%20(1).jpg "Keong Mas The Golden Snail Princess (Indonesian Folktale)")
Chapter 1: Two Sisters of Daha
Long, long ago, in the kingdom of Daha, there lived a wise and powerful king named Prabu Kertamarta. The king had two daughters. The elder was Princess Galuh Ajeng, whose face was lovely to behold. But the younger princess, Candra Kirana, was far more beautiful — so beautiful that people said even the moon grew shy beside her.
Candra Kirana was promised in marriage to a brave and handsome prince, Raden Inu Kertapati, the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom of Kahuripan. Everyone in the palace loved the young princess for her kindness as much as her beauty.
But behind her smiles, Galuh Ajeng hid a bitter secret. She, too, loved Raden Inu Kertapati, and every day her jealousy of her sister grew darker, like a storm cloud gathering over the palace.
Chapter 2: A Wicked Plan
One night, unable to bear her jealousy any longer, Galuh Ajeng crept out of the palace and sought out an old witch, feared throughout the land for her terrible curses.
Galuh Ajeng: "Please, you must help me! My sister must disappear from this palace forever!"The Witch: "I can curse her into something dreadful, child — but first, she must be cast out of the palace gates. Only then can my magic reach her."
Galuh Ajeng agreed at once. She returned home and began spinning cruel lies about her sister, whispering them into the king's ear day after day, until at last the king's heart filled with anger and doubt.
Chapter 3: The Curse of the Golden Snail
Believing the lies, King Kertamarta banished poor Candra Kirana from the kingdom of Daha. With a heart heavier than stone, the princess walked away from her home, not understanding why her own sister had betrayed her.
She wandered for many days until she reached a lonely beach, where the old witch was waiting, cloaked in shadow.
The Witch: "Turn into a golden snail! This curse shall break only when you meet your one true love!"
In an instant, Candra Kirana's body shimmered and shrank, and she tumbled into the sea as a small golden snail — a keong mas. From that day on, no one in the kingdom of Daha knew what had become of the beloved princess.
Chapter 4: The Kind Grandmother
Far away, in the fishing village of Dadapan, there lived a poor but kind-hearted old grandmother. One morning, while casting her net into the sea, she pulled up something that glittered like sunlight — a beautiful golden snail.
Grandmother: "Oh my! What a beautiful little snail you are! Too beautiful to cook for supper."
She carried the snail home and placed it gently in a clay jar, feeding it scraps each day and closing the lid so it would not wander off.
But strange things began to happen. Each time Grandmother returned from fishing, she found a delicious meal already waiting for her on the table, though she had cooked nothing herself.
Grandmother: "Who could be cooking in my little hut while I am away?"
Determined to solve the mystery, she pretended to leave for the sea one morning, but crept back quietly and peeked through a crack in the wall. What she saw made her gasp in astonishment — the golden snail had climbed out of its jar and transformed into a lovely young woman, busily cooking rice over the fire!
Chapter 5: Candra Kirana's Secret
Grandmother rushed inside at once.
Grandmother: "Oh, golden snail! So you truly are a girl! Tell me, my child, who are you?"Candra Kirana: "I am Candra Kirana, daughter of King Kertamarta of Daha. My own sister slandered me before our father, and I was driven from the palace. A wicked witch cursed me into a golden snail, and only when I meet my beloved, Raden Inu Kertapati, will the curse be broken."
No sooner had she finished speaking than her body shimmered once more, and she became a golden snail again, safely hidden inside her jar.
Chapter 6: The Search of Raden Inu Kertapati
Meanwhile, back in the kingdom of Kahuripan, Prince Raden Inu Kertapati had never given up his search for his beloved Candra Kirana. He had traveled through forests and villages, over rivers and hills, but still she was nowhere to be found.
The wicked witch, growing fearful of his determination, transformed herself into a crow and flew to the prince, whispering false directions to lead him astray.
One day, while riding along a dusty road, Raden Inu Kertapati came upon a weary old grandfather resting beneath a tree. Moved with pity, the prince shared his food with the old man.
Grandfather: "Thank you, kind Raden, for your generosity. Tell me, what troubles a prince so far from home?"Raden Inu Kertapati: "I am searching for my betrothed, Candra Kirana, who vanished long ago. A crow has been guiding me, but I fear I am no closer to finding her."
The old grandfather's eyes narrowed wisely, for he was no ordinary traveler — he possessed great magical knowledge.
Grandfather: "That crow is no bird at all, Raden. It is the witch in disguise, sent to mislead you! Wait here, and you shall see the truth for yourself."
Sure enough, the crow soon returned, cawing and circling above. With a single strike of his staff, the grandfather struck the bird, and it dissolved into a puff of black smoke, vanishing forever.
Grandfather: "Now go, Raden! Travel to the village of Dadapan. There you shall find what your heart seeks."
Chapter 7: The Curse Is Broken
Filled with new hope, Raden Inu Kertapati thanked the old man and spurred his horse toward Dadapan. The journey was long and hard, and by the time he arrived, his supplies were gone and his throat was parched with thirst.
Spotting a small hut, he knocked upon the door, hoping for a drink of water.
When the door creaked open, the prince froze in disbelief. There, standing beside the kind old grandmother, was his beloved Candra Kirana — no longer a golden snail, but a princess once more! The moment their eyes met, the witch's curse shattered completely, as though it had never existed at all.
Raden Inu Kertapati: "Candra Kirana! At last, I have found you!"Candra Kirana: "My prince! I never lost hope that you would come for me!"
Overjoyed, the prince invited both Candra Kirana and the kind grandmother to return with him to the palace of Daha.
Chapter 8: Justice and Joy
Back at the palace, Candra Kirana told her father everything — the witch's curse, and the cruel lies her own sister had spread. King Kertamarta's heart broke with grief and fury when he learned the truth about Galuh Ajeng.
Though he still loved his eldest daughter, the king could not overlook her wickedness, and he declared a harsh punishment upon her. Terrified, Galuh Ajeng fled into the forest that very night. In the darkness, she stumbled and fell from a high cliff, and so her troubled life came to an end. Even though she had done great wrong, the kingdom mourned her loss.
Some weeks later, the kingdom celebrated a grand and joyful wedding between Raden Inu Kertapati and Candra Kirana, a feast that lasted seven days and seven nights. The people of both Daha and Kahuripan rejoiced together, for soon their beloved prince would inherit the throne of Kahuripan.
As for the kind old grandmother who had cared for the golden snail with such love, she was welcomed to live in the palace forever after. Candra Kirana cherished her always, as dearly as if she were her very own mother.
Keong Mas is a folktale from East Java, telling of Princess Candra Kirana, daughter of the King of Daha, who was cursed by a wicked witch and transformed into a golden snail. Her story shares its roots with the legend of Raden Inu Kertapati — together, the two tales are often told as sister versions of the same East Javanese legend.
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