A Comparative Study of the Structures of the Indonesian Fairy Tales

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Prima Gusti Yanti1 & Fairul Zabadi2

1Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka, Indonesia. Email: pgustiyanti@yahoo.com. 2The Development and Cultivation Language Board, Ministry of Education and Culture, Indonesia.

 Volume 8, Number 3, 2016 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v8n3.26

Received January 29, 2016; Revised July 12, 2016; Accepted July 28, 2016; Published August 18, 2016


Abstract

This study attempts an analysis of the similarities and differences of an intrinsic structure, the patterns of  intrinsic structure, and  their influence  on  the fairy tales. The research samples consisted of 12 fairy tales. The study finds that the plots consist of:  a male character who wandering in a jungle accidentally comes across a lake where fairies are bathing. He steals a fairy’s shawl and forces her to marry him. The fairy finds her shawl that is stolen and she finally goes back to heaven. The following tales are built on such structure: Arya Menak (East Java), Jaka Tarub (Central Java), Telaga Bidadari (South Kalimantan), Raja Omas dan Bidadari  (Simalungun), Oheo (Southeast Sulawesi), Lahilote (Gorontalo), Datu Pulut (South Kalimantan), Bulalo lo Limbutu (Gorontalo), Mahligai Keloyang (Riau), Putri Mambang Linau (Riau), Tumatenden (Minahasa, North Sulawesi), Rajapala (Bali). The Similarity among some fairy tales seems to have occurred because of the mutual correlation among them and the context of dissemination.

Keywords: fairy tale, intrinsic structure, the stories similarity and difference, and influence studies.