Recommended novel "Indonesian Folk Tales: The Legend of giant Kopao Ivo" by Zhang Yu'an

It is well known in Bali, known to women and children, and has been passed down for at least hundreds of years. Some people say that Ke Bao lived for hundreds of years, and some people say that he lived for thousands of years. How big is this giant? One of his footprints is said to have later formed a river. In the eyes of The Balinese, Kobao is a hero unparalleled in the world. In Bali, from the Kintamani Mountains in the north to the Denpasar lowlands in the south, no matter which village you walk to, people will point out that a temple, a lake, a cave or a well are the miracles created by Giant Kobao. People praised him, remembered him, and were proud and proud of him. However, it was the Balinese who killed him with their own hands.

Let's start with the life of Kopao Ivo.

Once upon a time, in a small mountain village in Bali's Tarot County, there was a loving couple. They have been married for many years and live a very wealthy life, but they have never had children. The couple was anxious about this. They went to the temple many times to ask the gods to bless the early birth of your son, and finally got their wish. The child was surprisingly large when he was born, and after a few days he did not eat breast milk, and loved to eat rice and meat. Children grow up day by day, can eat more and more day, grow to more than 10 years old, the amount of food is more than ten times larger than normal. He was tall and powerful, and the villagers called him "Ke bao" (meaning "buffalo").

When Kobao was less than 20 years old, his parents sold all their possessions to fill his belly. First, the neighbors helped the Kebao family, and then the whole village was forced to take on the heavy responsibility of raising him. The villagers built one of the largest longhouses in Bali for Kobao. The longhouse is 30 meters long, and Ke Bao sleeps in it, with his feet sticking out of the wall. In order to cook for him, the village specially built a very large stove. Every time he took a bath, he had to go to Lake Bradan, which was far away. Ordinary people take a long time to go there, but Kebao only needs to take a few steps to get there. Wherever he went, solving the thirst problem was the easiest thing to do. He could just put his finger in the ground and immediately dig a well.

Ke Bao is not only infinitely powerful, but also very bold and generous. Kings, monks, and commoners could ask him to build houses, dig wells, dig canals, and build dams. As long as he is full of belly, he will respond to everything he wants, and spare no effort. Once, at the request of the villagers, Ke Bao connected the two mountains of Bangli and Demuli to intercept the flow of the Sangsang River, but when he picked up the mountain, the Moringa flat burden broke. Kobo angrily curses Moringa for not making wood, and whoever uses it is unlucky. So far, Balinese people have not dared to use moringa as a building material.

The happiest thing for Kobao is to work hard, and the most terrible thing is to be hungry. He can eat dryly, and the heavier he works, the more he eats. He could eat a thousand normal people's meals in one meal. He did countless good deeds for the Balinese, but he also ate countless foods for the Balinese. Gradually, the Balinese were overwhelmed and could no longer fill his growing belly. Therefore, Ke Bao had to endure hunger and hunger on a regular basis, which was very painful. In the end, Ke Bao couldn't bear it anymore and began to lose his temper. With a flick of his toe, he instantly turned many temples and houses into ruins. When he was hungry and crazy, he went around grabbing people and grabbing livestock to eat. He could devour twenty or thirty men at a time, and the livestock of the villages would, without exception, fall prey to him whenever he saw them. What infuriated the Balinese most was that he destroyed many temples, causing the Balinese to fall into great panic and fear.

What to do? What exactly? The Balinese are buzzing, but there are no more than two options: either fill the giant's belly with food, or satisfy his appetite with his own flesh and blood. The former Balinese are already powerless, so the latter cannot be avoided?

The curtain calling the villagers to rally sounded, and the villagers came from all directions to discuss countermeasures.

"It's clear that we have to subdue him by force." A villager confidently proposed.

There was a moment of silence in the room, and no one agreed with him. Everyone is afraid of the great strength of the giant, and his use of force is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg.

