Saturday, 24 April 2021

Puteri Hijau: The Legend of the Green Princess of North Sumatra, Indonesia

Chapter 1: The Kingdom by the Deli River

Long, long ago, in a land called Medan Deli, there stood a magnificent kingdom. At the heart of it rose a beautiful palace known as Maimun Palace, its rooftops gleaming gold in the sunlight. This was the Kingdom of Deli, and it was ruled by a wise and kind king named Sultan Muhayat Syah.

The Sultan had three children, and each of them was blessed with a wonderful secret power.

The eldest was a prince named Mambang Yazid, who could transform himself into a mighty dragon whenever he wished.

The second was a prince named Mambang Khayali, who could turn his own body into a powerful cannon.

And the youngest was a princess — the most beloved of all — named Puteri Hijau, the Green Princess. On the night of every full moon, her skin would glow with a soft, enchanting green light, as if she carried moonlight itself inside her heart.

Puteri Hijau was not only beautiful; she was gentle, generous, and adored by everyone in the kingdom, from the palace guards to the smallest child in the marketplace.

Chapter 2: The Glow in the Garden

One night, when the moon hung round and silver in the sky, Puteri Hijau walked quietly through the palace garden, as she often loved to do. Her green glow shimmered softly among the flowers, so bright that it could be seen far, far away — even across the sea, in the neighboring Sultanate of Aceh.

The Sultan of Aceh happened to be standing on his balcony that very night. He blinked in wonder at the strange green light glimmering on the horizon.

Sultan of Aceh: "What is that light? I have never seen anything so beautiful in all my life!"

He called his most trusted guards at once.

Sultan of Aceh: "Go, find where that green light comes from, and bring me word of it before sunrise!"

The guards sailed through the night and returned with astonishing news.

Guard: "My Sultan, the light comes from a princess of the Deli Kingdom. They call her Puteri Hijau, and her beauty is said to be beyond compare."

Chapter 3: A Proposal Refused

Upon hearing this, the Sultan of Aceh's heart was set. He decided at once that he would marry this glowing princess.

Sultan of Aceh: "Prepare our finest jewels and our most honored envoys. We shall ask for Puteri Hijau's hand in marriage!"

Chests of gold, strings of pearls, and rare silks were loaded onto ships, and the Sultan's envoys sailed to Deli to present the proposal to the royal family.

But when Puteri Hijau heard the offer, she shook her head gently.

Puteri Hijau: "I am grateful for the Sultan's kindness, but I cannot accept this proposal. My heart belongs to my people and my home."

The envoys returned to Aceh empty-handed, and when the Sultan heard of the refusal, his wonder turned to fury.

Sultan of Aceh: "They dare to reject me? Then let the Kingdom of Deli learn what it means to insult the Sultanate of Aceh!"

Chapter 4: The First Battle

Consumed by anger, the Sultan of Aceh gathered his soldiers and sent them sailing toward Deli, ready for war.

Sultan of Aceh: "March upon Deli! Bring me the princess, by force if we must!"

But the warriors of Deli were brave and well-trained, and they fought with all their strength to protect their kingdom and their beloved princess. Battle after battle, the soldiers of Aceh were pushed back, and the first war ended in Deli's favor.

The people of Deli celebrated in the streets that night, believing the danger had passed. Little did they know, the Sultan of Aceh was already plotting a new, more cunning plan.

Chapter 5: The Trick of the Golden Cannonballs

Furious but not defeated, the Sultan of Aceh devised a clever trap.

Sultan of Aceh: "If we cannot win with swords, then let us win with gold. Load the cannons — not with iron, but with coins!"

His soldiers fired cannon after cannon toward the walls of Deli, and instead of iron balls, showers of glittering gold coins rained down upon the kingdom's soldiers.

Deli Soldier 1: "Look! Gold is falling from the sky!"

Deli Soldier 2: "Quick, gather as much as we can before the others take it all!"

