Barong is a panther-like god and character in the Balinese mythology of Bali, Indonesia. Barong is trapped in an eternal battle against the Leyak, Rangda, representing the endless struggle of good against evil.
Appearance[]
Generally, Barong is portrayed as a lion with a red colored head, which resembles a Pekingese dog. His body is covered in white thick fur and wears gilded jewelry adorned with pieces of mirrors. Barong also sometimes accompanied by two monkeys, who are usually sitting on his back. In other variations, his head is usually replaced with that of an elephant, dog, boar, tiger or a humanoid figure with mask.
Overview[]
The King of the Spirits, the leader of all that is Good and protector of the realms. Barong is a beast born alongside other Greater Spirits when Banaspati Radja sacrifice himself to give the previously barren land the gift of Life. From then on, Barong guide and protect the people of the land from Evils over thousands of years. Taking different hosts as Avatars during times of peril. One moment that forever sealed his fate was when Calon Arang, a Sorceress from distant land strike the kingdom of Kahuripan with great famine over the refusal of the men to marry her daughter. After a devastating battle, Barong defeated the sorcererss and drag her soul to Hell. But through her hatred and mastery over the dark magic, Calon Arang manage to revive herself as the Demon Rangda. Thus start an eternal battle where Barong kills Rangda as she is about to completely extinguished Dharma from the world.
However, after Rangda is killed, she is eventually resurrected, and Barong must do battle once again. This battle is featured in the Barong dance to represent the eternal battle between good and evil.
Barong continued to fight long after his departure from the physical world. Using several Avatars to do so in battle and political fields. Eventually, after the Convergence, he once again sealed himself inside a young man named Arya Jayanegara, in order to fight against Rangda's current host.
Personality[]
Barong is a peaceful yet courageous god, willing to battle Rangda everyday for humanity to continue their lives free from Rangda and her demonic hordes. He is calm and mature, being one of the voices of reason in the Council of Godheads and usually settling a quarrel between his fellow gods. When not fighting Rangda or attending a meeting in the council, Barong usually meditates with his two monkeys and sometimes other gods.
He is a beloved friend to Dewi Sri, a fellow ruler and goddess of Rice and food, to the point that he once threatened to break every bone in Manikmaya's body when the god insulted Dewi Sri for giving humans rice and other food from Khayangan.
When crossed, Barong will not hesitate to unleash his divine anger upon anyone who manages to push him, especially those who attempt to harm Dewi Sri or humanity, willing to resort to violence just to teach them a lesson.
Powers and Abilities[]
Barong is among the strongest overall in the Indonesian Pantheon as a whole. Indeed, as he is titled Archduke right below Batara Guru himself thus symbolizing their difference in both position and powers. Barong is a master of the Light element. As he is able to shape and cast the Light as he please and able to smite demons by blasting a powerful ball of light from his mouth. He also noted to be the only one who is capable of fighting Rangda continuously, as other gods are either weaker or cannot leave their domain forever. This tied to his power to pretty much resurrect himself sometimes in span of minutes after "death". Barong, like all Hindu Gods is also able to manifest on earth via avatars. although his method of creating one is vastly different than the rest.
