Legends & Myths of Indonesian Loke Nggerang

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This Legends & Myths of Loke Nggerang comes from Flores or Nusa Western Lesser Sundas. This short story retold us how the traditional New Year party held in Bima, Sumbawa. This traditional new year party based on fairy tales of Loke Nggerang.

Legends & Myths of Indonesian from Nusa Tenggara Timur Indonesia

Loke Nggerang

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Nggerang. She was live in a place called Ndoso Village, Manggarai regency in West Flores. She was aesthetic in beauty. People in that village said that she was strange because of her father. Her father was ancestral spirit while her mother was a human.

Nggerang had a magic power and ability to transform into whatever she liked from her father. When she transformed herself into something else, nobody could recognize her.

Nggerang had a beautiful smile. Her skin was smooth and reddish as a princess from heaven. She had beautiful eyes and nose. Her hair was long, black, and straight.

Many people wanted to marry her, but she did not know what love was. Even she dared to refuse the King's proposal.
Sumbawa Girl in Traditional Ceremony Event (image credit: kemanayuk.net)

The great King Todo wanted to marry Nggerang. He sent his messengers to proposed Nggerang. But, Nggerang had transformed herself and disappeared. When the King's messengers arrived, Nggerang's mother was surprised. The messengers explained about what they came for. Then a Tongka (spokesman) was invited to talk about Nggerang.

"The King's will is so kind if the King wanted another girl from this village that would be better. It is hard for us if the King wanted to marry Nggerang," said Tongka.

"Why is it hard?" ask one of the messengers.

"If she is at home or can see in this village, it won't be hard for us to call her."

"Where does she go?" ask the messenger again.

"We don't know sir," said Tongka.

"Did you hide her?" "If you would like Sir" said Tongka, "You can search for that’ girl in every part of the houses in this village."

They searched for Nggerang, but nobody was able to find her. The result was nothing. The King's messengers back to the palace without Nggerang.

The next few days, the King heard that Nggerang came back to the village. He sent his messengers to propose Nggerang again. Unfortunately, when the messengers entered Nggerang's house, she transformed herself and disappeared again. This is the second time the King failed to propose Nggerang.

King Pongkor, a family of King Todo, heard about Nggerang. He sent messengers to propose Nggerang. But they came back without Nggerang, just as King Todo's messengers. Nggerang did not want to marry anybody.

Besides those two kings, there are two others kings, King Cibal and Mori Reok. The were from North Manggarai and heard about the beauty of Nggerang. They were also sent their messengers to propose Nggerang, and they failed.

Mori Dima from Bima was also failing to propose Nggerang and disappointed. Because of that, he blew up magic power to Ndoso village. Then, a thick dark cloud came to the village.

The villagers felt that the thick cloud as a big wave that would destroy them all. The cloud would stop if Nggerang wanted to marry Mori Dima. But Nggerang still did not care. It made the villagers angry and wanted to kill Nggerang so they could get rid of the cloud.

It was so hard to kill Nggerang. One day, when somebody wanted to kill her, she disappeared. The only way to subdue is her magic power first. A shaman was called to kill Nggerang. This shaman had stronger magic power than Nggerang. Nggerang was not able to transform again. Then shaman killed her, and the cloud was gone.

Nggerang was kill. Her body was bury but her smooth skin was- taken to Todo. Nggerang's skin was use as a drum. The drum made from Nggerang's skin sounded, "Tu..tuung Loke Nggerang, Tu..tuung Loke Nggerang".

The sound was so loud so that Mori Dima in Bima, Sumbawa could hear it. That drum only hit toward Penti party, a traditional New Year party to honor the ancestors.

End of short story about Legends & Myths of Indonesian Loke Nggerang. The legends & myths from Flores, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTB).

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