What were the giants inspired by?

[serene summit]

Been curious for a while: Are they inspired by something specific from indonesian mythology?

If I google "indonesia giants" it only gets me articles about huge komodo dragons and manta rays... which are neat, don't get me wrong, but not what I was hoping to find.

[spice trout]

The giant translated from 'Buto', which can literally be translated into giant, its javanese language. One of the famous folklore of it is 'Buto Ijo'

The giant design isn't like the literal scary buto, it is made to be more cutesy 😂 the design seems to be resembling 'Wayang' (Shadow puppet) ', it's a traditional form of storytelling and performance famously from Java,

Noticeably, the giants seem to also wear Jarik (Javanese batik cloth/wrap)

[serene summit]

very interesting. thank you thank you!

and I guess armed with the proper names for things it'll be easier to find more online too! really appreciate it. thanks!

[gritty stone]

Hey, Zu!
Yeah, just like what Sal mentioned, our giants are indeed inspired by Indonesian culture, especially Wayang!

Wayang is a traditional Indonesian art form, most commonly known as shadow puppetry. Performers use flat, stylized figures made of leather or wood and project their shadows onto a screen while telling stories, often based on folklore or ancient epics.

They’re also wearing a jarik, which is a traditional batik cloth wrap commonly worn in Javanese culture. It’s usually worn wrapped around the waist as part of traditional attire, both in daily wear and cultural ceremonies. 😊✨

(Got the picture from the internet)

[serene summit]

I had actually realised I had seen wayang before! A cinema museum I had been to had it as an example of "other cultural screen based artforms". it even had a lil "try it yourself" kinda thing. (But with really simplified shapes so kids can't break them)

also jarik look comfy af ngl

the more I learn about it, the more I wanna visit indonesia some day. But alas I'm a lil too broke to fly halfway around the world. Ah well, a girl can dream.

[gritty stone]

Haha, that sounds like such a fun experience!
Wayang is really fun to see in action, and yes, jarik is comfy for sure!

Hope you get to visit Indonesia someday, but until then, dreaming counts too ✨

[gritty stone]

Also Jarik is very versatile. People wear it as a skirt, use it to carry babies, cover themselves while bathing, or for ceremonies like weddings and postpartum rituals 😄

[serene summit]

dang now I wanna include something indonesian inspired in my dnd setting. always love including stuff from cultures that aren't usually represented in fantasy. I shall do more research!

[spice trout]

Sounds exciting!

[spice trout]

True! Jarik is really all purposes 😂

[gritty stone]

can't wait to see that too 👀

[gritty stone]

My grandma even used it to carry me when I was a baby XD