The Mythological Creature
Balinese Mythology

1. Antaboga

The Antaboga is the creature responsible for the creation of the world. One day, Antaboga joined and then changed into a monster turtle called Bedawang. This bedawang is often depicted carrying the world on its back.

Back to Antaboga. In the stories of the puppet, Antaboga himself was the lord of the serpent that lived underground. It resembles a serpent dragon wearing a crown and golden necklace.

2. Bedawang and Naga Besukih

As mentioned earlier, this Bedawang or Bedawang Nala is the embodiment of Antaboga. In the form of a giant turtle, Bedawang is depicted carrying the earth on his back.In addition, there is another version that describes Bedawang is a giant turtle wrapped around two snakes Besukih Dragon (Basuki). The latter creature is the pet of Batara Kala and Setesuraya.

As a turtle, Bedawang is also a passive animal. If it moves a little, there will be natural disasters in the world such as earthquakes and mountain eruptions. Perhaps that was why he was held captive by two dragon snakes.

3. Barongs

This Balinese mythological creature is probably the most known by the people of Indonesia. He is commonly found in various forms of souvenirs of the Island of the Gods such as t-shirts.

Barong itself is a creature that resembles a lion. He is known as the leader of the good army. He is often shown fighting Rangda, the leader of the crime squad.

Barong itself is not only present in Balinese mythology, but also often appears in Javanese mythology called Barongan.

4. Rangda

Still in touch with Barong, Rangda is his main enemy. She is the queen of the adherents of black magic which is often referred to as penestian or panancab. Rangda is often said to kidnap and prey on children.

When viewed in terms of etymology, Rangda in Old Javanese is the same as randa/rondo or widow in Indonesian. While in Balinese, Rangda is a term for widows in the caste of Waisya, Kstaria and Brahmana. For the Sudra caste, widows are called Balu.

5. Batara Kala's

In Hinduism, Kala is the son of Lord Shiva who holds power as the god of time. He is often described as the cause of eclipses. Batara Kala is also often shown as a creepy giant. He has a partner named Dewi Setesuyara. They rule the lower realms by nurturing the Besukih Dragon.

In Hindu philosophy, Kala is a symbol that no one in the world can escape the law of karma. If it is time for someone to die, then also comes Batara Kala to lift the death.

6. Calonarang

Calonarang is said to have a beautiful daughter named Ratna Manggali. But no one was willing to question her out of fear of her mother. Knowing that, Calonarang was angry and caused disasters and diseases continuously.

King Erlangga also sent his advisor, Empu Baradah to solve this problem. The master also sent his disciple named Bahula to be married to Ratna. The situation returned to peace.

One day, Bahula stole Calonarang's black magic books and managed to escape. When he found out that his valuables were missing, Calonarang was angry. But that anger could be muted by Empu Baradah. Since then, the world has been safe from Calonarang.

7. Jataye

Jatayu is one of the mythological creatures adapted from India. He is the son of Aruna and nephew of Garuda. Similar to his uncle, Jatayu is also a garuda bird.

He is the only one who witnessed how Goddess Shinta kidnapped Ravana. When that happens, Jatayu tries to save the goddess and fight her captor. But, in the end, he died. While dying, Jatayu can still tell Rama about who kidnapped Goddess Shinta.

8. Airawata

Like Jatayu, Airawata is also one of the mythological characters adapted from India. Airawata is often described as having a white elephant ridden by the war god Indra who wielded the weapon Bajra, while exterminating the evil forces. Airawata is the leader of the elephants.

In Thailand, the Airawata is called Erawan. Another difference is, Erawan has three heads with more than two tusks.

9. Kinara and Kinari

Kinara is one of the mythological creatures of the Buddhists in Bali. He is half human and half bird. They love to play the lyre.

The female Kinara is called Kinari. Like the Kinara, the Kinari is also half human and half bird. The difference is, Kinari's body resembles a goose's body. His body was wrapped in goose feathers. They are also good at singing, music and dancing.

Garudas

Garuda is described as a flying creature with the form of a bird's head with a giant human body. Garuda is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. It is often displayed with a golden-colored body.

In addition to Indonesia which uses Garuda as a symbol of the country, Thailand also uses it as a symbol of the country. The difference is that Garuda Thailand is red. In Japanese, Garuda is called Karura. That said, he was brought there to spread the religion.