Legend of the Crying Stone
Introduction[edit]
The legend of The Crying Stone is a folk tale originating from West Kalimantan.
The story[edit]
In a village, there lived a beautiful girl along with her widowed mother. The girl’s father had passed away a long time ago and this made life difficult for the mother and daughter. To support both of them, the mother of the beautiful girl was willing to work hard in their small fields. Since the mother worked very hard, she grew thinner over time and her skin became darker. Unfortunately, the beautiful girl got accustomed to her lazy life and all she ever did was glamorize herself in front of the mirror.
"I'm so beautiful. All those who saw me must have definitely admired my beauty. No one can beat my beautiful looks," said the girl silently, while looking at her reflection in the mirror. Whenever her mother asked her for help in the fields or did anything the girl could at least do, she would always argue and disobey her mother.
One day, after the beautiful girl finished taking a bath, she went to use her powder box. However, she forgot that the powder had run out, and started complaining to herself. "Huh, I should have asked mom for some money to buy the powder," she complained. After her mother came home from the fields, she immediately asked her mother to buy her powder. She asked her with a sour face that’s void of a smile.
"Mom, buy me powder!" said the beautiful girl, not even looking at her mother.
"Not yet, dear. I still don't have enough money, and currently we only have enough money to buy our food for this month,” replied her mother sadly.
“Mom is a cheapskate! Why do I have a stingy mother like you? I also never asked you to birth me into this world. I also never asked you to be my mother!" said the beautiful girl. Hearing this insult from her child, the beautiful girl's mother felt hurt. As a patient and caring mother, this beautiful girl's mother was willing to reach into her small wallet, which did not contain enough money that was needed to make her one and only daughter happy.
The next day, the mother took her child to the market to buy the powder that she wanted.
"Come on, dear, follow mom to the market. Don't you want to buy new powder?" asked the mother of the beautiful girl, in front of her room.
"Really?" asked the beautiful girl from inside her room, her face beaming with happiness.
"Yes, let's go." Replied her mother.
“In that case, go straight to the market now, and buy my new powder. I don't want to go with you because I'm afraid that my white face might turn dark and dirty!" replied the beautiful girl while preening in front of the mirror.
"But, I don't know what kind of powder you want, dear," said her mother with a sigh.
“Fine, I'll come but on one condition. You have to promise not to walk near me,” said the beautiful girl. She even came out of the room and got ready to go to the market with her mother.
While on their way to the market, the beautiful girl walked quickly so that her mother would fall behind her. She didn't even look back once at her mother, who was half running after her. However, even though the beautiful girl tried to keep her mother from being able to approach her, she still couldn't escape the gazes of the residents. And among the residents who were gazing at her, her friends also saw her. Because of this, they approached her.
"Eh, where are you going?" asked her friends who were full of questions.
"To the market. I want to buy new powder," replied the beautiful girl, half-heartedly and anxiously.
“Who is that old lady who was following you from behind? Your mother, huh?" asked her friends.
"No, how could this old lady be my mother. Just look at her appearance. She clearly looks different from me, especially with those shabby and dirty clothes!" replied the beautiful girl in a firm tone.
"So who is this old lady?" asked her friends, still amazed by the behavior of the old lady who was now behind the girl.
"My maid." the beautiful girl said directly.
"No wonder. Alright, happy shopping!" said her friends and so they left.
The girl's mother, who heard everything her daughter said, immediately gasped and shed tears. Hearing the cry of her mother who was now looking down sadly, the girl looked back. "Mom, what are you doing? Come on, stand straight. Let's continue walking,” said the beautiful girl, confused. Everyone who was passing by stopped after hearing the commotion and surrounded the mother and child. “Hurry, mom, everyone's watching! Do not embarrass me!"
With trembling lips, the beautiful girl's mother prayed to God. "Oh God, I can't bear this sadness anymore. My child has gone too far and I can no longer do anything. Please give an appropriate punishment to this disobedient child,” said the mother, stammering.
Instantly, the beautiful girl immediately panicked, and tried to run away from the crowd. However, the girl's body was getting stiffer and stiffer every second. Her legs began to harden, followed by her body. Before she completely turned to stone, she shouted apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Mom! I know I was wrong! I will not repeat it!" cried the beautiful girl, as she regretted what she had done. Regret always comes last. The rice has turned into porridge. Any apology is useless now. The villagers later moved the stone near a cliff, as a warning not to be a rebellious child. This stone was later called "The Crying Stone", in accordance with the end of the beautiful girl's life.
Moral of the story[edit]
There is a saying that heaven is under the feet of a mother. With this, we can already imagine how big a role a mother can play in the lives of her children. Children have to be filial and respect their parents. In addition, children shouldn't boast of the advantages they have, let alone the advantages of appearance or physicality because these advantages will not last long and will wear out over time. Meanwhile, what they do to their parents will still exist even after they die.
Variations of the Crying Stone story[edit]
Even though the Crying Stone story originates from West Kalimantan, there are many folk tales in Indonesia that are similar to the story in this article. These stories include:
- Story of the Crying Stone from South Kalimantan
- Manlin Kundang
There is a famous Crying Stone that is located in Cipanas as well. This rock resides at the foot of Mount Guntur and is a famous tourist attraction.
Sources & Citation[edit]
Tim EFK (2014). Cerita Rakyat Nusantara. Jilid 8.Penerbit Erlangga. Sumbi Sambangsari (Tri Indah M.R.) (2008). Kumpulan Cerita Rakyat Nusantara. Cetakan 3. WahyuMedia
“The Crying Stone - Cerita Rakyat Nusantara.” , West Kalimantan - Indonesia, ceritarakyatnusantara.com/en/folklore/46-the-crying-stone#.
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