Indonesia
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The Story of Pasaggangan ’Laggo Samba Sulu
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Kilip and the Moon Princess
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The Story of Bima Sakti or Dewa Ruci and the Myth of the Milky Way
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The Story of Manikmaya
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Breaking The Sun
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Lawaendröna the Moon Man
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The Story of Hala Na Godang, The Giant Dragon
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Lintang Waluku (or Luku) the plough or the plow, the Hunter Orion
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The Story of Wulanjar Ngirim and Gubuk Penceng Alpha – Beta Centauri and the Constellation Crux
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Bintang Panci
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The Story of Kala Rahu
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A Story of the Moon of Pejeng
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Bedhaya Ketawang (Dance of Heaven)
01
The Story of Pasaggangan ’Laggo Samba Sulu : The Origin of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars (The Battle of Sun and Moon)
As compiled by: Irma Indriana Hariawang – Langitselatan/Astronomy Study Program
This is a legend from Mentawai (West of Sumatera Island) that relates to the people’s everyday lives. In their tradition, they do not pray to the Sun but to the sky, Kina Manua. They appeal to the sky for good weather and success in life.
According to the story, the Sun and Moon were also living creatures, like humans. Both were females, and they had many children. The Moon’s children were stars in the sky, whereas those of the Sun were the little suns. The little suns were why the afternoon in the past was hotter than it is now. As a result, people could not leave their houses to go about their business, and they had to doall of their fieldwork at night. Even pets had to stay in their cages at noon.
The Moon pitied the humans and decided to fight the Sun. She thought of a scheme and then hid her children, the stars. Afterwards, she ate the husk of a very young coconut so that her lips became pink. Then the Moon faced the Sun and said, “Look, my lips are glistening in pink. I have eaten all of my children. What a marvelous joy.”
The Sun saw no stars in the area. “Hmm … I will eat all of my children too,” the Sun replied, and she immediately swallowed the little suns.
Night came, and the Moon brought back all of her children from their hiding place. The Sun then realized that the Moon had deceived her. She was furious and started fighting the Moon. The Sun took a big knife and stabbed the Moon so viciously that parts of Moon’s body scattered in all directions. The Moon in turn, also took a big knife and stabbed the Sun. However, she could only tear away small pieces from the Sun’s body. These small pieces became the sunbeams we see just before dawn and just after dusk.
When the people heard about the battle between the Sun and the Moon, they expected the Earth to become cooler so that they could work outside in the afternoon. However, the weather in the afternoon was still very hot. Then the people agreed to help the Moon and continue the battle themselves. They made numerous poisonous arrows and shot them toward the Sun. The Sun eventually surrendered, and the world has been cooler ever since. The people have been able to work outside as they had wished to.
02
Kilip and the Moon Princess
As compiled by: Avivah Yamani – Langitselatan
This story comes from the Dayak Benoaq culture (Borneo) and about the lunar eclipse.
Almost every night Kilip, a young man from Dayak Benoaq tribe, sang age-old songs while playing a sampe, their traditional musical instrument. He had an exceptional voice and plucked the strings os the sampe beautifully. He was an orphan and had no brothers or sisters.
Everyday, he cultivated the land his parents had left to him, and, sometimes he went hunting with his friends. One day, when he returned home from hunting, a friend asked him, “Kilip, would you like to travel?” Kilip answered, “Well, I don’t know. I would really love to, like Maharaja Banu did. People say that he was the first one visit the Kapuas delta. Even though I really want to travel, I have been hesitant to, because I have to cultivate the land that my parents left me since they passed away”.
That night, Kilip sat in front of his house, singing and playing the sampe, just as he had done before. His songs were the sounds of his heart, longing to travel the world. The songs and the sampe sounded very intense, like waves crossing the ocean. Sometimes they sounded sad, when he remembered his duty to the land that he had inherited.
While singing, Kilip wasn’t aware that the moon was full that night. When he finished singing, he went to bed. Suddenly, he saw a beam of light that changed into a beautiful princess.
“Who...who are you?” Kilip wondered aloud.
“I am the princess of the Moon, and want to thank you for helping me!” she said.
“Help you? When?” Kilip asked.