An old man stood up and broke the long silence:

Let us not forget that the gods have not only given us strength, but also wisdom. Although our strength is insignificant compared to that of Kobao, we can always come up with a way. ”

"What can you do?" Speak up and let everyone hear it. A middle-aged man shouted, "We are already in a precarious situation." ”

"I have a brilliant plan, I don't know if everyone agrees?" The old man recounted his thoughts in detail, which was unanimously agreed by the crowd.

The next day, the villagers gathered a large amount of delicious food and gave it to Kebao. Ke Bao smiled happily, ate a beautiful meal, and then lay down to prepare for a big sleep to recover the physical strength that had been consumed by hunger in recent days. Several villager representatives seized the opportunity to talk to Ke Bao. The villagers' representatives went straight to the point and made four demands and conditions to Kobao, who had become emotionally stable: first, to ask Kobao to repair the houses, dams and temples he had destroyed; second, to dig a deep and deep well to water all the rice fields in Bali to increase rice production; third, to ensure that Kebao would not compensate him for the livestock he had eaten and the property he had lost; and fourth, to ensure that he would provide Him with sufficient food.

When Ke Bao heard that he could be assured that he would have enough to eat, he nodded his head and agreed to all the requests made by the villagers' representatives. Within days he had repaired his destroyed houses, dikes and temples. He then began digging deep wells not far from the foot of Mount Batur. As before, he didn't use any tools, just a pair of large hands. Kebao's project progress is rapid, and the wells are digging deeper and deeper. At this time, the villagers brought piles of lime one after another. Kobao saw it and asked incomprehensibly about the use of lime. Some villagers said that the lime was used to build embankments and fence well water; others said that lime was used to build a beautiful and large house for Kebao to reward him for his merits.

When Ke Bao heard this, he was happy to open his mouth and laugh. Yeah, he never lived in a house that could accommodate him. Usually tired, I either sleep on the top of the mountain or lie by the river or on the grass. The villagers' words made Ke Bao doubly motivated, and he bent down to work non-stop.

After lunch, the belly-filled giant continued to work. A few days have passed, the well has been dug deep, and people can no longer see him at the side of the well, nor can they hear his voice. Kobao didn't come up for a few days, which caused people to speculate. Some people say that the well must have collapsed, and Ke Bao was crushed to death by the soil; others said that Ke Bao was doing a good job. Just as people were talking about it, suddenly a thunderous snoring sound came from the bottom of the well, amusing the villagers. Due to the loud echo of the deep well, Ke Bao's snoring was frighteningly loud. At this time, the villagers speculated that the boy kebao had dug into the center of the earth.

At this time, the village chief shouted "attention" and made a gesture at the same time. The villagers immediately poured the mountain of lime into the well. Just as the villagers were busy, the well water rose and lifted the giant, who was still asleep. When the villagers saw this, they couldn't help but be terrified, afraid that the giant would suddenly wake up. But the villagers knew in their hearts: this is a life-and-death battle, and retreating means death. So the villagers secretly held their breath and poured lime into the well more quickly and quickly. The lime slowly covered the giant's legs and body, and it was about to cover his mouth and nose. At this time, Ke Bao suddenly woke up from the dream. He felt feverish, breathless, and his chest and lungs hurt as if they were about to explode. The giant found himself in a trap. He struggled desperately to get up, but the lime slurry sealed his body to death, unable to move at all. The giant understood that it was all over. The villagers knew that with some more lime, the giant would die. So the villagers shouted and poured all the remaining lime into the well. In this way, a giant who had shaken the land of Bali and the hearts of Balinese people disappeared forever.

The giant Kobo disappeared, but the water from the well was still rising slowly, as if to lift Kopao Ivo's soul into the sky. The well water overflowed and flowed day and night, filling the vast lowlands under Mount Batur. Eventually, the well water finally rose to its peak, forming what is now known as Lake Batur and becoming the source of the major rivers of southern Bali.

Kobao fulfilled his promise and left one last eternal memorial for the descendants of the Balinese people.

The descendants of the Balinese people will always be grateful and remember the giant Kobao, and the villagers on the shores of Lake Batur have been proud of him for generations.