Vocabulary data in Central Javanese folk myths

The study introduces a vocabulary collection contained within Central Javanese folklore across 9 municipalities in Central Java Province, Indonesia. The data were gathered through literature review, structured interviews with cultural experts and other local community leaders, and documentation of oral traditions, between January and December 2024. This data-set, with 309 culturally-bound vocabulary items varying into seven semantic domains-ritual and offerings (143 terms), supernatural entities (4 terms), sacred spaces (4 terms), sacred time (17 terms), special figure (12 terms), magical objects (2 terms), and neutral lexicon (127 terms)-was validated through triangulation methods and then analysed via ethnographic, componential, and domain analyses. The data reveal much about the interplay between language and the beliefs of the Javanese culture, where 92% of the recorded words are still in active use today in rituals and cultural traditions. The data may thus be applied to linguistic analysis, cultural preservation efforts, and comparative studies of mythical vocabulary in different cultural contexts.