Vampires in other countries 3: Asia

Vampires in other countries: Asia

In this page we travel now to Asia, we will discuss the creatures of folklore from many countries such as: The Philippines, Malaysia, India, China and Japan. In  most of those countries it is important to remember that compared to Europe, the old folklore and ancient beliefs are still common and popular. These vampire creatures are either spirits or the undead.

In the West the typical image of vampires are like so: man or woman with pale complexions, fangs. In other European variations, it is walking corpse, or it looks very much human. In Asia, the image can be very different.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, vampire folklore is very common. 

In most Asian countries vampirism was commonly associated with witchcraft. A warlock could turn into an animal and attack humans or raise the dead. One of the common Malaysian vampires can even detach its own head, it was called the Penanggal. It was a floating head with jagged teeth and its entrails would hand with a still beating heart. It flew in the air at night, searching for blood. This vampire was mainly female as it was believed to be the spirit of a woman who died in childbirth. It would seek young children or pregnant women and suck their blood. It was believed that the head could be controlled by a sorcerer. The floating head was said to emit a high pitch screech as it flew, once it had fed, it would return to its body, hide and rest. Many variations exist on the origin of this creature and how a woman can transform into one. 

One legend tells of a woman who was performing a penance ceremony while sitting in a large wooden vat. During her ceremony a man interrupted her asking her what she was doing. She was so concentrated that she was violently startled and as she moved to run away her head separated from her body, and the entrails of her stomach trailing behind her. She flew into a nearby tree, the floating head became an angry spirit. 

It would stand on the roof of houses where babies where born, trying to get inside to drink the blood of the infant. The fact that it seeks only infants and pregnant women is because it is jealous and angry as it also believed that this spirit was once a woman who died in childbirth or dabbled in dark magic.

Precautions were taken to protect houses from the Pennanggal, leaves of the jeruju tree (a kind of thistle) were hung around the house to drive it away. To destroy it, catching the head and crushing the heart would work, generally preventing the head from returning to the body would kill it, like in the West it was a nocturnal creature and would die in the daylight. It was believed to be very aggressive, with very sharp teeth and could shoot fire from its eyes. Its bite contained a paralyzing venom. Finding the headless body, burning or burying the body was also effective.

A depiction of the Penanggal.

The Langsuir

Another common vampire in Malaysia, also a female. It was described as a beautiful woman who had a horrible and agonizing reaction to the loss of her stillborn child. She flew into the trees and became a night demon that attacked and sucked the blood of other women's children. It was also believed that if a woman died during childbirth then she would also become a Langsuir or Langsuyar. To prevent this, the body would be pricked with needles, especially on the hands, eggs would be placed under the arms and glass beads in the mouth. 

A langsuir was often described as wearing green robes and having very long nails. Her hair was very long and reached her ankles She would suck blood from a hole in the back of her neck. She would fly in the night hiding in tress. It was considered possible to tame a langsuir, if a man was able to approach her and block the hole in the neck with her hair then she would be docile and live much like a human. However if she danced then the hole would be unblocked and she would revert back to her monster state. 

A depiction of the langsuir.

The stillborn infant of the poor woman who became a langsuir would also become a vampire creature called the pontianak. It was believed to take the form of a screeching owl. To prevent the baby from also becoming an angry spirit the precautions taken for the mother were also taken for the child. 

The Bajang

Often depicted as a vampire weasel or cat, the bajang was male and would scratch and mew at the doors of houses, a sign that a child in the house would die. The creature fed on children and women and would spread madness or disease. It was believed that a person would become a bajang if he had led a sinful life or due to a family curse. The bajang was believed to be created by a sorcerer who used the remains of a stillborn baby. The sorcerer would send out this familiar to do evil. Finding the sorcerer and forcing him to destroy the creature was often effective. Stillborn fetuses were always burned to prevent the remains from falling into the hands of a sorcerer. 

