One of the most known volcanoes in Indonesia (and a good tourism spot) is Mount Tangkuban Perahu (Roughly translated as 'Upturned Boat'). According to folklore legends, they said that once upon a time, it was created by accident, when the Indonesian Oedipus failed to marry his mom...
No, seriously, that's what happened in the story.
Sangkuriang is an Indonesian folklore that tells the story of a mighty man who suffered a tragedy very similar to our well-known mother-marrying hero from Greece, and accidentally made a well-known mountain along the way.
The story begins with the beautiful noble (sometimes half-goddess) Dayang Sumbi weaving, but then her weaving thread fell down, and she's too lazy to pick it up, so she swore that she'll marry anything that picked it up... And the one to pick it up was a dog, named Tumang. Depending on the versions, Tumang was either a magical talking dog or actually a shapeshifting deity that just happened to take form of a dog. At any rate, an oath is an oath, so Dayang Sumbi married Tumang and had a son, whom she named Sangkuriang. Thanks to the genes of his parents, Sangkuriang possessed the potential to be a great magical fighter. Naturally, Dayang Sumbi and Tumang agreed to not let Sangkuriang know that his father was a dog...
One day, when Sangkuriang went hunting with Tumang, he failed to get anything. In his frustration, he ended up killing Tumang and served his liver for dinner. Dayang Sumbi found out and in her anger, she hit Sangkuriang on the head with a paddle, leaving a scar. Sangkuriang ran away from home in tears, and Dayang Sumbi eventually came to regret her actions, but was too late to chase him. She prayed to Gods to let her reunite with her son, and her wish was granted in the form of immortality: She got to stay young all the time.
As years passed, Sangkuriang has grown into a fine young man and also a mighty man. When he returned to his home village, he came across a beautiful girl and asked her hand for marriage, and she agreed. As the day of the marriage neared, the girl saw the scar on Sangkuriang's head, and she was shocked. Because... that girl was the now-immortal Dayang Sumbi, and only then she realized that she was about to commit a Parental Incest. Dayang Sumbi revealed the truth to Sangkuriang, but he thought she's just joking. So, she gave him an Impossible Task: Making a great lake and a great boat, all of them in one night.
Dayang Sumbi underestimated Sangkuriang's strength. With his own strength and calling forth the help of various Djinns, he completed the lake and was about to finish the boat. Not wanting to commit incest, Dayang Sumbi then prayed to Gods to make sure Sangkuriang failed. And with that, she wove her shawl to the sky, creating a magical light that tricked the roosters that morning has broken, and cue Cock-a-Doodle Dawn: Sangkuriang failed his task.
In his frustration, Sangkuriang kicked his incomplete boat, it rested near the lake in an upside-down position, and thus that upside down boat became known as Mt. Tangkuban Perahu, while his lake was known as Lake Bandung. The story mostly ended there, but there's an extended ending to make this a complete tragedy and usually omitted when turned into children story: Sangkuriang still hasn't given up on Dayang Sumbi and decided to force himself onto his mother. Dayang Sumbi fled in terror until she was cornered in Mt. Putri. Asking for help one last time from the Gods, Dayang Sumbi then transformed into a Jaksi flower and Sangkuriang finally lost sight of her. In his despair, he either vanished or was driven to insanity.
Compare with Oedipus the King
This folklore contains examples of
- Bowdlerise: The ending is often cut at the creation of Mt. Tangkuban Perahu, since the latter story would probably be too much for children after all those Parental Incest.
- Cock-a-Doodle Dawn: Dayang Sumbi finally made Sangkuriang fail his task when she managed to make it like morning has risen and the roosters crow at the 'daybreak'.
- Despair Event Horizon: The extended ending had both Sangkuriang and Dayang Sumbi cross this. Dayang Sumbi's crossing was when she realized that her son still hasn't given up in marrying her despite failing his Impossible Task. Sangkuriang's crossing was when he lost Dayang Sumbi.
- Divine Parentage: Various versions of the story have either Dayang Sumbi as a half-goddess or Tumang as a god, which makes Sangkuriang also a god descendant.
- Expy: Similarities could be drawn between Sangkuriang and Oedipus, while Dayang Sumbi naturally draws parallels with Jocasta. Well, without the kingly background and all.
- Impossible Task: Make a great lake and great boat all in a span of one night. That seemed impossible for any ordinary men... but Sangkuriang was no ordinary man.
- I Gave My Word: According to Indonesian values, Bestiality Is Depraved. However, breaking promises and oaths is even more depraved and Dayang Sumbi had sworn to marry anything that would pick up the thread for her, so she was ready to be called a depraved being for marrying a dog. Lucky for her, Tumang was actually a shapeshifting deity (most of the time).
- "Just So" Story: This story gives the reason why Mt. Tangkuban Perahu (and Lake Bandung) exist today.
- Love Makes You Crazy: Sangkuriang's love for this girl that claimed to be his mom was so great that he ignored everything for his marriage. Never mind the Parental Incest and Impossible Task, he'll marry her or die trying! Naturally when he ultimately failed, he's either frustrated or crossed the Despair Event Horizon.
- Older Than They Look: Dayang Sumbi was granted eternal youth by the gods.
- Parental Incest: Sangkuriang wants to marry his mom, and even after he realized the truth, that didn't stop him.
- Scars Are Forever: Which eventually prevented Parental Incest from happening.
- Tragedy: In a sense, this is a tragic story of both Sangkuriang and his mother.
- Took a Level in Badass: When Sangkuriang grew up, he could do more than just hunt animals. He could summon djinns and almost complete an Impossible Task if it wasn't for those meddling roosters, and his kick was so strong it turned the great boat he kicked into a mountain.
