Putri Prihatini

A cover of Reservoir Bitches book by Dahlia de la Cerda. It has white and pink color blocking with a black and white photo of a Mexican woman in a car holding a milk bottle, her face forms an open mouthed half-laughter and a baby is seen crying next to her.

A black and white photo of Magnolia, a Zapotec person with short, black hair, standing in front of an old wall and wearing a long floral dress and a pearl necklace, holding up a mirror that reflects their face.

A black and white photo of Magnolia, a Zapotec person with short, black hair, standing in front of an old wall wearing a sombrero, a pearl necklace, a sleeveless top, a knee length skirt with lacework, and flip-flops, smiling while lifting the hem of the skirt slightly.

I love this version of "Reservoir Bitches" because the cover introduced me to Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide. She has documented Mexican indigenous people and their cultural practices. These 1986 photos depict Magnolia, a Muxe or the third gender individual among the Zapotec people. #Booksky

Yes, I love this cover more than the other green one, very distinctive! What kind of zine are you working on?

A cover of Reservoir Bitches book by Dahlia de la Cerda. It has white and pink color blocking with a black and white photo of a Mexican woman in a car holding a milk bottle, her face forms an open mouthed half-laughter and a baby is seen crying next to her.

A black and white photo of Magnolia, a Zapotec person with short, black hair, standing in front of an old wall and wearing a long floral dress and a pearl necklace, holding up a mirror that reflects their face.

A black and white photo of Magnolia, a Zapotec person with short, black hair, standing in front of an old wall wearing a sombrero, a pearl necklace, a sleeveless top, a knee length skirt with lacework, and flip-flops, smiling while lifting the hem of the skirt slightly.

I love this version of "Reservoir Bitches" because the cover introduced me to Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide. She has documented Mexican indigenous people and their cultural practices. These 1986 photos depict Magnolia, a Muxe or the third gender individual among the Zapotec people. #Booksky

A photo of a bas relief of two cats in loaf positions on Borobudur temple.

A photo of a bas relief on Borobudur Temple showing two monkeys sitting under the tree. One was sad and placing her hand on her face, the other comforted her by placing his hand on her knee.

A bas relief on Borobudur Temple showing two dogs sleeping, one places itself on top of the other. The top dog relief had its face partially missing.

A photo of bas reliefs on Borobudur Temple showing two oxen huddle together.

My favorite thing about the bas reliefs on Borobudur Temple (Magelang, Central Java) is how they incorporate animals in the stories. They can be main characters or natural parts of the environment that also show emotions and affection, like in these cats, monkeys, dogs, and oxen. 1/2 #WyrdWednesday

📷:

Louie Buana (1), Anandajoti/Photo Darma (2-6), Heri Nugroho (7), Frank Wouters (8)

A photo of a bas relief on Borobudur Temple showing a holy man standing in front of a monkey, a dog, a hare, and an otter, each bringing food except for the hare.

A photo of a bas relief on Borobudur showing a priest sitting with a worship gesture in front of a sitting deer. They are under a fruit tree with several birds perching on it.

A photo of monks in orange and white robes walking around the yard of Borobudur in a sacred circular walking ritual.

A photo of one of the galleries on Borobudur Temple showing a long wall etched with intricate bas reliefs and sculptures in Buddhist styles.

Also, remember that out of around 2,670 panels of bas reliefs, 1,400+ of them are narrative reliefs divided into 11 categories. They were placed on spots that allow pilgrims to perform pradakshina (ritual of circumambulation). Every single carving, even the smallest beast, was meant to be there. 2/2

A photo of a bas relief of two cats in loaf positions on Borobudur temple.

A photo of a bas relief on Borobudur Temple showing two monkeys sitting under the tree. One was sad and placing her hand on her face, the other comforted her by placing his hand on her knee.

A bas relief on Borobudur Temple showing two dogs sleeping, one places itself on top of the other. The top dog relief had its face partially missing.

A photo of bas reliefs on Borobudur Temple showing two oxen huddle together.