The Polong and Pelesit

These creatures were created by a sorcerer, the polong was created by capturing blood inside a long necked bottle, the blood would transform into a small female creature of almost an inch in height. The polong served as a slave to the sorcerer who sent it out to attack people and bring back blood to its master. As a reward the polong was placed back into the bottle and fed blood from a small cut the sorcerer made on his finger. The pelesit was created from the tongue of a dead baby and it took the form of an insect. It attacked people by drinking from open wounds and it could even possess people. 

The Philippines

This is a country that is made up of many islands and contains over 50 different ethnic groups. This is why the folklore of the country is extremely rich and confusing. Many vampiric creatures have similar attributes and names. Despite heavy Christian and Muslim influence some minorities still remain secular to this day and still believe in spirits and mythical creatures.

The Aswang

This vampire is very common and still part of popular culture, I heard from a Filipino friend that the word 'aswang' is even used as an insult today. The word was used to describe a set of different creatures that could be vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and witches. 

Much like in the neighboring countries like Malaysia, this vampire is also mainly female. She of course appears beautiful but at night she can fly and enters houses looking for blood to drink. It would take the form of a large bird, the woman, sometimes a witch, would rub a magic ointment on herself to give her powers. It did not have fangs but a long tongue with a sharp point, that pricked the neck and the blood was sucked through the tongue's tubular structure. Sometimes it would suck other vital fluids. As it drank it would swell up like a tick and fly back to its lair to feed its young much like a mosquito. The blood would be stored in her breasts on which her children sucked on and the it was believed that big breasted women were aswangs. She would lose her powers once dawn broke. 

Another type of aswang is the tik tik which resembles a dragon or ant eater or in other islands an owl. Like in Malaysia it is believed to be the spirit of a child or woman who died in childbirth. It also possesses a long tongue with a sharp point and drinks blood through it. 

Some depictions of the Aswang.

Others

The Manananggal is another type of aswang who can detach its upper torso, sprout wings and sucks the blood from pregnant women or newborns. They can either have fangs or a long tongue. This creature is very similar to the Penanggal in Malaysia, as destroying it is the same, burning or burying the lower body.

  

The Mandurugo is known as 'the girl with many lovers', a typical tale of a vampiric femme fatale. The story goes that a beautiful young woman married but the husband weakened, fell ill and died. She then remarried and the next husband died as well in the same manner. The fourth husband was a bit smarter and more suspicious, as he lay to sleep next to his bride he held a concealed knife in his hand. After midnight he felt someone was on him and felt a prick on his neck. Unable to see the creature because it was dark, he slashed at it with the knife and he heard a scream followed by a flapping of wings and it was gone. The next day the body of his bride was found on the road near the house with a knife wound to her chest.

The Bebarlang is a sort of psychic vampire that is connected to a certain tribe, it is able to undergo astral projection and that astral body sucks the life force of humans.

The Danag is an ancient vampire that is connected to the legend of the taro plant. It is believed that this creature helped the people of the Philippines plant and farm the plant. It was peaceful at first, working alongside humans but one day a woman cut her finger and the danag sucked at the finger, draining the poor woman dry and since developed an insatiable thirst for blood. 

Protection and destruction

Garlic and salt was often used as a deterrent and could burn the creature. Ashes were also effective. The vampires were said to fear daggers, light, vinegar, spices and the tail of a stingray, which can be fashioned into a whip to catch the creature especially if it's flying and kill it.

The Aswang was and always will be the popular 'boogeyman' of the Philippines as it was often talked about in stories to frighten or keep children in line. A large percentage of Filipinos grew up with at least some belief in its existence.

India

In India it was believed that children born during festivals or holy days would, if they died shortly after, come back as hostile undead creatures. Mothers who gave birth during those days were often shunned or cursed. It was common in the East, in male dominated societies where women were had no respect that they would be mistreated, and regarded as witches or prone to become demons and seek vengeance on men. In this country, there are countless tales of angry female spirits who harmed the living. They were called the rakshasa, this term is used as a category as there are many different subgroups. 

