In the era of ancient Padjajaran Kindom, there was a king named Prabu Mundingsari. He was known as a hunt-lover king. One day, he lost his way in the jungle he had not known before. After rotating that jungle all night long, he met with a beautiful girl who was known as the daughter of the king of the jungle.
"I will help your majesty to exit this jungle but marry me," the princess asked Prabu Mundingsari.
Because of her friendliness, Prabu Mundingsari agreed to get married with her. He was invited to her palace in the middle of the jungle.
After living there for a while, Prabu Mundingsari wanted to go back to his kingdom. He shorthly permitted to his wife.
"All right, my husband. But, once in a while please come to see me," the princess said sadly.
She then accompanied Prabu Mundingsari to exit the jungle. The returning of the king got joyful reaction from Pajajaran people. They assumed their king had passed away in the jungle. The queen and all of Pajajaran people arranged a big party to welcome Prabu Mundingsari.
One night, the King heard a baby cried from the outside. He went there and found a baby in the corner of the garden. When he took the baby, a beautiful girl came suddenly. He knew her moast because she was his wife who lived in the jungle.
"My beloved husband, Mundingsari, this baby girl is our child. I give her for you to be raise up in your society. Actually, I come from your outer world," she said.
After giving the baby girl to her husband, the princess went invisible. The king was very surprised, but he shortly implemented what his wife had said to him.
That baby girl was named Ratna Dewi Suwido and raised up in the palace.
Eighteen years after, Dewi Suwido grew up to be good-looking girl. So many princes from many kingdoms came to suit her. This situation made the queen unhappy because her own daughter was not beautiful as Dewi Suwido. Finally, the queen intended to thrown the princess away from the palace. She asked a witch to destroy the beauty of Dewi Suwido.
Her face became bad and she was thrown away to the jungle in order to prevent the spreading of her skin disorder to all Pajajaran people.
How desperate Dewi Suwido was.
She wandered in the jungle for many years and finally arrived in Kombang Mountain. There, she paryed to the God requesting to return her beauty.
At that moment, she heard a voice,
"My child, Dewi Suwido. Go to the south. Go down into the sea and be firmly united to the sea....don not come back the people society."
Dewi Suwido followed the instruction. She walked to the south day by day. After meeting up with the big wave of the sea, she went down following the wave.
Amazingly, her disease was recovered. She was pretty again, prettier than ever. Since that day, she became the queen of south sea and called Nyi Roro Kidul.
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Timog Silangan: The Folktales of Southeast Asia
Short StoryExplore and witness the richness and cultural diversity of Southeast Asian literature via folklore. Filled with magic and lessons that made our lives realized and learned. Featuring a compilation of folktales from different Southeast Asian countries...