#balinese

[felinefractious]

Wilma la Diva of Orobie Diva’s

🐱 Balinese

📸 Di Sipio Gianni [Orobie Diva’s]

🎨 Blue Tabby Point

[fhtagn-and-tentacles]

DUAL

by Leonardo Vincent

[nevui-penim-miruvorrr]

COMISSIONS OPEN!!

Miku Balinese !

[mau-mao]

Usually, when a breed has various coat lengths, they'll have their name then "shorthair" or "longhair" at the end (e.g., Oriental shorthair and Oriental longhair).

BUT! there are several breeds that don't follow this.

Abyssinian (SH)

Somali (LH)

Bengal (SH)

Cashmere (LH)

Manx (SH)

Cymric (LH)

Exotic (SH)

Persian (LH)

Siamese (SH)

Balinese (LH)

Burmilla (SH)

Asian Longhair/Tiffanie (LH)

[jatoyb]

finished work!

Osiris - name meaning sun god 🌅✨

[maywillows]

Strawberry kitty

[marcellreign]

Mohammed Harahap

[metalwright]

[womblegrinch]

Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès (1880-1958) - Women by the lotus pond

Oil on canvas. Painted c. late 1930s.

39.4 x 47.25 inches, 100 x 120 cm. Estimate: HK$3,000,000-5,000,000.

Sold Christie’s, Hong Kong, 26 Sept 2024 for HK$3,780,000 incl B.P.

[val-of-the-north]

Barong my beloved divine beast.

Rangda is also cool as fuck.

These ancient rivals shall battle forevermore.

[felinefractious]

NuDawnz Good Times Roll

🐱 Balinese

📸 Chanan [Friemoth Family Cats]

🎨 Seal Tabby Point

[dailydemonspotlight]

Barong - Day 25

Race: Avatar

Alignment: Light-Neutral

April 24th, 2024

I'd like to start this daily demon spotlight with an admittance of bias. Barong is my favorite demon in the series, bar none. In celebration of making it to 25 (!!) days of this series, I've decided to let the holy cat out of the bag. Barong is the demon that introduced me to Balinese mythology, has saved my hide several times throughout the series, and has an adorable and unique design to boot. He stands right next to, if not above Black Frost and Chernobog in my book. Past that, though, I would also like to say- thank you all for sticking with me for 25 days! It's been so damn fun, and I plan on continuing this series for months, if not years to come. I know it's a little early for the ivories, but the small community that has been built up over time has given me so much life and energy!

With that sappy stuff out of the way...

Today's demon of the day lies in the form of the great panther, protector of mankind, and host of all things good, Barong. Bali mythology is surprisingly easy to look through, having solid roots and foundations, as well as its origin being in a somewhat small subset of Indonesia, though this isn't to say it's not complex. Balinese mythology takes a unique form, one similar to the worship of Ame-no-Uzume, wherein several of its stories aren't plays nor grand tales, but rather, fascinatingly hypnotic dances. Barong's appearance in these dances is that of a glamorously decorated (and very ambiguous) animal that I would personally say looks somewhat, vaguely similar to a lion?

However, the type of animal it is isn't that important, and admittedly just makes me confused. What is important is Barong's role in Balinese mythology, that being of a protector of humanity itself- in the mythos surrounding Barong and its eternal rival Rangda, Barong represents good health, good fortune, and has reign over all the spirits that inhabit the small province. The most prominent myth featuring the great avatar is recanted in the famous Kris dance, a dance representing Barong battling with Rangda. During the hypnotic trawl, dancers bring swords dangerously close to hurting themselves, though they emerge unscathed, watched over by two dancers in an ornate harness holding up the avatar of Barong who dances furiously behind them.

The dance begins with two monkeys and Barong engaging in dance, though quickly escalates as witches sent by Rangda attack the frolicking group. The dance-drama escalates from there as Barong tries to reign back control over the kingdom, which had found itself under siege by Rangda, eventually leading to the most iconic scene of the play, wherein two palace guards stab themselves with kali daggers in a desperate trance under Rangda's control- though they emerge unscathed as Barong comes to the rescue and engages in battle with the witch, protecting the guards with his holy magic. After a long and fraught dance between Barong and its rival, eventually, the holy avatar emerges victorious, and the kingdom is returned to peace and prosperity.

Barong is not just an artefact of the dance, though- he's an important figure in Balinese tradition, one held in reverence and good spirits, and the dance is simply held to represent the eternal struggle between good and evil, as well as celebrate the triumph of the love and goodness that Barong represents. People equipped in Barong costumes even, on occasion, parade around Balinese towns in order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Barong is locked in a never-ending battle against Rangda and the forces of darkness, yet never gives up hope; As a Bali volunteer in the Bali Volunteer Program puts it, "Once the trance is over, Barong and his supporters finally overthrow Rangda. But she does not die. Instead, she reincarnates and Barong must defeat her again. The fight never stops. It is symbolic of light’s eternal strife against darkness."

In the SMT series, Barong is depicted faithfully, though far more blue than red. Decorated in jewels and studded in silver, the Balinese lion dances in combat, easily connecting to the dance-dramas the beast is so frequently depicted in. Interestingly, a common series staple is that of Rangda and Barong's fusion leading to Shiva, and while unconfirmed, I have an idea as to why this may be the case. While Barong and Rangda are from completely different mythologies, they both represent opposing forces of light and dark, something that Shiva, a god of destruction who is not evil, is an inherent blend of- Shiva is both light and dark, good and evil, while Barong is good, light, and Rangda is evil, dark.

All in all, Balinese myth's hypnotic dances and beautiful performances lend to an amazingly designed demon that truly fulfills all it sets out to do, represents an underrepresented mythology, and stands out as my personal favorite demon in the series. Next to Chernobog and Black Frost, of course. And also Parvati. And Mother Harlot. Am I just edgy?

[ethereallygay]

Just a pretty gay and a pretty cat

[aryaarkanantaresort]

🌳🏘️🪴💚

[arkipelagic]

Balinese men performing Siat Geni. Photographed on 13 October 2019 by Sonny Tumbeluka (images 1–2), Fikri Yusuf (images 3–4).

[jatoyb]

WIP of my irl kitty Osiris! His name means sun god 🌅☀️🐱✨✨