The central theme of Balinese ritual and folklore—the fight between the powerfully destructive witch, Rangda, and the helpful dragon, Barong—is the subject of a detailed field study by the author who spent several years in Bali. The basis of this legend is the old Indonesian creation myth, the belief in the primal, undifferentiated male-female parent. The legend, its enactment, and deeper meanings have been dealt with at length by Bateson and Mead in Balinese Character.1 They see Rangda as a projection of the castrating mother, and Barong as a projection of the loving father. Miss Belo opines that the two characters are identical, expressing the ambivalence toward the mother, her good, food-giving, and her deathly, aggressive side.

Psychoanalysts who frequently refer to Bateson and Mead's book would do well to consult Miss Belo's publication. It deserves serious attention.