“You know, Kilip, once in a while the Giant Ruha* comes to absorb my light. If that happens, an eclipse occurs. And, in fact, the Giant Ruha had already conquered kingdom of the Moon. I was in the grasp of his giant hand, but the beautiful sound of your sampe hurt him. He could hardly bear the pain, and so he released me. How lucky! Once more, thank you Kilip! To show my gratitude, I would like to give you present. Please say what you long for!”
Kilip was very happy to hear that and answered, “O Princess, I would love to travel, to see what the world looks like!”
“Hmm… very well then, Kilip,” the princess replied.
The princess of the Moon slowly turned into a giant bird. Then she spread her wings and asked Kilip to ride on her back. Kilip began his great journey though the sky.
Kilip was spellbound. Looking down from above, he realized how vast his land was. The mountains towered high; the cliffs were stunningly steep; the valleys spread out evenly; and the river bent gracefully. Huts were grouped together and appeared through the forest. Kilip soon realized that there were many tribes other than his own. There were the tribes of Dayak Tidung, Dayak Kenyah, Dayak Tunjung, Dayak Bahau, and hundreds more.
The giant bird returned Kilip to his house and then departed. Although his journey only lasted for one night, Kilip’s dream was fulfilled. Kilip became even more respectful of his homeland. Kilip sang, “We are able to love more after we know more of what we have.”
*See the story of Rahu and Ketu from Bangladesh
03
The Story of Bima Sakti or Dewa Ruci and the Myth of the Milky Way
As compiled by: Emanuel S. Mumpuni – Langitselatan/LAPAN and Widya Sawitar – Jakarta Planetarium)
There are many versions of this story in the Mahabarata, including Dewa Ruci, Nawa Ruci, Bima Suci, Bima Kunthing, and Bima Sakti. The folktale’s central character is a basically, pure, honest, and open-minded man.
It is a unique tale from Javanese culture about the Milky Way. According to a local source (a dalang more widely-known as shadow puppet master), the story is not included in the Mahabarata epic. The story of the Untoro Kondo arc never mentions the Milky Way itself. In the region of Minangkabau (West Sumatra), the Milky Way is recognized as a giant snake or a dragon, but currently no story about it has come from that region.
Once upon time in the Kingdome of Astinapura, there lived two family groups that would someday succeed the throne. The two groups, Pandawa (with five brothers) and Kurawa (with one-hundred brothers) were always in conflict because the Kurawa envied the Pandawa, who always did well. All were under Resi (priest) Durna’s tutelage. Resi, an unjust teacher, plotted with the Kurawa to harm the Pandawa by giving them impossible tasks.
“I need you to find Tirta-prawita, the elixir of knowledge, to unlock true knowledge.” Resi told Bima, the second Pandawa brother, “With it, you will become a true hero with divine knowledge; become very powerful; and live forever.”
“I will find it, but where?” Bima answered with no hesitation about accomplishing the task.
Bima searched for the Tirta-prawita (Tirtha-amrta, Toya-pawitra: water of life) at the bottom of the Southern Ocean (Lawana Udadhi). On his journey, he met two giants, Rukmuka (alternate spelling: Rukamaka) and Rukmakala (Rukamakala), who were gods in disguise. Bima killed them. Then they giants changed back into their true forms as the gods Batara Indra and Batara Bayu, and went straight to heaven.
Resi did not expect that Bima would accomplish the task and survive a more dangerous situation. Bima differed from Resi, because he only understood duty, responsibility and loyalty; he knew nothing about lies and treachery.
Resi smiled and said, “My son, the elixir is located deep beneath the Karang Bolong Ocean”.
Without hesitation, Bima ask permission to depart, but deep down he wondered, “How can I dive?” He asked his brothers and Prabu (king) Kresna, his cousin. Kresna knew that the task was just a trick and asked him to refuse to do it. But Bima was determined to continue and would not give up. To make sure that everything would go well, Kresna told the Punakawan to accompany Bima and to make signals in the sky if anything, unfortunate happened.
When they arrived at Karang Bolong, Bima told the Punakawan to stay on the coast. With the help of Jalasengara’s magic, Bima was able to travel deep beneath the ocean. Suddenly, he was attacked by the dragon Nemburnawa. The fierce, brutal fight lasted for days, stirring up white foam on the ocean’s surface. The sky reflected the foam. Knowing that it might be a sign of trouble, the Punakawan went up into the sky. Semar, the Punakawan’s father, went first. He appears as a red spot in the sky known as Lintang Kemukus. Next, Gareng went to southeast and became Lintang Joko Belek that appears at dusk. Then Petruk went to the southwest and became Panjer Rina. They watched the fighting continue on and on.
