Yogyakarta holds a variety of local wisdom as well as a unique culture and has been passed down from generation to generation. This uniqueness is what makes foreign tourists curious and visit Yogyakarta through tour travel packages. One of the legendary local wisdoms is in the folk tales from Yogyakarta.
Although the folk tales from Yogyakarta has only been told from generation to generation and the truth has not been proven, it has been able to stick in the minds of the people of Yogyakarta in general. What is the folk tale of Yogyakarta which is famous for its mystique? Check out the explanation below!
Mysterious parangtritis beach. Source Unsplash
Nyi Roro Kidul
If you visit the southern coast of Java Island, starting from Pangandaran, which is located in West Java, to the coast in the East Java area, you will definitely be popular with the legend of the ruler of the southern sea. Various mentions were pinned, starting from Nyi Roro Kidul, Nyi Blorong, Kanjeng Ratu Kidul and so on. Actually, the different designations refer to the same figure even though there are those who have different opinions.
Nyi Roro Kidul is in the legends of the people of West Java, especially the southern coastal areas. The fierce waves of the Indian Ocean on the south coast of Java may have created both fear and respect for the forces of nature. With this tendency, a ruling queen was formed who was later identified as Ratu Kidul.
Nyi Roro Kidul is described as a beautiful woman wearing a green dress with a horse-drawn carriage and emerging from the middle of the southern sea of Java Island. That’s why there is a rule from the manager of Parangtritis Beach which prohibits visitors from wearing green clothes so as not to provoke the rulers of the southern Java sea to anger.
Unlike Nyi Roro Kidul, the figure of Nyi Blorong is depicted as a green snake with a head in the form of a beautiful girl’s head. The beautiful girl is a human body on the stomach, while the lower belly is a snake with green scales.
Lampor
Lampor is Nyi Roro Kidul’s troops from the southern sea who travel to the north, namely Mount Merapi. During their journey, the troops always used the river route that stretched across Yogyakarta. Like Kali Code, Winongo and Bedog. The troop can be detected from the sound of a musical instrument that can be heard accompanied by hooves of horses rushing to travel.
The entourage is a group of invisible creatures from the direction of the southern sea rushing towards the north, a situation that is tense for anyone. In ancient times, if this was heard then windows, doors were closed immediately. Anyone still outside immediately locked themselves in. They didn’t want to witness that terrible incident because they say that if humans witness it, they won’t come back again. Even if they come back, they will lose their mind.
In fact, the stories about Lampor are stories that were always told by parents when they were little. However, currently many of the young people in Yogyakarta do not know the story about Lampor, which is actually a story that has been known from generation to generation.
Mbah Petruk
There is a legend that is believed by the people of the slopes of Mount Merapi, both in Central Java and in Yogyakarta. People believe in a supernatural figure who resides at the top of Merapi. The community calls it Mbah Petruk. The existence of the legend of Mbah Petruk has long been trusted by the local community as the ruler of Mount Merapi.
As a form of respect, local people often make offerings with the aim of surviving the dangers of the eruption of Mount Merapi. Usually mbah Petruk will give a warning sign if Merapi erupts at any time. This sign is usually through dreams experienced by residents.
The problem is that when Merapi has shown signs of an eruption, it is not certain that residents of the slopes of Merapi will evacuate. The reason is, the supernatural guardian of a 2,914 meters above sea level, commonly called Mbah Petruk, has not given orders through dreams to get out of the way. This has happened in the Selo area, Boyolali, which is thick with Javanese beliefs.
Those are some of the folk tales from Yogyakarta that have become urban legends that are still trusted by the people of Yogyakarta. When you visit Yogyakarta to spend your vacation, you have to get used to hearing these nonsense stories. Just listen and don’t argue so as not to make them angry. I hope this article is useful.