Have you ever heard of the story of Jaka Tarub and the Seven Nymphs? This folktale originates from the Javanese region and has several versions. What’s the story like? Let’s hear it here.
Jaka Tarub Meets the Nymphs
Once upon a time, in a village in Central Java, there lived a young man named Jaka Tarub. He was a young man who lived in the forest. As someone who lived in the forest, his activities were not far from hunting or gathering firewood.
One day, while Jaka Tarub was in the forest to gather firewood, he heard voices from afar. Curious, he approached the source of the sound and hid behind some bushes to observe.
From his hiding place, he saw a group of women bathing in the river. These women were nymphs who had descended to earth to bathe in a sacred spring.
Stealing Nawang Wulan’s Clothes
One of the nymphs, named Nawang Wulan, left her finest garment by the spring. Seeing Nawang Wulan’s beauty, Jaka Tarub was immediately smitten. Secretly, he took Nawang Wulan’s shawl and hid it under his shirt.
After finishing their bath, the nymphs returned to heaven. As she was about to leave with the other nymphs, Nawang Wulan was confused because she couldn’t find her clothes. She was seen crying sadly as she was left behind by her sisters who had already returned to heaven.
Seeing Nawang Wulan’s sadness, Jaka Tarub approached her.
“Why are you sad?”
“I can’t go to heaven with my sisters.”
“Why?”
“My shawl is missing.”
“I’ll help you find your shawl.”
Nawang Wulan was touched by the kindness of this young man she had just met. But after pretending to search for the shawl, Jaka Tarub told Nawang Wulan that he couldn’t find it. Finally, he asked Nawang Wulan to go home with him and become his wife.
Nawang Wulan Becomes Jaka Tarub’s Wife
After getting married, the two lived happily as a couple and eventually had a baby girl. They both then lived as farmers.
In his house, Jaka Tarub had a rice barn that strangely never ran out of rice, even though he, his wife, and their child always ate from it. Nawang Wulan had a secret that she never told her husband. Every time she cooked rice, she only used one grain of rice. To keep her secret from being revealed, Nawang Wulan always warned her husband not to open the pot.
Nawang Wulan’s Secret is Revealed
Even though his wife had asked him to promise not to open the pot lid while she was cooking rice, Jaka Tarub broke his promise. When his wife went out for a bit, he deliberately opened the pot lid. How surprised he was when he saw the contents of the pot. It turned out there was only one grain of rice inside.
Finally, Nawang Wulan realized that her husband had broken his promise because she could no longer cook rice like she used to. Now she had to cook rice like ordinary people. Her abilities as a nymph were gone.
The Shawl is Finally Found
Because she was no longer cooking rice like she used to, her husband’s rice supply eventually dwindled. The pile of rice was getting thinner and thinner, and there she found a shawl. It was her shawl. How happy she was to find her shawl again.
Nawang Wulan finally realized that Jaka Tarub had been lying to her all this time. Her husband was the one who stole her shawl. Even though it was hard to leave her child behind, Nawang Wulan finally decided to return to heaven.
Jaka Tarub tried to stop his wife from leaving. He begged, but Nawang Wulan was firm in her decision. Before leaving, she told her husband,
“Please take good care of our child. When the full moon comes, take her outside. I will take her away with me.”
Jaka Tarub was finally left without his wife who had returned to heaven.
The Message from the Story
From this story, we can learn that everything should start with honesty. Lies will only lead to sadness and unhappiness.
