Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
The Hantu Kubor (Grave Demons) are the spirits of the dead, who are
believed to prey upon the living whenever they get an opportunity. With
them may be classed the "Hantu orang mati di-bunoh," or "spirits of
murdered men."
"The Hantu Ribut is the storm-fiend that howls in the blast and revels
in the whirlwind." [207]
The Hantu Ayer and Hantu Laut are Water and Sea-spirits, and the
Hantu Bandan is the Spirit of the Waterfall, which "may often be seen
lying prone on the water, with head like an inverted copper (kawah),"
where the water rushes down the fall between the rocks.
The Hantu Longgak [208] is continually looking up in the air. Those
who are attacked by him foam at the mouth.
The Hantu Rimba (Deep-forest Demon), Hantu Raya [209] ("Great"
Demon), Hantu Denei (Demon of Wild-beast-tracks), the Hantu-hantuan
(Echo-spirits), and I think the Hantu Bakal, are all spirits of the
jungle, but are perhaps somewhat less localised than the large class
of spirits (such as the Malacca-cane, gharu, gutta, and camphor-tree
spirits) which are specially associated with particular trees.
The Hantu B'rok is the Baboon Demon (the B'rok being what is generally
called the "cocoa-nut monkey," a sort of big baboon); it is sometimes
supposed to take possession of dancers, and enable them, whilst
unconscious, to perform wonderful climbing feats.
The Hantu Belian, according to many Selangor Malays, is a tiger-spirit
which takes the form of a bird. This bird is said to be not unlike the
raquet-tailed king-crow (chenchawi), and to sit on the tiger's back;
whence it plucks out the tiger's fur and swallows it, never allowing
it to fall to the ground. [210]
The Hantu Songkei [211] is the spirit who so often interferes with
the toils for catching wild animals and snares for wildfowl (yang
kachau jaring dan rachik). He is described as being invisible below
the breast, with a nose of enormous length, and eye-sockets stretched
sideways to such an extent that he can see all round him.
The following charm is recited in order to "neutralise" his evil
influence:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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