''Kanjeng Ratu Kidul''

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

: ᮑᮤ ᮛᮛ ᮊᮤᮓᮥᮜ᮪, Nyai Rara Kidul) ( Javanese: ꦚꦻꦫꦫꦏꦶꦢꦸꦭ꧀, Nyi Rara Kidul) ( Balinese: ᬜᬶᬭᭀᬭᭀᬓᬶᬤᬸᬮ᭄, Nyi Rara Kidul) is a supernatural being in Indonesian folklore. She is the Queen of the Southern Sea (

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

) in

and Javanese mythology. In an older Sundanese folklore, she is a beautiful princess named Dewi Kadita who comes from the Sundanese kingdom of

Pajajaran Pakuan Pajajaran (or ᮕᮊᮥᮝᮔ᮪ᮕᮏᮏᮛᮔ᮪/ Dayeuh Pakuan/Pakwan or Pajajaran) was the fortified capital city of Sunda Kingdom. The location is roughly corresponds to modern Bogor city in West Java, Indonesia, approximately around t ...

. According to

Javanese beliefs The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

, she is also the mythical spiritual consort of the Sultans of Mataram and

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of 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 a monarchy, ...

, beginning with

Senopati Panembahan Senapati, formally styled Panembahan Senapati ing Ngalaga Sayyidin Panatagama (died in Jenar (now Purwodadi, Purworejo), 1601), was the founder of the Mataram Sultanate. Origin Born Danang Sutawijaya, known as Dananjaya, he was the son ...

and continuing to the present day.

Names

Nyai Loro Kidul spirit has many different names, which reflect the diverse stories of her origin in different sagas, legends, myths and traditional

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. The

folk tale tells of Dewi Kadita, the beautiful daughter of the

Sunda Kingdom The Sunda Kingdom ( su, , Karajaan Sunda, ) was a 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, and the western part of Centra ...

in Western Java. Other names include Ratu Laut Selatan ("Queen of the South Sea," meaning the

) The royal house of

Keraton Kraton or keraton ( jv, ꦏꦿꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ or ꦏꦼꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀) is a type of royal palace in Java, Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Javanese ''ka-ratu-an'', meaning residence of the ''ratu'', the traditional honorific title fo ...

Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...

referred to her as Kanjeng Ratu Ayu Kencono Sari. Many Javanese believe it is important to use various

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

s when referring to her, such as ''Nyai'', ''Kanjeng'', and ''Gusti''. People who invoke her also call her ''Eyang'' (grandmother). In her

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, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

form, she is referred to as ''Nyai Blorong''. The Javanese word loro literally means ''two – 2'' and merged into the name of the myth about the Spirit-Queen born as a beautiful girl or maiden, in Old Javanese rara, written as rårå, (also used as ''roro''). Old-Javanese rara evolved into the New Javanese lara, written as lårå, (means ''ill'', also ''grief'' like heartache, heart-break). Dutch orthography changed lara into ''loro'' (used here in Nyai Loro Kidul) so the word play moved from '' beautiful girl'' to a ''sick one'' – Old Javanese Nyi Rara and the New Javanese Nyai Lara.

Description

Nyai Roro 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 wished for. According to local popular beliefs around coastal villages on Southern Java, the Queen often claims lives of fishermen or visitors that bathe on the beach, and she usually prefers handsome young men. The role of Nyai Loro 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 Hamengkubuwono IX or HB IX (12 April 1912 – 2 October 1988) was an Indonesian statesman and royal who was the second vice president of Indonesia, the ninth sultan of Yogyakarta, and the first governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Hamen ...

of Yogyakarta described his experience on spiritual encounters with the spirit Queen in his memoire; the queen could change shapes and appearance, as a beautiful young woman usually during full moon, and appear as an old woman at other times. Nyai Loro 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 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 Yogyakarta, so-called " Kings of kings" reigned with this title, while their k ...

of Solo or

and the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) 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 ...

. Her literal positioning is considered as corresponding to the Merapi- Kraton- South Sea axis in the Solo

Sultanate This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continui ...

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.

Origin and history

Although her legends are mostly linked to the 16th century Javanese

Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th centu ...

