The Arrogant Princess: Legend of Cikaputrian Story

Chapter 1: The Vain Princess

Once upon a time in a breathtaking, vibrant kingdom, there stood a magnificent, sparkling palace. Inside this grand palace lived a loving king and his daughter, the Princess. She was incredibly beautiful, but sadly, her heart was not as pretty as her face. The Princess was known throughout the land to be very arrogant and incredibly lazy. Instead of learning to garden, arrange colorful flowers, cook delicious meals, or weave beautiful clothes, she spent her entire day sitting in front of her giant mirror.

The Princess: "Mirror, mirror, look at me! Am I not the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world? Of course, I am! Gardening and weaving are for commoners, not for a perfect princess like me!"

To match her beauty, she owned boxes and boxes of shiny jewelry—sparkling gold, shimmering diamonds, and bright gemstones. She was also very spoiled. Whenever she wanted something, she demanded it immediately, and if the King said no, she would throw a terrible tantrum.

The Princess: "Father! I want a new diamond crown right now! If you don't give it to me, I will scream until the walls shake!"

The King: "But my dear child, I just gifted you a beautiful emerald tiara yesterday..."

The Princess: "I don't care about yesterday! I want it, I want it, I want it!"

Chapter 2: The Crystal Lake

One day, the Princess had a brand new demand. She wanted her very own magical castle. She bothered the King day and night until he finally built it for her at the foot of a peaceful, green mountain.

This new castle was spectacular. It had fancy, expensive furniture and a colorful flower garden, but best of all, it had a private bathing lake. The water in the lake was as clear as crystal, perfectly reflecting the bright blue sky. The Princess loved it because she could look at her own reflection in the water all day long.

The Princess: "This lake is mine and mine alone! If anyone dares to touch my perfectly clear water, they will be thrown in the dungeon!"

She forbade everyone, even her loyal ladies-in-waiting, from coming near it.

Chapter 3: The Uninvited Guest

One sunny afternoon, a tired and dusty old woman wandered near the lake. She didn't know it belonged to the spoiled Princess. She just wanted to wash her muddy hands and cool her tired feet. Suddenly, the Princess marched over, her face red with burning anger.

The Princess: "Hey! You dirty, filthy old woman! How dare you step near my precious lake?"

The old woman stood still, completely shocked by the young girl's extreme rudeness.

The Princess: "Why are you just standing there? Are you mute? Answer me!"

The old woman looked pale but stayed quiet, simply watching the angry girl.

The Princess: "Hey, you poor, old, smelly woman! You really don't care what I say, do you? You must be deaf too!"

The Old Woman: "I am so sorry, little Princess. I truly did not know that this beautiful lake belonged to you..."

The Princess: "You are so shameless! Look at yourself! With your dirty, muddy body, you have no right to even look at this water!"

Chapter 4: The Snake of Cikaputrian

The old woman shook her head slowly, her eyes filling with sad tears.

The Old Woman: "I know you are the King's daughter, but you should not speak with such cruel words. A true princess does not brag or act so mean to commoners like me."

The Princess: "How dare you lecture me! Remember your place! You are just a useless, dirty peasant!"

The Old Woman: "Forgive me, but you must let go of this useless pride. Even though you wear a golden crown, you are just a human being like the rest of us. Kindness is what makes someone truly beautiful."

The Princess: "Quiet! Guards! Guards! Catch this old woman and throw her away forever!"

But before the royal guards could even take a single step, the bright sky turned pitch black. BOOM! A massive crack of lightning lit up the sky, and a heavy, freezing rain poured down. Suddenly, the Princess felt her legs disappearing. She fell to the wet ground as her body began to shrink and stretch.

In the blink of an eye, the arrogant Princess had turned into a slithering green snake!

The Snake (Princess): "Hiss... what happened to me? My arms! My beautiful face! No, no, I am so sorry! I was wrong!"

But the magic could not be undone. The snake wept tears of bitter regret, but she was trapped in her new animal body. From that day on, the snake lived alone in the tall grass by the water. The beautiful place became known as Lake Cikaputrian, which means "the bathing place of the Princess."

The Lesson of Cikaputrian

And so ends the tale from the Province of Banten. The beautiful Princess learned the hard way that a pretty face means nothing if you have an ugly heart. We must always remember to be kind, humble, and gentle to everyone we meet, because arrogance will only bring sorrow in the end.

Play through the Legend of Cikaputrian interactively! Tap the palace, the mirror, the garden, and the serpent the princess becomes to follow the story — complete with voice narration and an Indonesian/English language toggle.

More on folklore from Banten:

• The Legend of Prince Pande Gelang: An Indonesian Fairy Tale
• The Legend of Mount Pinang: An Indonesian Folklore of Dampu Awang
• The Legend of Batu Kuwung – Famous Indonesian Folklore for Kids
• The Arrogant Princess: Legend of Cikaputrian Story