𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖔 𝖙𝖔 𝖏𝖆𝖛𝖆𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖊 𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝖌𝖔𝖉𝖘 🌕
(title: intro to javanese old gods)
disclaimer : there are little to none documentation of the traditions and religions of java pre-hinduism and buddhism, beyond general mentions of animism. so these will, unfortunately, be heavily based on my personal experiences and knowledge passed orally. i will try to keep everything unbiased and as is. my experience is limited to java–particularly west and middle java–and the several trips i made to bali. therefore i will only focus on javanese based old gods and won't touch anything beyond that. i made this also with the purpose of documenting the unrecorded gods of java. my apologies if you find anything lacking. now, let's get to it.
old gods are forgotten gods that are as old as the lands they reside in. incarnations (? representation works too) of a forest or a mountain or certain areas are included as an old god, but not all old gods are incarnations of the lands they're in. they are not ancestors. they are not historical figures who died, even if they look like one. they are not spirits either. they were (and still technically are) deities. old gods are completely their own being.
they are once worshipped until early majapahit empire era. my estimation is around 1350s - 1400s when it completely stopped; though it probably started dwindling around 400 AD when hindu-buddhism first came in. worshipping then comes in animism form—which is why most old gods are representation/incarnation of lands or inanimate objects. they may also be recognised at that time as venerated "ancestor spirits", though they're not one.
some of them are part of a court (yes, royal court but for old gods). be it ancient forgotten courts or even the still worshipped courts (like the kidul court). some are on their own, or just courtless. there's usually a leader figure for each courts, and these leaders will have another leader that has a hand in all courts. this is less of power/ruling figure, and more of an authority figure to help ease communication between the old gods.
nowadays, they tend to reside in trees, mountains, riversides, caves, the sea, or in the woods. most of the time they become the guardian of that certain area they reside in. sometimes they left their main residence to wander—on this occasion, they may temporarily reside in old abandoned buildings. the closer they are to their main residence, the stronger they are. old gods are not fond of crowds—but they enjoy watching from afar.
they're forces of chaos and unpredictable–and neither good nor bad. they can be malevolent, but most of the time only as defense. they're very polite and mostly kept to themselves. the old gods are quiet and ancient; often times they're only looking over from afar or just checking in without wanting anything. often times they have morbid imageries—but they meant no harm. probably. they're too old to care to follow human concepts.
it's not recommended to sought them out or to try and make dealings with them.
quick guide on meeting old gods. don't interact, especially when you're not sure what you're doing. you don't even need to acknowledge them–they don't need supplication and have long gone without being worshipped. they're fine; you won't if you play into their bit.
what you should do when you suspect them near you is to be respectful and polite. more specifically:
don't turn your back against sacred trees/places
don't climb or sit on sacred objects
don't go to toilet outdoors (it's recommended to just find the closest toilet available. otherwise, find a clear secluded place and ask permission aloud before you go. don't go in a sacred place/area or near sacred objects. only do this as a last minute resort. if shit hits the fan, start praying)
don't tempt or tease them
don't say things like "i can stay here forever!", they'll take it as an invitation
don't interact with them, in general (unless you are clearly familiar with them. which if you're a tourist, you're not. so shut up.)
listen to the locals. be respectful
i can't believe i have to say this, but don't have intercourse in sacred woods or areas
in the rare moments you saw them, say hi. nod your head. then don't acknowledge them anymore than that
don't talk about them in their presence. it's impolite
when unexplainable things start happening (such as smelling a sudden scent of jasmine or frangipani, or gamelan music starts playing without clear source) don't acknowledge it and continue with what you're doing
if you follow these simple steps, i guarantee you i would have less work to do as a local exorcist witch.
[upg disclaimer; based on personal experience as i worked with them] old gods are neither good nor bad. they're neutral chaotic forces, as they resemble the lands they reside in. unfortunately, some immoral dukun—witch doctors/shaman—have been enslaving trapping them in contracts for power reasons.
long story short: these dukun are people who learned magic, who are power hungry and greedy (yes they do exist, this is real and a legit practice in here). to be able to access power (magic) they usually work with questionable sources such as djinns. however, as djinns are too powerful and strong, most of the time these dukun would make dealings with local old gods. local old gods are a weaker power source than djinns, but easier to trap. do you see where this is going now? (note that there are also old gods that genuinely just work with these dukun to fuck them up. either way; not great)
the circumstances made the old gods more volatile and prone to aggression. as they want to avoid being tricked or manipulated into a trap, they're sensitive to any changes. you can easily offend them if you don't know what you're doing—which is why it's not encouraged to interact with them. [upg ends]
interacting with old gods can have the tendency to go from 0 to 100 quickly; on one moment they're calm and gentle, then by the next second a large snake maw is hovering by your head.
you can't worship or make dealings with the old gods when they don't explicitly ask that from you. sudden worshipping won't flatter them—it'll make them suspicious at best and immediately aggressive at worst. don't bother them and they won't bother you.
if you wish to, at least, acknowledge the local old gods or if you have reasons to believe they're trying to reach out to you; what you should do first is to set up protection wards. then you may try to communicate, interact, and give offerings—with no strings attached—to the old gods. be honest with your intentions and don't be pushy. double check everything and always check "mundane before magic".
i don't recommend trying to do this for baby witches or witches who had never dip into local magic. i don't recommend foreigners to attempt to interact with the old gods at all. mind you, i have experience with them and they knew me after years of constant exposure. i will repeat that old gods have long gone without worship—they won't ask for things willynilly. be careful of imposters. interact with caution and strong wards. don't be easily swayed, don't be scared, be respectful, and stand your ground. you have been warned.
offerings that i found they'll accept:
black coffee (instant coffee works, some brands are Kopi ABC and Kapal Api *not spons. sometimes they want sugar in it, sometimes they don't)
gorengan (fried street food, usually are; deep fried bananas, vegetable fritters, or fried tofus)—west javanese old gods are particularly fond of these
river rocks and driftwood
queen of the night flower (wijaya kusuma)
tuberoses (bunga sedap malam)
smooth blue river pebbles
seashells and sea salt if they're from kidul (southern) area/court, or areas near the sea
playing gamelan songs—middle and east javanese old gods are especially fond of gamelan keraton songs
you give the offerings by leaving them at places where an old god might reside (or where you think an old god is residing in). usually under trees, at the open mouth of caves, or by tossing them in rivers or the sea. make sure you're not littering, and that all of the equipments used for the offerings are organic and compostable.
note that sometimes the offerings won't just be taken by the old gods but also other entities. they don't mind this. you don't need to worry about this either, as i reiterate—old gods don't need offerings nor worship. only give them offerings with no strings attached.
on some cases, you may share the offerings with the old gods. if you have their permission, you might be allowed to consume the offerings with them to dispose of it. you can also just leave the offerings around your house, if old gods happen to pass inside your house often (like my case).
tldr; interact with old gods as you may, but please do so with strong caution. be respectful and courageous; be steadfast yet polite. i have no means of fear-mongering (my apologies if i accidentally did so), but warnings are there for a reason. do no harm.
best of luck for your journey 🌾🌜🍃🌞
