WHAT DO THE ISLE OF MAN AND INDONESIA HAVE IN COMMON?

What do the Isle of Man and Indonesia have in common?

I grew up in the Isle of Man, and lived for four years in Jakarta, Indonesia’s sprawling capital city. Recently, I’ve set stories in both, which made me realise something. At first glance, the two places share very little, separated as they are by 7,000 odd miles. But dig beneath the surface and there are some surprising similarities.

Island Identity

The Isle of Man is a self governing island while Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of over 17,000 islands. Both places have a strong island heritage that seeps into their culture and national identities. Both also sit in important sea lanes, with the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, and Indonesia sitting between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Culture and History

Peel Castle, where the Moddey Dhoo terrifies its victims to death.

The Isle of Man has a strong folk tradition, with its beliefs in ‘the little people,’ and myths rooted in Mannanan, the Sea God who cloaks the island in mist when invaders threaten.

In Good Deeds and Charity (working title), the second book in my forthcoming crime series, Billie is told the myth of the Moddey Dhoo, a huge black dog that terrifies its victims so much they die of fright.

‘I’d like a dog like that,’ she says.

Java, the largest Indonesian island, has its own unique folklore and myths, from Mount Merapi’s guardian spirit to the Queen of the Southern Sea.

In Change of Lifestyle, my novella set partly in Jakarta, the main character’s taxi nearly runs over an Olang-olang, a street performer who represents one of the Betawi people’s guardian spirits.

The Flags

Indonesia’s flag is half red, half white, the isle of Man’s is a three-legged triskelion against a red background. The red on Indonesia’s flag represents the strength, courage and sacrifices made to gain independence. The Manx flag’s red background is rooted in medieval heraldry, and possibly also denotes courage and martial strength.

Cats

While the genetic flaw is different, Indonesian and Manx cats share a defect in their tails. Manx cats are famous for having no tails or only stumps, while Indonesian cats have short, kinked or stubby tails. It partly comes back to the fact they’re both islands. Once that genetic strain is introduced to the feline population, geography means it stays there.

WHAT DO THE ISLE OF MAN AND INDONESIA HAVE IN COMMON?