Nyai Roro Kidul
 Popular depiction of Nyai Roro Kidul
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| Grouping | Legendary creature |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Water deity |
| Similar creatures | Mermaid |
| Mythology | Indonesian folk mythology |
| Other name(s) | Ratu Laut Selatan, Samudra Kidul |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Region | Southeast Asia |
| Habitat | Samudra kidul Indian Ocean |
Nyai Loro Kidul (also spelled Nyi Roro Kidul) is an Indonesian goddess of the sea. She is the Queen of the Southern Sea (Indian Ocean) in Javanese and Sundanese mythology.
According to Javanese beliefs, she is also the mythical spiritual consort of the Sultans of Mataram and Yogyakarta, beginning with Senopati and continuing to the present day.
Nyai Roro Kidul spirit has many different names, which reflect the diverse stories of her origin in different sagas, legends, myths and traditional folklore. Other names include Ratu Laut Selatan ("Queen of the South Sea," meaning the Indian Ocean) and Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. The royal house of Keraton Surakarta revered her as Kanjeng Ratu Ayu Kencono Sari. Many Javanese believe it is important to use various honorifics when referring to her, such as Nyai, Kanjeng, and Gusti. People who invoke her also call her Eyang (grandmother). In mermaid form she is referred to as Nyai Blorong.
The Javanese word loro literally means two - 2 and merged into the name of the myth about the Spirit-Queen born as a beautiful girl or maiden, in Old Javanese rara, written as rårå, (also used as roro). Old-Javanese rara evolved into the New Javanese lara, written as lårå, (means ill, also grief like heartache, heart-break).
Dutch orthography changed lara into loro (used here in Nyai Loro Kidul) so the word play moved from beautiful girl to a sick one - Old Javanese Nyi Rara and the New Javanese Nyai Lara.
Nyai Loro Kidul is often illustrated as a mermaid with a tail as well the lower part of the body of fish. The mythical creature is claimed to take the soul of any who she wished for. According to local popular beliefs around coastal villages on Southern Java, the Queen often claim lives of fishermen or visitors that bathe on the beach, and she usually prefers handsome young men.
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