My favorite thing about the bas reliefs on Borobudur Temple (Magelang, Central Java) is how they incorporate animals in the stories. They can be main characters or natural parts of the environment that also show emotions and affection, like in these cats, monkeys, dogs, and oxen. 1/2 #WyrdWednesday

Rivendell and Śrīksetra Garden: A Tale of Two Sanctuaries Rivendell, a sanctuary that symbolized healing and rejuvenation, found its parallel in the Śrīksetra Garden in Sumatra, a spiritual and physical refuge that shared restorative power.

I wrote a longer version of the two sanctuaries, Rivendell and Śrīksetra Garden of the Sriwijaya kingdom, here: 4/4 putri2wotan.wordpress.com/2024/11/05/r...

A colored illustration of Rivendell, a valley with lush vegetations and a river running through it. An Elven sanctuary can be seen surrounded by waterfalls and trees, with a cliff wall behind it.

A close up image of white jasmines surrounded by their leaves.

Like how Rivendell became a refuge where travelers could rest, anyone hungry or in a journey could find food, water, and place to rest in Śrīksetra Garden. The king also hoped that his subjects avoid bad deeds and are blessed with joy, knowledge, and spiritual enlightenment. 3/4

🎨: Anna Kulisz

A photograph of a pond and a garden. Pink lotus flowers are floating on the pond.

Written in Pallawa script, it contains 14 lines of the king's decree, stating that all the fruit trees, sago palms, bamboos, and ponds within the garden "can be enjoyed for the benefit of all creatures; the ones that can move around and the ones that can not."

The year was 606 Saka (684 CE). 2/4

A colored illustration of Rivendell, a valley with lush vegetations and a river running through it. An Elven sanctuary can be seen perching above the river, surrounded by trees.

Inscription photo by Gunawan Kartapranata, taken at the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta. Photograph of Talang Tuo inscription, sized 50 cm × 80 centimeters, placed on a concrete pedestal. The inscription is covered by lines of the king's decree, written in ancient Pallava/Pallawa script. The top of the inscription has a small white "D.145" marking, signifying its inventory code at the Museum Nasional Indonesia.

Rivendell as a sanctuary reminds me of the bountiful Śrīksetra Garden, described in the 7th-century Talang Tuo inscription of Sriwijaya kingdom in Sumatra. The king, Sri Jayanasa, established the garden as a sanctuary and for the "well-being of all creatures." 1/4

#TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday

An old photograph of toddler me in a blue dress and my hair in a tiny bun, sitting in front of my parents on their bed. My father held a magazine with one hand and allowed me to flip the page myself as I looked seriously at the texts. My mother pointed at the camera as if trying to attract my attention to it.

Tiny me acting like my parents' magazine held the secret of the universe is the reason behind my ceaseless book posts.

Maybe tiny me was right, because teaching me how to read is one of the best things my parents had ever done; the entire universe that they had unlocked for me.

A photo of my hand holding three books: Johnny Would You Love Me If My Dick Were Bigger, Reservoir Bitches, and Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal.

My (somewhat) recent titles that I call "The Trio of Rejecting Respectability Politics." #Booksky

A photo of my hand holding three books: Johnny Would You Love Me If My Dick Were Bigger, Reservoir Bitches, and Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal.

My (somewhat) recent titles that I call "The Trio of Rejecting Respectability Politics." #Booksky

A photo of Johor-Riau Malay bridal couple. Both wore loose, long-sleeved tunics with brilliant repetitive patterns, wide sashes, and shiny songket bottoms with luminous embroideries. The bride sat on a chair wearing long necklaces, low bun with decorative hairpins, and holding a tome on her lap. The groom stood and wore a tall fabric headpiece with similar patterns with his tunic. The text below said that they were Johor Riau Malay couple.

Muzium Etnologi Dunia Melayu in Kuala Lumpur is still the one and only place where I've ever seen my museum doppelgänger✨

A group of lengger lanang dancers consist of five dancers wearing sleeveless colorful tops and batik sarong, with long swashes swung around with their hands as they dance.

