Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Folks Tales - Jalung Merang

Once upon a time, Jalung Merang and his parents lived in the fertile mountainous area at the edge of the Mara Rian River. He wanted to ask for the hand of Urai Belawan on the upper reaches of the river, but his parents asked that he first help them with the farm work. Jalung Merang grumbled to his mother: In that case, when am I going to get married?

In the meantime, Jalung Bilung and his followers came from downstream. This nobleman from the mouth of the river stayed overnight in Jalung Merang’s house and informed them that the purpose of his journey was to see the beauty of Urai Belawan. When Jalung Merang heard this, he became very angry. Yet, he kept his anger in this heart, but when Jalung Bilung asked him to came along, he refused.

The next day Jalung Bilung left. After that, Jalung Merang told his mother of his annoyance. Feeling that she was in the wrong, she acceded to her sons’s request and endeavoured to abort Jalung Bilung’s journey. She changed Jalung Merang into a hornbill bird, who then flew after the boat of Jalung Bilung. He perched on the boat to obstruct their journey.

This attempt did not succeed. The hornbill then recited a mantra that changed the string of Jalung Bilung’s machete into snake with a red head and a red tail. Meeting with a snake of this type was a taboo or sign that it was not good to continue the journey. For this reason, Jalung Bilung turned his boart around and went home. He was not aware that the obstacle was Jalung Merang, who then flew straight to the village of Urai Belawan.

When he arrived in Jalung Merang’s village, Jalung Bilung stayed overnight again, ofcourse, Jalung Merang was not at home. Jalung Bilung told Jalung Merang’s mother why they had returned. For his story, she learned that Jalung Merang’s effort had been successful. Still in the shape of hornbill, Jalung Merang was captured by Urai Belawan. Only then did he change back to his human form. Urai Belawan accepted him as a suitor. Accompanied by a group of young people led by Sigau Belawan, Jalung Merang went home taking along his future wife.

The wedding was held immediately. After the wedding, Sigau Belawan and his group returned home. When they had just left, Jalung Bilung and his followers come again from downstream. He was surprised to hear that Urai Belawan had already married to Jalung Merang. Jalung Bilung was very angry, but he did not say anything directly to Jalung Merang and his family. Restraining his anger, he remembered that he had never expressly stated that the purpose in his earlier journey had been to ask for the hand of Urai Belawan.

Jalung Bilung. In the end, Jalung Bilung married to younger sister of Jalung Merang and took her to his home downriver.

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