Long-Nosed Clown-Servant
Javanese · demigod · perennial in wayang · Recorded classification
Type 'demigod': adopted/foster son of the god Semar, a member of the divine panakawan but living among mortals. Included as the culture-hero/servant tier per brief.
Parentage
- parent: Divine Clown-Guardian
Domains
- feeling and empathy
Powers
- punctures the arrogance of the powerful with comic wit
Relations
- sibling: Bagong
- sibling: Club-Footed Clown-ServantReciprocal of javanese_gareng.sibling — Foster-brothers among the panakawan, the clown-sons of Semar who serve the heroes in wayang kulit (with Bagong).J. R. Brandon, On Thrones of Gold: Three Javanese Shadow Plays (Harvard 1970) (secondary)
Sources
- Petruk is one of the panakawan, the adopted son of Semar, characterized by his great height and long nose and the role of comic-yet-wise servant in Javanese wayang.: Geertz, Clifford (1960). The Religion of Java. Glencoe: Free Press. (secondary); Wikipedia, 'Panakawan' (consulted 2026), citing standard wayang accounts. (secondary)