Rare Angon: The Story of a Shepherd Boy

There was a boy named Rare Angon, which in Balinese means "shepherd's son". After coming home from school, he always grazes his pets who have accompanied him for a long time. To relieve boredom when his livestock eat grass, Rare Angon often entertains himself by drawing on the ground, especially when he forgets to bring his favorite drawing book. His abilities are very great, starting from drawing puppets and scenery, which makes his friends impressed with him.

Rare Angon When Drawing Ni Lubang Kuri (Source: Private Collection)

One afternoon, while accompanying his cow playing, Rare Angon was inspired to draw the figure of a beautiful woman on the ground. He was so impressed with his drawing that he named it Ni Lubang Kuri. One day, while the king was out hunting, he accidentally came across this drawing. Amazed, the king asked the children nearby, and they pointed to Rare Angon as the artist. When questioned, Rare Angon honestly explained that he had drawn the woman from his imagination and had never met her. However, the king didn't believe him and threatened Rare Angon to find the real Ni Lubang Kuri, or his life would be at stake.

Immediately, fear enveloped Rare Angon, tears dripped down her sweet face. The journey back home was not as beautiful as yesterday, gray covered the entire journey. Without realizing it, his footsteps had arrived at a small, simple hut, which was none other than Rare Angon's house. "Why are you crying my child?" asked the middle-aged woman, who was none other than Rare Angon's mother. Rare Angon sobbed even more, he rushed to hug his mother tightly. He also explained all the things he experienced with the King, that he had to get Ni Lubang Kuri, which was only an illustration. Rare Angon's mother couldn't help but cry. Her very diligent and beloved son, Rare Angon, had his life threatened just because of the King's selfishness. At that time, the twilight in the old hut was only filled with gray tears.

Rare Angon When Dreaming of Meeting Ida Bhatara (Source: Private Collection)

Night came, the crying stopped but the shadow of fear still enveloped Rare Angon. His eyes felt tired, without realizing it, he fell asleep and began to enter the flower of sleep. In his dream, Rare Angon met Ida Bhatara and said, "Rare Angon my son, don't be sad, follow the northeast direction from your home street, that's where you will find Lubang Kuri!" That was the only message he got, and Rare Angon woke up from his dream.

Early in the morning, Rare Angon's mother had woken up to prepare food for Rare Angon. Rare Angon also helped his mother to prepare provisions. Rare Angon was ready with a small woven bag containing sufficient equipment and provisions from her beloved mother. The hug then sent Rare Angon off to meet the woman, Ni Lubang Kuri. The journey was hard and tiring. The forests are lush, the rivers are fast, the hills are steep, and it doesn't feel like night has fallen.

Jero Dukuh When Giving a Magic Amulet to Rare Angon (Source: Private Collection)

Rare Angon met a powerful priest named Jero Dukuh who lived with his daughter. Jero Dukuh also provided surprising news that it was true that Ni Lubang Kuri existed in the northeast near the mountains. Jero Dukuh provided various magical amulets to accompany Rare Angon's journey. It was not easy to find Ni Lubang Kuri, on the way he met wild and giant animals which prevented him from meeting Ni Lubang Kuri. He defeated the giants and wild animals with the amulet given by Jro Dukuh, by throwing them, then the giants and wild animals that were in his way immediately fell asleep.

He was successful and finally met Ni Lubang Kuri. The beautiful woman was immediately invited to the king's palace. Immediately the King was very cheerful, but his greed made him want to eliminate Rare Angon and again ordered the young shepherd to go to the forest to bring the king tigers, dragons, and bees. Rare Angon did not move, but the threat of death made him rush into the forest to fulfill the king's request.

The royal atmosphere when Rare Angon became king (Source: Private Collection)

Rare Angon succeeded in fulfilling all the king's requests. When he arrived at the palace, the tiger, dragon, and bee went on a rampage and killed the selfish and greedy King. All the palace guards were also afraid of the wild animals brought by Rare Angon. Until in the end, all the people asked Rare Angon to lead the kingdom. Since Rare Angon ruled, there had never been any chaos to be heard and everyone lived in peace and quiet. Accompanied by Ni Lubang Kuri as his queen, the happiness of Rare Angon, his mother, and his wife was finally complete.

Picture of Rare Angon now, according to Balinese belief (Source: Private Collection)

There are three versions of the Rare Angon story. First, in the form of a folk tale about a shepherd boy. The second is the "Tutur Rare Angon lontar" which tells the story of human life from conception to death and the various yadnya ceremonies that accompany it. Third, Rare Angon as uparengga in the big yadnya ceremony, usually called "ngadegang Betara Rare Angon". Currently, people in Bali believe that Rare Angon is a familiar figure in Balinese traditions, especially in the "Melayangan" (Playing Kites) which is specifically held every June to August. The spirit of Rare Angon and its goodness are expressed in the Lontar Rare Angon which is described as the God of Children.