This was most difficult battle that Bima had ever fought. It took most of his strength, but he fought on because he did not want to fail. It was his obligation. Suddenly he remembered Eka Druwendra, the weapon that Batara Indra and Batara Bayu had given him. He used it to stab Nemburnawa in the throat. The dying dragon’s dying trashing churned up the ocean. Instead of blood, the dragon’s throat released bright light that shone in the sky. After the long battle was over, Semar moved into the southern part of the sky near Gubug Penceng. Semar can still be seen there, and he is known as Banyak Angrem.
Instead of finding the dead dragon after his victory, Bima encountered a dwarf known as Dewa Ruci that looked just like himself. He finally learned true knowledge. After he understood everything, Bima returned home and reported all he had learned to his teacher. Resi Durna was ashamed of himself, and he realized that bad deeds never win against good ones. Bima never hated his teacher and he always respected him. During nighttime, a foamy shape remains in the sky as a sign of Bima’s victory. Since then, white band in the sky is well-known as Bima Sakti (Mighty Bima) or the Milky Way.
04
The Story of Creation from the Manikmaya
As Compiled by: Widya Sawitar – Jakarta Planetarium
In the Manikmaya, which is an expanded version of a small part of the Tantu Pagelaran (an old Javanese manuscript), there is a story about the creation of the universe. There are many versions of it because traditions of the earliest of Javanese culture have mingled with those from India (e.g. Hindu) and the middle East (eg. Arabic).
“Sarkara’s optimisitic, sacred shows song that there is always hope for the beauty of every thing. Its message is ‘awang uwung’, when only Sanghyang Wisesa engaged, in still, peaceful worship in the inner core of his heart, contemplating and questioning god’s will.”
The creation of the universe began from a condition known as Awang Uwung (Sunya/Sunyata). There was nothing but divine reality, the one truth. There was emptiness, but there was something rather than nothing.
Once upon a time, Sanghyang Wisesa heard a sound, not like a big bang, but with a soft and very deep tone, like the single tinkling of a bell. At the source of the sound, he found a big egg – the primordial egg hanging in the sky.
He took this egg and put it in the palm of his hand. Then he kneaded the egg. Three pairs of objects appeared from the inside of broken egg.
The first pair became the Earth and the sky, which separated as soon as they were born. The second became Teja (like the golden glow of a sunset) and Cahaya (a bright light), their light became the moon and the Sun. The third pair became the demigods Manik and Maya. Manik, known then as Batara Guru, became the king of heaven. Sanghyang Wisesa gave him permission and authority fill the universe with anything he wanted. Maya, also known as Batara Ismaya, became the eternal servant of the heroes on Earth.
After this, the wind known as Sindhung Aliwawar was created from the heavens and became the atmosphere and outer space. Meanwhile, the wind known as Sindhung Bayu Bajra was released from the inner core of the Earth and filled up the oceans with salty seawater.
Finally, guardian gods were assigned to protect areas on the Earth. Batara Bayu guarded the center of Earth’s surface. Meanwhile, other areas were assigned to the other gods: the east was Mahadewa; the southeast was Kuwera; the west was Kamajaya; the northwest was Mahayekti; the south was Sambu; the north was Wisnu; the northeast was Prittanjala. The Earth was then separated into seven layers like, an onion, and each layer had a guardian god. From the surface to the inner core the guardian deities were Goddess Pratiwi (mother Earth), Bagawan Kusika, Hyang Gagang, Hyang Sindula, Darampalan, Bagawan Manikkara, and Hyang Antaboga.
A later part of story tells the tale of Batara Guru, and his children Batara Brahma (the god of fire) and Batara Wisnu, who created the Javanese people by molding the soil of Java in their palms. These first humans then multiplied. Batara Brahma himself undertook the task of keepng wach over all human activities on Earth.
