A Folktale from Central Java : The Crocodile and the Bull

Baya lan Bantheng
retold by Miss Siska


Once upon a time near the river in Central Java, there lived a crocodile. A big tree fell onto it. It couldn’t move even just a bit. Neither could breathe freely. It panted at times. Luckily, it could cry for help still.

Then, there came a bull walking by the river. Afar, it saw a crocodile asking for help. The bull ran so quickly and helped the crocodile. With its horns, it pushed the big tree which fell onto the crocodile. The bull could finally save it.

The crocodile felt so weak afterwards. It didn’t think it could go back into the river by its own. The crocodile asked the bull for a companion. So the bull carried the crocodile on its back even though it’s heavy. The crocodile was definitely heavier than the bull.

As the crocodile was carried by the bull, suddenly the crocodile had a bad intention. The crocodile was starving. It wanted to bite the bull’s back. The bull didn’t allow it happened but the crocodile insisted. That was how the fight began.

Out of nowhere, a mousedeer passed by the river. It noticed them fighting. The mousedeer asked,”What’s going on? Stop!”

Then the bull began to tell what was going on.

Such a cunning mousedeer that the crocodile and the bull were asked to replay what had been going on. The bull got the crocodile down. And the bull dropped the big tree onto the crocodile’s body. The crocodile couldn’t move ahead and backwards. It cried for help. Thus, as the crocodile wasn’t thankful, the bull left it all alone. The bull thanked the mousedeer for giving a good idea.

Moral value :

We must thank to those who helped us. We have to be grateful to do good deeds in return. Don’t be so greedy in many ways that everything will echo back to us.