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'Java Southern Sea' documentary: Where science meets myth
A documentary film uses science to look at a historical natural disaster that has a pivotal role in the creation myth of the Mataram Sultanate.
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Sea guardian: Penewu Surakso Jaladri, the caretaker of Parangkusumo Beach, looks across Yogyakarta's southern coastline in 'The Untold Story of Java Southern Sea', a documentary by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) that uses science to explore the truth behind myth. (Indonesia Institute of Sciences/-)
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s an archipelago comprising many different tribes and beliefs, Indonesia is home to thousands of legends, myths and folktales that explain how things came to be.
From the legend about North Sumatra's Lake Toba to the legend about West Java's Mount Tangkuban Parahu, there is a good chance that a mythical tale is behind almost every landmark in Indonesia, natural or man-made.
However, there is a belief that most, if not all, of the occurrences in such folktales can be explained through science, that some of these "supernatural" events were, in fact, natural phenomenon and have the scientific evidence to prove it.
One example is the legend on the origins of the Mataram Sultanate in Central Java.
It is said that the sultanate’s first king, Danang Sutawijaya, also known as Panembahan Senopati, had asked the help of the sea goddess Nyi Roro Kidul in establishing the Islamic Kingdom of Mataram. The Queen of the Southern Sea granted Senopati’s wish, and went on to become the divine protector of the sultanate and its descendants.
The event leading up to Senopati’s encounter with Nyi Roro Kidul is a critical aspect of the story: As he meditated on a slab of rock to gain an audience with the goddess, a great tidal wave struck the region and was said to have caused widespread devastation. It was on the tidal wave that Nyi Roro Kidul appeared to Senopati, who then conveyed his request to the goddess.
