1. Name the characters in the story “Timun Mas”!

2. Where, when and what is the atmosphere in this story?

3. Briefly explain how the plot of "Timun Mas" goes!

4. In your group's opinion, what is the main theme of the story “Timun Mas”?

5. What moral message can you learn from “Timun Mas”?

A type of folktale that typically features magical creatures, fantastic events, and a moral lesson.

Folktale

A traditional story or legend that is passed down orally from one generation to the next.

Legend

A story about mythical or supernatural beings or events.

Myth

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often the hero or heroine.

Antagonist

A character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating conflict in the story.

Setting

The time and place in which the story occurs.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up a story.

Theme

The main idea or underlying meaning of a story.

Moral

A lesson or message about right and wrong that is conveyed in a story.

Magic

The power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.

Timun Mas is an Indonesian folktale about a poor, childless couple who receives a magical golden cucumber containing a baby girl named Timun Mas. Years later, a terrifying giant who had spared the couple’s lives demands Timun Mas as his 18th-birthday sacrifice. To save her, a sage gives her four magical items: salt, needles, shrimp paste, and cucumber seeds. When the giant chases her, Timun Mas throws the items behind her, creating obstacles salt turns into a vast ocean, needles into a thorny forest, shrimp paste into quicksand, and cucumber seeds into entangling vines ultimately drowning the giant. The story teaches courage, quick thinking, and how intelligence can overcome brute strength, while also highlighting themes of parental love and preparation against danger.