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	==See also==		==See also==
	~~{{Portal\|Mythology\|Indonesia}}~~
	*[[Mythology of Indonesia]]		*[[Mythology of Indonesia]]
	*[[Kejawen]]		*[[Kejawen]]

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{{for|the Mexican Navy|SEMAR}}

{{Infobox mythical creature
|name = Semar
|AKA =
|image = Wayang Kulit of Semar.jpg
|image_size =
|caption = A [[Wayang]] representing Semar
|Grouping = [[Legendary creature]]
|Sub_Grouping = [[Undead]]
|Parents =
|Country = [[Indonesia]]
|Region = [[Java]]
|Similar_creatures =
}}

'''Semar''' is a character in [[Java]]nese mythology who frequently appears in [[wayang]] shadow plays. He is one of the [[punokawan]] (clowns), but is in fact divine and very wise. He is the [[Hyang|dhanyang]] (guardian spirit) of Java,<ref name="G23">Geertz, 23.</ref> and is regarded by some as the most sacred figure of the [[wayang]] set.<ref name="H144"> Holt, 144.</ref> He is said to be the god [[Sang Hyang Ismaya]] in human form.<ref name="B">Budihardja, "Grepen uit de Wajang," ''Djawa'' II (1922), 22-23; cited in Holt, 145.</ref><ref>Brandon, 13.</ref>

The name Semar is said to derive from the [[Javanese language|Javanese]] word ''samar'' ("dim, obscure, mysterious").<ref name="B"/> He is often referred to with the honorific, "Kyai Lurah Semar" ("the venerable chief").<ref name="B"/>

==Description==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Houten wajang topengmasker voorstellende Semar TMnr 1886-4.jpg|thumb|Mask of Semar for traditional Javanese theater performance.]]
In depictions, Semar appears with a flat nose, a protruding lower jaw, a tired eye, and bulging rear, belly, and chest. He wears a checkered hipcloth, symbolizing sacredness. Like the other panakawan, the [[Wayang#Wayang kulit|wayang kulit]] puppet does not have the elaborate openwork and ornamentation characteristic of the heroes<ref name="H144"/> In [[wayang wong]], Semar always leans forward, one hand palm up on his back and the other extended partly forward, moving up and down, with an extended forefinger.<ref>Holt, 160.</ref>

By tradition Semar has three sons, the other punakawans in the wayang: Gareng, Petruk, and [[Bagong]] (Bagong does not appear in [[Surakarta]]-style wayang).<ref>Brandon, 24.</ref> In some wayangs, he has a brother Togog (or Hyang Antaga), who is the servant-clown of a demonic hero.<ref name="H145">Holt, 145.</ref>

==Origin==
[[File:Semar Kris (alt) 3.jpg|thumb|A decorative [[kris]] with a figure of Semar as the handle]]
As Semar is one of the few characters in wayang stories not from [[Hindu mythology|Indian mythology]], his origin is obscure. One hypothesis is that he and his sons are old indigenous deities who became cursed and demoted to servants with the importation of the [[kshatriya]] heroes of the Indian epics.<ref>J. Kats, "Wie is Semar?" ''Djawa'' III (1923), 55; cited in Holt, 145.</ref><ref>Brandon, 18.</ref> Semar also resembles the [[vidusaka]] clown figure of Indian Sanskrit drama.<ref>Brandon, 3-4.</ref>

The first ''known'' appearance of Semar is during the [[Majapahit]] era. In 1358 in relief of Sudamala in Candi TIgamangi, and in [[Candi Sukuh]] dated 1439. The relief was copied from a wayang story from the period, where Semar was first known to be appeared. <ref>Khoon, 106</ref>

==Stories==
In one version of the [[Babad Tanah Jawi]] (the Javanese creation myth), Semar cultivated a small rice field near [[Mount Merbabu]] for ten thousand years before there were any men. His descendants, the spirits of the island, came into conflict with people as they cleared fields and populated the island. A powerful priest, unable to deviate from his king's orders to continue cultivating the island, provided Semar with a role that will allow his children and grandchildren to stay. Semar's role was to be a spiritual advisor and magical supporter of the royalty, and those of his descendants who also protect the humans of Java can remain there.<ref name="G23"/>

