Calon Arang

It may be the bewitching hour the first night with the full moon when long shadows spread like phantoms on the ground, that village crowds gather round a clearing near the temple of the dead to watch the drama of Calon Arang the widow witch of Girah. Every Balinese knows the legend of Rangda as Calon Arang a favorite in local folklore.

Long ago, when Airlangga was king, there lived a widow. Calon Arang, who gave birth to a child in the jungle. The child grew up to be the famed beauty Ratna Menggali. Calon Arang wanted her daughter to marry a prince from Airlangga's palace, but despite her beauty, no prince came, Angered by this, the widow learned the art of black magic and practiced it against the kingdom, causing many people to die. When Airlangga heard of the epidemic in Girah, he consulted his high priest, Mpu Bharadah. The priest sent his son to ask for the hand of Ratna Menggali. Callon Arang was pleased by the offer. The plague subsided, and the couple wed.

Calon Arang had in her possession a lontar (palmleaf book) of black magic teachings. Her son-in-law one day found it and gave it to his father, who then deciphered the formulas to the widow's secret powers. When Calon Arang discovered Mpu Bharadah had learned her secrets, she was enraged and declared war upon him. The priest had no choice but to fight and, in a deadly struggle of sorcery, destroyed the widow by casting a spell. Before she died, Calon Arang asked forgiveness. Mpu Bharadah absolved her deeds and showed her the way to heaven.

The story has many variations, and no two Calon Arang plays are exactly the same. Essentially, the play is a drama of magic that serves as a powerful exorcism of evil spirits aligned with the witch-queen Rangda. By dramatizing Calon Arang as Rangda at the height of her magical powers, it is hoped the performance will gain the witch's favor and appease her appetite for destruction,

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