The Goddess Kali

Hindu mythology is richly filled with stories of gods and heroes battling demons. Those monsters they battled were regarded as the rakshasa. The goddess Kali who had blue skin, multiple arms, a necklace of severed heads and a frightful appearance, battled the powerful demon Raktahvija. When she had killed him she had to hoist him up over her head and drink every single drop of his blood because if a drop fell on the ground it would multiply into nine replicas of the demon. The goddess is often depicted with a longue dangling tongue and fangs which signify her insatiable thirst for blood. 

The Churel

This was the spirit of a woman who had died in childbirth during the Diwali festival. They are often described as beautiful either wearing a cloak or long hair or carrying a lantern. They would lure unsuspecting men who couldn't resist walking up to them. It was believed that her eyes glowed red and could hypnotize her victims. Once a victim is close enough her features change to that of a monster, it could be fangs, claws, a pig like face and lips. It was also said that her feet were flipped 180 degrees which allowed her to walk backwards. She would suck the man dry until all that remains is a husk. She was believed to be an angry spirit because she was not buried properly or certain rites after her death were not performed. It was also believed that the woman returned from the dead because she was badly treated by her family and loved ones thus seeking revenge.Such a female spirit was believed to be an associate of the bloodthirsty goddess Kali. Precautions were taken after a woman died during childbirth, her feet and hands would be nailed inside the coffin or wrapped in chains. 

A depiction of a churel.

The Pisacas

This literally meant 'eater of raw flesh', these creatures closely resembled the ghoul of the Middle East. Sometimes described as invisible, they would lurk around places of worship to disrupt services, they would shriek so loud that people fell in paralyzed trances. They sometimes sucked blood and also the life force of humans. They were sometimes described as frightening and skeletal.

The Gayal

These were vengeful spirits, a cross between a demon and a ghost. They would eat the flesh and suck the blood of humans. They were believed to be the spirits of women who were mistreated when they were alive or a great wrong was committed to them. This was also the restless spirit of someone who had not been buried properly. 

The Bhuta

These were the souls of the dead, those who died violently or untimely, or those who were ill or deformed. They would appear as shadows, flickering lights and misty apparitions. They could possess bodies and attack the living. It was believed that bhutas could turn into bats or owls. Owls are very significant in Indian mythology, in dark magic, the flesh of owls is crushed into a powder. an owl was always seen as a bad omen, even in the West. Other stories tell of bhutas whose feet cannot touch the ground as the earth is sacred so they float. Besides drinking blood they also liked milk and attacked nursing mothers.  

The vetala was a vampiric demon who inhabited the bodies of dead people.

Protection and destruction

Fire was a very effective deterrent and form of destruction, that's why cremation of dead bodies is better. Exorcisms could be performed.  Turmeric was used as protection around houses. 

In the show Supernatural, a Rakshasa appears as a man who dresses as a clown in order to be invited into houses by unsuspecting children, Once inside they suck the blood of the parents and kill them.

In another episode the vetala is depicted differently as a couple of sexy women who paralyze their victims with a venom and slowly drain them, keeping them alive in order to feed regularly until they die. 

China

Belief in spirits and demons was and still is very common today in China. Supernatural beings were often talked about in myths and legends. Today superstition and belief in ghost is common in certain circles. Funerary rites are very much respected because of the fear that the dead may return. 

The Jiang Shi

The most common and possibly only known vampire in China is the Jiang Shi or Chiang Shih which means 'stiff corpse'.  It is also called the 'hopping vampire'. It is a reanimated corpse that came back to life or was brought back to life by a Taoist priest or a bolt of lighting. The most believed cause of the dead person's return is improper burial. Other causes were: violent death such as accidental, drowning or suicide. It is unclear if this creature sucked blood but it did viciously attack humans, sometimes ripping people apart or preying on sleeping victims to suck out their breath or vital force known as the 'qi' in China. It was even said male Jiang Shi had such a powerful sex drive that they would attack and rape women. Similarly to the typical Western vampire it attacked at night but it could not turn into mist.