A Lengger Lanang dancer in the middle of performance, wearing black and gold dancing costume with batik skirt, green sash around the shoulders, hair bun with jasmine wreath, and red hibiscus behind the ear.

Two lengger lanang dances in a stage performance wearing red sleeveless tops and batik sarongs, long yellow sashes wrapped slung around their necks and above the chests. They wear hair buns and flower-shaped golden hair ornaments.

A photo of a Lengger Lanang dancer taken mid-dance, wearing a black top with gold ornaments, batik skirt, orange sash, and hairbun with red flowers.

Lengger Lanang is a gender-bending folk dance from Banyumas, Central Java, that demonstrates fluidity of masculine and feminine energies as they balance and nourish each other. Rooting in harvest tradition, it is a hope for good harvest, which requires balance in all elements. 1/2

#WyrdWednesday

A group of Indonesian men practicing Lengger Lanang dance with long colorful sashes around their necks.

A group of Lengger Lanang dancers photographed in the middle of a stage performance, wearing sleeveless tops, batik skirts, orange sashes, and curved headdresses.

A Lengger Lanang dancer wearing a black bustier, batik skirt, orange sash, and flowers behind the ears, dancing in front of musicians sitting on the ground playing traditional hand drums and bamboo xylophones.

A Lengger Lanang dancer wearing a colorful top, batik skirt, golden necklace and crown, and flowers behind the ears, raising a bunch of rice plants and surrounded by young dancers looking up.

Despite being shown as artistic performance nowadays, rituals like fasting and meditating are often necessary before dancing to be spiritually clean. There's an old belief about "indang": a spirit that would possess a dancer and enable them to move exquisitely without practice. 2/2

A group of lengger lanang dancers consist of five dancers wearing sleeveless colorful tops and batik sarong, with long swashes swung around with their hands as they dance.

A Lengger Lanang dancer in the middle of performance, wearing black and gold dancing costume with batik skirt, green sash around the shoulders, hair bun with jasmine wreath, and red hibiscus behind the ear.

Two lengger lanang dances in a stage performance wearing red sleeveless tops and batik sarongs, long yellow sashes wrapped slung around their necks and above the chests. They wear hair buns and flower-shaped golden hair ornaments.

A photo of a Lengger Lanang dancer taken mid-dance, wearing a black top with gold ornaments, batik skirt, orange sash, and hairbun with red flowers.

Lengger Lanang is a gender-bending folk dance from Banyumas, Central Java, that demonstrates fluidity of masculine and feminine energies as they balance and nourish each other. Rooting in harvest tradition, it is a hope for good harvest, which requires balance in all elements. 1/2

#WyrdWednesday

A photo of a book titled There Would Always Be a Fairy Tale: More Essays on Tolkien, by Verlyn Flieger. The cover depicts a painting of a large tree with swirling trunks in a thick forest.

The first page of an essay titled Making Choices: Moral Ambiguity in Tolkien's Major Fictions. This part rebuked the criticisms of Edwin Muir and Edmund Wilson's criticisms that said the heroes in The Lord of the Rings did not face serious temptations, considering the book as childish and not serious.

To honor Verlyn Flieger for #TolkienTrewsday, I admire her thorough, nuanced essays that are accessible to everyday readers like me. I love her essay on moral ambiguity in Tolkien's works AND how she straight up went to Edwin Muir's and Edmund Wilson's throats on the first page. Honestly, fair.

Smith of Wootton Major mini edition

These mini editions are great. Here's Smith of Wootton Major with annotations by Verlyn Flieger #Tolkien #TolkienTrewsday #VerlynFlieger

A true legend, scholar, author and great supporter of #Tolkien students and scholars - so blessed to know Verlyn and have taken many of her classes. One of my prized possessions #TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday #VerlynFlieger

Also, when Muhawi and Kanaana traveled to various regions to gather stories from Palestinian hikaye storytellers (often women and many were elderly), they often added their own interpretation such as a private humor or hidden sexual innuendo in seemingly innocuous scenes. Very interesting book.

