TIMUN EMAS

It's an illustration of an Indonesian folk story, titled Timun Mas (means golden cucumber).

It's about a couple who didn't have any child. They asked a giant to give them a child. The giant granted their wish, in one condition : that they should give the child when she had grown up. They agreed and finally found a baby girl from a golden cucumber. They named her Timun Mas.

When Timun Mas was 17 years old, the giant came to take her. Her parents then told her to escape quietly. They gave her some things to protect her : some needles, a pouch of salt, few cucumber seeds and some shrimp paste (for these were all they had). She escaped, but the giant chased her. She then threw the needles. Magically the needles turned to sharp bamboo stems that pierced the giants body. But the giant didn't stop.

Timun Mas then threw the salt which turned into a big wave of sea water. The giant was hurt by the salt water touching his wounds, but he kept going. She then threw the cucumber seeds which turned into vines that entangled the giant. She threw the last item, the shrimp paste. It turned into a big pool of deep swamp with mud and fast sand, swallowing the entangled giant until he's gone. Timun Mas then came back to her parents and live happily ever after.