ADVENTURES OF DEWA MUDA
The King of Negeri Selindungan Bulan had a beautiful wife – Tuan Puteri Selindung Bulan. She was the daughter of the Dewa King from Kayangan – the kingdom of the skies. One day, the young queen woke up craving for the perfect betel leaf and areca nut.
Mak Inang quickly sent her handmaidens to find what the queen desired. A few months later, Tuan Puteri Selindung Bulan gave birth to Dewa Muda.
Dewa Muda grew up with his playmate and loyal companion Awang Sejambul Lebat.
One day, Dewa Muda woke up from a dream, chilled to the bones and feverish.
He told Awang that in the dream, an old wise man had appeared and asked Dewa Muda to go deep into the ancestral forest to hunt for a golden deer.
When heard of the dream, the royal Nujum – an astrologer – told Dewa Muda that he must do as he was told. If he refused, Negeri Selindungan Bulan will face disaster.
The prince decided he would follow the advice so he began to prepare to leave for the forest with his followers. The hunt began as soon as the deer was sighted. Mysteriously, it kept on appearing and disappearing and soon the hunting team became lost.
As the sun began to set, Dewa Muda and Awang stopped by a pond to rest. While bathing, Dewa Muda saw a flower petal in the pond with a hidden message: “Find me in Kayangan. I am your true beloved.”
So Dewa Muda decided to fly to Kayangan. Awang told the prince that his father, the king, used to fly up using the golden wau (a large type of kite) to seek the queen many years ago. The golden wau was kept by his mother.
The two friends then agreed to return to the palace to ask for the golden wau from the queen. Dewa Muda told his mother that he was worried his hunting team might get lost while hunting the golden deer. The prince said he would use the golden wau to guide the hunting team back to the palace.
After much deliberation, the queen finally agreed, and Dewa Muda and Awang took the kite to the open fields – Padang Luas Saujana Padang. The prince asked for help from a spirit of the Kayangan to fly the kite. After a while they discovered that the kite had become stuck. Then, they heard a loud voice from the sky. Dewa Muda faltered but, Awang had made him promise to continue to climb the kite to Kayangan no matter what happened. So the prince continued climbing. When they finally reached Kayangan, they stumbled upon a garden. They were tired, so they ate some fruits. Then, Awang transformed himself into a little mouse and the prince into a cat to avoid being noticed. Soon, they fell asleep.
A few moments later, the Kayangan princess, Puteri Ratna Mas and her handmaidens entered the garden. Dewa Muda and Awang were discovered despite their disguise.
They were rudely awakened. Inang Bongsu – the Princess’s youngest handmaiden accused the prince and Awang of theft as she found fruits missing from the trees.
Unknown to her handmaidens, Tuan Puteri Ratna Mas and Dewa Muda had already fallen in love at first sight.
The princess offered Dewa Muda her betel leaves. Dewa Muda took a few bites and he immediately went to sleep. Inang Bongsu took his keris in exchange for the fruit they had eaten and left the garden with the princess.
Later however, Tuan Puteri Ratna Mas quietly sneaked back to the garden and
revived Dewa Muda. She smiled at the prince and returned his keris. She changed him into a white flower and placed it in her hair. Once inside her room in the palace, she transformed the prince to his normal self.
The princess kept Dewa Muda hidden for many days. She complained to Inang Bongsu that she was not feeling well and had food brought to her. She also said she wanted to be alone.
Inang Bongsu began to feel suspicious. She continued to spy on the princess and saw Dewa Muda in the princess’s room. She also saw that Dewa Muda left the palace as a white mouse every day.
Feeling angry, she began planning to get rid of the prince.
After much thought, she placed an arrow by the window where the white mouse would usually scurry by to leave. Dewa Muda was pierced by the arrow as he was leaving and transformed back into his real self. He was badly wounded. He crawled to Awang and died. Awang knew that this was the doing of Inang Bongsu.
He brought Dewa Muda back to earth to his mother, Tuan Puteri Selindungan Bulan.
Awang said there was no one who could bring back the prince to life. So the Queen gave up hope and ordered that Dewa Muda’s body be made ready for burial.
While making arrangements, the royal attendants in charge of the burial met two persons who appeared out of nowhere and claimed to be healers. They managed to
revive Dewa Muda but they disappeared mysteriously after that.
On the blade of his keris which was placed under his pillow, Dewa Muda saw a message. The inscription read: “Seek me in Kayangan.”
Dewa Muda realised that it was Tuan Puteri Ratna Mas who had saved him. He called for Awang, and together they travelled back to Kayangan.
Dewa Muda met Tuan Puteri Ratna Mas in the forbidden garden again and they married in secret. Tuan Puteri Ratna Mas put a spell on the prince so he had to spend half his time in Kayangan with her and the other half with his mother on earth.