A photo of a book titled Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales. The cover art is black with a white abstract lines that depict a flying bird. There are names of the story gatherers and translators at the bottom: Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana, with a new foreword by Ibtisam Barakat. Behind the book is a notebook with keffiyeh patterns.

Reading deeper into this Palestinian folktale book, I found out about how hikaye (folktales/tales with elements of magic) were often dismissed as less serious despite being more honest about darker sides of humanity. Can't help but thinking about what Tolkien said in "On Fairy Stories". #Booksky

Terima kasih! 💚

A photo of two books, one titled Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir by Lamya H, with the cover of a hijabi individual in a hoodie with rainbow background. The other is a book in Indonesian titled Spiritualitas Waria: Perjuangan Menemukan Identitas Gender dan Makna Hidup. The book has trans flag color as the cover art with a heart-shaped Arabic calligraphy. Next to the books is a glass cup filled with ginger milk.

As a GMT+8 folk, I am now starting my sahur with ginger milk and two books to kick off the first day of Ramadan: a memoir of a queer Muslim immigrant and a book about ten Indonesian transgender individuals sharing how they embraced their spirituality alongside their life experiences. #Booksky

A photo of two books, one titled Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir by Lamya H, with the cover of a hijabi individual in a hoodie with rainbow background. The other is a book in Indonesian titled Spiritualitas Waria: Perjuangan Menemukan Identitas Gender dan Makna Hidup. The book has trans flag color as the cover art with a heart-shaped Arabic calligraphy. Next to the books is a glass cup filled with ginger milk.

As a GMT+8 folk, I am now starting my sahur with ginger milk and two books to kick off the first day of Ramadan: a memoir of a queer Muslim immigrant and a book about ten Indonesian transgender individuals sharing how they embraced their spirituality alongside their life experiences. #Booksky

A photo of a Ngaben ceremony on the beach of Nusa Penida. Balinese men in white carrying a large ornate altar in the shape of a pavilion with a parasol and wings. A group of people hoist a statue of a black bull with golden details.

A photo of a Ngaben ceremony on the beach of Nusa Penida. Balinese men in white carrying a large ornate altar in the shape of a tiered temple pillar with wings.

Two Balinese men in white burning a group of paper statues in the shapes of red animal-like figurines with wings on top of small coffins as a part of Ngaben.

A group of paper statues of black bulls with gold ornaments being burned.

In Ngaben, Balinese cremation ceremony, people burn wadah (coffins) with petulangan (figures of mythical companions). Ngaben cleanses the soul of the dead so they could reach the upper realm. While death is never easy, Ngaben is a celebration for a soul moving on to life’s next cycle. #WyrdWednesday

The first two photos are by I Made Dana (1) and Nyoman Hendra Wibowo (2) from a mass Ngaben in Karangsari Village, Nusa Penida, held every five years.

A photo of a Ngaben ceremony on the beach of Nusa Penida. Balinese men in white carrying a large ornate altar in the shape of a pavilion with a parasol and wings. A group of people hoist a statue of a black bull with golden details.

A photo of a Ngaben ceremony on the beach of Nusa Penida. Balinese men in white carrying a large ornate altar in the shape of a tiered temple pillar with wings.

Two Balinese men in white burning a group of paper statues in the shapes of red animal-like figurines with wings on top of small coffins as a part of Ngaben.

A group of paper statues of black bulls with gold ornaments being burned.

In Ngaben, Balinese cremation ceremony, people burn wadah (coffins) with petulangan (figures of mythical companions). Ngaben cleanses the soul of the dead so they could reach the upper realm. While death is never easy, Ngaben is a celebration for a soul moving on to life’s next cycle. #WyrdWednesday

This is brilliant and I need to lie down for a minute. It's so fun finding these threads. I mean, Ulmo essentially ruled "the veins of Arda", there's no way one cannot trace these threads of power and make such connections.