In Burmese mythology, tase are the disembodied souls of dead men and women who are both vampires and spreaders of disease.
Classification
There are several different orders of Tase, and each legion has its own way of torturing mortals.
- Thabet Tase are the malignant spirits of women who have died during childbirth, and these come back from the dead as succubi. The demons make their appearance around twilight, lurking near the dwellings of the villagers, and haunting men in particular.
- The Thaye Tase are grotesque looking giants manifesting themselves most frequently during the epidemics of smallpox and cholera. They are the souls of those who died a violent death. Their greatest pleasure is to materialize by the bedside of a dying person, giggling and laughing hideously at their victim's agony.
- Hminza Tase is the name of a third and lesser group of demons. These are able to enter the bodies of certain animals such as crocodiles, dogs, and tigers. Haunting the dwelling grounds of their past existence, they wreak vengeance on anyone that crosses their path for the misfortunes they themselves endured during life.
Powers
Great precautions are taken by the Burmese to ensure that the Tase do not come back to haunt them. Often no gravestones are erected in the hope that the dead, forgetting who they were in life, will now haunt the house that was formerly theirs. Sacrifices, death dances, and festivals are all attempted to appease the Tase. If they do appear, the people make a din by beating pans or sides of their houses, hoping that the loud noise will repel the fiends.