Semar is a character in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
nese mythology who frequently appears in
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 ...
shadow plays. He is one of the
punokawan
In Javanese '' wayang'' (shadow puppets), the ''panakawan'' or ''panakavan'' (''phanakavhan'') are the clown servants of the hero. There are four of them – '' Semar'' (also known as ''Ki Lurah Semar''), '' Petruk'', '' Gareng'' and '' Bagong'' ...
(clowns), but is in fact divine and very wise. He is the
dhanyang (guardian spirit) of Java,
[Geertz, 23.] and is regarded by some as the most sacred figure 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 ...
set.
[ Holt, 144.] He is said to be the god
Sang Hyang Ismaya in human form.
[Budihardja, "Grepen uit de Wajang," ''Djawa'' II (1922), 22-23; cited in Holt, 145.]
The name Semar is said to derive from the
Javanese word ''samar'' ("dim, obscure, mysterious").
He is often referred to with the honorific, "Kyai Lurah Semar" ("the venerable chief").
Description
In depictions, Semar appears with a flat nose, a protruding lower jaw, a tired eye, and bulging rear, belly, and chest. He wears a checkered hipcloth, symbolizing sacredness. Like the other panakawan, the
wayang kulit puppet does not have the elaborate openwork and ornamentation characteristic of the heroes
In
wayang wong
''Wayang wong'', also known as ''wayang orang'' (literally "human ''wayang''"), is a type of classical Javanese and Balinese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the '' Ramayāna'' or '' Mahabharāta''. Performances ...
, Semar always leans forward, one hand palm up on his back and the other extended partly forward, moving up and down, with an extended forefinger.
By tradition Semar has three sons, the other punakawans in the wayang: Gareng, Petruk, and
Bagong (Bagong does not appear in
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 ...
-style wayang). In some wayangs, he has a brother Togog (or Hyang Antaga), who is the servant-clown of a demonic hero.
[Holt, 145.]
Origin
As Semar is one of the few characters in wayang stories not from
Indian mythology, his origin is obscure. One hypothesis is that he and his sons are old indigenous deities who became cursed and demoted to servants with the importation of the
kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
heroes of the Indian epics. Semar also resembles the
vidusaka clown figure of Indian Sanskrit drama.
The first ''known'' appearance of Semar is during the
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 ...
era. In 1358 in relief of Sudamala in Candi TIgamangi, and in
Candi Sukuh
Sukuh ( id, Candi Sukuh, ) is a 15th-century Javanese-Hindu temple ( candi) that is located in Berjo, Ngargoyoso district, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, Indonesia on the western slope of Mount Lawu (elevation ).
This temple has a height of ...
dated 1439. The relief was copied from a wayang story from the period, where Semar was first known to be appeared.
Stories
In one version of 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 ...
(the Javanese creation myth), Semar cultivated a small rice field near
Mount Merbabu
Mount Merbabu ( id, Gunung Merbabu) is a dormant stratovolcano in Central Java province on the Indonesian island of Java. The name ''Merbabu'' could be loosely translated as 'Mountain of Ash' from the Javanese combined words; '' Meru'' means ...
for ten thousand years before there were any men. His descendants, the spirits of the island, came into conflict with people as they cleared fields and populated the island. A powerful priest, unable to deviate from his king's orders to continue cultivating the island, provided Semar with a role that will allow his children and grandchildren to stay. Semar's role was to be a spiritual advisor and magical supporter of the royalty, and those of his descendants who also protect the humans of Java can remain there.
One genealogy of Semar is that he is the eldest descendant of
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
, and elder brother to
Batara Guru
Batara Guru (also called Bhattara Guru, Debata Batara Guru and Batara Siwa) is the name of a supreme god in Indonesian Hinduism. His name is derived from Sanskrit ''Bhattaraka'' which means “noble lord".R. Ghose (1966), Saivism in Indonesia dur ...
, king of the other gods; however, Semar became a man.
[Geertz, 276.] Another genealogy says that he is the son of
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...
. His brother Nabi ("prophet") Sis gave birth to various prophets, such as
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
and
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, from whom the various Western peoples are descended, while Semar ("Sayang Sis") gave birth to the Hindus and the Javanese.
In either case Semar, in his awkward, ugly human form, represents at the same time god and clown, the most spiritually refined and outwardly rough.
Use in wayang
Semar and his sons first appear in the second part of the plays (''
pathet sanga
Pathet ( jv, ꦥꦛꦼꦠ꧀, translit=Pathet, also patet) is an organizing concept in central Javanese gamelan music in Indonesia. It is a system of tonal hierarchies in which some notes are emphasized more than others. The word means '"to d ...
''), as the servants and counselors of whoever the hero of the wayang play is. In wayang plots Semar is never mistaken, and is deceptively powerful. He is the only character who dares to protest to the gods, including Batara Guru (
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
) and
Batari Durga, and even compel them to act or desist.
He often represents the realistic view of the world in contrast to the idealistic. His role as servant is to cheer up those in despair and blunt the pride of the triumphant.
Clifford Geertz
Clifford James Geertz (; August 23, 1926 – October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered "for three decades. ...
compared his role vis-à-vis
Arjuna
Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
to that of
Prince Hal
Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...
with his father in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Henry IV'', and his role as critic of the play's worldview and antidote to pride as similar to
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
.
[Geertz, 277.]
It has also been suggested that Semar is a symbol of the peasantry, not otherwise incorporated in the palace hierarchies; that in some more popular forms of the drama, he and the other clowns dominate the royal heroes supports this idea.
Other appearances
Semar also appears on some ceremonial weapons, the
pusaka
Pusaka is a Sanskrit word meaning treasure or heirloom.
Within Javanese Kejawen culture and other Austronesian cultures affected by it, known as the Malays, but most specifically the inhabitants of modern-day Indonesia and Malaysia ( Minangs) ...
of some important families. In this role he represents an ancestral figure.
There is a low rectangular
candi on the
Dieng Plateau
The Dieng Plateau is a marshy plateau that forms the floor of a caldera complex on the Dieng Volcanic Complex in Wonosobo and Banjarnegara Regencies, Central Java Province, Indonesia. Referred to as "Dieng" by Indonesians, it sits at above sea l ...
known as
Candi Semar, perhaps originally a treasury, but it is generally assumed by scholars that its name was given to the temple centuries after its erection.
In Bali, the counterpart of Semar is
Twalen.
[Jeune Scott-Kemball, ''Javanese Shadow Puppets: The Raffles Collection in the ]British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
'', Trustees of the British Museum, 1970, 18.
See also
*
Mythology of Indonesia
The mythology of Indonesia is very diverse, the Indonesian people consisting of hundreds of ethnic groups, each with their own myths and legends that explain the origin of their people, the tales of their ancestors and the demons or deities in ...
*
Kejawen
References
* Brandon, James R. ''On Thrones of Gold: Three Javanese Shadow Plays''. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1970.
* Geertz, Clifford. ''The Religion of Java''. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press, 1960.
* Holt, Claire. ''Art in Indonesia: Continuities and Change''. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1967.
* Khoon Choy Lee. ''A fragile nation: the Indonesian crisis''. World Scientific, 1999 .
* Yousof, Ghulam-Sarwar. "Dictionary of Traditional South-East Asian Theatre".Kuala Lumpur: Oxford 1994.
Notes
{{Mythology of Indonesia
Javanese mythology
Tutelary deities
Wayang