Distracted and dazzled by the treasure, the soldiers of Deli abandoned their posts to scoop up the coins. In that unguarded moment, the army of Aceh surged forward and stormed the kingdom's defenses.

Chapter 6: The Cannon That Would Not Stop

Seeing his kingdom on the verge of defeat, Prince Mambang Khayali could not bear to watch any longer.

Mambang Khayali: "I will not let our kingdom fall — not while I still have strength to fight!"

With a flash of light, he transformed himself into a great cannon and began firing at the invading forces, again and again, without rest. He fired so many times, for so long, that the cannon grew scorching hot beneath his own power — until finally, it could take no more and split cleanly in two.

The tip of the cannon flew far across the sea, landing near the border of Aceh, while its base remained forever in the courtyard of Maimun Palace, a silent reminder of the prince's courage.

Chapter 7: The Fall of Deli

With their bravest defender gone, the Kingdom of Deli could no longer hold back the invaders. Sorrowfully, the Sultan admitted defeat, and Puteri Hijau was taken to be brought back to Aceh as the Sultan's bride.

Before she left, her eldest brother, Mambang Yazid, approached the Sultan of Aceh with a solemn request.

Mambang Yazid: "If you must take my sister, then you must promise me three things. First, no one may touch her until you reach Aceh. Second, she must travel inside a glass chest. Third, when your ship reaches the waters of Jambu Air, she must be allowed to step down to the river, to burn incense, and to scatter rice and eggs upon the water."

The Sultan of Aceh, certain such simple conditions posed no threat to his plans, agreed at once.

Sultan of Aceh: "Very well. It shall be as you ask."

Chapter 8: The Call Across the Water

And so Puteri Hijau, sealed gently inside a chest of glass, was carried aboard the royal ship bound for Aceh. The vessel sailed slowly down the old Deli river, the very waters said to have carried ships since ancient times.

When the ship reached Jambu Air, just as promised, Puteri Hijau was allowed to step down to the riverbank. She knelt by the water, lit the incense, and scattered handfuls of rice and eggs across the surface of the river. Then, in a clear and trembling voice, she called out three times:

Puteri Hijau: "Mambang Yazid... Mambang Yazid... Mambang Yazid... come, my brother, and save your sister from the grasp of the Sultan of Aceh!"

Chapter 9: The Dragon Rises

No sooner had her voice faded than the river began to ripple and churn. The water roared, the wind howled violently, and dark clouds swept across the sky. Lightning tore through the darkness again and again.

Quickly, Puteri Hijau returned to her glass chest.

From the storm, a great shadow rose from the depths of the river — a mighty dragon, the true form of Prince Mambang Yazid, answering his sister's call at last. With a fearsome roar, the dragon crashed against the Sultan's royal ship, tearing it apart until nothing remained but broken wood scattered upon the waves.

In the chaos, the glass chest holding Puteri Hijau was flung into the river and swept away by the current. The dragon dove beneath the water, gently caught the glass chest in its great jaws, and carried his beloved sister far out to sea, away from danger forever.
Epilogue

To this very day, no one truly knows what became of Puteri Hijau — whether she still lives somewhere beneath the waves, or whether her spirit simply became part of the sea itself. But her story has never been forgotten. It is still told with love and wonder by the people of Deli in North Sumatra, and by the Malay people of Malaysia, passed down from grandparents to grandchildren, generation after generation.

The End

Meet Puteri Hijau, the beautiful princess of the Deli Kingdom in North Sumatra, who had two powerful brothers — one who could transform into a sacred cannon, and another into a giant guardian dragon. Follow her story through the interactive game below: meet her two brothers, witness the battle against the fleet of the Sultanate of Aceh, then help Puteri Hijau escape to the sea with the dragon. The story is available in both Indonesian and English, complete with spoken narration (which you can mute if you'd rather read at your own pace). Tap Start Story to begin the adventure!


More folklore from North Sumatra:
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