(The Worm Queen by Awang Garudeyamantra)
The Worm Queen (a.k.a. ‘Bunsu Belut’ in Iban language) is the Guardian of the Earth Door – the door that separates two realms: the land of the living and the land of the dead. A newly diseased person’s soul must pass this door to reach the afterlife.
The Worm Queen is a female spiritual creature named Sinjung. She is the only creature in the world of the Iban mythology that can open the Earth Door as she alone holds the key to the door. She is always busy weaving. Thus, some persuasions are needed to talk her into opening the door.
Although she is said to spend most of her time weaving war jackets for the demi-gods, it is also believed that she is responsible for processing the decomposition of the diseased body to ensure that the soul cannot return back to the land of the living and resume its old life.
The Return of Panggau Warriors 
Fascinating, so she’s a Psychopomp as European believers would call her. A Guardian to the Dead. It sounds like she carries the energy of Life and Death. Is she a Goddess?
As I understand it, she is not classified as a Goddess in the ranks of spiritual creatures in Iban mythology, more like one of the guardians of the Underworld who works under the Ruler of the Underworld ‘Raja Niram’. It is said that the path to the Underworld is complicated that until now nobody is able to draw a fixed route. Of course in practice, the newly departed soul journey to the afterlife to find a new home depends heavily on the story (song) sung by the ‘tukang sabak’ (the cryer – the person who sings the dirge). Each dirge tells a slightly different story depending on the life of the deceased, and thus, each soul takes different route. However, all dirge describe the many places the soul had to go through, each of which is guarded by a certain kind of spiritual creature so there are many guardians of the Underworld. However, the Earth Door is in every dirge so the Worm Queen always appear in all dirge. Her role is more or less the traffic controller who regulates which souls goes into the Underworld from the Realm of the Living (upon their death) and which souls go out of the Underworld to visit the Realm of the Living (to attend Festivals held by the Living).
I hope that helps clarifying things, and not making things more confusing 🙂
Yes! You did clarify everything. I just wanted to make sure. I find the Worm Queen Fascinating.
Is her distractedness the reason Iban Dayak have a second burial ritual, months after the deceased is buried the first time?
I have actually never heard of the Iban having the second burial ritual. As far as I know the Ngaju, another sub-group of Dayak, is the one that has it.