Scented Story No. 2

To continue this series on fragrant tales from around the world, after the tropical atmosphere of Polynesia, let's head to the captivating landscapes of Indonesia.

The Magic Turban, the Enchanted Dagger, and the Wonderful Script" - A Javanese Tale

In a distant land lived an old sage named Ayi Saka. Driven by the need to distance himself from men to meditate, in the silence and solitude of the forest, on the mystery of life, he stood motionless in the heart of the jungle for 7 days and 7 nights. It was there that his heart, filled with peace, was penetrated by a magical power, that which gathers the flowers of the forest. Once back from his seclusion, the sage summoned his two servants Sembada and Doro and said to them: "As I waited in the silence of the forest, the East wind brought me the scent of Jasmine and, with it, a strange dream, that of a marvelous island where lived a poor and uneducated people, ruled by a hideous ogre king named Sang Prabu. I heard an unknown voice calling for help, so I ask you to accompany me on this distant journey." Sembada and Doro eagerly accepted, before asking the sage which direction to take. Ayi Saka smiled and replied: "The scent of jasmine found me, so it will decide." With these words, the sage picked a jasmine flower, let it fall to the ground and held out his hands. The flower began to grow until it could shelter the three men and flew with them like a magic carpet. They flew over many oceans and continents until Ayi Saka's long white beard, which floated in the wind, caught on the top of a mountain.

"We have arrived," the sage deduced. "Stay alert, we are in the territory of the demons charged with guarding access to Sang Prabu's kingdom," he added. "Sembada and I will enter the heart of the country, but you, my faithful Doro, will stay here with this magic dagger which will allow you to prevent the demons from helping the Ogre King. Do not forget that spirits can change their appearance, so only give this dagger to me, because demons do not have the power to impersonate me." Doro promised, and the sage, accompanied by Sembada, descended the mountain. On the way, they did not meet a living soul until, after several hours of walking, they came across an old man weaving a basket. The sage asked him about his people, and the old man replied: "Our kingdom is cursed: every morning, our viceroy brings a handsome young man to our sovereign, who is devoured the same day. All the mothers in this country fear dawn, and fathers clench their fists in helplessness when the sun appears in the sky. People are deserting the kingdom or hiding in the forest. Tomorrow, the viceroy will present his own son to Sang Prabu because all the other inhabitants of the country have fled."

The next day, as dawn broke, Ayi Saka was led to the king. Sang Prabu, delighted with this new offering, drew the young man by his white beard closer to his throne. "What is this beard, my boy? Is it edible?" "Taste it, Lord, you've never eaten anything better in your life," replied the sage. The King took Ayi's beard in his mouth and began to swallow it ferociously. Suddenly, the beard began to grow as if it were endless. It caught fire in the ogre's body, and he died in the flames, leaving only a small pile of ashes. The whole kingdom rejoiced. The viceroy summoned Ayi Saka to the throne room and asked him to take, as promised, all the land his turban could cover. The sage, with a smile on his face, asked Sembada to unroll the fabric that protected his head. The servant hastened, but the fabric did not diminish, quickly covering the jungle and mountains, rivers and lakes, the entire country. Thus, Ayi Saka became the lord of this great kingdom, which he administered with wisdom and benevolence. One day, he remembered his companion Doro, who had remained in the mountains. He asked Sembada to find his friend and ask him to found, at the foot of the mountain, a great city that would guard the access to their kingdom. He also asked him to bring back the magic dagger.

After endless wanderings, Sembada found Doro, exhausted from his ceaseless battles with the demons. He relayed the sage's message and asked him to hand over the dagger, which Doro, keeping his master's instructions in mind, refused to do. Driven by their loyalty, the two friends then fought a battle to the death, to accomplish the task their revered master had entrusted to them. At the end of this long and fierce battle, they both collapsed at once.

Not seeing Sembada return, Ayi Saka went in search of him and discovered, at the foot of the mountain of demons, the inanimate bodies of his servants. He then remembered with regret the task he had entrusted to Doro, and the order given to Sembada, understanding that they had both paid with their lives for the fidelity and love they held for him. He then picked up the magic dagger and carved a magical inscription into the rock, an eternal memory of his two friends:

"Ha na tsa ra ka - "Faithful servants

Da ta sa wa la - Fought together.

Pa da ia ya nya - Both of equal strength

Ma ga ba ta nga" - Became inanimate corpses."

As soon as the last letter was engraved, a miracle occurred. Doro and Sembada emerged from their death-sleep. With tears in his eyes, the sage took them in his arms and said, "May this magical inscription forever become the script of the people of this land, in memory of the nobility of your souls." And so it was.

If one day the East wind, fragrant with jasmine, brings you mysterious words: "Ha na tsa ra ka," know that on a wonderful island lost in the ocean, Javanese little girls and boys are reciting their alphabet on school benches.

Source :
The magic turban, the enchanted dagger, and the wonderful script is a tale taken from the collection The Most Beautiful Flower Legends (1992), itself part of the collection of tales and legends from around the world gathered by Gründ editions. The original text is by Vratislav St’ovicek and the French adaptation by Dagmar Doppia. The work is conceived as a gathering of flowers, each telling its story one after the other. The Magic Turban, the Enchanted Dagger, and the Wonderful Script is the story told by Jasmine.