''Nyi Roro Kidul'' (or ''Nyai Rara Kidul'') is a

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

being in Indonesian folklore. She is the Queen of the Southern Sea in Sundanese and

Javanese mythology Javanese may refer to: Of Java * Of or from Java, an Indonesian island in Southeast Asia *Javanese people, and their culture *Javanese language **Javanese script, traditional letters used to write Javanese language **Javanese (Unicode block), ** ...

. In Javanese mythology, Kanjeng Ratu Kidul is a creation of Dewa Kaping Telu, . Meanwhile, Nyi Roro Kidul was originally the only daughter of the King of Sunda, who was expelled by her father, because of her stepmother. Some equate Nyi Roro Kidul with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, although in Kejawen belief, Nyi Roro Kidul is a loyal subordinate of Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. Nyi Roro Kidul's position as the Phantom Queen of Java is a popular motif in folklore and mythology, and is also associated with the beauty of Sundanese princesses.

Etymology

''Nyi Roro Kidul'' is known by various names, reflecting the different stories of her origin, legends, myths, and hereditary stories. She is commonly called by the names ''Ratu Laut Selatan'' and ''Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Kidul''. According to Javanese customs, honorifics, such as ''Nyai'', ''Kanjeng'', and ''Gusti'', are used to refer her for the sake of politeness. Sometimes, people also refer to her as ''Nyai Loro Kidul''. Javanese ''loro'' is a

homograph A homograph (from the , and , ) is a word that shares the same written form as another word but has a different meaning. However, some dictionaries insist that the words must also be pronounced differently, while the Oxford English Dictionar ...

for "two", "pain" or "suffering". While the Javanese of ''rara'' (or ''roro'') means "girl". A Dutch orthographer predicted a change from the old Javanese ''Roro'' to the new Javanese ''loro'', resulting in a change in meaning from "beautiful girl" to "sick person".

Origin and history

The legend of Nyi Rara Kidul originates from the

Sunda Kingdom The Sunda Kingdom ( , ) was a Sundanese people, Sundanese Hindu kingdom located in the western portion of the island of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering the area of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Lampung, and the western part of ...

Pajajaran Pakuan Pajajaran (Sundanese language, Sundanese: ᮕᮊᮥᮝᮔ᮪ᮕᮏᮏᮛᮔ᮪; known as Dayeuh Pakuan/Pakwan or Pajajaran) was the fortified capital city of Sunda kingdom, Sunda Kingdom. The location roughly corresponds to modern Bogor cit ...

of the 15th century and is older than that of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom of the 18th century. However, research into the

cultural anthropology Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The term ...

of the Javanese and Sundanese peoples suggests that the legend of Java's Queen of the Southern Sea may have originated from a much older prehistoric

animistic Animism (from meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, Rock (geology), rocks, rivers, Weather, ...

belief, a pre-Hindu-Buddhist goddess of the southern ocean. The fierce

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

waves of Java's southern coast, its storms and sometimes

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

s, may have evoked a sense of reverence and fear for the forces of nature, which came to be regarded as the spiritual realm of the gods and ancestors inhabiting the southern seas, led by their queen, a Goddess, later identified as Ratu Kidul.

Dewi Kadita

One of the Sundanese folktales tells the story of Dewi Kadita, a beautiful princess of the Sunda Kingdom, who fled to the southern ocean after being cursed by a shaman at the behest of a rival in the palace, which disfigured the princess. She jumped into the ocean, attempting suicide, but instead was cured and restored to beauty. The phantoms then made her the legendary Phantom Queen of the Southern Sea. A similar version tells of Kadita, the only daughter of King Munding Wangi of Galuh Pakuan. Because of her beauty, she was nicknamed ''Dewi Srêngéngé'' ("Sun Goddess"). Despite having a beautiful daughter, King Munding Wangi was saddened that he did not have a son to succeed him as king. The king then married Dewi Mutiara and had a son from their marriage. Dewi Mutiara wanted her son to become king without any obstacles in the future, so she tries to get rid of Kandita. Dewi Mutiara went to the King and asked him to ban Kadita from the palace, which he refused. The next day, before sunrise, Dewi Mutiara sent her servant to summon a shaman. She told the shaman to cast a curse on Kadita. By nightfall, Kadita's body was itchy with scabies, foul-smelling, and full of boils. The King invited many healers to cure Kadita and realized that the disease was not natural; it must have come from a curse. Dewi Mutiara forced the King to exile his daughter as she would bring bad luck to the whole kingdom. Kadita wandered alone, aimlessly. She did not hold a grudge against her stepmother but requested for Sanghyang Kersa to accompany her in her suffering. After almost seven days and seven nights, she finally arrived at the Southern Sea, where she heard a supernatural voice telling her to jump into sea. She jumped in and swam, and the waters of the Southern Sea removed her boils without leaving a mark, making her even more beautiful. She had power over the Southern Sea and became a goddess called ''Nyi Roro Kidul'', who lived forever.