The reason it is called a 'stiff corpse' is firstly due to rigor mortis, but according to the Chinese the reanimated corpse cannot bend its limbs and body so it must move around in a hopping motion while keeping its arms outstretched for mobility. It is described as having greenish or white skin or even glowing green. This could be due to fungus or mould growing on the body. It also has white hair all over its body and very long nails.

There are several explanations for its 'hopping'  movement, one explanation is that families who lived away from towns, cities or burial grounds were so poor and unable to provide transport for the body so they hired a Taoist priest to reanimate the corpse. The priest would stick a paper with an incantation on the forehead of the corpse so that it had complete control over it and it would follow the priest as he walked, the corpse could only hop. They would travel late at night and the priest would ring bells to warn citizens to prevent anyone gazing upon the procession as it was considered bad luck.  

The other more scientific reason is that priests or a hired porter would carry the deceased standing up tied to a long pole. From afar the illusion was created and made it look like a dead body was hopping.

In Chinese folklore the Jiang Shi falls under several categories depending on how long it is allowed to stay alive and not destroyed or if it feeds on blood. 

1. White Jiang Shi  (the typical stiff corpse)

He is covered in white hair, he can be destroyed by fire, sunlight, water, dogs. This category is harmless until he starts feeding on humans.

2. Black Jiang Shi

After drinking too much blood the creature's hair turns black, it becomes more powerful, it can still be destroyed by fire and sunlight. It attacks sleeping people and walks slowly.

3. Jumping Jiang Shi

After drinking more blood, the hair falls off and the Jiang Shi starts hopping quickly and deadly. He is so powerful and almost impossible to destroy.

4, Flying Jiang Shi

He can jump very high and flies if it hasn't been destroyed after 100 years. It feeds on the life essence of people.

5. Bhat

The Jiang Sh turns into a demonic creature, it also able to shape shift into other animals and can cause droughts.

6. The Demon King

The final stage of the transformation, if after a 1000 years the Jiang Shi has not been destroyed then it turns into an all powerful demon that is indestructible. 

So swift destruction of these things is crucial. There are several methods as mentioned before.swords or stakes made from peach trees. The peach is a symbol of immortality and a deterrent of evil. A Taoist priest can easily perform spells and incantations to banish the creature for ever. One interesting way of preventing an attack from the vampire is to apply sticky rice on your body. This was believed to be an ingenious way to trick the spirit of death and prevent it taking souls to the underworld. The spirit would mistake the rice for maggots and would refuse to take such a decomposed corpse. If sticky rice could ward off the spirit of death then why not the Jiang Shi?

In the 1980s HK cinema made lots of money in creating vampire films that dealt with Chinese folklore, especially the Jiang Shi. Since the appearance of the creature, a lack of stylised speacial effects, the film series Mr. Vampire was marketed as a comedy.  The Chinese movie industry created a popular image and stereotype of the Chinese vampire much like the Slavic vampire or Dracula in the West and Hollywood. 

A depiction of the Jiang Shi

A photo from the popular film series 'Mr. Vampire'.

Japan

The land of the rising sun is filled with rich folklore of demons and spirits. The Shinto religion worships deities called 'Kami' and spirits. The list of supernatural creatures from this religion is very long but among those there are several ghosts and vampire-like spirits that will be mentioned. Many of the spirits and creatures from Shinto are part of Japanese popular culture and found in films, manga and anime series.

There is a legend of a vampire cat, she was a beautiful woman who transformed into a cat and killed a prince's lover in order to take her place. She does not seek love from the prince and kills him too. She is the image of a destructive woman. Many female spirits are destructive in Asian folklore. 