One genealogy of Semar is that he is the eldest descendant of [[God]], and elder brother to [[Batara Guru]], king of the other gods; however, Semar became a man.<ref name="G276">Geertz, 276.</ref> Another genealogy says that he is the son of [[Adam and Eve]]. His brother Nabi ("prophet") Sis gave birth to various prophets, such as [[Jesus]] and [[Muhammad]], from whom the various Western peoples are descended, while Semar ("Sayang Sis") gave birth to the Hindus and the Javanese.<ref name="G276"/> In either case Semar, in his awkward, ugly human form, represents at the same time god and clown, the most spiritually refined and outwardly rough.<ref name="G276"/>

==Use in wayang==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Houten wajangpop voorstellend Semar TMnr 8-73.jpg|thumb|[[Sundanese people|Sundanese]] wayang adaptation of Semar.]]
Semar and his sons first appear in the second part of the plays (''[[pathet sanga]]''),<ref>Brandon, 79.</ref> as the servants and counselors of whoever the hero of the wayang play is.<ref>Frits A. Wagner, ''Indonesia: The Art of an Island Group''. New York: Crown Publishers, 1959; 130.</ref> In wayang plots Semar is never mistaken, and is deceptively powerful. He is the only character who dares to protest to the gods, including Batara Guru ([[Shiva]]) and [[Durga|Batari Durga]], and even compel them to act or desist.<ref name="H145"/>

He often represents the realistic view of the world in contrast to the idealistic. His role as servant is to cheer up those in despair and blunt the pride of the triumphant. [[Clifford Geertz]] compared his role vis-à-vis [[Arjuna]] to that of [[Henry V of England|Prince Hal]] with his father in [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry IV, Part I|Henry IV]]'', and his role as critic of the play's worldview and antidote to pride as similar to [[Falstaff]].<ref name="G277">Geertz, 277.</ref>

It has also been suggested that Semar is a symbol of the peasantry, not otherwise incorporated in the palace hierarchies; that in some more popular forms of the drama, he and the other clowns dominate the royal heroes supports this idea.<ref name="G277"/><ref>H.O., "Petroek als Vorst," ''Djawa'', III (1922), 169-172; cited in Holt, 145.</ref>

==Other appearances==
Semar also appears on some ceremonial weapons, the [[pusaka]] of some important families. In this role he represents an ancestral figure.<ref>Wagner, 162.</ref>

There is a low rectangular [[candi of Indonesia|candi]] on the [[Dieng Plateau]] known as [[Candi Semar]], perhaps originally a treasury,<ref>Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, ''History of Indian and Indonesian Art'', New York: Dover, 1985, 202.</ref> but it is generally assumed by scholars that its name was given to the temple centuries after its erection.<ref>Holt, 53.</ref>

In Bali, the counterpart of Semar is [[Twalen]].<ref>Jeune Scott-Kemball, ''Javanese Shadow Puppets: The [[Stamford Raffles|Raffles]] Collection in the [[British Museum]]'', Trustees of the British Museum, 1970, 18.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Mythology|Indonesia}}
*[[Mythology of Indonesia]]
*[[Kejawen]]

==References==
* Brandon, James R. ''On Thrones of Gold: Three Javanese Shadow Plays''. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1970.
* Geertz, Clifford. ''The Religion of Java''. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press, 1960.
* Holt, Claire. ''Art in Indonesia: Continuities and Change''. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1967.
* Khoon Choy Lee. ''A fragile nation: the Indonesian crisis''. World Scientific, 1999 .

===Notes===
{{reflist|3}}

{{Mythology of Indonesia}}

[[Category:Javanese mythology]]
[[Category:Tutelary deities]]
[[Category:Wayang]]

Semar - Revision history

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ImportMaster: robot: Add missing article in Category:Mahabharata