Political Myth about the Witch Calon Arang in the Novel “Manjali and Chakrabirava” by the Indonesian Author Ayu Utami

Abstract

The article explores the novel Manjali and Cakrabirawa (2010) by one of the most outstanding modern Indonesian writers, Ayu Utami (born in 1968), whose philosophical and intellectual work marked the beginning of a new era in Indonesian literature. The novel was not translated into English and has not been the subject of research in Russia. Articles on the topic are few and only deal with themes of gender studies and feminism. This article provides an analysis of the interpretation of the plot-forming mythological layer of the novel. Utami boldly raises the topic of political repression through mythological optics, offers her own view on the construction of the image of a witch called Calon Arang, supposedly a political rival of a historical figure — Raja Airlangga (1000–1049), the ruler of the Javanese-Balinese state of Kediri (1042–1222). Calon Arang, nicknamed Rangda (“widow”), is a well-known character in folklore, the story has many versions. The relevance of the article is due to the paradox of the myth of Calon Arang: on the one hand, its characters and plot are well known to Indonesians (primarily Javanese and Balinese), but on the other hand, the myth remains poorly understood. Cultural-historical, comparative-typological and mythopoetic methods make it possible to analyze the mythological images in her novel “Manjali and Cakrabirava”, which is, as the events of the mythological plot of the 11th century, associated with political issues — the struggle for power and the demonization of the opponent.

Keywords:

Ayu Utami, “Manjali and Cakrabirava”, Bali, Calon Arang, Indonesian literature, Indonesian folklore, 30 September Movement