Si Pahit Lidah I

As the story goes, Serunting was the forefather of all the inhabitants of the Semidang area in South Sumatra. He was the son of a very powerful giants, his mother being the princess of the land, called Princess Tenggang. About Serunting’s bouhooh not much is known; people came to know about him only when a quarrel arose between him and his brother-in-law, called Aria Tebing, a man as powerful as he himself. Both young men had rice-fields which were seperated from each other by a fallen tree. The cause of the quarrel was in fact jealousy about mushrooms growing on the bark of the fallen tree. Mushrooms facing Aria Tebing’s rice-field became only useless plants. Whatever Serunting tried, turning the tree lenghtways for example, it was of no use. It was for ever gold for Aria Tebing and useless thins for Serunting.

A violent fight broke out between the young men, their friends taking sides. Knowing that Serunting was stronger than he and endowed with supranatural powers, Aria Tebing stopped fighting. He looked for anotner way to defeat Serunting and Therefore he persuaded his sister to find out Serunting’s secret. This she soon obtained when one night Serunting, being quite worn out, fell fast asleep and therefore lost his watchfulness. His wife came to know that he had concealed his soul in a high grass plant which could tremble, even though there was no wind blowing at all.

Now being sure of victory, Aria Tebing took up the fight again and pierced the high grass plant with his spear. Serunting fell, his leg badly wounded. Through the betrayal of his wife, Serunting had lost the combat and, embittered, he brooded on revenge. He made for the mountain of Si Guntang to ask the mighty Mahameru for help. The king promised him magic power which he could only gain after being spat at and after having remained under a cluster of bamboo trees without taking either food or drink till the leaves of the bamboo had covered him. Then the king warned him beforehand never to have a rest again. It took two years to be covered with the leaves, but Serunting’s power was assured. From then on he was called Si Pahit lidah or Bitter-tongue, which meant thet everything that came out of his mouth was a curse. Woe to him that dared to oppose Serunting!

Si Pahit Lidah, however, was not convinced yet of his power. To make sure that he really had magic power, he pronounced a curse on mellowy sugar-cane growing on the bank of lake Ranau.

Lake Ranau, pic taken from here

Be stone! He said, and look! Everything turned to dry uneatable stalks! Then being sure of his power he wanted to wander at first to his native village to take revenge on everybody who had crossed his way. Everyone along he came across he turned to stone.

Jambi River, pic taken from here

Everywhere along the Jambi River people can point out the spots where Si Pahit Lidah spoke his deadly curse. It stands to reason that he was the fear of everyone. There was not much needed to make him angry and the result were fatal for the person, for the victims turned to stone. A girl who, just for a joke, answered his question about the way to her village with:’Under your feet’, underwent the same fate. Little had she expected she had spoken her death sectence. People found her like a cold image with her gold chain on her neck, her rings on her finger and her bracelets around her wrists, but everything was stone!

Map taken from here

Tobe continued