Thursday, January 31, 2013

A test for the king A folktale from central java



There was a small kingdom called Mergosono. Although Mergosono was small, it was famous because the king was a very good and wise man.
One day, the gods heard about the king’s goodness and wisdom. So, they decided to test him. The king of the gods sent four of his gods to Mergosono to test king.  At the time, the king son’s, pangeran or prince Sembara was studying abroad. One of the gods disguised as prince Sembarana and two others as villagers while one disguise as a villager who was killed by prince Sembarana. The two villagers then went to see the king to tell him about the death of their friend. They said that they saw the prince killed their friend. “I accept your report. But my son hasn’t returned from his study. I will hold my judgment until his return. If my son indeed killed your friend then I will give him the punishment he deserves. But if you lie then I will punish you for running my family’s good name,” said the king.
When the two villagers left, the king called his trusted advisor. He asked for their opinion about his matter. They all agreed that if the report was true then the prince should be punished. The king was sad to hear that but he knew he had to uphold the law.
The next morning the false prince came to see his father. He admitted killing the villager. So the king decided to execute the prince for his wrong doing.
The next day the prince was going to be hung as his punishment. When the executioner hanged the prince, suddenly his body disappeared and a voice was heard across the field. “The king of Mergosono, you really are a wise and justified king. You pass my test. So I will give you and your people prosperity as long as you and your descendant stay true and wise. Don’t be sad. Your son is well and on his way home to see you.” When the sound was gone, the people of Mergosono yelled with joy. Their prince was safe and knew that their king was a wise a man. When the prince finally arrived home, they held a party to celebrate the event.




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