Palabuhanratu Bay Palabuhanratu Bay (; ) or Pelabuhan Ratu (Sundanese language, Sundanese for: ''Harbor of the Queen)'' is the largest bay on the coast of the Indian Ocean in the south of West Java. Palabuhanratu fishing village is the major sea port of the bay. G ...

is particularly associated with this legend.

Princess Banyu Bening Gelang Kencana

Another Sundanese folktale mentions ''Banyoe Bening'' (meaning ''clear water'') becoming Queen of the Djojo Koelon Kingdom. She suffered from

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

and later traveled to the south, where she was taken by a huge wave to disappear into the Ocean.

Legend and belief

Nyi Roro Kidul is sometimes depicted in the form of a

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

with her lower body in the form of a snake or fish, sometimes as a very beautiful woman. She is believed to take the soul of anyone she wants. Her depiction as a snake may stem from the legend about the Princess of Pajajaran who suffered from leprosy, which was probably thought to be the same as a snake shedding its skin.

Pati of the army of the Southern Sea

Nyi Roro Kidul is believed to be the pati of Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, who leads the army of phantoms in the southern sea. Kiai Iman Sampurno from

Blitar Blitar is a landlocked city in East Java, Indonesia, about 73 km from Malang and 167 km from Surabaya. The area lies within longitude 111° 40' – 112° 09' East and its latitude is 8° 06' South. The city of Blitar lies at an altitude ...

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

(19th century) issued a prophecy that Nyi Roro Kidul and Sunan Lawu would lead their respective armies and spread the plague to humans who do not behave well.

Ban on green garments

There is a local belief that wearing a green garment will bring the wearer bad luck, as green is Nyi Roro Kidul's favorite color.''Legend of Borobudur'', hal. 114: Dr. C.W. Wormser - Het Hooge Heiligdom - Uitgeverij W. Van Hoeve Deventer, N.V. Maatschappij Vorkink Bandoeng Sea green (''gadhung m'lathi'' in Javanese) is Nyi Roro Kidul's favorite color and no one should wear the color along the southern coast of Java. People visiting the southern coast are warned not to wear green garments. According to myth, they could be targeted by Nyai Rara Kidul, to become her soldiers or slaves.

Serat Centhini ''Serat Centhini'' is a twelve-volume compilation of Javanese tales and teachings, written in verse and published in 1814. The work was commissioned, directed, and partially written by Crown Prince Mangkunegoro, later enthroned as Pakubuwono V o ...

mentions that Gusti Kanjeng Nyai Rara Kidul has ''kampuh gadhung mlathi'' or "a long green ''dodot'' cloth with a white center" that is gold-toned.

Swallow nests

The edible bird's nests, in the form of

bird's nest soup Edible bird's nests, also known as swallow nests ( zh, c=燕窝, p=yànwō), are bird nests created from solidified saliva by edible-nest swiftlets, Indian swiftlets and other swiftlets of the genera ''Aerodramus'', '' Hydrochous'', '' Schout ...

or ''sarang burung'', find a ready market in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and Singapore are dedicated to Nyi Roro Kidul, mentioned by Sultan Agung in reports. There are three harvests which are known as the ''Unduan-Kesongo'', ''Unduan-Telor,'' and ''Unduan-Kepat'', that take place in April, the latter part of August, and December. Rongkob and Karang Bolong along the south coast of central Java are famous for their edible bird's nests, made by the little sea swallows (so-called, but actually

swiftlet Swiftlets are birds from the four genera ''Aerodramus'', ''Collocalia'', ''Hydrochous'' and ''Schoutedenapus'', which form the tribe (biology), tribe Collocaliini within the swift (bird), swift family (biology), family Apodidae. The group contain ...

s), called ''Salanganen'' or '' Collocalia fuciphaga''. The harvests are famous for the

wayang ( , ) is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. The term refers both to the show as a whole and the puppet in particular. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a ''gamel ...

