Kancil Story

The stories of Sang Kancil (also known as Si Kancil) is a series of traditional fables about a clever mouse-deer. They are popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. A weak and small yet cunning figure, Sang Kancil uses his intelligence to triumph over beings more powerful than himself. The protagonist of these stories is Sang Kancil, a smart and sly mouse deer. He can fool the other animals to escape from trouble. This folk figure is similar to another folk figure, Br'er Rabbit.
One day, Sang Kancil tried to steal cucumbers from a farmer's field. The first time, he stole some cucumbers successfully. He then encountered a scarecrow, and mocked it because it could not scare him. He kicked the scarecrow with his front leg, but it got stuck in the scarecrow, which the farmer had filled with glue. Sang Kancil tried to pull out his leg, but in vain, as the glue was too strong for him. Later, the farmer came and laughed at Sang Kancil, who was trapped by the glue on the scarecrow. He then put him inside a cage for the rest of the day. Later that night, the farmer's dog came to see Sang Kancil. The dog mocked him and said he would be cooked the following morning, but Sang Kancil stayed calm and relaxed. The dog got confused and asked him why he was calm. Sang Kancil said, "You are wrong. I am not going to be cooked! I am going to be a prince!" The dog became more confused. "I will marry the farmer's daughter and become a prince. I feel sorry for you; all of your loyalties were paid just like this! You just became a dog! Look at me! Tomorrow, I will become a prince!" said Sang Kancil proudly. The dog, who felt discriminated against by his own master, asked him to switch places. He thought that by switching places with Sang Kancil, he would become a prince instead. So, the dog opened the cage and let Sang Kancil free. The following day, the farmer was confused because he did not see Sang Kancil anywhere; instead, he saw his dog in the cage, wagging his tail.
One day, Sang Kancil was trapped inside a hole made by some hunters. He screamed for help but no one heard him. He thought it was hopeless for him to escape from the trap. He waited for a while until an elephant came. Then, he had an idea. He said, "Hurry, come down here! Come down and seek shelter with me because the sky is falling!" The elephant, confused yet terrified, foolishly followed his order and jumped down into the hole. Sang Kancil quickly hopped onto the elephant's body and jumped out of the hole, leaving the elephant trapped.
One day, Sang Kancil wanted to cross a river, but the river was infested with hungry crocodiles who might eat him. Eventually, the Sang Kancil had an idea, telling the crocodiles: "You cannot eat me unless you make a row!" To which one of the crocodiles replied, “Why must we do that?”.
Sang Kancil replied, "I will let you all eat me after bringing me to the island.” Believing what he said, the crocodiles followed his order and formed a row between the two sides of the river. He then quickly hopped from one crocodile to another until he reached the other side of the river, leaving the reptiles far behind, angry.
Another version of the story follows Sang Kancil telling the crocodiles that the king will throw a party and all animals are invited. He said that he wanted to count the number of family members they have. The crocodiles lined up while Sang Kancil hopped onto their backs while counting, getting to the other side slyly.
One day, Sang Kancil was drinking at the river when a tiger who wanted to eat him suddenly arrived. Sang Kancil tried to escape, but the tiger was faster than he was. Cornered by the tiger, he thought of how to escape. He told the tiger, "Your mightiness and toughness are very great, but my king has a greater strength than yours! Nobody can match his!" Feeling taunted, the tiger declared he would challenge this “king”. He led the tiger to the river and told him, "Look at the water, and you will see my king." The tiger looked into the river and thought he saw another tiger in the water. He growled, but the "king", his reflection, growled too. Then he jumped into the water, believing there was another tiger there. Sang Kancil took his opportunity to escape. After fighting with the "king" in the river, the tiger realized it was only his reflection. Fooled by Sang Kancil, the tiger wanted revenge and continues to hunt him down to this day.