Hyang Daksa was one of the deities born from the breaking egg. He had fifty daughters, and thirteen of them were nymphs. All of them became the wives of Resi Kasyapa (the father of Batara Wisnu). Humans, monkeys, giant demons, hawks, taksaka (dragons), and other animals, and almost all of the creatures on Earth were born from these marriages. In Kahyangan Suralaya (the heavenly kingdom of Suralaya), 99,000 nymphs and the goddess Umarakti (the wife of Batara Guru, an incarnation of Batari Uma, the first wife of Batara Guru) supported life in the universe.
Note
The first paragraph is taken from the Manikmaya in the book called “Kitab Ambiya”, created by Karta Mursadah (Sri Mulyono, p.180-181).
12
A Story of the Moon of Pejeng
As complied by: Fathonah Dwi Rahayu (Langitselatan)
Story of the moon of Pejeng originated in Bali. In a village called Pejeng, a big sacred gong is put in a place of worship. This myth concerns the origin of that sacred gong, which relates to the role of moon in the locals’ daily life.
Once upon a time on the island of Bali, a heavenly carriage moved the moon, which rose every night. Since the wheel of this heavenly carriage glowed as bright as the moon itself, the Balinese people believed that there were actually two moons in the sky. One night, the wheel came off and fell onto a tree in the village of Pejeng. The light from the wheel made the night sky so bright that even thieves in the village didn’t have the courage to commit crimes.
At one point, the thieves discussed how to shut off the moon’s glare above the tree. Later, one of the thieves climbed up the tree and urinated on it. The Moon exploded and killed the thief. The shattered moon fell onto the ground. As time passed, its brightness faded, and it eventually disappeared. The blown-up moon became the gong, which the local people named the moon of Pejeng. The people then placed the moon of Pejeng in a sacred place of worship called Pura Penataran Sasih and believed that the gong itself was sacred.
10
Bintang Panci: the Pot Star or Crown Constellation
From Bali
As compiled by: Mitsuru Aoki
Corona Borealis the crown constellation, looks very different depending on where it is observed. When seen from Japan, it shines around the zenith in a “u” shape, when observed from Indonesia/Bali, the constellation appears in the North in a “n” shape, which the people know as a dented, upside-down cooking pot. It is said the Indonesian description originates from the actions of a careless and greedy couple.
The legend goes that a husband, Nanang Paleg found a gigantic eel on his way to a paddy field one morning. Delighted, the farmer took it home and told his wife, Memen Paleg, to cook it in a delicious soup before he returned for lunch.
At first the sight of this huge eel astounded and bewildered his wife. Because of the eel’s size, she asked around the village for a long cooking pot but could not find one before lunchtime. Unprepared and not wanting to be reproached, she quickly pretended to be ill by smearing spices and turmeric on her skin. She managed to slip into bed before her husband, Nanang, returned.
Concerned about his wife’s terrible condition, Nanang decided to cook the eel himself. Instead of cooking the whole eel as his wife had planned, he simply cut the eel into small pieces. The eel fit in the pot perfectly, and he began boiling the soup. In the meantime, Memen became hungry as the smell of food reached her bedside. Once the soup was prepared, her kind son, Paleg, who was also worried about her condition, brought her a small amount of soup topped with some rice. Memen was famished, so she repeatedly sent her son back to the kitchen, she said there was not enough soup for the rice or rice for the soup, until the bowl was absolutely full. The food was so delicious that Memen devoured it instantly. However, it was not enough for her. So when her husband and son left the house after lunch, she crept into the kitchen and drank up all the soup in the pot. She could not stop herself, and she even stuck her head into the pot to lick off the rest.
Finally satisfied, Memen realized her head was trapped inside. Panicking, she screamed for help, “Help me! The pot ate my head!” When he heard the screams, Nanang ran back home and found Memen attacked by this pot, with he pulled with all his might to save her.“Plucked!”. The pot came off of her head but left a circular red mark around Memen's neck. Consumed with hatred for the innocent pot Nanang attacked it, battering and pounding it until it was almost flat.
At this point, their clever son, Paleg, returned home. He quickly figured out what had happened and explained to his father that the pot could not have attacked Memen. Having realized his mistake, Nanang placed the pot on an altar along with many gifts and prayed for forgiveness from the pot’s spirit. Balinese people believe that even objects have spirits. Suddenly the pot rose into the night sky and began to glow brightly. As the astonished family watched, the guardian spirit of the blacksmiths, Ratu Pande Sunantara, appeared before them. The guardian reprimanded the parents for their foolish ways but praised their son and trained him to become a professional blacksmith.
