Folklore for Kids: Putri Kandita: The Origin Story of Nyi Roro Kidul, Queen of the Southern Sea

Chapter 1: The Kingdom of Pakuan Pajajaran

A long, long time ago, in the land now known as Bogor, West Java, there stood a magnificent kingdom called Pakuan Pajajaran. It was ruled by a wise and just king, Sri Baduga Maharaja, who was also known as Prabu Siliwangi. Beside him sat his beautiful empress, and around him lived several concubines, each hoping one day to see their own children rule the kingdom.

From the empress, King Siliwangi was blessed with a daughter even more beautiful than her mother. They named her Putri Kandita. As she grew, Princess Kandita became known not only for her beauty but for her wisdom, her gentle heart, and her fairness — qualities so like her father's that everyone in the palace adored her.

One evening, as the king watched his daughter comfort a servant who had fallen ill, he turned to his most trusted advisor and smiled.

King Siliwangi: "Look at her. She carries kindness the way the river carries water — without even trying. One day, Kandita shall rule this kingdom after me."

Advisor: "A wise choice, Your Majesty. The people already love her as they love you."

But not everyone in the palace shared that joy. Behind closed doors, the concubines and their own children whispered among themselves, their hearts twisted with envy.

First Concubine: "Did you hear? The king means to make Kandita his heir!"

Second Concubine: "Then our children will inherit nothing. We cannot allow this to happen."

First Concubine: "We will not allow it. We must find a way to remove her — and her mother — from this palace forever."

Chapter 2: The Black Magician's Curse

That very night, the jealous concubines gathered in secret, their candle flickering as they plotted in low voices.

Second Concubine: "There is a shaman who lives deep in the forest. They say his black magic can curse anyone, no matter how strong or beloved."

First Concubine: "Then send for him. Whatever the cost, we must pay it."

A trusted court lady was summoned and given a heavy pouch of gold coins.

First Concubine: "Go to the forest. Find the black magician. Tell him what we require, and do not return until it is done."

Court Lady: "As you wish, my lady. I will not fail you."

The court lady rode deep into the forest until she found a crooked hut hidden among the trees. Inside sat the black magician, his eyes gleaming when he saw the gold.

Black Magician: "Gold and a royal request? Tell me who you wish cursed, and it shall be done before the moon rises again."

Court Lady: "Princess Kandita and the empress. Curse them both, and curse them well."

The magician laughed a dry, rattling laugh and began to chant strange words over a bowl of dark water.

Black Magician: "Let their smooth skin turn to sores, let sweetness turn to sorrow — so that none will wish to look upon them again."

Not long after, the empress and Princess Kandita fell terribly ill. Their once-smooth skin became covered in painful ulcers, and a foul smell followed them wherever they went. Physician after physician was called to the palace, yet none could cure them.

Royal Physician: "Your Majesty, I have tried every remedy I know. This illness does not answer to medicine."

King Siliwangi: "Then try again! I will not lose my wife and my daughter to something no one can explain!"

But no cure could be found. In time, the empress grew too weak to fight the illness any longer, and she passed away, leaving the king and his daughter drowning in grief.

Chapter 3: Banished from the Palace

The concubines, however, saw only opportunity in the kingdom's sorrow. They gathered once more, this time bolder than before.

Second Concubine: "The people whisper that Kandita's sickness is a curse upon the whole palace. We must use this fear."

First Concubine: "Yes — we will tell the king that for the safety of Pakuan Pajajaran, Kandita must leave."

Day after day, they went to King Siliwangi with soft, worried voices, planting seeds of fear in his heart.

First Concubine: "Your Majesty, the people grow frightened. They say the princess's illness will bring ruin upon us all. Perhaps... it would be safer for everyone if she left the palace, at least until she recovers."

King Siliwangi: "You ask me to send away my only daughter? Absolutely not!"

But the concubines did not stop, and slowly, sorrow and pressure wore the king down. At last, with a heavy heart, he called Princess Kandita to him.

