Names
Nyai Loro Kidul has many different names, which reflect the diverse stories of her origin in a lot of sagas, legends, myths and traditional tellings. Other names include Ratu Laut Selatan ("Queen of the South Sea," meaning the Indian Ocean) and Gusti Kangjeng Ratu Kidul. Many Javanese believe it is important to use various honorifics when referring to her, such as Nyai, Kangjeng, and Gusti. People who invoke her also call her Eyang (grandmother). In mermaid form she is referred to as Nyai Blorong.[1]
Actually the Javanese word loro literally means two - 2 and sneaked long ago into the name of the myth about the Spirit-Queen born as a beautiful girl/maiden, in Old Javanese rara, written as rårå, (also used as roro). In the course of time the Old-Javanese rara changed into the New Javanese lara, written as lårå, (means ill, also grief like heartache, heart-break). It is told the coincidence of this change got by chance, while the Dutch changed lara into loro (used here in Nyai Loro Kidul). So an illness turned into the subsist of two names for nyai, the Old Javanese Nyi Rara and the New Javanese Nyai Lara.[2]
Description
Nyai Loro Kidul is often illustrated as a mermaid who has a mermaid tail as well the lower part of the body of a snake. These mythical creatures take your soul for any wish of material matters addressed to them.[3]
Sometimes Nyai Loro Kidul literally is spoken of as a "naga", a mythical snake. It is Nyai Loro Kidul's association with snakes although this idea may have been derived from some myths concerning a princess of Pajajaran who suffered from leprosy. It is obvious that the skin disease mentioned in most of the myths about Nyai Loro Kidul does refer to the shedding of a snake's skin.[4]
Although it is the beauty of the Javanese Spirit-Queen that became a popular motif, and got related with the beauty of Sundanese and Javanese princesses, and their ability to change shape several times a day. Nyai Loro Kidul, with nine changes daily, surpasses all ordinary mortals, and became famous for her beauty.[5]
Nyai Loro Kidul controls the violent waves of the Indian Ocean from dwelling place in the heart of the ocean. Sometimes she is referred as one of the spiritual queens or wives of the Susuhunan of Solo/Surakarta and the Sultan of YogyakartaMerapi-Kraton-South Sea axis in Solo Sultanate and Yogyakarta Sultanate. Especially the colour of green, gadhung m'lathi in Javanese, is referred to her, which is forbidden to wear along the south-coast of Java.[6] and corresponding to
Origin and history
It is not known that Nyai Loro Kidul has been named in Javanese history. It was Panembahan Senopati (1586-1601 AD), founder of the Mataram Sultanate, and his grandson Sultan Agung (1613-1645 AD) who named the Kanjeng Ratu Kidul as their bride in the Babad Tanah Jawi.[7] (the creation story of Java).
One original Sundanese folks telling is about Dewi Kadita of the Pajajaran[8] Kingdom, in Western Java, who desperately sought the Southern Sea after black magic had hit her. She jumped into the violent waves of the Indian Ocean where the spirits and demons crowned the girl to the legendary Spirit-queen of the South Sea.
While another Sundanese folks telling shows how Banyoe Bening (meaning clear water) becomes Queen of the Djojo Koelon Kingdom and, suffering from leprosy, travels to the South where she is taken up by a huge wave to disappear into the Southern Ocean.[9]
A very complicated story goes about the Ajar Cemara Tunggal (Adjar Tjemara Toenggal) on the mountain of Kombang in the Pajajaran Kingdom. He is a male seer who actually was the beautiful great aunt of Raden Joko Susuruh. She told him to go to the east of Java to found a kingdom on the place where a maja-tree just had one fruit; the fruit was bitter, pait in Javanese, and the kingdom got the name of Majaphait. The seer Cemara Tunggal would marry the founder of Majapahit and any descendant in first line, to help in all kind of matters. Though after he (the seer) would have transmigrated into the "spirit-queen of the south" who shall reign over the spirits, demons and all dark creatures. After all it is because of these traditions that the myth about Nyai Loro Kidul got a Sundanese, West-Javanese origin. See Babad Tanah Jawi, by Dr. J.J. Ras.[10]
[edit] Specialities
Sarang Burung are Javanese bird's nests, and one of the finest qualities in the world. The edible bird's nests,[11] or sarang burung, which find a ready market in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and some places of Java, Sumatra, SulawesiBali are specially dedicated to Nyai Loro Kidul, already mentioned by Sultan Agung in reports. There are three harvest which are known as the Unduan-Kesongo, Unduan-Telor and Unduan-Kepat, taken place in April, the latter part of August (the largest), and December. The places of Rongkob and Karang Bolong along the South-coast of Central Java got famous for the edible bird's nests, made by the little sea swallows named Salanganen or Collocalia fuciphaga; famous because of the wayang performances which are held, and the Javanese ritual dances which are performed during gamelan music at the traditional ceremony. This will happen in a cave (Karang Bolong) and when these are ended specially prepared offers are made in a shed where for countless ages has stood what is known as the "State Bed of Nyai Loro Kidul". This imposing relic of an ancient belief is hung with beautiful silk batik kains, and a toilet mirror is placed against the green-coloured pillows of the bed ...[12] and
