Indonesia, also officially known as the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia. It is the world's largest island country, the 14th largest country, and the fourth-most populous country. The capital is Jakarta.

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DEITIES

Acintya / Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa / Sang Hyang Tunggal: the unimaginable or inconceivable / The Divine Order / The Divine Oneness. The Supreme God of Indonesian Hinduism.

Batara Guru / Bhattara Guru / Debata Batara Guru / Batara Siwa: a supreme god in but is also considered the avatar of Shiva, the ruler of the Kahyangan, and the god of revelations.

Batara Kala: god of the underworld. He has also been named the creator of light and the earth, and the god of time of destruction who devours unlucky individuals.

Batara Sambu: god of teachers.

Chen Fu Zhen Ren: ancestral god of Chinese Indonesian people. He is worshipped by Chinese, Javanese, and Balinese individuals in East Java and Bali.

Dewi Danu: goddess of water.

Dewi Lanjar: ruling goddess of the North Sea.

Dewi Raith: goddess of the moon.

Dewi Sri / Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri: the goddess of rice and prosperity.

Hainuwele: goddess who gives origin to vegetable crops.

Indo' Belo Tumbang: goddess of medicine.

Indo' Ongon-Ongon: goddess of earthquakes.

Nyai Roro Kidul: ruling goddess of the South Sea.

Pong Banggai di Rante: god of the earth.

Pong Lalondong: god of death.

Puang Matua: creator god.

Refafub: god of the rainforest.

Sunan Ambu: mother goddess of the Sudanese.

Ze Hai Zhen Ren: a deity worshiped by Chinese individuals in Tegal and Central Java.

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CREATURES

Babi ngepet: a boar demon and also thieves. They steal riches from surrounding neighborhoods. Usually someone will transform into the Babi ngepet where their partner will guard a candle in their home, the candle light shows if their safety is threatened. (edit credit to: tomgaryens)

Barong: a panther-like creature that is the king of spirits and the leader of good.

Hantu: a classification of spirits /ghosts.

Hantu Air: spirits that inhabit water.

Hantu Beruk: an ape demon.

Hantu Belian: a tiger spirit.

Hantu Bongkok: a bloodthirsty ghost or evil spirit.

Hantu Musang: a civet cat spirit that is invoked during a game of possession.

Hantu Pusaka: a grave demon.

Hantu Raya: a great demon that is considered one of the strongest of all evil spirits.

Hantu Rimba: a deep-forest demon.

Hantu Tinggi: a tall demon that usually possesses a tree.

Jenglot: a deformed humanoid creature that are about the size of living dolls. They have been called vampires and it was believed that they were formerly human beings.

Keong Emas: a princess who was magically transformed and contained in a golden snail shell.

Kinnara: a celestial musician that is part human and part bird.

Langsuyar: a type of vampire, which is usually a ghost of a woman who died during pregnancy or childbirth. They typically appear as a beautiful woman with long black hair that falls to her ankles or as a floating head with hanging entrails or a spinal column. They also have long fingernails and wear green robes. They do prey on humans, but prefer the blood of newborn mail children.

Leyak: Another form of the Langsuyar.

Manohara: a half woman, half bird individual.

Orang bunian: beautiful creatures who look like humans. The term directly translates to "elves" and it is believed that they are invisible to most humans, but can be seen by those who have spiritual sight.

Orang Pendek: it is believed to be a bipedal primate or a creature that lives in remote forests of Sumatra.

Pocong: a shroud ghost that is usually the soul of a dead person.

Pontianak / Kuntilanak: the ghost of a child that died before or during birth. It has also been described as a vengeful female spirit that has become a vampire.

Raksasa: a supernatural being known as a "man-eater" and demigod. It also means "giant." (edit credit to: )

Rangda: the demon queek of the Leyaks.

Singa: part human, part water buffalo, and part crocodile/lizard creature with protective powers.

Suanggi: a malevolent spirit.

Toyol / Tuyul: an undead infant that is invoked as a helper by shamans through black magic. They are often used to rob people.

Warak ngendog: it resembles a rhinoceros carrying eggs on its back. It is celebrated during the Dugderan Festival. However, it has also been described to be part giraffe, part lion, part Chinese dragon, part horse, and part bird.

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LEGENDS, MYTHS, AND FOLKTALES

Please note that this section doesn't cover all the legends, myths, and folktales. We thought we'd share the ones that would sound interesting and inspire you all!

BAWANG MERAH BAWANG PUTIH (SHALLOT AND GARLIC)

Version 1:

There were two women who were half-sisters, Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih. Bawang Merah is known to be a lazy, greedy girl who has been spoiled by her mother whereas Bawang Putih is obedient and does all of the housework without complaining.

One day, Bawang Putih loses a scarf while cleaning the laundry in the river and it is picked up by an old woman. This old woman says she will return the scarf if Bawang Putih cooks for her. She does as she's requested and the old woman asks her to bring home one of her pumpkins as a gift for her help, a small or large one. She chooses the small one and discovers it's filled with jewelry.

Bawang Merah and their mother become jealous of Bawang Putih so they go to the river and lose their scarves on purpose. They go to the old woman's house and ask for a pumpkin. They select the big pumpkin but instead of finding jewelry, they find that it's filled with snakes.

Version 2 (credit to tomgaryens):

Bawang Merah's mom married Bawang Putih's dad, and they torture her while he's away on a business trip. Bawang Putih befriends a magical talking goldfish in the river where she washes their clothes. The goldfish will magically clean the clothes for her. 

One day, Bawang Merah discovered the goldfish, captured and ate it, then showed its remains to Bawang Putih. Bawang Putih who was devastated with her friend's death, buried it behind their house. It grew into a magical golden plant. 

One day, the Prince was looking for a herb to cure the King's illness, apparently, the golden plant was the one he was looking for. Bawang Merah tried to pluck the herb but no one was capable of doing it except for Bawang Putih. So she married the prince and lived happily ever after.

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BATU MENANGIS (THE CRYING STONE) / MALIN KUNDANG

Malin Kundang is known as a hard-working man who sails the world in order to get more money to support his mother. When he returns to land, he's a rich man and refuses to associate himself with his poor mother. As a result, his mother prays for him to be turned into stone.

In Batu Menangis, the protagonist is a young girl who never helps her mother and repeatedly tells people that her mother is her maid. Like in Malin Kundang's story, her mother prays that the girl be turned into stone.

LUNAR/SOLAR ECLIPSES

Batara Kala is the enemy of Batara Candra, who is his counterpart. He would devour the sun or moon to cause a lunar or solar eclipse. The villagers would try to save the sun or moon by offering sacrifices or banging drums in order to make him vomit and release the sun or moon.

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