Rawa Pening

By Sabrina Ayu

A long time ago, this story was very popular, especially in my city. Today, the place has become a tourist destination. Many people from different countries and cities come to visit it. But behind it, there is a sad story. It is not entirely logical, but this is how it is told.
Long ago, there was a village where a family lived — a mother and a father, who had one daughter. The parents were very well known, leaders in the village. In Indonesia, this role is called Papura, but it can be understood as a village leader. They had many followers because of their position. Unfortunately, the daughter became the subject of many curses and bad words. She became pregnant without having a partner. When the child was born, it was not a human baby, but a dragon. After this, she no longer lived with her parents. They felt deep sadness and confusion, not understanding how their daughter could give birth to a dragon instead of a human child. As the child grew older and became a teenager, he went to a mountain. This mountain still exists today in my area and is called Mount Telomoyo. Because he was a dragon, he wanted to transform himself into a human. To do this, he needed to perform a ritual, so he wandered around the mountain. At that time, the local community saw signs that they believed were not good. They began searching, unaware that there was a dragon nearby. Eventually, they found and killed the dragon’s tail. At that moment, the dragon transformed into a human. But because of what had happened, no one in the community wanted to help him. Only one person showed him kindness — an old woman, a grandmother.

The young man thanked her for helping him and gave her a warning. He told her that she needed to leave the village and, before going, to stick something into the ground once. The grandmother was the only one who listened. After she did this, a large amount of water began to appear, rising and spreading. The young man disappeared. The village was flooded, and the entire community drowned.
After that, the place became what is now known as Rawa Pening. Rawa means swamp, and Pening can be understood as dizziness or confusion. Even today, the place is known as a lake, but there is a belief connected to it. People say that those who enter the water with bad intentions or bad character may drown. The area is also known for having many snakes. It remains a popular tourist destination, but the local people still believe in this story and its warning.