Nyi Roro Kidul, The Symbol of Ecofeminist in the Java Island
Who doesn’t know the legend of Nyi Roro Kidul from Java? I think everyone knows about that. The mythological legends about Nyi Roro Kidul has spread in East Asia, North Asia and Southeast Asia. That legend said, her figure always has correlation with the leaders of Indonesia. Even in Javanese myth, she has ability to fertilize soil of Java Island. Then, who is Nyi Roro Kidul?
Nyi Roro Kidul is a princess from the Kingdom of West Java. She is the daughter of King Mundingsari as known as King Siliwangi with Queen Galuh. Her real name is Princess Kadita. She was expelled from the palace and met her destiny as the spirit of the Queen of Indian Ocean and became the future of the Senapati (Founder of the Mataram Muslim Kingdom in the 16th century).
There are so many version’s story of the reason why Princess Kadita was expelled from the palace. The first version said she was born with beautiful face and charming attitude. Her beauty makes her stepmother was jealous. Her stepmother sent a curse to her. Then she had a skin disease because of her stepmother sent a curse. After that, she had to get out of the palace and escape to the forest. While in the forest, she meditated. Another story also said that she refused to get married. When a man who was going to propose her come, Princess Kadita refused him. Then she was expelled by his father from the palace. And then she decided meditate for a long time. But it is not yet known which the true story, because many versions of the story about the reason why Princess Kadita was expelled from the Palace. There is a controversial version of the story which says that Putri Kadita fled because she refused to convert to Islam with her parents. After she fled to the forest and meditated, she walked on and then saw the coral sea in the south. According to the stories of the people, she threw herself into the sea and then she entered the spirit kingdom. Then she became Queen of the Indian Ocean and changed her name to Nyi Roro Kidul. Nyi Roro Kidul also has magical powers and can change her form into various genders and creatures.
No wonder if Nyi Roro Kidul character is often discussed in Javanese mythology with many versions of the story. But from all the versions of her story, only one core that the I gets. Princess Kadita as known as Nyi Roro Kidul is a woman who has her own opinion and stance. It is not easy to be a woman who has her opinion and stance like Nyi Roro Kidul, especially living in a conservative era which technology has not yet developed. She was willing to leave her position as a royal princess because her opinion was not accepted. Then she left and established her own kingdom under the sea and changed her name became Nyi Roro Kidul.
The figure of Nyi Roro Kidul is also often associated with every leader in this country from President Sukarno untill President Jokowi. The myth that spread says that the leaders of the Java Island must establish a relationship with Nyi Roro Kidul if they want lasting power.
In Javanese philosophy, Nyi Roro Kidul is called a symbol of the balance of the archipelago. She would be angry with the Javanese rulers if they could not protect nature by sending disasters such as tsunamis, flash floods, making long drought and so on. From here we know that Nyi Roro Kidul is an ecofeminist in Javanese mythology. What is ecofeminist? Ecofeminists are individuals who combine the concepts of natural ecology and the correlation with women. The ideology called ecofeminism. Ecofeminism is an ideology which believe that form of marginalization and gender bias has correlation with women and nature. Some discourse about ecofeminism also said that the nature are women and women are caregivers based on conservative value.
In this article, Nyi Roro Kidul is a caregiver also the ruler of Javanese Islands. As the ruler of the island of Java, she protects the nature, not to destroy by humans . Not only protecting nature, in the film with the title Nyi Roro Kidul it is told that the figure of the Queen of the South Coast often attacks a man who became the perpetrators of sexual violence against women. It’s proven that the mythological figure of Nyi Roro Kidul is a bad myth for patriarchal and misogynistic men. In the film Nyi Roro Kidul (1985) it is depicted that she is a woman who is full of revenge against patriarchal and misogynistic men. She even made a misogynist men as her slaves.
Many people are also questioning about her sexuality. The rumoured said that Nyi Roro Kidul teaches free sex like what the legend said. The legend said that she did sex with every leader in Java Island. From the story that was spread, every leader in this country has their own special room for Nyi Roro Kidul. Some films also depict her often making love with handsome and younger men. In the film Nyi Roro Kidul (1985) which played by Susanna, said that love does not always end with marriage. From that movie, we knows that Nyi Roro Kidul is a woman who has an independence in the terms of sexuality. She does not want to commit herself to marriage. She is the woman that has sexual freedom. There is nothing wrong with women who don’t want to commit themselves to marriage because it’s a personal choice.
The social construction who framing that Nyi Roro Kidul is a Javanese mythology who campaigns free sex was created by the misogynist point of view that has long existed in the patriarchal societies. In Javanese mythology, Nyi Roro Kidul is described as a strong and powerful woman. The narrative about a strong and powerful woman attached to Nyi Roro Kidul is said to be something that frightens the community, especially men. They did not want to acknowledge that Nyi Roro Kidul is strength and powerful because of the fragility of their masculinity. As the motherland in Javanese mythology, Nyi Roro Kidul is a strong eco-feminist. Even as a woman in legend, she taught me that as women, we should have our own opinions and choices without depending on anyone.