Semar or Sang Hyang Ismaya, the oldest and most important of the panakawan, was originally a god, ‘the twin brother of heaven’. He is the elder brother of the highest god, Batara Guru. As a punishment for a misdeed he was given a grotesque form and sent to earth to serve the descendants of the gods (ksatrias). He is the guide of the hero on a journey full of tribulations which the hero must overcome before achieving his goal.