The Devil Woman (Putri Siluman)
Putri Siluman wards a well in Lampung, Indonesia. She was known to have the power to give fertility to those childless couple. One day, a king came to ask for her help—he wants a boy to succeed him in the future. But alas, he falls in love with Putri Siluman and marries her. When the lady wizard gets pregnant, up came a serious problem, she craves for a human head to eat everyday. Will the king comply with her wishes? Read the following story!
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Long, long ago in Lampung, there lived a king with his consort. They had been married for years yet remained childless. The king began to worry as he craved for a son that would replace him. In truth, after all this time, he nearly gave up.
One day, when the king sat alone on his throne, suddenly a soldier came up.
“Your Highness, pardon me for disrupting your time,” said the soldier.
“What makes you?” asked the king.
“I came with news—I hope happy news—for you, my king,” said the soldier.
“What is that? Tell me,” the king looked curious.
“I’ve just heard tell that a well-keeper lady could help couples have a child. Her name is Putri Siluman,” reported the soldier.
“A well-keeper? So where’s the well?” the king asked impatiently.
“It’s on the border of our kingdom,” answered the soldier.
Unhesitatingly, the king took off to see Putri Siluman. He was so surprised to find out that the lady was totally different from what he thought. He had pictured her very ugly and even ghastly before. However, Putri Siluman turned out to be very pretty and charming. The king could not help himself being amazed by such a beauty. He changed his mind. He would not ask help from her to have a child; he wanted to marry her.
Putri Siluman knew the king had a wife back in the palace. She would not accept his proposal unless he was not married.
The king was unexpectedly willing to get rid of his wife, moreover after considering that she could not give him a child. After expelling the old queen to a desolate place, he married Putri Siluman and took her to the palace.
Several months afterwards, Putri Siluman was pregnant. The king looked happy to hear that, having long been waiting for a son. But he just realized that his new wife was a devil woman. Putri Siluman was craving for a human head to eat everyday.
The king was caught in a difficult situation. He had to provide what she wanted to make sure that her baby was born healthy. In doing so, he killed many of his people. The whole kingdom grew uneasy as everyone was waiting their time to get beheaded and eaten by the new queen.
The bad news from the kingdom reached the ear of a hermit. Feeling for the people, he went to the town and to the palace to see Putri Siluman himself. He carried a goat head with him, which he, using his power, turned into a human head. He meant to give it to the queen as gift but unfortunately, Putri Siluman knew the truth. She was insulted and turned into frightening devilish creature.
The hermit stayed calm. In fact, he offered himself to the devil woman.
“If you are really hungry, eat me! I won’t fight you. Go ahead, slay me!” shouted him.
Putri Siluman quickly beheaded the hermit and cut his body apart. When she was opening her mouth, suddenly the parts of the body reunited. The woman was taken aback, infuriated. She could not believe her eyes. The hermit came back to life with a little smile on his face. A fight was inevitable. They came to blows fiercely. After a long time, the hermit finally overcame her. Putri Siluman ran away with her unborn baby. Since then, the king had to move on alone.
Twenty years on, in her exile, the old queen lived with her boy, a young man named Putra Mayang. Apparently, when the king drove her out of the palace, she was already expecting. So there, in a remote quiet place, she raised her son in kindness. She sent him to an old man living near their place to learn things. Under the old man’s tutelage, Putra Mayang grew up a strong man.
One day, Putra Mayang sat on the porch with his mother. It was then that he was told about his father, the king. Putra Mayang really wanted to see him.
Several days later, Putra Mayang told his mother that he was thinking of going to town to see his father. He left the next morning.
He reached the town after threading through the jungle for days. He knew he should not hurry to reveal the truth. To start with, he came in the palace as a chef.
One night, when everyone was asleep, there was a sudden tumult within the palace. A baby was kidnapped. It was not the first time, though, as the same thing had happened to a minister family a few nights before. The following night, Putra Mayang watched the palace secretly. He wanted to find out who was the kidnapper. He did see him that night. He ran after him and cornered him near the palace fort.
“Hey you! Stop!” shouted Putra Mayang.
The mysterious villain took no more steps. With a baby in his arms, he turned to Putra Mayang. He challenged him to fight one on one.
“And take this adorable baby if you can…,” said the kidnapper.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
“I’ll be honest to you but don’t be surprised. I’m the son of Putri Siluman and the king,” answered him while laughing.
It turned out that several days before Putra Mayang’s arrival the man had come to the palace to see his father. The king recognized him as son but did not know that the young man inherited the nature of his mother: he savored eating human beings.
Putra Mayang understood who the man was. In a lightning speed, he launched a blow towards him. For the whole night they clashed, no one heard a sound. At dawn, Putra Mayang stood alone in the palace yard, carrying the baby. As for his stepbrother, he lay dead on the ground.
The death of her son infuriated Putri Siluman. She appeared in the palace again after a long time. She wanted to get even with Putra Mayang. They fought violently, restlessly attacking each other. Putra Mayang was fortunate that time for Putri Siluman was not as strong as she was. He did not need a long time to defeat the woman. The death of the devilish mother and son allowed the people of the kingdom to finally feel relieved. The kingdom restored its peacefulness.
After that, Putra Mayang decided that it was time to reveal everything to the king.
“Your Honor, do you remember of your old wife you drove out twenty years ago?” inquired Putra Mayang.
The king opened his eyes widely, looking a bit surprised, and trying to observe the young man.
“Do you know her? Is she still alive?” asked the king.
“Yes, I know her. She is my mother. And I am your son.”
“What did you say? Don’t play with me, young man. She was sterile.”
Putra Mayang then told him what happened and eventually convinced him. The king was touched. In tears, he hugged Putra Mayang.
“It’s all right, father. Let bygones be bygones,” said Putra Mayang wisely.
“Please, forgive me, son. I was wrong,” begged the king.
“I have before you said it. Now, we had better to pick up mother. She must be missing both of us,” said Putra Mayang.
The next day, they left for the jungle to take the old queen back to the palace. In the end, the king could live together with his family again.
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Thus ends the story of Putri Siluman, the Well Keeper. The story contains at least a message for us, i.e. one should not give up easily. Just because he has not had a son, he leaves his consort to marry the wizard. The consequence is heavy: his decision takes victim. His family is neglected, many people fall victim to the savageness of both the devilish woman and her son.
Other than that, we can also take a lesson from the forgiving nature of Putra Mayang and his mother. Despite the king’s big mistake, they are willing to pardon and accept him as family.
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