Nyai Loro Kidul is the patron goddess of the bird's-nest gatherers of South Java, who pursue what must be one of the world's most hair-raising professions. Along Java's South-coast there are a lot of 300-foot, and more, cliffs which are assaulted by breakers which have swept, uninterrupted, from Antarctica. The swiftlets roost in caves beneath these cliffs. The gatherers descend the sheer cliff-face on coconut-fibre ropes to an overhang some thirty feet above the water where a rickery bamboo platform has been built. From here they must await their wave, drop into it, and be swept beneath the overhang into the cave. Here they grope around in total darkness filling their bags with bird's nests. Going back needs very precise timing for not misjudging the tides, and fallen into the violent waves. These men earn their livelihood in the very embrace of the goddess of the Indian Ocean.[13]
The Dutch and their Javanese legacy
It is a well-known fact that Indonesia had a colonial past, dominated by the Dutch. In about the same time the myths and legends about the Nyai Loro Kidul became popular in local belief all over Java. Also the spread of the Islam came to Indonesia, at first by Muslim traders and later by Muslim Arabs, Chinese, Indians and Malays, with the first evidence of Indonesian Muslims concerning the northern part of Sumatra AD 1297.[14]
When Islam began to be adopted exactly among the communities of the northern coast of Java is unclear. Muslim traders already had settled in Javanese area, intermarried and adopted local lifestyles. For sure it were the Wali Sanga (about nine Muslim apostles) who are thought to be the bringers of Islam in Java; mystical Islamic teachers, perhaps claiming supernatural powers, who seemed a plausible agent of conversion in Javanese court circles, which had long been familiar with the mystical speculations of Hinduism and Buddhism, and of Nyai Loro Kidul.[15]
The term wali which is applied to all of the Islam teachers is Arabic (meaning "saint"), but the title "sunan" which they all carry, too, is Javanese. Sunan Kalijaga used to be one of the most "popular" Wali Sanga, and he got deeply involved with Nyai Loro Kidul because of the water aspect (at the beach of Pemancingan of northern Java, kali means river). Panembahan Senopati Ingalaga (1584-1601) , founder of Mataram's imperial expansion, sought the support of the goddess of the Southern Ocean (Kangjeng Ratu Kidul or Nyai Loro Kidul) at Pemancinang of southern Java. She was to become the special protectress of the House of Mataram. Senopati's reliance upon both Sunan Kalijaga and Nyai Loro Kidul in the chronicles accounts nicely reflects the Mataram Dynasty's ambivalence towards Islam and indigenous Javanese beliefs.[16]
The Dutch reports, tidings and paragraphs were entailed, collected and finally kept at the KITLV (an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam), Leiden Holland. These includes also most of the original writings about the Javanese Spirit-Queen collected by Dutch colonials, included some original Javanese reports, tidings and paragraphs about Nyai Loro Kidul, all invaluable. Even Indonesian students come to visit the KITLV, Leiden Holland, to study their own historical background as well the scripts that includes the name of Nyai Loro Kidul.[17]
So it is probably because of the Dutch depository the Javanese legacy of its scripts, books, and writings has been kept in a safe place of the KITLV library, Leiden Holland. While the Dutch collections of these old days hide the most original writings, studies and research about the phenomenon of Nyai Loro Kidul. And the new modern research and studies just may complete the fascinating, interesting stories about Nyai Loro Kidul.
Sightings
Pelabuhan Ratu
Pelabuhan Ratu, a small fishermen city in West Java, celebrates an annual holiday in her honor on April 6th. A memoral day for the locals, offering a lot of ceremonial "presents". Nyai Loro Kidul is also associated with Parangtritis, Pangandaran, Karang Bolong, Ngliyep, Puger, Banyuwangi, and places all along the south coast of Java. There is a local belief that wearing a green garment in these areas will anger her and will bring misfortune on the wearer, as green is her sacred colour.[18]
Samudra Beach Hotel
The Samudra Beach Hotel, Pelabuhan Ratu, West-Java, keeps room 308 furnished with green colours & reserved for Nyai Loro Kidul.[19] The first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, was involved with the exact location and the idea for the Samudra Beach Hotel. In front of the room 308 there is the Ketapang tree where Sukarno got his spiritual inspiration.[20]
Central-Java
Legends recount her love for Senopati and the famous Sultan Agung of Mataram, which continues to be recounted in the ritualized Bedhaya dance by the royal line of Surakarta, 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 newsmagazine reported her sighting by palace servants, who were sure she was paying her final tribute to the dead ruler.[21]
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