Toyol

A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore.[1][2] It appears in the mythology of Southeast Asia and is invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun or bomoh) by the means of black magic.[2][3] The creature is used to rob people of their riches,[2] which is similar in nature to Babi ngepet.

Names

The toyol is known by different names across Southeast Asia.[2] The Malay word toyol is tuyul in Indonesian,[2][4] thuyul in Javanese, and kecit in Sundanese.[5] It is known as cohen kroh[6] in Khmer, and kwee kia[7] in Hokkien. In Thai, the male is called kumarn-thong.[2][8][9] A similar creature exists in Philippine mythology known as tiyanak.[2]

Appearance

The toyol is traditionally described as looking no different from a near-naked toddler.[2][10] Modern depictions often give it a goblin-like appearance with green or grey skin, pointed ears, and clouded eyes.[11]

Film
  • Malik Selamat directed a 1980 Malay horror film Toyol, starring Sidek Hussain and Mahmud June.
  • In Billy Chan's 1987 Hong Kong film Yang Gui Zi (roughly translated as "feeding a child spirit", also known by its English title Crazy Spirit), a jewelry store owner, wishing to have an heir, travels from Hong Kong to Thailand to obtain a spirit baby from a Taoist master, who seals it in an amulet. The amulet, on its way to Hong Hong, gets lost in transit and is found by a woman trying to conceive a child. She accidentally cuts her finger, causing her blood to drip on the amulet and releasing the child spirit.[12][13]
  • The 2011 Malaysian comedy film Alamak... Toyol! features a toyol as its plot device.[14]
  • In the 2013 Singapore horror film Ghost Child, a family is troubled by a toyol which arrives from Indonesia in an urn.
  • In the 2016 Indonesian horror film Tuyul: Part 1, a new family moves into an old house of the wife's mother after she died. The husband finds a bottle hidden mysteriously underneath the broken wooden floor, which is home to a creature that could endanger them.[15][16]

Television
  • In season 1 of the HBO Asia Original horror anthology series Folklore, episode 5 is titled "Toyol (Malaysia)" and features a toyol.[17]

See also

References
  1. Cunningham, Clark E.; Aragon, Lorraine V.; Russell, Susan Diana (1999). Structuralism's Transformations: Order and Revision in Indonesian and Malaysian Societies : Papers Written in Honor of Clark E. Cunningham. Arizona State University. p. 310. ISBN 9781881044215.
  2. Laranjo, Ronel; Martinez-Erbite, Kristina; Santos, Zarina Joy (2013). "Intersection of Asian supernatural beings in Asian folk literature: A pan-Asian identity". Proceedings of the Asian Conference on Asian Studies 2013. Osaka, Japan: 20–22. doi:10.22492/2187-4735.20130102 (inactive 28 February 2022).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2022 (link)
  3. Mayberry, Kate (15 Jun 2019). CultureShock! Malaysia. Malaysia: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-9814868020. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  4. Khairunnisa, Aulia; Wardhaningsih, Mira. A Book of Indonesian Ghosts. StoryTale Studios. ISBN 6239476730. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  5. Kasmana, Kankan; Sabana, Setiawan; Gunawan, Iwan; Aziz A, Hafiz (2018). "The Belief in the Existence of Supernatural Beings in the Community of Moslem Sundanese". Journal of Arts & Humanities. 7 (4): 11-21.
  6. Day, David (17 Oct 2019). A Dictionary of Sources of Tolkien. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-0753734063. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  7. Singapore Literature in English: An Annotated Bibliography. National Library Board Singapore and Centre for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University. 2008. p. 78. ISBN 978-9810700607. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  8. McDaniel, Justin Thomas (1 Dec 2013). The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand. Columbia University Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-0231153775.
  9. Sikora, Jack; Westin, Larry (2003). Batcats: The United States Air Force 553rd Reconnaissance Wing in Southeast Asia. iUniverse. p. 85. ISBN 0595300812.
  10. Chua, Liana (2012). Southeast Asian Perspectives on Power. Routledge. p. 59. ISBN 9780415683456.
  11. Estep, Richard (25 Jan 2016). The World's Most Haunted Hospitals. Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 978-1632659729. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  12. "Yang gui zi". IMDB. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  13. "Crazy Spirit Reviews". TV Guide. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  14. "Alamak... Toyol!". IMDB. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  15. Siregar, Lisa (2016-03-04). "Indonesian Horror Movie 'Tuyul' Returns to Cinemas This Weekend". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  16. "Winter Film Awards 2016 Winner - Best Horror Feature Film". Winter Film Awards. 2016. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  17. "Toyol (Malaysia)". IMDB. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
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