Balinese Tales

The Balinese folktale of Bawang–Kesuna tells of Ni Bawang, Miss Onion, a kind-hearted girl who is mistreated by her wicked sister, Ni Kesuna, Miss Garlic. Chased from home by her mother, Ni Bawang meets a magical yellow bird in the forest that takes pity on her and gives her fine gifts.

The Balinese exorcist tale of Basur tells of a lovely young woman named Sukasti who refuses to marry the son of an evil man called Basur. Using black magic, Basur causes Sukasti to fall seriously ill, but in the end a traditional healer cures her and saves her life.

In the folktale Lutung Kasarung, a helpless monkey in the middle of the sea was rescued by a turtle. When they reached land, they met a tiger. The tiger and the monkey killed the turtle and made it into sate.

A Tantri Kamandaka fable tells the story of a bird that pecked out an elephant’s eyes, while a fly laid eggs in the wounds. Blinded and thirsty, the elephant heard a frog croaking nearby and assumed that water was close at hand. It followed the sound to the edge of a cliff and fell into the ravine, killing itself. Thus, the small and weak may use their wits to defeat those who are powerful but foolish.

The story of Sutasoma tells of Prince Sutasoma, an incarnation of the Buddha, who meditates in the forest. There he encounters a starving mother tiger about to devour her own cubs and offers himself to the beast. The Hindu deity Indra restores him to life, and all the creatures of the forest guard Sutasoma as he continues his meditation.

Prince Sutasoma, an incarnation of the Buddha, meditates in the forest. He meets a hungry mother tiger that is about to devour her own cubs and offers himself to the beast. The Hindu deity Indra restores him to life, and all the forest creatures guard Sutasoma as he meditates.

In the Balinese folktale of I Belog (The Idiot), a simple-minded man becomes king because of his honesty and with the help of the mythical Garuda bird.

Wherever large numbers of mice invade the rice fields of Bali, farmers catch some of the rodents and perform a cremation ceremony for them. They pray to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, the Supreme Deity of Universal Order, to send the souls of the mice away and prevent further damage to the crops.

The curator, Yego of Yego’s Chronicles, regrets that no further information is available. There is only a temple, a volcano, rice fields, dogs, pigs, children, offerings, and shrines. Fortunately, the stories survived.

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