Everyone has a tendency to treat objects badly. To prevent such behavior, the guardian placed the disfigured pot in the sky to symbolize an admonition for mankind. This is why the constellation is named the pot star ( Bintang Panci ), which is also called the crown.
08
Waluku and the Plow
As Compiled by: Widya Sawitar – Jakarta Planetarium / Emanuel S. Mumpuni – Langitselatan/LAPAN
When Waluku appears in the eastern sky at sunset, it means that the rainy season is beginning. Waluku is also used to determine when to plant rice. The technique is as follows. The farmer holds rice grains in his open palm at dusk and points his hand towards Waluku as it rises. On the night when his hand tilts enough for the rice to fall out from his palm, planting begins.
When Waluku appears at the western horizon at sunset, the dry season begins. This is the season to plant palawija (edible tubers like cassava, sweet potatoes that are secondary crops.
Locals often tell the story of a plow. As the plow appears higher and higher at sunset, its highest point at dusk marks the end of the season. Four months later, when the rain has stopped and the rice has ripened, the harvest begins. This season is marked by the plow appearing progressively lower in the western sky at sunset; is appears upside down before it finally disappears below the horizon This is the time for the farmer to rest, staying in his leaning shelter (Crux). He watches the field, while attending to the breeding goose (Coalsack) nearby. He sees a leaning coconut tree in the distance as well as fighting quails. After working hard, he is very hungry and relieved when his beautiful wife (Lintang Wulanjar Ngirim) comes and brings food for them. They enjoy the country while they wait for another season to come, when the plow will appear again.
06
Lawaendröna, the Moon Man
As compiled by: Dewi Pramesti Kusumaningrum – Langitselatan
This story comes from Nias Island. It is about residents of the moon and to how they relate to the local people view death.
There was a restless man called Lawaendröna who lived on Nias Island. He did not want to die; he wanted to live forever. He asked everybody he met about a place where he would never die. He even asked the trees, rivers, and the springs. He thought, “If there were no death in those places, I would stay there.”
Lawaendröna kept searching and asked the whole world, but he did not find one single place where there was no death.
Since he could not find the place he had been searching for in this world, eventually he went up into the sky and asked the Moon. The Moon answered his question, “I can never die. You may stay with me here, but you must never eat anything again. The Moon always needs to be clean and free from any dirt. In order to be strong without any food, you must remove the internal organs from your belly. Then you have to put a bowl inside of your stomach and replace your intestines with a roll of silk.”
Lawaendröna obeyed the Moon’s command. Later on he asked his wife, Siwaria (Siwaria Lacha zi Hönö, Siwaria Lacha Zato), to do the same thing. Unfortunately, his wife refused to do it. Lawaendröna was furious and said, “I will tie a rope to the center of the Earth so that the Earth will reverse.”
He took a hollow bamboo shaft and strung a very long rope inside of it. He planned to tie the rope to the center of the Earth. After seeing what her husband had done, Siwaria chewed a glob of betel-leaf and areca-nut mixture and put it into the bamboo stick. The mixture transformed into little rats that gnawed the rope. The rope that Lawaendröna fed into the bamboo shaft could never be long enough to reach the center of the Earth. This is why the Earth has never reversed.
05
Breaking the Sun
As compiled by: Yatny Yulianty – Langitselatan
This story from Papua tells why sunlight does not reach a certain part of Papua. It also tells about how the moon and stars originated from the Sun.
In the eastern part of Papua, was a small, strange island that had always been in darkness. Sunlight could not penetrate there. The Sun did not pass overhead but along the horizon. The locals could only see the Sun for a moment before it set and had daylight for only a short time.
A young man named Rangga, lived there; he was tired of long, dark nights and was eager to change the situation. He often wondered why the Sun only rose briefly, and so he asked youngsters in the village.
“Friends, we have to make this island bright,” Rangga said.
“This is fate, Rangga. We cannot change nature. Accept it”, the youngsters replied. But later a few of them approached Rangga and requested him, “Please, explain your idea.”
Rangga replied confidently, “I want to break the Sun. What we have to do is search for a magic sphere to break it.”
