#lembuswana

Subject: Lembuswana - (/ləm’bʊswʌnʌ/ - “lem-BOOS-wah-na”)

WHAT THEY ARE:

Lembuswana is an amalgamated cryptid, with the body of a bull, head of an elephant, wings of an eagle, talons of a rooster, and fish scales for skin. They are the royal steed of kings that once ruled what is now known as Kalimantan a.k.a Borneo.

They don’t have a very extensive history behind them; the famous one was just acting as the steed which brought baby Princess Karang Melenu from the bottom of the Mahakam River (which was ‘born’ from a dragon, by the way). Later beliefs simply depicted the Lembuswana as just a ride or a chariot puller, an exotic water buffalo, most famously as a steed to King Mulawarman of the Kutai Empire.

Today, the Lembuswana are mainly revered in Kalimantan. Multiple statues have been made of them, with a golden one standing in front of the Mulawarman museum, East Kalimantan. They are a symbol of regal, righteous, and wise leader because of their association to great kings and the Hindu god of wisdom, Ganesha. Despite their ties to godlike ancient kings and Hindu gods themselves, they are not holy and sacred creatures. Their status is like Sleipnir, in a way.

The sapience of these creatures is dubious at best, though it wouldn’t be quite surprising if they have some form of sapience.

PANDUAN NGE-MAL DI SAMARINDA: MAL LEMBUSWANA

Yes! Yes, I know! It’s been a while since the last article on this topic, dan kali ini akan membahas satu-satu mal di Samarinda yang “punya” nama persimpangannya sendiri: Mal Lembuswana. Entah siapa yang memulai hal ini, namun persimpangan yang mempertemukan ruas Jalan dr Soetomo, Jalan S Parman, Jalan Letjen Suprapto (dulunya Jalan Pembangunan), dan Jalan M Yamin kini lebih dikenal dengan…