The Kappa

This is a very common creature of folklore. The Kappa is described as a gruesome greenish almost frog or reptilian like creature with big eyes, almost like a turtle

. They also have scales, fins and webbing between their fingers and toes. It lives in water sources such as rivers and lakes. It mostly feeds on livestock and animals but is known to attack humans.They would drag their victims, often unsuspecting swimmers, into the water. It is known to feed off young children and sucks blood in a very disgusting way, through the anus of its victim.

 Cucumbers were given as an offering near rivers to appease the creature and to prevent it attacking humans. This offering was effective as the kappa would feast on cucumbers and allow people to bathe and swim peacefully. 

                                       

A depiction of the Kappa,

The Jubokko

This was a vampire tree that feeds on the blood and life-force of humans. It appears as a normal tree, once a person walks too close it attacks by coiling its branches around the victim and sucking the person dry. It can be attacked with an axe, once  it is cut it bleeds human blood but it heals very quickly. 

The Gaki

A wailing corpse who thirsts for blood. They have traditional pale skin, hollow features and lack of body temperatures. They have spectacular shape shifting abilities and can change into not only animals, but also look like the other humans. They can even impersonate a living person.

The Hannya

Legend tells of a beautiful woman who was possessed by a demon or became insane. After that she became a disgusting and horrifying monster, often associated with the ghoul in the middle East. The hannya would drain the blood of her victims, and like many vampires from ancient folklore her victim of choice was children often very young ones. She could also attack young men.  The famous hannya mask from the Japanese Noh theatre is a depiction of the demon.

The Rokurokubi

A female spirit whose neck elongated while the body sleeps at night. Some rokurokubi lick the oil from lanterns others prefer human blood. They can detach their heads and travel around drinking blood from humans or cattle like the penanggal in Malaysia. To become a rokurokubi, one must be cursed for having led a sinful life and being unfaithful. 

The Yamachichi

This vampire sucks the life force of humans. It lives in the mountains hiding in thick forests. According to legend, it was a bat-like creature and turned into a hairy monkey-like creature. It walks on two legs and creeps into houses where it stands over sleeping victims and sucks the breath with its pouting lips. The victim dies the next day. It is said that if the yamachichi is interrupted during feeding and runs away, the intended victim will not die but live a long extended life.

The Yuki Onna

A different form of vampire is the Yuki Onna also known as the snow maiden. The spirit is very popular in stories and films such as the 1964 film 'Kwaidan'. She is described as a tall beautiful woman with long hair, her skin is so white and transparent that it blends in with the white snow. She also wears a white kimono. Despite her inhuman beauty her eyes can strike terror into mortals. She floats across the snow, leaving no footprints and she can transform into a cloud, mist or wind. She tends to attack travelers during snowstorms. Some legends say the Yuki Onna is the spirit of winter, she is responsible for the snowy weather or the spirit of someone who perished in the snow. She attacks humans by breathing icy cold breath into them and they die of cold or turn to ice. Other versions say she sucks the life force of humans and the victims die of cold. Other legends tell of her entering homes as an ice-cold wind and kill the residents, other times she acts like a succubus, seducing sleeping men or weak minded men and killing them. 