King Siliwangi: "My beloved daughter... it pains me more than anything to say this, but for the peace of our kingdom, you must leave the palace for a time."

Princess Kandita: "Father... am I truly such a burden to our people?"

King Siliwangi: "Never in my heart, Kandita. But a king must sometimes make choices that break his own heart for the good of his kingdom. Forgive me."

Princess Kandita: "Then I will go, Father. Not because I believe I am cursed — but because I love you, and I love our kingdom too much to cause it pain."

With tears in her eyes but her head held high, Princess Kandita packed only a few belongings and walked out through the palace gates, leaving behind everything she had ever known.

Chapter 4: The Voice by the Sea

Princess Kandita walked for many days, with no destination in mind — only putting one foot in front of the other. She crossed rivers, climbed hills, and passed through quiet villages, until at last she reached the edge of the southern coast.

Before her stretched an endless, dark ocean, its waves crashing against the cliffs. Princess Kandita sank to the sand, exhausted and unsure of what to do next.

Princess Kandita: "There is nowhere left for me to go. Behind me is a palace that no longer wants me... and before me is only the sea."

Weary from her long journey, she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep on the shore. As she slept, a soft, mysterious voice drifted to her on the wind, so gentle it felt like a dream.

Mysterious Voice: "Princess Kandita... if you wish to be free of your pain, you must walk into the sea. Trust the waves, and they will carry away your sorrow."

Princess Kandita woke with a start, her heart pounding. She looked out at the vast ocean before her.

Princess Kandita: "Was that truly a wangsit — a sacred sign? Or only the wind playing tricks on a tired traveler?"

She sat quietly for a long moment, thinking of her mother, her father, and the home she had lost. Finally, she rose to her feet.

Princess Kandita: "I have nothing left to lose. If the sea can heal me, then let it be so."

Chapter 5: The Queen of the Southern Sea

With calm steps, Princess Kandita walked into the crashing waves until the cold water closed over her. For a moment, everything went dark and silent.

Then, something extraordinary happened. As the seawater washed over her skin, the painful sores began to fade — first slowly, then all at once — until her skin was smooth and radiant once more, more beautiful than it had ever been. And with that healing came something even greater: a deep and powerful magic now flowed within her.

When she rose from the water, Princess Kandita was no longer merely a banished princess. She was transformed.

Princess Kandita: "The curse is gone... and I feel a strength inside me I have never known before."

Though she was free to return home, Princess Kandita found that her heart now belonged to the sea. She chose to remain on the southern coast, where she came to be known throughout the kingdoms of Java by a new name — Ratu Laut Pantai Selatan, the Queen of the Southern Sea, or simply, Nyi Roro Kidul.

Chapter 6: The Princes Who Came to Court Her

Word of the beautiful and powerful Queen of the Southern Sea spread quickly across the land. Before long, princes from many kingdoms journeyed to the southern coast, each hoping to win her hand in marriage.

Nyi Roro Kidul greeted each suitor with the same calm challenge.

Nyi Roro Kidul: "If you wish to marry me, you must first prove your strength by facing me upon the waves of this sea. Should you win, I shall be yours. But should you lose... you must become my follower, forever bound to serve the Queen of the Southern Sea."

One by one, the princes stepped forward, confident in their swords and their courage. And one by one, the mighty waves of the southern sea rose to meet them, tossing their ships and testing their will — but none could match the queen's ancient power.

Young Prince: "I yield, great queen! Your power is beyond anything I have ever seen!"

Nyi Roro Kidul: "Then rise, and join those who serve me. There is no shame in meeting a power older than the mountains themselves."

And so it was that no prince ever defeated Nyi Roro Kidul, and many who came to court her instead became her loyal followers, forever tied to the mysterious and powerful Queen of the Southern Sea — a legend still told along the shores of West Java to this very day.

Give it a try! Follow Princess Kandita's rise from sorrow to becoming the legendary Queen of the Southern Sea.

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Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Putri Kandita: The Origin Story of Nyi Roro Kidul, Queen of the Southern Sea