Variety of ghosts
Hantu is the general term for ghost or evil spirit. There are many types of Hantu.Female ghosts and vampires
Pontianak is a Malay vampire. She is said to be the ghost of a woman who died during pregnancy or childbirth, or the vengeful spirit of a woman murdered by her own lover. Normally she is seen at the roadside or under a tree, sometime accompanied by a baby. The vengeful Pontianak may appear young and beautiful to entice men to come near, when she will turn into an ugly old woman with sharp teeth who will attack the victim and try to drink their blood. She can be killed by an iron nail driven into her neck, but if the nail is ever removed she will come back to life. She is depicted as wearing a full white dress, which may be bloodstained, with very long hair, long fangs and long fingernails. When she is close, she gives off a strong smell like flowers. Hantu Langsuir is another name for this ghost, generally used for the woman who has died in childbirth, and who is less dangerous.[11]The Indonesian Kuntilanak is similar to Pontianak, but more commonly takes the form of a bird and sucks the blood of virgins and young women. In the female form, when a man approaches her she suddenly turns and reveals that her back is hollow (more accurately called Sundel Bolong). The bird, which makes a "ke-ke-ke" sound as it flies, may be sent through black magic to make a woman sick, the characteristic symptom being vaginal bleeding.[12]
Penanggalan is another type of female vampire attracted to the blood of new born infants, who appears as the head of a woman from which her entrails trail, used to grasp her victim. There are several stories of her origins. One is that she was a woman who was sitting meditating in a large wooden vat used for making vinegar when she was so startled that her head jumped up from her body, pulling her entrails with it. Another has her as a normal woman during the day, whose head and entrails leave her body at night. If a baby is expected, branches from the thistle, jeruju placed around the doors or windows will protect the house, since her entrails will be caught by the thorns.[11] The Philippine Manananggal is a similar vampire who can separate her upper torso from her lower body in order to fly in the night with huge bat-like wings to prey on unsuspecting, pregnant women in their homes, using an elongated proboscis-like tongue.[13] A similar concept is also found with the Thai Krasue.[14]
Hantu Bajang is a spirit who takes the form of a fox or polecat and who eats fetuses and drinks the milk of lactating women. A variant is Hantu Kopek (Nipple ghost), who appears as an old woman with pendulous breasts. The striations of pregnancy are said to be the scars left by the attack of the bajang. Sharp metal objects such as scissors placed near the baby will help to protect it from the bajang.[15]
Article Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantu
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