NYI RORO KIDUL - Southeast Asian folklore

Nyi Roro Kidul is goddess of the southern sea in Indonesian mythology. She is most known for her beauty and love of green colour. People who claimed to have seen her (including a late king of Yogyakarta; the palace residents also reported sightings of the goddess during the kings’s funeral) said that she dons green shawl and appears exceptionally beautiful during the full moon. Until today, there’s still the superstition against wearing green garments when you are in Indonesian southern coast, lest you want to be swept to the sea.

A fishing town in Java island still celebrates her holiday every year. They would present offerings - from rice to fabrics and cosmetic - and send them to the sea to appease the goddess. It is important to refer to her with her honorific titles, including Kanjeng Ratu (Her Majesty the Queen) and Gusti (a term used to refer to noblemen and noblewomen).

During the Dutch colonization period, the Dutch changed the name Nyi Roro Kidul (The Beautiful One) to Nyi Loro Kidul (The Sick One).