Reading Journal #6: Folklore

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to my blog. Today, I will tell you about one of the folklore in Indonesia. It is about Kawah Sikidang, a legend in Dieng Plateau, Banjarnegara. 

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Shinta Dewi. She lived in a magnificent palace surrounded by a beautiful flower garden. From the beauty of Shinta Dewi, many princes from the kingdoms tried to propose her. But none of them get Shinta Dewi because she wanted a lot of dowries. Once a day, there was a prince named Kidang Garungan wants to propose Shinta Dewi because he thinks that he has a lot of dowries. Then, Kidang Garungan sent his envoy to the Dieng Plateau to convey that he wanted to propose to Shinta Dewi. After Shinta Dewi thought finally she accepts his proposal because she thought that Kidang Garungan was very handsome. 

The next day, Kidang Garungan and his entourage came to Shinta Dewi's palace. When she met the Prince, Shinta Dewi was very surprised; because it turned out that the Kidang Garungan was a man with the head of a deer. So, after that Shinta Dewi tried to thwart her marriage by giving one condition to the Kidang Garungan to build a large well and it was only done by the Garungan Kidang for one night. When Kidang Garungan almost finished it, Shinta Dewi panicked and ordered her troops to fill the well that the Garungan Kidang was made with soil. Kidang Garungan with its supernatural powers almost managed to get out of the well, but Shinta Dewi's troops continued to fill it with soil. Before the Kidang Garungan died, he swore that all of Shinta Dewi's descendants would have gimbal hair. Then the well gradually became a crater which was later called Kawah Sikidang. Until now, in the Dieng Plateau, many people have gimbal hair like the curse of Kidang Garungan. 

I think the story is interesting. I also like the story because it has some moral values for us. The moral value from the story is we have to be more careful in choosing something and we have to keep our promises. I can remember the story quickly because I listened to the story when I was in elementary school and now I still remember it. I think folklore is a story that exists in a society. Some cultures are preserved by the community and contain a moral message. I like folklore because it tells about cultures from many places.

I hope you can enjoy it. Thank you.