Reassured by his confidence, some of the youngster started to have faith in Rangga and joined him. They began to fast and meditate deep in the forest. Days went by. The followers weakened from starvation and temptation while they were fasting and meditating. Finally, only Rangga himself was left. On the seventh day, a beautiful fairy carrying a large sphere in her hand appeared before Rangga.
“Rangga, what are you looking for?”, the fairy asked.
“I am here to obtain the magic sphere, which I will use to break the Sun. Then my home island will no longer be covered by darkness,” Rangga answered.
“Here, this is what you want. Take this. Do not take one single step backward until you achieve your goal. Please, take it. However, this is only the first step forward getting the real one. The real magic sphere is owned by the great thief,” the fairy replied.
“The great thief?” Rangga asked in confusion.
“Yes, the great thief is the evil creature who likes to steal palm sap from your tree,” said the fairy.
Rangga went back to his village and, with the help of locals, prepared to catch the thief. However, when the theif finally appeared, the locals panicked and ran. Rangga was the only one brave enough to throw the magic sphere into the stomach of the thief. The great thief gradually turned into the real magic sphere. The locals were very happy and thanked Rangga. After obtaining the two magic spheres, Rangga and some of the local youngsters sailed to the eastern part of the sky, where the Sun rose, so that they could break the Sun.
With both magic spheres on his hands, Rangga challenged the Sun to appear. The Sun appeared slowly. After almost half of it appeared, Rangga, together with the youngsters prepared to fulfill his promise of breaking the Sun. Rangga’s hands already held both magic spheres. When the Sun had completely appeared, Rangga immediately threw the magic spheres and hit the Sun exactly in its middle.
The Sun shattered. Its biggest piece became the moon and the smaller ones became stars that brighten the night sky. Since then, nights on the island were no longer dark, because they were brightened by the moon and stars up in the heaven.
07
The Story of Hala Na Godang, the Giant Dragon
As complied by: Emanuel Sungging Mumpuni – Langitselatan/LAPAN
This myth about Orion and the phase of the new moon comes from Batak Culture in North Sumatera. The Bataknese people belive that Orion (it’s belt and sword) is a giant snake that perpetually devours the Moon.
It is said that there was a giant dragon, Hala Na Godang, that was so massive that its tail reached down to the Earth. Its giant head kept moving around, looking for prey, while its body stayed sitting on its eggs to hatch them.
One day, a shepherd who was resting in the forest to take shelter from the rain accidentally found the eggs. When he saw the giant eggs, he was very surprised and threw stones at them. The eggs broke instantly. This shocked the giant dragon who said, “You have murdered my children. I will eat you now!”
The frightened shepherd ran for his life, flying up and away into the sky until the giant dragon could not follow him. The shepherd ran until he reached the edge of the world, and then he kept running into the limitless sky until he finally reached the Moon and asked for help.
Hala Na Godang went to meet the Moon and told her about the shepherd’s offensive action. The Moon could not find the best way to deal with it, so she asked the Sun for advice. The Moon and the Sun decided to fine the shepherd, but the giant dragon still did not accept the settlement. It still wanted to eat the shepherd.
The Moon pitied the shepherd and agreed to sacrifice herself to the giant dragon. Not just once, but once in every 29-30 days she was prepared to become the giant dragon’s prey. Ever since then, the Moon is missing from the night sky one day each month, because she is being preyed upon by Hala Na Godang.
09
The Story of Wulanjar Ngirim and Gubuk Penceng Alpha : Beta Centauri and the Constellation Crux
As compiled by: Widya Sawitar – Jakarta Planetarium / Premana W Premadi – Bosscha Observatory
The word wulanjar means a pretty widow. Wulanjar ngirim means a pretty widow with a tray full of flowers and food related to a spiritual ceremony. Oral traditions in Central Java rather than a manuscript describe this legend. It is related to the eighth season known as Mangsa Kawolu.
Once upon a time, a very beautiful, young widow lived in a village. Her name was Wulanjar Ngirim (Alpha and Beta Centauri). Since she had no children, she was a quite free-spirited responded to a Carpenter’s (or farmer’s) interest in her by sending him a bowl of rice. This carpenter, a young man, was building a hut in the middle of the paddy field.