One popular story featuring the Yuki Onna tells of two men, one old and one young. They were both traveling one night during a snowstorm and spotted a hut, they entered and fell asleep. The young man was awakened by a feeling of dread, when he opened his eyes he saw a tall beautiful woman enter the hut. The young man was so frightened by her pale and glowing eyes that he couldn't move. He watched helpless as she stood over the old man and sucked the breath from him. She turned to the young man and said 'you are young and handsome, I am satisfied enough from that old man. I will spare you if you promise to never tell anyone about what you just saw, even if you tell your own mother I will know of it and kill you.' The young man promised and she disappeared in a gust of wind, when he checked on his old companion the young man realized that he was dead and as cold as ice. The next day the young man went home and kept his promise. One day he met a beautiful young woman who was looking for work as she was poor and an orphan. Stricken by her beauty and kindness he married her and had two lovely children. One winter night, he was reading by the window and looked outside at the snowstorm, he turned and saw his wife across the room sewing by the light of a lantern, 'You seemed troubled husband, what is the matter?' she asked him. 'I was looking at the snowstorm and I remembered an event that happened to me a long time ago, it was frightening', he answered. 'What happened? Please tell me.' she insisted. The young man had forgotten his promise and told her of his encounter with the snow maiden and  how she had killed his traveling companion. Suddenly the wife stopped sewing and looked at him with strange and wild eyes, 'that was me!' she cried as her face changed to that of the Yuki Onna! She dove for him and he fell on his back, 'how could you break your promise?' she said. She then turned to the door of the other room and with her back to him said 'if it wasn't for those sleeping children in there I would kill you right now. They will be fatherless and you shall never see me again.' she then disappeared in a gust of icy wind. 

The Vampire cat of Nabeshima

Vampire animals are common in Japanese folklore, the vampire cat as mentioned before comes from a popular tale called the Vampire cat of Nabeshima. This creature does not consume blood but behaves in ways that are similar to the western vampire. 

During the Sengoku Era (1568-1615) A wealthy and handsome prince named Hizen had a very beautiful concubine named O Toyo. He would spend many happy moments with her. One day as they walked though the palace gardens they were unaware that they were followed by a cat. This feline was a pet of one of the prince's retainers but in reality it was a demon. Later that night as the prince had retired to his own bedchamber O Toyo was sound asleep in hers. She awoke with a start and saw a big terrifying cat by her bed. The creature jumped at her and bit her throat, killing her instantly. It buried the dead girl in the garden and took her form. 

Several weeks later prince Hizen fell very ill, he became weaker and and weaker everyday. He said he had very troubling nightmares every night. Fearing for his life, he ordered his most trusted guards to sit by his bed. This was done but every night the guards, despite their best efforts would fall into a deep slumber and the prince was just as weak the next morning. This continued for several days until an adviser stated that witchcraft must be the culprit here. The adviser consulted a priest who could find no reason or activity and his prayers did not help  the prince. One day as he was praying in the temple he met a young soldier named Ito Soda. He saw how healthy and strong this young man was and asked him to take part in the watch around the prince at night. 

The young man did as instructed and ass the prince slept, the guards tried to keep themselves awake with stories and games but around midnight they fell in a deep slumber. Ito Soda was trying very hard to fight this and decided to stab his leg with his knife to remain awake. this worked and a few moments later he saw the sliding doors open. A beautiful woman came in, inspected the guards and climbed onto the bed. She turned around and noticed blood on the floor, she then spotted Ito Soda who was brandishing his knife towards her. 'Who are you, why do you not sleep like the others? She asked. "I am Ito Soda and I have stabbed my leg in order to stay awake to protect my lord.' he answered. He then asked 'Are you the creature responsible for the prince's illness? I see you are a beautiful woman but I have this feeling that you are something else.' 'You are right, I am not his concubine, I have taken her form and am feeding on the life force of this man'. She tried to move towards the sleeping prince but Ito Soda's presence scared her and she left the room. The next morning, the prince felt well and asked what happened, Ito Soda told him of the false concubine who has been visiting him at night and making him ill. The prince ordered Ito Soda to kill her, the young soldier asked for eight men to stand outside the door and he went in the concubine's room. He attacked her with his sword but she was too quick for him and the eight men who stormed in. She transformed into a giant cat and escaped. months later after a successful hunt, the prince now back with full health managed to kill it. 

References:

 Curran, B (2000) Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures of the Night, New Page Books

Melton G. J (1999) The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead, Visible Ink Press

Sirgent J. Le guide secret des vampires.

http://www.sarudama.com/japanese_folklore/vampirecat.shtml