Mimi and Mintuno: Horseshoe Crabs as Symbols of Marriage

In Javanese traditional marriage ceremony, the parents of bride and bridegroom give advice to them to always live together in harmony ever after like ‘Mimi’ and ‘Mintuno’. I am curious what  are ‘mimi’ and ‘mintuno’ like? Why do Javanese use them as as symbol related to harmonious couple?

‘Mimi’ and ‘Mintuno’ are sea animals. Some people say that they are like crabs or cockroaches. Actualy, ´Mimi’ and ‘mintuno’  are horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus). Female horseshoe crab is called ‘Mimi’ while the male one is called ‘Mintuno’.

Horseshoe crabs are not crabs but they are related to arachnids. The horseshoe crabs belong their own class called Merostomata, which means “legs attached to the mouth.” According to Wikipedia, the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is a ‘living fossil.’ The most identical form to this species were present during the Triassic period (230 million years ago) and similar species existed in the Devonian period (400 million years ago). Limulus means “odd” and polyphemus refers to the giant in Greek mythology. It is based on the misleading idea that the animal had a single eye.

Image via Wikipedia

Horseshoe crabs are monogamous. They mate for life. That is why Javanese use them as symbol of harmonious and true love, in which, one man and one woman dynamically live together in harmony. A man and woman, who decide to build family, are supposed to be inseparable. They must unite for life.

The horseshoe crabs play an important role in medication. Their blue blood becomes substance that is crucial for drug testing. People use sn extract of the horseshoe crab’s blood as the pharmaceutical device industries to make sure that their products are free of bacterial contamination.

Image via Wikipedia

If you are curious to know about horseshoe crabs, you can visit horseshoecrab.org