Joko Tarub ( Story from Central Java )

Once upon time, in the Tarub village, live a widow. She was the wife of Ki Ageng Tarub. Because she had no son or daugther she always wished that she would get some peace after her husband passed away. Almoust in every night she visited husband’s grave to pray for him and her own good.

One day, when she was walking to the grave, she saw amazing light. Fear but curious she comes to the light. she was very surprised when she found out that the light was coming from her husband’s grave.

“Dear God, what is the meaning of  it?” whispered Nyi Ageng. Suddenly she saw a wonderfull thing. A baby boy was kaying a down on the side of the grave. Than she decided to take the baby home.  Nyi Ageng is very gratefull for that. ” thanks God for your bless…”

The news about Nyi Ageng and her miracle baby was son spread away. Everybody wanted to see them. Nyi Ageng named the baby boy Joko Tarub. She really took good care of him. When he was 7 years old, he became the leader among his friends. When Jaka Tarub 14 years old, his hobby of hunting become stronger. He even had completed hunting tools. He was also interested on learning any kinds of life lesson. Regularly he visited Ki Ageng grave to pray, as Nyi Ageng told him so.

One night, because Jaka Tarub was really tired, he fell a sleep on the side of the grave. Suddenly a sound shocked him. “My son…, there is a thing that you are longing to have on your side. You may use it “. Then the sound was gone, leaving Jaka Tarub confused. how shock and gratefull was when he saw a pipe weapon made from metal covered by gold with diamond. he soon took the pipe home and told the Ni Ageng abouit it.

In the next morning, Jaka Tarub wanted to try on the enermous pipe weapon. He entered the jungle but there was no animal around. “Strange ! Are the animal afraid of my weapon?” he complained. But Jaka Tarub did not give up. He continue exploring into the deep jungle. Still, he found nothing. Finally, Jaka tarub took a rest, he was tired. Sitting under a big tree, but her eyes observed.

Not along after that, Jaka Tarub heard a sound. He decided to find out. The closer he was to the sound the more believe he was. He was believe that he heard the sound of womans. “Strange!, There were womans in this deep jungle?” he wishpered. Unbelieveable, the sound came from a group of woman who were bathing on the river under the waterfull. Jaka Tarub walked closer and closer. Hiding behind the bushes, he examined those beautiful womans. He watched and counted them. “Seven women? Where are they coming from?”

Quietly, using his pipe Jaka Tarub took one of those woman’s clothes which were laid on the stone near the river. Then he back to hid again. After bathing and had fun, the womans soon put on their clothes. But one of them looked very worry when she could not fine her clothes. In the end, the six women left her alone in the river. Undress, she decided to hid her body in the water. Then, started to cry.

Seeing that, Jaka Tarub concluded ” Hemmm …. they maight be the angel of heaven”. The angel which was left whispered, ” May the universe be the witness. Someone who can find my clothes; if he is the one, then I will maryy him, and if she is the one, than she will be my sister”.

Jaka Tarub who had been watching behind the tree, showed himself up. He waljed into the angel and gave her the clothes. But he kept the wings so that the angel could not fly back to the heaven. “My name is Jaka Tarub, and who are you?’. “Nawangwulan” answered the angel.

Not long after that, they got married. They lived in peace and harmony. They had through a wonderful life together. One year later, they had a beatiful baby girl. One day, as usual Dewi Nawangwulan intended to wash the clothes to the river. While she was washing she asked her husband to watched the baby and never open the cooking pot, no matter what happened. But Jaka tarub disobeyed. Curious of the fact that theynever lack of rice, he opened the cooking pot. He was shock when he sow only one rice inside the cooking pot.

Knowing that, Dewi Nawangwulan was full of anger. “For all this time if we want to have a full pot of rice, I need only one rice. But now, because you disobey me, the apparently magic of the rice which I create has gone. Our rice will less and less so that we have to work harder, harder then we used to!”

Regreted that, Jaka Tarub was in deep sad. He felt quilty and disappointed of himself. One day when Dewi Nawangwulan intended to took the rice from the barn, coincidently she find her wing. The wing which had lost years ago. Apparently, her husband had hid it in the barn for all this time. “Hemm… I think it’s time for me to go back to the heaven” she whispered. After put on her dress, she came to her husband. “Dear husband, i have to go back to the heaven, its our destiny. I will leave you and our child here. If we miss one another, then we will meet on every full moon. Take good care of our child…, Good Bye…”

Soon after that, Dewi Nawangwulan flight away, back to where she came from. “Good bye my love, I will always waiting for every full moon” said Jaka Tarub sadly. He felt so much guilt and started to cry.