the snakeskin, the spell was broken. Prince Abdul Rahman Alamsjah was free from the curse. He then asked his wife to go with him to the palace. He would be the next king and sent his uncle to the jail. The youngest daughter also asked her mother to stay with them in the palace. How about the older sisters? They were ashamed with their behaviours, so they stayed at the cave. ***