performances and Javanese ritual dances, accompanied by

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

music. These performances take place in a cave (Karang Bolong), and after their end specially prepared offerings are made in a shed, in what is known as "Ranjang Nyi Roro Kidul". This relic is hung with beautiful silk

batik Batik is a dyeing technique using wax Resist dyeing, resist. The term is also used to describe patterned textiles created with that technique. Batik is made by drawing or stamping wax on a cloth to prevent colour absorption during the dyein ...

clothes, and a toilet mirror is placed against the green-colored pillows of the bed. Nyi Roro Kidul is the patron goddess of the bird's nest gatherers of South Java. The gatherers descend the sheer cliff face with

coconut fiber Coir (), also called coconut fibre, is a Natural fiber#Vegetable fibers, natural fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut, and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses. Coir is the fibrous material found be ...

ropes to an overhang some thirty feet above the water, where a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

platform has been built. From there, they must await a wave, drop into it, and be swept beneath the overhang into the cave. Here, they search for nests in total darkness. Going back needs very precise timing to avoid misjudging the tides and falling into the violent waves.

Palabuhanratu

Palabuhanratu Palabuhanratu or Pelabuhan Ratu (Sundanese language, Sundanese for: 'Harbor of the Queen') is an administrative district (''kecamatan'') and a fishing town which serves as the regency seat of Sukabumi Regency. The town is at the southwest coast ...

, a small fishing town in

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, celebrates an annual holiday in her honor on April 6. The local fishermen annually send the ''sedekah laut'' ceremony, offering gifts and sacrifices; from

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, vegetables, and agricultural produces, to chicken,

fabrics, and cosmetics, to be ''larung'' (sent afloat to the sea) and finally drawn into the sea to appease the queen. The local fishermen believe that the ceremony will please the Queen of the Southern Sea, and in return, this would provide plentiful catches in fisheries and bless the surrounding areas with better weather and fewer storms and waves. Nyi Roro Kidul is also associated with Parangtritis, Parangkusumo,

Pangandaran Pangandaran is a town and district of Pangandaran Regency within the province of West Java, Indonesia. It is located on the southern coast of the island of Java. A well-known surfing beach has made Pangandaran a popular tourist destination. His ...

, Karang Bolong, Ngliyep, Puger,

Banyuwangi Banyuwangi, previously known as Banjoewangi, is a large town and an administrative district (''kecamat5an'') which serves as the capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 ...

, and other places along the south coast of Java. There is a local belief that wearing a green garment in these areas instead of blue, purple, lavender, magenta, pink, and violet will anger her and will bring misfortune to the wearer, as green is her sacred color.

Samudra Beach Hotel

The Samudra Beach Hotel,

, West Java, keeps room 308 furnished with green colors and reserved for Nyai Loro Kidul. The first president of Indonesia,

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

, was involved with the exact location and the idea for the Samudra Beach Hotel. In front of room 308 is one

Ketapang Ketapang, or ''Tau-pang'' in Teochew, is the administrative capital of Ketapang Regency (''Kabupaten Ketapang''), one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. Ketapang town is located at and is a tow ...

tree where Sukarno got his spiritual inspiration. A painting of Nyai Rara Kidul by

Basuki Abdullah Fransiskus Xaverius Basuki Abdullah (born Muhammad Basuki Abdullah, 25 January 1915 – 5 November 1993) was an Indonesian painter and a convert to Roman Catholicism from Islam. His work is characterized as realism and has been exhibited in ...

, a famous Indonesian painter, is displayed in this room.

Yogyakarta and Central Java

The legend of Queen Kidul is often associated with beaches in Yogyakarta, especially Parangkusumo and Parangtritis. Parangkusumo, in particular, is special since it was the place believed to be the location of the first spiritual encounter between the Queen with Panembahan Senopati. Legends recount her love for Senopati and Sultan Agung of Mataram, which continues to be recounted in the ritualized Bedhaya dance by the royal line of

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

, and she is honored by the susuhunans of Solo/Surakarta and the sultans of Yogyakarta, Central-Java. When Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX died on October 3, 1988, the ''Tempo'' news magazine reported her sighting by palace servants, who were sure that she was paying her final tribute to the deceased King.

