.jpg "Why Teak Trees Grow So Big An Indonesian Folktale from Medang Kamulan")
Chapter 1: The King's Wish
Long, long ago, in the land of Medang Kamulan, there once ruled an old king. He had a great palace, loyal servants, and a kingdom full of happy people. But there was one thing that made his heart heavy every single day — he still had no son to inherit his throne.
"I have everything a king could wish for," he said one evening, "except the one thing I want most — a child of my own."
At last, the king could bear it no longer. He decided to go deep into the forest, to a quiet and sacred place, where he could pray to the gods with all his heart.
For many days and nights, the king sat still beneath an old tree, his eyes closed, whispering his wish to the heavens. Then, as he drifted into a dream, a soft voice spoke to him.
The Voice of the Gods: "Old King, your prayers have been heard. Return to your palace, for soon your queen shall carry a child."
The king woke with a gasp, his heart pounding with joy. He rushed back to the palace as fast as his legs could carry him.
Chapter 2: A Surprising Birth
When the king arrived, he ran straight to the queen's chambers, breathless with excitement.
The King: "My dear queen! I bring wonderful news from the gods themselves — soon we shall have a child!"
The queen's eyes sparkled with happiness. And sure enough, just a few days later, she felt the flutter of new life within her.
"Your Majesty," she whispered, holding her hands over her heart, "I believe the gods have truly blessed us."
The whole kingdom rejoiced. Drums were beaten, lanterns were lit, and a grand celebration was held for forty days and forty nights. Everyone danced and sang, waiting eagerly for the day the little prince would arrive.
Finally, after nine long months, the moment came. The queen's cries echoed through the palace halls, and servants rushed back and forth with warm water and soft blankets.
But when the baby was finally born, the room fell silent.
For it was not a baby boy at all.
It was a tiny, spotted baby deer.
Chapter 3: A King's Shameful Secret
The king stared at the baby deer in horror. His face turned red with anger and shame.
The King: "This cannot be! How can a king's child be born a beast? If anyone in this kingdom ever learns of this, I shall never be able to hold my head high again!"
Without telling another living soul — not even the queen's most trusted maids — the king wrapped the baby deer in a cloth and carried it deep into the forest that very night. There, beneath the shadow of the tall trees, he dug a hole in the earth and buried the poor creature alive.
Then he walked back to the palace alone, his heart heavy with a terrible secret.
But strange things began to happen the moment he returned. His body started to swell — his arms, his legs, even his face puffed up like a bag full of water. The pain was so great that the king could not even stand from his bed.
The King: (groaning) "Oh, what agony! What is happening to me?"
Doctor after doctor came to examine him. They mixed medicines, chanted prayers, and tried every remedy they knew. But nothing worked. The king only grew sicker.
Chapter 4: The Secret Passed to Sulang
Desperate and in terrible pain, the king finally called for his most loyal servant, a humble man named Sulang.
The King: "Sulang, come closer. I must tell you something — but you must swear never to speak of it to anyone. If you do, I will have your head!"Sulang: "Your Majesty, I swear upon my life. I will keep your secret forever."
The king took a shaking breath and confessed.
The King: "The queen did not give birth to a son... but to a baby deer. I was so ashamed that I buried the poor creature alive in the forest, and no one else knows of it — until now."
The moment the words left his lips, something miraculous happened. The swelling in the king's body began to shrink. His pain melted away like morning mist. Within moments, he was completely well again!
The King: (sitting up, amazed) "I am healed! Sulang, you have saved me!"
But Sulang did not feel joyful at all. As soon as he stepped outside the king's chamber, a strange heaviness crept over his own body. His arms began to swell. His legs grew stiff and painful.
Sulang: (clutching his aching chest) "What is this? Why do I feel as though the king's illness has passed on to me?"
Chapter 5: A Secret Told to the Forest
Poor Sulang tried every medicine he could find, but nothing eased his suffering. Day by day, his body grew more swollen, and his pain became almost unbearable. Yet he remembered his promise to the king and dared not tell a single person what he knew — for he feared losing his head.
At last, when he could bear the pain no longer, Sulang limped deep into the wilderness, searching for somewhere far from prying ears. There, in a quiet clearing, stood a great teak tree, its branches swaying gently in the wind.
Sulang sat beneath its shade, breathing heavily, and finally let the secret spill from his heart — not to a person, but to the tree itself.
Sulang: "Oh, teak tree, hear my burden! The queen gave birth not to a prince, but to a baby deer. The king, ashamed of what had happened, buried the poor creature alive in this very forest. I have carried this secret, and it has made me so terribly ill."
As soon as he finished speaking, something wonderful happened. The swelling in Sulang's body began to fade. His pain disappeared like smoke in the wind. Sulang laughed with relief, feeling lighter and healthier than he had in weeks.
Sulang: "I am cured! Oh, thank goodness — I can go home to my family at last!"
Overjoyed, Sulang rose to his feet and made his way back to the palace, leaving his heavy secret behind him in the whispering leaves of the teak tree.
Chapter 6: The Giant Teak Tree and the Magic Drum
Many years passed, and eventually old Sulang lived out his days and quietly passed away. But something strange had already begun the moment he shared his secret — the little teak tree in the forest had started to grow.
And grow.
And grow.
Its trunk swelled wider than a house. Its branches stretched taller than the tallest towers in the kingdom. Never before had anyone seen a teak tree so enormous!
Word of the giant tree spread quickly, and soon the king's own men came to see it with their own eyes.
A Royal Woodsman: "Look at the size of this tree! We have never seen anything like it in all our lives!"
Because the tree was so massive, the king ordered his men to cut it down and use its wood to build a magnificent drum for the palace. Craftsmen worked for days, carving and stretching the great trunk into a beautiful ceremonial drum.
When the drum was finally finished, the people gathered eagerly to hear its very first beat.
A Royal Drummer: "Let us see what sound this magical tree makes!"
He raised his mallet and struck the drum with all his might.
DANG... DANG... DANG... DANG...
But instead of an ordinary drumbeat, a mysterious voice seemed to echo from deep within the wood:
"Raja Medang had the son of a deer, was buried alive, and delivered to Sulang... dang... dang... dang..."
The crowd gasped in astonishment. The drum repeated its haunting message not once, but twice, for everyone in the kingdom to hear.
Chapter 7: The Secret Revealed
From that day forward, everyone in Medang Kamulan finally learned the truth — the king's secret, kept hidden for so long, was secret no more. The people whispered about it in the marketplaces, told the tale to their children by candlelight, and never forgot the strange story of the king, the deer, and the giant teak tree.
And that, dear reader, is why teak trees grow so large to this very day — for hidden inside every teak tree, some say, lives the echo of an old king's shameful secret.
Want to experience the story of King Medang, the secret that made his body swell, and the teak tree that suddenly grew into a giant? Play the interactive version below — complete with narrated storytelling and fun mini-games at every stage!
Source: I.B. Mantra, Astrid S., Susanto, B. Susanto, & S. Wibisono. Cerita Rakyat Daerah Jawa Timur [Folk Tales of East Java]. Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Ministry of Education and Culture).
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