Bbad are traditional Javanese chronicles written in verse. Although there aremany babad, some dealing with a specific area (Babad Madura), or period(Babad Kartasura), or event (Babad Pacina), the ‘mother’ of all babad is the text known as the Major Babad Tanah Jawi. The latest version of it dates from 1836, althoughthe events described end around the year 1770. It describes the history of Java, or ratherthe kings of Java, ab ovo, that is, from Adam until about 1770. Although parts of this text can be found, sometimes literally, in other babad, there exists only one known com-plete copy of this text in the library of Leiden University (LOr 1786, 18 volumes, 9,094 pages). Babad, however, were written in verse (tembang macapat), not even in a single metrelike the hexameter in Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey, but in at least nine different verse me-tres which had to fit the subject matter and the atmosphere of the event described.Babad were clearly not meant to be read in silence. Even when reading alone, the readerwould hum along, if not recite the text aloud. More commonly babad were recited at communal gatherings where the participants would take turns reciting or singing apart of the text.