Hey YouTube, Jim here!
Welcome to Top10Archive!
We’ve had so many requests for an Archive covering Malay folklore that we just had to
see what all the fuss was about.
While the southeast Asian Malays passed down incredible fables, epics, and bardic tales
across generations, it was the more nefarious or fantastical stories we couldn’t help
but latch onto.
The following ten creatures, demons, and ghosts stalked Malay mythology and, if we’re any
good at our jobs, the worst of them should soon be haunting your dreams.
Before we dredge up the creatures of Malay mythology, be sure to give that subscribe
button a like and don’t forget to click the bell to be notified of more Archives in
our mythology collection!
10.
A Bao A Qu In Malay mythos, pilgrims attempt to reach
the top of the Tower of Victory in Chitor in hopes of obtaining enlightenment.
Blocking their path, however, is A Bao A Qu, a shape-shifting tentacled creature that’s
a force to be reckoned with.
With each level of the tower, A Bao A Qu grows stronger, sucking the life force from pilgrims.
Like the boss on the last level in a video game, the color-changing shape-shifter is
believed to be at its strongest and has never been surpassed.
9.
Hantu Tinggi Also known as Bajang Tinggi, or “tall demon,”
Hantu Tinggi appears to Malays as a bamboo tree in the forest.
The unusual demon’s appearance is said to be so high that it reaches the sun, though
villagers can only see its waist.
Anyone that makes eye contact with Hantu Tinggi can go blind or, in some versions, be choked
to death.
The only way to avoid the wrath of the Malay tree demon is to keep your eyes averted from
its own.
8.
Orang Bunian Stroll through the forests of Malay and you
may start to hear unusual noises with no apparent source.
If you can hear it but can’t see it, you may be next on the menu for the Orang Bunian,
or Whistle People.
While these invisible people may not devour their prey, they are known to pull them from
the mortal world to a land no man can venture to.
Described as an invisible group of people, the Orang Bunian are thought to have their
own social system and caste, but at the end of the day, they’re just another terror
stalking the woods of Malaysia.
7.
Hantu Kum-Kum It’s not easy getting old – just ask Hantu
Kum-Kum.
This aging spirit was believed to have once been a stunning beauty who obsessed over her
own looks.
Even in her old age, Kum Kum is believed to retain her beauty – but how she does so
may have you locking your doors at night.
According to Malay lore, Hantu Kum Kum wanders the streets in order to find a young virgin
from which to feed in order to retain her youth and beauty.
6.
Toyol Often taking the form of a still-born infant,
the toyol tends to live as a servant to an individual that took a still-born fetus to
a Malay witch doctor, or bomoh.
The unsettling being will do one’s bidding, though it comes at the cost of the owner’s
blood or sometimes even cash.
These demonic children aren’t hesitant when it comes to performing the most mischievous
of deeds and are useful for anything from robberies to cold-blooded murder.
Afraid there’s a toyol on your trail?
Engage mouse traps in your home or request the services of a powerful bomoh to thwart
the mini-beast. 5.
Jembalang Tanah An earth spirit of Malay lore, Jembalang Tanah
was an impish demonic entity that wasn’t shy about spreading misfortune in the form
of natural disasters.
Though known for its more destructive properties, Jembalang Tanah needed to be provoked to wreak
havoc, specifically attacking those that disturb the earth.
In order to avoid this spirit’s wrath, villagers would present it with offerings whenever they
sought to break ground.
4.
Gedembai This Malay oddity is not one you’ll want
to cross, lest you want to be changed into a creature of her choosing on a whim.
Found in the Langkawi archipelago, Gedembai has been described in a variety of ways, including
as a ghost and a normal human being of giant-sized proportions.
Regardless of her physical description, Gedembai’s biggest trait is her ability to transform
anyone into anything that she wished.
From animals to inanimate objects, if Gedembai wanted you to be it, there was no escaping
her wish.
3.
Hantu Penanggal Vampires pop up in world mythologies all the
time and the Penanggalan is the Malaysian answer to the fanged, humanoid blood-suckers.
According to the legend behind these gruesome beings, the Penanggal is a vision of true
horror, depicted as a women’s head floating about with her stomach and entrails hanging
below her.
Maybe the best origin story of the Penanggal links back to the tale of a woman who had
been taking a bath and was so startled by a man who had entered without warning that
she jerked her head up too quick, severing it from her body, taking her organs and entrails
with it.
2.
Langsuyar Sporting a green gown, fiery red eyes, and
sharpened fingernails, the Langsuyar is the manifestation of a woman that died while birthing
a stillborn baby.
After 40 days, she is said to rise from her grave and seek out infants to suck blood from.
She isn’t known to sink her teeth into a child’s soft flesh, however, instead using
a hole in the back of her neck to draw the blood.
To avoid a woman coming back as a Langsuyar, the mythos say to bury her with glass beads
in her mouth, an egg in each armpit, and needles stuck into the palms of her hands.
1.
Orang Minyak Also known as “oily man,” Orang Minyak
is a hideous creature with a love for abducting women and skin that’s been covered in grease
to make him appear as black as his soul and make him pretty difficult to catch.
During the Christmas season in 2012, Malaysian families started complaining about a rash
of Orang Minyak sightings, leading some to believe that, instead of being solely linked
to Malay lore, the Orang Minyak is a living, breathing beast.
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comment with your favorite Malaysian beast or monstrosity!