In Philippine and Malay mythology, a Hantu Demon is a well-known evil spirit or demon.
Etymology
Hantu is the Malay word for ghost and Pulau Hantu means ghost island.
Powers
Hantu demons are infamous in the Philippines because they are said to possess people or even I animals and drive them crazy. They also have the power to kill the souls of their victims so that they can become the creature that they possessed.
Types
Here are some of the types of hantu:
- Hantu Damon Caskey is a ghost that comes back in Déjà vu
- Hantu Ribut is a storm demon
- Hantu Rimba is a deep-forest demon
- Hantu Kubor is a grave demon
- Hantu Belia is a tiger demon
- Hantu Pusaka is a Malaysian demon
- Hantu Kangkang is a demon that troubles the gateway to the Istana Maziah in the Kuala Trengganu harbour.
- Hantu Kongkek is the female equivalent of the Orang Minyak, who was said to abuse males during nighttime and consume their life-force just like the western succubus.
- Hantu Jarang Gigi is the renowned ape-men who wander around the southern rainforests of Malaysia. They are believed to be ghosts with widely spaced teeth.
- Hantu Pocong is an Indonesian ghost that takes the form of a body wrapped in a coffin cloth. The legend originated from a burial ritual in Islam where the body was covered with a white coffin cloth known as the “kain kafan” in Indonesia. During the transportation of the body to the grave, the body is tied with ropes to keep the coffin cloth. As the body is being laid inside the grave, the tie that holds the coffin cloth should be removed. If not, the dead body will transform into a pocong and will haunt until the tie is removed.
- Hantu Penyardin is a Malaysian vampire
- Hantu Tinggi is a well-known ghost in West Malaysia that is said to be as tall as trees and have legs that cannot be distinguished from the trunks of the trees.
- Hantu Pelir is identical to the countryside deity Pan. They are usually seen with swollen scrotum and copulate with animals that live in the countryside. The young women are advised to stay away from the Hantu Pelir because they might get raped.
- Hantu Kutti is characterized with a dark-skinned jinn, Indian accent and smell of curry spices. These ghosts are very religious that they sometimes have Quranic recitations at night.