, the older manuscript traced her legendary origin to the era of the Sundanese kingdom of

and the legend of the ill-fated princess Kadita. Traditions describe her origin as a princess from Sunda, which embodies the spiritual essence for both the Javanese ruler and his realm, since Nyai Roro Kidul is regarded as the ruler's female ancestral line. However, Javanese and Sundanese anthropological and cultural studies suggest that the myth of the Queen of Java's Southern Seas probably originated from older prehistoric

animistic Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, hum ...

beliefs in the pre-Hindu-Buddhist female deity of the southern ocean. The fierce waves of the

on southern Java's coasts, its storms and sometimes

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) 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 other underwater explo ...

s, probably had raised in the locals awe and fear of natural power, and locals attributed it to the spiritual realm of deities and

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

s that inhabit the southern seas ruled by their queen, a female deity, later identified as "Queen Kidul". The 16th century Javanese legends connects the Queen of Southern Seas as the protector and spiritual consort of the kings of

. Panembahan Senopati (1586–1601 AD), founder of the

, and his grandson

Sultan Agung Sultan Anyakrakusuma is known as Sultan Agung ( jv, ꦱꦸꦭ꧀ꦠꦤ꧀ꦲꦒꦸꦁꦲꦢꦶꦥꦿꦧꦸꦲꦚꦏꦿꦏꦸꦱꦸꦩ, Sultan Agung Adi Prabu Anyakrakusuma) was the third Sultan of Mataram in Central Java ruling from 1613 to 1645. ...

(1613–1645 AD) who named the Kanjeng Ratu Kidul as their bride, is claimed in the

Babad Tanah Jawi ''Babad Tanah Jawi'' ( jv, ꦧꦧꦢ꧀ꦠꦤꦃꦗꦮꦶ, "History of the land of Java"), is a generic title for many manuscripts written in the Javanese language. Their arrangements and details vary, and no copies of any of the manuscripts are o ...

. According to Javanese legends dated from 16th century CE, the prince Panembahan Senopati aspired to establish a new kingdom

against

Pajang The Kingdom of Pajang or Sultanate of Pajang (كسلطانن ڤاجڠ ;1586–1568) was a short-lived Muslim state in Java. It was established by Hadiwijaya or Jaka Tingkir, Lord of Boyolali, after a civil war and was a successor to Sultanate o ...

overlordship. He performed ascetic acts through meditating on the beach of Parang Kusumo, south of his home in the town of

Kota Gede Kotagede (Javanese: ꦏꦸꦛꦒꦼꦝꦺ ''Kuthagedhé'') is a city district (''kemantren'') and a historic neighborhood in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Kotagede contains the remains of the first capital of Mataram Sultanat ...

. His meditation caused a disturbing, powerful supernatural phenomenon in the spiritual kingdom of Southern Sea. The Queen came to the beach to see who had caused this menace in her kingdom. Upon seeing the handsome prince, the queen immediately fell in love and asked the prince to stop his meditation. In return, the deity queen, who ruled spiritual realm of the southern seas, agreed to help Panembahan Senopati in his political effort to establish a new kingdom. In order to become the spiritual protector of the kingdom, the Queen asked to be held by the prince in hand of marriage, as the spiritual consort of Panembahan Senopati and all of his successors, the series of Mataram kings. One Sundanese folktale is mentioned about Dewi Kadita, the beautiful princess of the

Kingdom, in

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

, who desperately fled to the Southern Sea after being struck by black magic. The black magic was cast by a witch under the order of a jealous rival in the palace and it caused the beautiful princess to suffer a disgusting skin disease. She later jumps into the violent waves of the ocean where she was finally cured and regained her beauty, and the spirits and demons crowned the girl as the legendary Spirit-Queen of the South Sea. A similar version of the story above mentions that the king (at the time), who had her as his only child, was planning to retire from the throne. At the time, having a queen lead a kingdom, instead of a king, was forbidden. Therefore, the king remarried and sought for a male heir to his throne from his new wife. The king's wife finally gets impregnated, but due to jealousy, forces the king to choose between her and his daughter. His wife then stated an ultimatum; If he chose his daughter, then his wife would leave the palace for good and the throne would be given to his daughter, who would later become the queen. If the wife was chosen instead, the daughter would be banned from the palace and the unborn child of his wife would later claim the throne as king. The king then made his decision to ban his daughter from the palace and ordered a witch to curse his daughter, leaving her to suffer a skin disease. The pitiful daughter, now banned from the palace, heard a voice that tells her that if she wants to be cured of her terrible disease, she should jump into the seawater as midnight strikes. She followed the instructions and then she vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. Another Sundanese folktale shows ''Banyoe Bening'' (meaning ''clear water'') becomes Queen of the Djojo Koelon Kingdom and, suffering from

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

, travels to the South where she is taken up by a huge wave to disappear into the Ocean. Another Western Javanese folktale is about the Ajar Cemara Tunggal (Adjar Tjemara Toenggal) on the mountain of Kombang in the

Kingdom. He is a male

seer In the United States, the efficiency of air conditioners is often rated by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) which is defined by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, a trade association, in its 2008 standard AHRI ...

who actually was the beautiful great aunt of Raden Jaka Susuruh. She disguised herself as a psychic and told Raden Jaka Susuruh to go to the eastern part of Java in order to find a kingdom on the place where a

bael Bael may refer to: *''Aegle marmelos'', commonly known as the Bael tree *Bael (demon) * Bael (wrestler) See also * Baal (disambiguation) * Bail (disambiguation) Bail is the conditional release of an arrested person prior to their trial, or the mo ...

