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Kids Stories of Balinese: Pan Balang Tamak


This story of kids in English explains about someone who was lazy, but he was smart. His name is Pan Balang Tamak. This short story of Balinese is a folklore legends or myths from Bali-Indonesia.

Pan Balang Tamak was a bright man who always had ideas to trick other people. He was also a lazy person and always had excuses for his laziness.

One day the villagers asked to gather with have mutual resistance for cleaning up the village. The head of the village told the villagers to pick by the time the chickens woke up.

When the day came, everybody gathered in Bale Bunjur. Banjar is a place for the villagers to have meeting and discussion. The head of the village gave instructions to the villagers for activity in the morning.

Beautiful Kecak Dancer from Bali-Indonesia credit Travel Channel Asia on Facebook


He also emphasized for those who did not come that morning would get a 'me and punishment. He did so to make the villagers discipline. Besides that he knew that Pan Balang Tamak would come late or even would not come that morning as he usually did.

In fact, Pan Balang Tamak was late for a few hours. He came after the villagers had already finished their activities. He came with his innocent face as if lie did not make any mistakes.

The head of the village smiled at him and thought. This time, Pan Balang Tamak would get a fine and would have punished.

Then the chairperson of the community said,

"Pan Balang Tamak you come late thus you will get punishment and penalty."

"You cannot punish me, and I will not pay the fine," said Pan Balang Tamak calmly.

"What did you say?" the head of the village became impatient.

"Everybody asked to gather by the time the chickens woke up, but you come late thus you will get a punishment."

"No... No...No... I also come by the time my chicken woke up. You know I only have a hen", said Pan Balang Tamak

"Alright, then but what time is it now? Everybody has already finished cleaning up the village", said the head of the village.

"Well I only have a hen, and she was laying her eggs. I was waiting she woke up and got off," said Pan Balang Tamak.

"Excuses!" said the head of the village. He looked angry with Pan Balang Tamak.

"Calm down Sir. You said that we had to gather by the time chickens woke up and got off, did not you? My hen is also a chicken, right", said Pan Balang Tamak.

"He is correct, Sir," one of the villagers exclaimed.

The head of the village thought for a while. Finally, he agreed that Pan Balang Tamak was right." Well Pan Balang Tamak, You are smart. You will not have punishment now, but next time you will not have your fortune", said the head of the village.

"Well, I was born with chances," said Pan Balang Tamak.

Children Stories With Morals: Do Not Eat If Hungry

Children stories with morals entitled Wa Lancar with good stories. This Free fairy tales and folk tales for children stories come from North Sumatra – Indonesia.

Wa Lancar was a poor man. He has desperate to learn how to be a good and religious man, and he wanted to learn and study as much as possible. However, since his father had passed away, his mother was not able to support him in his quest for knowledge.

Despite in desperate situation, Wa Lancar tried not to let that situation prevented himself. He tries to get a better for himself. He always tried and tried found out how he could learn free. Thus, he could get his idea. He decided to find a teacher who would teach him free without payment.


Wa Lancar finally found a teacher who wanted to teach him without care for the payment. The teacher asked him with a stipulation that he should carry out. Wa Lancar agreed with this stipulation. Therefore, that teacher would teach him.

After a long time, he received just one lesson, which was quite strange. The lesson was "Do Not Eat If Hungry.”

He was not satisfied and tried to go looking for another teacher. The second teacher gave him the same advice with the first one. He was still not satisfied and found the third teacher.
Amazing Blue Knife Stone (Facebook Amazing Geologist)

The third teacher gave him the same advice as the two former teachers. The third teacher gave him with a further lesson “Take a Stone and a Knife and Sharpen the Knife."

Wa Lancar realised feeling disappointed again. He decided not to learn from further teachers. He feels always got the same lesson from his master.

Wa Lancar still enthusiasm to have more studies. He tries to learn from his friends who have already finished studying religion. After a while and got the knowledge from his friends he went travelling.

When he arrived in a faraway kingdom, he asked permission to live at the royal mosque. During his free time, he taught some children to read the holy book at the mosque. Seeing this, another teacher felt jealous with Wa Lancar. This teacher reported him to the king that Wa Lancar was misleading the children.

The king was angry. He punished Wa Lancar to have married with the princess.

The princess has already married for several times. However, her husband has always died unexpectedly just they got married. Because of this unfortunate situation, nobody wanted to marry the princess.

Therefore, Wa Lancar marries with the princess as his punishment. The wedding party began. The man who reported him to the king sees among the guests. Seeing the meals were serving, Wa Lancar started to feel starving.

Suddenly he remembered his teacher who taught him not to eat when he was hungry. Thus, he did not touch the food. In fact, his food had poisoned and would have killed anyone who ate it.


Then, some people who asked him to get some stones from the river who visited Wa Lancar. First, Wa Lancar did not want to make that request.

After thinking for a moment, finally, he made that offer. On the way to the river with the soldiers, he felt tired and stopped walking. At that moment, he remembered what his teacher had said. The soldiers keep step ahead.

Suddenly Wa Lancar heard people screaming. It was the soldiers. They had stepped on water mines. Then Wa Lancar, returned safely to the palace.

After he arrived at the palace, without thinking anything he went straight to his Wife's room. In that room, he saw his wife sleeping soundly. He did not wake her up, but he ground the black stone. Suddenly he saw a centipede try to bite him. However, he killed a centipede with the sharp stone. Wa Lancar survived.

The morality of this story is no matter how simple a knowledge if you should learn it seriously. The knowledge should be useful for the future. Such as in this story Wa Lancar had felt useful of the knowledge that he got from his teacher.

Both of these lessons help Wa Lancar escaped from the danger. The first, he did not eat even thought he was hungry Then he was safe from the poisoning meal. The second, Wa Lancar also escaped from the danger. He had killed the centipede with the stone, so finally he will survive.

Legends & Myths of Indonesian Loke Nggerang

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).