Whenever he was working, the widow would come and stay for a moment in the back yard of the hut that the young man was building. The widow graceful step and the natural beauty of her face fascinated the young man when he saw her and he would lose his concentration and he could not focus on his work. Because of his fascination with her and her frequent visits, he became careless in the construction of his house. He kept cutting wood for the beams unevenly so that the hut was crooked. Its walls inclined to the left and right making it a slanting shack or a leaning shelter (Crux). However, the spirit carpenter’s was lifted, knowing that Wulanjar was not ignoring him. His whole being felt alive and active.
11
The Story of Kala Rahu
From Java
As compiled by: Widya Sawitar (Jakarta Planetarium) and Ferry M. Simatupang (Langitselatan/Astronomy Study Program)
When there is an eclipse, Javanese villagers follow a tradition of hitting the closest object, such as a lesung (a mortar for pounding rice), a kentongan (a drum made from bamboo which is struck to sound an alarm), or the trunk of a coconut tree. Other practices include diving into a river, closing all doors and windows, closing a well or even jars, and praying. The same customs occur in Bali. Here is the story about them.
Kala Rahu (or Rembu Culung, Wuluculung) was a giant demon who helped Batara Indra to obtain Tirta Pawitra (Tirtha Amrita, the water of life). Anyone who drinks Tirta Pawitra does not die and gains immortality. Kala Rahu succeeded in obtaining Tirta Pawitra and delivered the water to the deities. However, Kala Rahu was prohibited from drinking it.
This giant demon disguised himself and stole the water. Nevertheless, he was recognized, and he flew above the clouds. Batara Surya (the Sun, daytime) and Batara Candra (the Moon, nighttime) always knew his location. These Batara gave the information to Batara Wisnu (the wisdom keeper). Kala Rahu began to drink the water as soon as possible, because he knew that Batara Wisnu was pursued him. However, Cakra (Cakradeksana), Batara Wisnu’s weapon cut off Kala Rahu’s head before he had completely swallowed the water. Although his head was still alive, Kala Rahu’s body was not; it fell to the Earth and then changed into mortar. The demon Kala Rahu wanted to retaliate against Batara Surya and Batara Candra. To exact revenge, Kala Rahu tries to swallow the Sun or the Moon and causes eclipses.
The eclipses terrified the people, who did not know what had happened. They beat objects such gongs, lesung, kentongan, or a coconut tree to frighten the bodiless head of Kala Rahu and to wait the Sun or Moon reappear.
The Javanese often equate Batara Kala with Kala Rahu (Rembu Culung); but they are actually different from one other. In Bali, the central deity is not the god Batara Candra but the goddess Batari Ratih. Even since Ratih rejected Kala Rahu’s love, all deities in heaven have been restless and drink the water of life. The rest of the plot is the same as in Java, but in Bali, the story only concerns the lunar eclipse. From time to time Kala Rahu still tries to catch Ratih, if he does, there is a lunar eclipse.
13
Bedhaya Ketawang (the Dance of Heaven)
As compiled by: Widya Sawitar and Premana W. Permadi
Indonesians know the Pleiades as Lintang Kartika or Guru Desa (village teacher). In Central Java, people recognize it as a ritual dance called Bedhaya Ketawang (the Dance of Heaven) created by King Panembahan Senopati. Nine virgins perform the dance at Mataram Royal Palace when a new king is enthroned, and they base their arrangement on configuration of the Pleiades. The Great Bedhaya Ketawang plays once every eight years. Originally seven virgins (the Lenggotbawa sacred dance, c.160 AD) performed the dance to commemorate the companionship between the king and the goddess Ni Mas Ratu Angin Angin (a ruler of the southern sea, the Indian Ocean). How the Pleiades formed is still unclear. Some say that the constellation originated in Lintang Ketonggeng (Scorpio). However, this seems unlikely since there were originally 7 dancers. In Lintang Kartika (the Pleiades), seven bright stars shine in a closed configuration, while in Scorpio, fifteen bright stars span a wide area.
On the northern coast of Java the Pleiades’ altitude marks the seasons marker. When it is as high as pecat sawad (about 50 degrees) at dusk, it must be the seventh season (Mangsa Kapitu). This mean that it is time to start transplanting young rice plants from the nursery to the rice field.