('' maja'') tree just had one fruit; the fruit was bitter ('' pait'') and the kingdom got the name of

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...

. The seer Cemara Tunggal would marry the founder of Majapahit and any descendant in first line, to help them in all kind of matters. Though the seer's spirit would have transmigrated into the "spirit-queen of the south" who shall reign over the spirits, demons and all dark creatures.

Specialties

''Sarang Burung'' are Javanese bird's nests, and are some of the finest in the world. The edible bird's nests, in the form of

Bird's nest soup Edible bird's nests are bird nests created by edible-nest swiftlets, Indian swiftlets, and other swiftlets using solidified saliva, which are harvested for human consumption. They are particularly prized in Chinese culture due to their rarity ...

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

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

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

swiftlet Swiftlets are birds contained within the four genera ''Aerodramus'', ''Hydrochous'', ''Schoutedenapus'' and ''Collocalia''. They form the Collocaliini tribe within the swift family Apodidae. The group contains around thirty species mostly confine ...

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

wayang , also known as ( jv, ꦮꦪꦁ, translit=wayang), is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as . Perfor ...

performances which are held, and the Javanese ritual dances which are performed with

gamelan Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...

music as the traditional ceremony. This happens in a cave (Karang Bolong) and when these are ended specially prepared offerings are made in a shed in what is known as the "Royal Bed of Nyai Loro Kidul". This relic is hung with beautiful silk

batik Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...

kains, and a toilet mirror is placed against the green-colored pillows of the bed. Nyai Loro Kidul is the patron goddess of the bird's-nest gatherers of South Java. The gatherers descend the sheer cliff-face on coconut fiber ropes to an overhang some thirty feet above the water where a rickety

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

platform has been built. From there 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, to avoid misjudging the tides, and falling into the violent waves.

The Dutch and their Java legacy

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.

Local beliefs

Pelabuhan Ratu

Pelabuhan Ratu Palabuhanratu or Pelabuhan Ratu (Sundanese language, Sundanese for: 'Harbor of the Queen') is a district and fishing town which serves as the regency seat of Sukabumi Regency. It is at the southwest coast of Palabuhanratu Bay, West Java facing ...

, a small fishing town in Western Java,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, celebrates an annual holiday in her honor on April 6. A memorial day for the locals, offering a lot of ceremonial "presents" to appease the queen. The local fishermen annually send the ''sedekah laut'' ceremony, offering gifts and sacrifices; from

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

, vegetables and agricultural produces, to chicken,

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

Parangtritis Parangtritis Beach is a tourist beach on the southern coast of Java in the Bantul Regency within the province of the Yogyakarta Special Region. There is a road to the area which is about 30 km south of the Yogyakarta, city of Yogyakarta. This ...

, 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 the administrative capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 at the 2010 Census and 117,558 at the 2020 Census. The town ...

, and places all 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 in the process and will bring misfortune on 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). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 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 ...

, 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 capital city of Ketapang Regency (''Kabupaten Ketapang''), one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. Ketapang city is located at and is a small city on th ...

tree where

got his spiritual inspiration. The painting of Nyai Rara Kidul by

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

, 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

. 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 the famous Sultan Agung of Mataram, which continues to be recounted in the ritualized

Bedhaya The bedhaya (also written as bedoyo, beḍaya and various other transliterations) ( jv, ꦧꦼꦝꦪ, translit=Bedhaya) is a sacred, ritualised Javanese dance of Java, Indonesia, associated with the royal palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Along ...

dance by the royal line of

, and she is honored by the susuhunans of Solo/Surakarta and the sultans of Yogyakarta, Central-Java. When

Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX Hamengkubuwono IX or HB IX (12 April 1912 – 2 October 1988) was an Indonesian statesman and royal who was the second vice president of Indonesia, the ninth sultan of Yogyakarta, and the first governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Hamen ...

died on October 3, 1988, the ''Tempo'' newsmagazine reported her sighting by palace servants, who were sure that she was paying her final tribute to the deceased King.

In popular culture

• The myth of Nyi Loro Kidul as the queen of southern ocean has become a popular source of inspiration in Indonesian culture, both traditional and modern. • Some local traditional theater, 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 performances, and literally ''sandiwara'' means "to pretend" or "to act". However, the ...

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, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored b ...

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

Kingdom of Sunda The Sunda Kingdom ( su, , Karajaan Sunda, ) was a 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, and the western part of Centra ...

. She is also the inspiration behind the song “Queen of the South” by the

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

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. T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...

''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 KidulSultan Agung Nikahi 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 Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (born August 1, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American-French writer, writing coach, conservationist and communications advisor to international non-governmental organizations. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and has ...

(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