Penelitian ini mengkaji tentang variasi mitos Datu Timang di Kecamatan Jorong, Kabupaten Tanah Laut. Datu Timang adalah tokoh ulama dan sebagai pembuka desa Jorong yang berasal dari Kalimantan Tengah.

 Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bentuk, struktur, variasi, dan faktor penyebab munculnya variasi mitos. Metode yang digunakan yaitu deskriptif kualitatif dengan studi lapangan melalui tahap wawancara mendalam, observasi, serta dokumentasi. Data penelitian berupa tuturan dari hasil wawancara yang kemudian ditranskripkan. Sumber data dari lima informan yang dipilih secara langsung, penelitian awal dilangsungkan pada 2023 lalu dilanjutkan kembali pada 2026 dengan rentang waktu Maret hingga Juni. Analisis mengacu dari teori Bascom, Eliade, Malinowski, Propp, dan Dundes.

Hasil penelitian menemukan empat bentuk mitos, diantaranya etiologis alam, etiologis etimologis, etiologis religius, dan pahlawan budaya. Struktur naratif terdiri dari enam tahap yaitu dari asal-usul tokoh sampai kehadiran spiritual. Variasi antar versi mencakup perbedaan asal-usul, jalur migrasi, proses pengislaman, karomah, dan pemaknaan ajaran tawadhu yang disebabkan oleh transmisi lisan lintas generasi, perbedaan posisi sosial penutur, adaptasi konteks sosial-ekonomi, serta asimilasi budaya Dayak-Banjar-Islam. Kelima versi penuturan tidak saling bertentangan, tetapi membentuk satu ekosistem mitos yang saling melengkapi untuk melestarikan identitas dan nilai kearifan lokal masyarakat Jorong.

This study examines the variations of the Datu Timang myth in Jorong District, Tanah Laut Regency. Datu Timang was a religious scholar and the founder of Jorong village, originally hailing from Central Kalimantan.

The study aims to describe the forms, structures, variations, and factors contributing to the emergence of these myth variations. The descriptive-qualitative method was used, utilizing fieldwork that included in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. The research data consisted of oral narratives from interviews, which were subsequently transcribed. The data was sourced from five purposively selected informants; preliminary research was conducted in 2023, followed by a second phase in 2026 (March to June). The analysis draws upon the theories of Bascom, Eliade, Malinowski, Propp, and Dundes

The research identified four forms of the myth: natural etiological, etymological etiological, religious etiological, and cultural hero. The narrative structure comprises six stages, ranging from the figure's origins to his spiritual presence. Variations between versions include differences in origins, migration routes, the process of Islamization, miraculous attributes (karomah), and interpretations of the teaching of humility (tawadhu) caused by oral transmission across generations, differences in the social position of speakers, adaptation to socio-economic contexts, and the assimilation of Dayak-Banjar-Islamic culture. The five narrative versions do not contradict one another; rather, they form a complementary mythic ecosystem that preserves the identity and local wisdom of the Jorong community.