Natarive Text

The Legend of Lake Toba

There was a fisherman who lived in Batak Land. His name was Batara Guru Sahala. When he was angling, he caught a fish. He was surprised to find that fish because the fish could talk and it begged to set it free. He did accordingly.
After getting free, the fish changed into a beautiful woman and Sahala fell in love with her. Sahala asked her to marry him and the woman received him. However, she asked his promised not to tell anyone the secret that she was once a fish. They were very happily married, and got two daughters.
It was a pity on Sahala. One day when he got very angry with his daughters, he forgot his promise and he broke it. He told his daughters that they were the daughters of a fish.
His wife could not forgive him. Suddenly, the earth began to shake and volcanoes started to erupt. The earth cracked and formed a big hole. People said that the hole became Lake Toba.

 

 

Tangkuban Parahu

Long time ago in West Java, there lived a woman named Dayang Sumbi. She was thirsting for a husband. Along her life she kept praying and praying. At last, God heard her pray. A male dog picked her up and Dayang Sumbi got married to the dog and called the dog ‘Tumang’. After years, Dayang Sumbi gave a birth to baby and named him Sangkuriang. Unfortunately, Dayang Sumbi never told Sangkuriang who his father was.
One day, Sangkuriang was hunting with Tumang in the forest and he found nothing except a little animal. He blamed Tumang for the failure and then he killed Tumang. When Dayang Sumbi knew that she hit Sangkuriang’s head with a big spoon and expelled him.
Many years later, Sangkuriang wandered and found an old house in the forest. Sangkuriang came closer to the house and there was an old beautiful woman. The woman, Dayang Sumbi, recognized the wanderer as Sangkuriang.
Unintentionally, Sangkuriang forced Dayang Sumbi to marry him. Dayang Sumbi agreed to marry him but Sangkuriang had to build a vast boat, just in one night.
At night, Sangkuriang called his friends, ghosts and fairies to help him. Feared with the boat to complete, Dayang Sumbi asked other women in her village to help her. Then the women punched the grains with grain puncher to make noise which disturbed the ghosts and fairies.
The morning came before Sangkuriang completed the boat. Unfortunately the fairies and the ghosts also left Sangkuriang alone. Finaly Sangkuriang got very angry and kicked away the boat to the downside, which finally turned into a mountain, called Tangkuban Parahu.

 

 

The Legend of Malin Kundang

An old woman and her son lived in a little village. Her son was called Malin Kundang. They were very poor but they loved each other very much.
One day Malin Kundang told his mother that he would go to town and work there. At first his mother did not allow him but finally she let him go with tears.
Malin Kundang worked hard in a big town and in a short time he became a rich man. However he completely forgot his poor old mother. 
Some years later he sailed to a harbor near his village. When his mother heard about this news she came to meet him. Malin Kundang pretended not to know her. He said, “You are not my mother. Go away!” His mother became very sad and before she went she said, “Oh, Malin Kundang, you are a wicked son. You’ll never be safe now. You and your money will turn to stone.”
Some days later his ship left the harbor. The sea was calm but when he reached the open sea there was a great storm. The ship was drowned. Malin Kundang and his money changed into a stone.
Now people call it Batu Si Malin Kundang. We can see the stone from Air Manis, a village on the coast of West Sumatra near Padang.