Kbo Iwo

This myth was the most popular myth on the previous site!  It's not completely clear why, but I have a few guesses, which I'll share after the story.  In the meantime, enjoy!




Kbo Iwo

Once there was a giant named Kbo Iwo who was as tall as the mountains. He and the townspeople got along well, as he would help them build their large temples, dig their irrigation ditches, build monuments, roads, bridges, and other useful things.  At Kbo Iwo’s request, the people would give him as much of their crops as they could, as payment for his assistance.

Unfortunately, Kbo Iwo naturally had a large appetite, and what the townspeople gave him was never quite enough.  In his hunger, he would grow furious, demolishing all of their buildings and bridges.  When he had destroyed a goodly number of their projects – because he had worked up such an appetite – he ate the people until he was full.  Once his hunger was satiated, however, he would apologize and help them rebuild all of the monuments, buildings, and other things that he had destroyed. 

One year, there was a severe drought, and the harvest was much smaller.  The people of Bali could no longer feed the giant, as they could barely provide enough food for themselves. 

Kbo Iwo was not happy.

The angry giant strode throughout the country, devouring every person in his path.  He smashed down buildings, pulling the people who were hiding in them into his great mouth, where he ground them with his sharp teeth. 

The people of Bali had finally had enough, and those who escaped began to come up with ways to kill Kbo Iwo.  Their plan was to double-cross him, pretending to be his friend, but then killing him in his sleep.  This is how they did it:

The people apologized to Kbo Iwo for their inability to grow more vegetables, saying the fault was all their own.  What they needed was a well from which they could draw fresh water whenever there was a drought.  They asked the giant if he would help them, and since their attitude pleased him, he agreed.

So Kbo Iwo dug and dug, piling the dirt up next to the well.  Soon, the dirt pile was the size of a mountain, and the well was the size of a lake.  Yet he continued to dig at their request, until he was so tired and hungry that he had to take a break.  Because the well was difficult to climb out of, he asked the people to throw food down to him, which they gladly did.

Kbo Iwo ate, and his full stomach, along with the hard work, made him drowsy, and soon he was in a deep sleep.  When the townspeople heard his snoring, they poured lime down into the well, which hardened and set so that he was unable to escape.  When the rains finally came, the deep pit filled with water, and overtime became a lake.  It is known as Lake Batur to this day.




Part of why this story is so popular - at least in my opinion - is because it rings true to our ears.  Consider the elements of the story:  a real lake, real villages, real people, real lime, real crops, real seasons . . . the only element anyone would ever question is the giant. 


Which begs the question, why?  Why is it so hard to believe that giants once existed?  Is it because we have no reason, or is it because we simply refuse to believe?  I'll talk more about giants in the coming months, but for now, suffice it to say, most of us dismiss stories such as this one simply because we choose to dismiss them, and I'm not certain that is fair.  Maybe, instead of immediately dismissing stories, we should consider and investigate the possibility of truth.


Just some food for thought.