The natural world of the Balinese is one held in balance by two opposing forces: the benign, beneficial to man, and the malign, inimical to humanity. The destructive power of sickness and death is associated with the latter force and the evil influence of black magic.

If black magic prevails, a village fails into danger, and extensive purification ceremonies become necessary to restore a proper equilibrium for the health of the community. Dramatic art is also a means of cleansing the village by strengthening its resistance to harmful forces through offerings, prayers and acts of exorcism.

Such is the symbolic play of the Barong and Rangda. Barong, a mystical creature with a curved tail, represents the affirmative, the protector of mankind, the glory of the high sun, and the spirits associated with white magic.

The widow witch Rangda is the complement. She rules the evil spirits and witches who haunt the graveyards late at night. Her habitat is darkness, and she practices black magic.

Both figures possess strong magical prowess. Somewhere in a mythical past, the Barong was won over to the side of humanity and, in the play, fights on behalf of the people against the intruding death force of Rangda.

Yet the essence of the Barong and Rangda play remains the eternal conflict of two cosmic forces symbolized in the two protagonists. Because the play is charged with sorcery and magic charms, extensive offerings are made beforehand to protect the players during the performance. Usually the Barong enters first, cleverly danced by two men who form the forelegs and hindlegs, the first man manipulating the mask. A Barong’s appearance varies with the kind of mask it wears, which may be a stylized version of a wild boar, a tiger, a lion, or an elephant. The most holy mask is that of the Barong Keket, “The Sovereign Lord of the Forest”, a beast representing no known animal. In the extreme coordination of the lively Barong, one forgets the fantastic creature isn’t acting on its own accord, as it mischievously sidesteps and whirls around, snapping its jaws at the gamelan and swishing flies with its tail.

After the Barong’s dance, everyone falls silent. From behind the temple gate appear the splintery fingernails that foreshadow the dreadful vision of Rangda. From her mouth hangs a flaming tongue signifying her consuming fire; around her neck a necklace of human entrails falls over her pendulous breasts. She stalks the Barong while waving a white cloth from which issues her overwhelming magic. They collide in a desperate clash of witchcraft. In the protection of the Barong is the community, represented by men armed with kris daggers.

At one point in the fight, when the victory of the Barong is threatened, the kris dancers rush to the Barong’s assistance by violently attacking Rangda. The witch’s spell reverses their fury back into themselves, and they begin to plunge the blades of their krisses inward against their own bodies. But the Barong, with its own powerful charm, protects the crazed men from inflicting self-harm.

At the end of the play, the kris dancers are revived with water that has been dipped in the beard of the Barong, which is made of human hair and is considered to be the most sacred part of the Barong. A final offering is made to the evil spirits by spilling the blood of a live chicken.