The Urduja Story I Read As A Child

I've read a good many versions of the story of Urduja. With the release of the animated movie, I thought I'd share it. It's pretty different from the story they portrayed in the movie. Here goes:

Once upon a time, there lived a Datu who had a daughter named Urduja. She was ugly and acted like a man (If I recall correctly, I believe the term the book used was she 'spat and squatted like a man'). She was also very educated.

One day, a foreign scholar passed through their village. Urduja and her father welcomed him with open arms and showed him hospitality. The young scholar was fascinated by Urduja, not only because of her bravery in battle but also because of her intelligence. Urduja also found herself drawn to the scholar and his tales of foreign lands.

The time came when the young scholar had to leave their village and move on to other places. Urduja was saddened by this but she could not bring herself to tell the scholar how she feels because she felt that her ugliness would only result in rejection. So, she simply said her goodbyes and watched him go.

Because of her feelings for the scholar, Urduja went to a witch and asked to be made beautiful. The Witch placed a spell on her and told her that she will be beautiful for six months. After six months, she will return to her old self.

Urduja followed the scholar to a neighboring village. The scholar was smitten by her beauty but recognized the princess that fascinated him. They were married and lived together happily.

The stories I've read differed when it came to the ending. I decided to share both.


Ending # 1:

When the six months were almost up, war broke out in that village and the scholar was badly wounded. Before he died, Urduja transformed back to her old self and told the scholar about the spell. The scholar told her that he loved her even before she became beautiful. Then, he died.

Ending # 2:

When the six months were up, Urduja told the scholar about the spell and she transformed back into her old self. The scholar told her that he loved her even when she wasn't beautiful. They lived happily ever after.

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