Kanjeng Ratu Kidul

Nyi Roro Kidul is often equated with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, though they are different individuals. Kanjeng Ratu Kidul is often illustrated as a

with a tail as well as the lower body parts of a fish. The mythical creature is claimed to be able to take the soul of any who she wishes. According to local popular beliefs around coastal villages in Southern Java, the Queen often claims the lives of fishermen or visitors who bathe on the beach, and she usually prefers handsome young men. The role of Kanjeng Ratu Kidul as a Javanese Spirit-Queen became a popular motif in traditional Javanese folklore and palace mythologies, as well as being tied in with the beauty of Sundanese and Javanese princesses. Another aspect of her mythology was her ability to change shape and her appearance several times a day. Sultan

Hamengkubuwono IX Shri#South and Southeast Asia, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX (Javanese script, Hanacaraka: ; 12 April 1912 – 2 October 1988), often abbreviated as HB IX, was an Indonesian politician and Javanese people, Javanese royal who was the second Vice P ...

of Yogyakarta described his experience on spiritual encounters with the spirit Queen in his memoir; the queen could change shapes and appearance, usually appearing as a beautiful young woman during a full moon, and as an old woman at other times. Kanjeng Ratu Kidul is in control of the violent waves of the

from her dwelling place in the heart of the ocean in a significant amount of the folklore that surrounds her. Sometimes, she is referred to as one of the spiritual queens or wives of the

Susuhunan Susuhunan, or in short version Sunan, is a title used by the monarchs of Mataram and then by the hereditary rulers of Surakarta, Indonesia. Additionally in Bali and Surakarta, so-called " Kings of kings" reigned with this title, while their k ...

of Solo or

and the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

. Her loctaion is considered to correspond to the Merapi- Kraton- South Sea axis in the Solo

Sultanate Sultan (; ', ) is a Royal and noble ranks, position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". La ...

and Yogyakarta Sultanate. Another pervasive part of folklore surrounding her is the color aqua green, ''gadhung m'lathi'' in Javanese, which is favored and referred to by her and is thus forbidden to wear along the southern coast of Java. She is often described as wearing clothes or ''selendang'' (silky sashes) in this color.

In popular culture

The myth of Nyi Loro Kidul as the queen of the southern ocean has become a popular source of inspiration in Indonesian culture, both traditional and modern. Some local traditional theaters, particularly Sundanese

Sandiwara ''Sandiwara'' ( Indonesian term for: "drama") is a genre of traditional theatrical drama of Indonesia. In general, it refers to any kind of drama or theatrical performance, and literally, ''sandiwara'' means "to pretend" or "to act". However, ...

and Javanese Kethoprak, may retell this legend in their performances. It has become the main theme of mystery, horror, and epic genres of Indonesian film and

sinetron A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

TV series. The tale of the Queen of the Southern Ocean has become the source of one of '' Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' character, Kadita from the Kingdom of Sunda. She is also the inspiration behind the song “Queen of the South” by the

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

band The Panturas.

Notes

* Becker, Judith. ''Gamelan Stories: Tantrism, Islam, and Aesthetics in Central Java''. Arizona State University Program for Southeast Asian Studies, 1993. (The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 246–247) * Fischer, Joseph. assisted by James Danandjaja ... t al.''The folk art of Java'' / Kuala Lumpur; New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. . ''Section – 8. Images of Ratu Kidul, Queen of the South Sea'' * Olthof W.L. J.J. Meinsma, J.J. Ras ''Babad Tanah Jawi''. Foris Publications Dordrecht-Holland/Providence-USA, 1987. * Mudjanto, G. ''The concept of power in Javanese culture''. Gadjah Mada University Press, 1986. * Mulder, Niels. ''Inside Indonesian Society Cultural Change in Java''. The Pepin Press, Amsterdam – Kuala Lumpur 1996. * Mulder, Niels. '' Mysticism & Everyday Life in Contemporary Java''. Singapore University Press, Second edition 1980. * Schlehe, Judith. ''Die Meereskönigin des Südens, Ratu Kidul''. Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1998. * Schlehe, Judith. ''Versionen enier Wasserwelt: Die Geisterkönigin im javanischen Südmeer''. B. hauser-Schäublin (Hg.) Script Ethnologische Frauenforshung, Berlin 1991

References

External links

*
''International Herald Tribune'' article about the sultan's relationship with the goddess

"Harbor of the Queen" in EnglishNyai Loro Kidul, the Queen of the Southern SeaIndonesian Mystery Poem honoring Nyi Roro Kidul
* *The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen: Extraordinary Asian People and Places, and Things that Go Bump in the Night. Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (2008) Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. . Contains a long chapter on the Queen of the Southern Ocean and her relationship with current sultans of Java. {{Authority control Sea and river goddesses Water goddesses Indonesian folklore Javanese mythology Javanese folklore Sundanese mythology Sundanese folklore Indonesian goddesses