How the new moon came to be

This is a story from Sumatra.

How the new moon came to be

Once upon a time, there was a cow herder who let his cows graze on the grass.
Suddenly, heavy clouds appeared, and began to pour heavy rain. The herder ran to the forest for shelter.
There he noticed a huge snake, bigger than any he'd seen. The snake sat on a nest of eggs.
The man understood that the snake was Hala no gadang, the one who would appear at the night's sky as the star sign. How would the man escape such a creature?
Fearfully, he grabbed a rock and threw it at the snake with all his strength.
The man missed the snake, but he hit the eggs, and broke them all.
The snake was furious! "You have killed my children! Now, I will kill you!"
The man ran and ran and ran, but the snake chased him wherever he went. But, she could not catch up to him.
Then, the man reached the end of the world. And with a great jump he took to the heavens. But the snake followed him.
The man went to the moon, and begged her for her protection. Then the snake arrived, and told the moon of the injustice done to her.
The moon took pity on the man, but did not know how to help him. She went to the sun for council.
After a while the sun and the moon decided the snake should be compensated by the man.
But the snake refused, insisting on eating the one who has killed her children.
Then the moon made a decision.
"If you insist on eating someone, take me instead." she said "I will offer you my body to eat each month, but let this man have his life."
The snake agreed to that, an this is why each month the moon disappears from the sky; the snake has eaten her.