| This article is a part of the series on |
| Indonesian mythology andfolklore |
|---|
 |
Traditional folk religions |
Mythological and folkloric creatures
|
Wayang characters |
Rituals and traditions |
Sacred objects |
 Indonesia portal Mythology portal |
Batak mythology is the originalbelief that was once adopted by theBatak people ofNorth Sumatra,Indonesia, namely before the arrival of Protestant, Catholic, or Islamic religions.[1] There are varioustarombo (ancestor myth) versions written onpustaha (ancient books) which historians study, but generally refer to the figures below.[1]
In this belief, the highest god who made the universe and everything in it wasDebata (Ompung) Mulajadi na Bolon, who reigned in the sky.[1][2][3] Apart from being the ruler of the upper world,Debata Mulajadi na Bolon was also the ruler of the middle world, and theunderworld of the spirits, but there he was called by other names.[1] As the ruler of the middle world, he was calledSilaon na Bolon, and as the ruler of the world of the spirits, he was calledPane na Bolon.[1] The first creation ofDebata Mulajadi na Bolon wasManukmanuk Hulambujati, a magical chicken with an iron-beaked and shinny braceleted-claws.[2] Manukmanuk Hulambujati then laid three eggs, each egg gave rise to gods namedDebata Batara Guru,Debata Sorisohaliapan, andDebata Balabulan, who were then summoned together asDebata na Tolu.[2]
Si Boru Deak Parujar, the daughter ofDebata Batara Guru, was the first heavenly creature that descended to earth, namely in a mountain called Pusuk Buhit.[2][3] On earth,Si Boru Deak Parujar married Raja Odapodap,[3] which also came from one of Manukmanuk Hulambujati later eggs.[2] Their first child was shaped round like an egg, not similar at all to humans, thenDebata Mulajadi na Bolon told them to bury it, where out of it came plants that spread on the surface of the earth.[2] Therefore, the plants were seen as the older sibling of humans in the Batak myth.[2] Next, male–female twins were born, calledRaja Ihat Manisia andBoru Ihat Manisia.[2]
AfterRaja Ihat Manisia andBoru Ihat Manisia became adults,[3] the two then got married and gave rise to all other humans, including the eponymous ancestor of the Batak people namedSi Raja Batak.[2][3]Si Boru Deak Parujar andRaja Odapodap then returned to the sky after their two children got married, and since then the connection between heaven and earth has been broken off, unlike before.[2][3]
