Javanese Mythology - Historical Overview

Historical Overview

The mythology of native Indonesian reflects their history, and the degree of influences they have had experienced. Some of native Indonesian ethnic groups that virtually isolated from the rest of the world until recent centuries have their own native mythology and gods. These native mythology are relatively intact and free from foreign influences. For example Torajans, Nias, Bataks, Dayaks and Papuans have their own set of mythology. While some others like Javanese, Balinese, and to some degree Sundanese has been influenced by Hindu-Buddhist Indian mythology estimated as early as 1st century. As the result Indian Hindu gods, legends and epic such as Ramayana and Mahabharata has been absorbed and adopted as their own mythology, given their own version, interpretation and twist. Some of native deities and gods might be incorporated in their version of Hindu mythology.

Many Hindu-Buddhist mythical beings has made their way into Javanese and Balinese mythology, such as numbers of Hindu gods and heroes, devatas, asuras, apsaras (known as hapsari or bidadari), kinnaras, etc. While native gods of nature such as Semar, Dewi Sri, and Nyai Loro Kidul are either given their Hindu counterpart identification or incorporated into Java-Bali Hindu pantheon unknown in India. For example native rice goddess Dewi Sri are identified with Lakshmi the shakti of Vishnu, and Semar and his sons the Punakawans are incorporated into the epic of Mahabharata in Javanese wayang kulit, as the clown servants of the Pandawas. There are several names to refer gods such as dewa (devas), dewi (devi), dewata (devatas), and in native traditions usually referred to as Batara (male god) and Batari (female goddess). These naming of gods has peculiar naming similarity with native Philippines mythology of Bathala and Diwata.

Later after the coming of Islam to Indonesian archipelago, Islamic mythology especially those which dealing with Islamic version of spiritual beings, such as satans, devils, demons, jinns, and angels, had made their way into native Indonesian Muslim mythology. In Sumatra, Malay, Aceh and Minangkabau mythology almost entirely supplanted by Islamic mythology after thouroughly cultural adoption. However the believe in local spirits such as the guardian of forest, the ghost of water or haunted places still exist, often associated with jinn or the tormented soul of deceased human.