Timun Mas (The Golden Cucumber)
A Javanese folktale about a childless couple who pray desperately for a child. An ogre-like giant named Buto Ijo grants their wish by giving them a magical cucumber seed, which grows into a cucumber containing a baby girl named Timun Mas (Golden Cucumber). The giant promises to return when she is seventeen to claim her as his meal. As the deadline approaches, a kind hermit gives the parents four magical items: cucumber seeds, needles, salt, and shrimp paste. When the giant comes for Timun Mas, she flees, scattering each item behind her — they transform into a cucumber forest, bamboo thicket, o