Bantugen is the foremost hero of the Darangen, the great Maranao epic cycle set in the sultanate of Bembaran (Bumbaran). Celebrated for his beauty, martial prowess, and success in courtship, he provokes the jealousy of his elder brother, the reigning sultan, who forbids the court to speak with him. Wandering off in grief, Bantugen falls mortally ill and dies at the gate of a rival kingdom; his soul is borne up to the sky-world, and his kinsmen wage war and mount an expedition to retrieve it, whereupon he is restored to life. His exploits of courtship, abduction, and battle range across the island sultanates that make up the world of the epic.