INDONESIAN MYTH
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Basic of Indonesian Myth
The mythology of Indonesia is influenced by Indian Mythology.
The names of gods in our mythology are the same as in Indian.
This is because the great Indian civilization influenced our Indonesian ancestors.
The main difference is, the Indians aren't focusing on Five Pandawas, or Pandawa Lima.They are the Indonesian Myth heroes.
Five Pandawas are;
Bima
Harjuna
Yudistira
and the twins
Nakula
and
Sadewa.
Their greatest enemies are the Kurawas, their 99 cousins, which are very jealous on them.
Five Pandawas' mother is Kunti, who raised them alone for years.
Kunti became the symbol of motherhood.
Pandawas fathers are five gods, Bayu(God of wind), Indra(God of Thunder), God of Worshipful, and the twin Gods of Medicine, after Kunti's husband, Pandu, died by a curse.
Later the rencarnation of Wisnu/Visnu, Krisna(the myth hero of Indian) became their teacher.
And Bima became the strongest man in world,
Harjuna is the greatest archer,
Yudistira is a excellent speaker and diplomat,
Nakula-Sadewa twins are the ultimate horse-riders.
Their story was written in two epics, Mahabarata, the story of their life, and Bhatarayuda, the epic about civil wars between Pandawas and Kurawas with their alliance.
Other Indonesian mtyh heroes are:
Gatotkaca: The son of Bima who have super-human skills.
Srikandi: The warrior-princess.
Karna: The eldest of Pandawa who turn to Kurawas because other Pandawas disavowed him. He is the son of Surya,God of Sun. -
FUNERAL CUSTOMS
While most of funeral ceremonies in Indonesia have followed the way of modern religions, such as Islam, Christian, or Tao, some tribes in Indonesia still practice traditional funerals. II'll give you four examples.
1. JAVA
Among Javanese, funerals involve several activities called selamatan (selamat in Bahasa means safe, wish, happy, good luck). The first selamatan is held on the day a member of a family dies. The next one is held on the third day, continues on the seventh day, fortieth day, the hundredth day, and the greatest one will be held on the thousandth day. The Javanese believe that on the thousandth day, the spirit of the dead person is already at the peace in the another world.
2. SULAWESI
The Torajan people in South Sulawesi (Celebes) believe that the spirit of a dead person enters puya, place for the dead. Dead people that go to puya must show his social status when he was alive. So the funeral ceremony for a person who had a high position in the community may look like a carnival. The dead person is accepted as dead when a complete funeral has been held. Before that, the corpse is considered to be a sick body, kept in a traditional house called 'Tongkonan.' He is dressed and offered food.
3. BALI
The Balinese of Trunyan put the dead body under a tree after a mourning ceremony. It's not buried or burned, not even covered. The amazing fact is, the body will rot, but DOES NOT smell. The place where the dead is put is near a village in Lake Kintamani, the largest lake in Bali Island.
4. FLORES
Manggarai people of Flores, in the southeast part of Indonesia, (people there are Austroloid, not Mongoloid by race) believe that the spirits of the dead, called poti, stay where they used to stay when they were alive, especially near the bed. After some time, the poti move to wells, big trees, or crossroads near the house. They watch their grandchildren, but don't disturb the living people. After five days, the poti will go to Mori Karaeng, the place for the dead. Manggarai people believe that everything in Mori Karaeng is opposite of that in the world of the living. People break dishes and glasses on the fifth day so that the poti will have the dishes and glasses in good condition at Mori Karaeng. -
Indonesian Ghosts
Tuyul
This is a ghost of infant boys (like Casper, but this one not funny, able to floats and invisible) . He is usually kept by a man tasked to stealing moneys.
Until today some people in my country still believe it exists (I don't).
Kuntilanak
The ghost of woman, died during her delivering process, has a hole in her stomach.
She's wandering looking for her son, which means young men in the real world.
Leak
A legendary mystical process in Bali, someone can transform him/herself into another thing (animal, building, tree or other things).
In this modern age people can transorm into a car, computer, even airplane.
The person with the greatest skill can transform into Rangga, a form of demon.
Jin
Or Genie in western. The myth about this ghost, came from Arabianculture.
It's hard to believe, but some people in my country still believe this, too.
Some people buy a Jin for their protector, from businessman to parliament member.
Pocong The ghost in white hood, hopping, usually found in graveyard. -
I've heard that there is a Jin in every house in Kathmandu, Nepal.Originally posted by ratinacage:Jin
Or Genie in western. The myth about this ghost, came from Arabianculture.
It's hard to believe, but some people in my country still believe this, too.
Some people buy a Jin for their protector, from businessman to parliament member.
Apparently some people staying in traveller's lodges have woke up to see a Jin staring at them. These Jins never attack, being good in nature. They escape by turning flat and slipping under the door..