Toyol
Encyclopedia
A Toyol or Tuyul is a mythical spirit
in the Malay mythology
of South-East Asia (notably Indonesia
, Malaysia, Thailand
, and Singapore
). It is a small child spirit invoked by a dukun
(Indonesian shaman) or bomoh
(Malay witch doctor) from a dead human fetus
using black magic
.
This creature can be evoked to work with human under its own terms. There are different versions on the method to possess a Toyol:
1. Purchase a Toyol from a black magician.
2. Making use of an aborted baby and through special embalmment techniques.
3. Evoke a Toyol from its dwelling place.
A Toyol is like a child, so it needs to be treated as such. In order to foster a closer relationship with this creature, below offering should be presented:
1. A cup of milk every morning.
2. Some toys, clothing, sweets and biscuits.
3. A black candle and incense accompanied with mantras.
4. Some will smear a few drops the owner’s own blood to the Toyol statue.
A person who owns a toyol uses it mainly to steal things from other people, or to do mischief. According to a well-known superstition, if money or jewellery keeps disappearing mysteriously from your house, a toyol might be responsible. One way to ward off a toyol is to place some needles under your money, for toyols are afraid of being hurt by needles. According to Javanese mythology, the creature is believed to be kept by a person that practicing pesugihan tuyul black magic
. Pesugihan is derived from Javanese
word sugih means "rich". It is a kind of magic to help people to become rich instantly, but in exchange he or she must perform some rituals or offering tumbal (sacrifice something) to keep the tuyul happy. According to Javanese myth, tuyul can be kept for financial gain, but in exchange a female member of the family must allow it to breastfeed from her, sucking blood instead of milk.
. It can be seen without the use of magic, though they are unlikely to be spotted casually.
Those who did encounter it described its actual appearance to be child-like (toddler) with green skin, bald, big red (alien-like) eyes, pointy ears and rows of sharp teeth. Its behaviour is more animal-like. It tend to climb on rooftops either to play or prior to entering houses.
or an urn
, and hidden away in a dark place until needed.
What happens at the end of the "contract" is not very clear. It could be that the tablet, along with the urn, is buried in a graveyard
(with the relevant rituals), and the spirit is then laid to rest. An alternative method is to dispose them in the sea. Or else, a toyol gets passed down in a family through the generations. This seems to suggest that once you obtain a toyol, not only are you stuck with it for the rest of your life, but all your descendants will also be condemned to own it.
However, it can still get released by either the owner or 'bomoh' to roam free. Without a master, it would stray into the jungle or visit homes as an observer without disturbing residents. Based on an anecdote, a toyol confessed that it likes to peek into people's lives apart from the occasional distraction of playing with any toys found within houses. Simply put, toyol is quite harmless without a master but like a gun, it can turn to crime or mischief under the command of an unscrupulous individual.
When it comes to stealing of money or jewellery, people wonder how the toyol can find such valuables in hidden places where even humans fail to find them. There is speculation that it can somehow see through walls or barriers with its big red eyes (like infra-red) to spot hidden valuables but this is yet to be confirmed. After stealing, the only traces of its presence are its child-like footprints and fingerprints found at the crime scene if it happens to have dusts on its hands and feet. Otherwise, people would not suspect that a toyol had raided their premises.
hanging on the door post or placed on certain parts of the house. The toyol will start playing with these items until it forgets its task at the intended victim's house. Money placed under mirrors has the potency to ward off toyols due to a phobia of their reflections.
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
in the Malay mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
of South-East Asia (notably Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
). It is a small child spirit invoked by a dukun
Dukun
A dukun is an Indonesian-Malay term for shaman. In Malaysia, they are often referred to as bomoh, but dukun is the more ancient term. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic.The dukun is...
(Indonesian shaman) or bomoh
Bomoh
A bomoh or dukun is a Malay shaman. The bomoh's original role was that of a healer and their expertise was first and foremost an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and tajul muluk or Malay geomancy...
(Malay witch doctor) from a dead human fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
using black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
.
This creature can be evoked to work with human under its own terms. There are different versions on the method to possess a Toyol:
1. Purchase a Toyol from a black magician.
2. Making use of an aborted baby and through special embalmment techniques.
3. Evoke a Toyol from its dwelling place.
A Toyol is like a child, so it needs to be treated as such. In order to foster a closer relationship with this creature, below offering should be presented:
1. A cup of milk every morning.
2. Some toys, clothing, sweets and biscuits.
3. A black candle and incense accompanied with mantras.
4. Some will smear a few drops the owner’s own blood to the Toyol statue.
A person who owns a toyol uses it mainly to steal things from other people, or to do mischief. According to a well-known superstition, if money or jewellery keeps disappearing mysteriously from your house, a toyol might be responsible. One way to ward off a toyol is to place some needles under your money, for toyols are afraid of being hurt by needles. According to Javanese mythology, the creature is believed to be kept by a person that practicing pesugihan tuyul black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. Pesugihan is derived from Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
word sugih means "rich". It is a kind of magic to help people to become rich instantly, but in exchange he or she must perform some rituals or offering tumbal (sacrifice something) to keep the tuyul happy. According to Javanese myth, tuyul can be kept for financial gain, but in exchange a female member of the family must allow it to breastfeed from her, sucking blood instead of milk.
Appearance
People normally associate the appearance of a toyol with that of a small baby, frequently that of a newborn baby walking naked with a big head, small hands, clouded eyes and usually greenish skin. More accurately, it resembles a goblinGoblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
. It can be seen without the use of magic, though they are unlikely to be spotted casually.
Those who did encounter it described its actual appearance to be child-like (toddler) with green skin, bald, big red (alien-like) eyes, pointy ears and rows of sharp teeth. Its behaviour is more animal-like. It tend to climb on rooftops either to play or prior to entering houses.
Tasks
In old village tales, people keep toyols for selfish but petty gains. They use such spirits for theft, sabotage and other minor crimes. Serious crimes, like murder, are usually beyond the capability of these toyols. A person who suddenly becomes wealthy without explanation might be suspected of keeping a toyol. The toyol is kept in a jarJar
A jar is a rigid, approximately cylindrical container with a wide mouth or opening. Jars are typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic. They are used for foods, cosmetics, medications, and chemicals that are relatively thick or viscous...
or an urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
, and hidden away in a dark place until needed.
What happens at the end of the "contract" is not very clear. It could be that the tablet, along with the urn, is buried in a graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
(with the relevant rituals), and the spirit is then laid to rest. An alternative method is to dispose them in the sea. Or else, a toyol gets passed down in a family through the generations. This seems to suggest that once you obtain a toyol, not only are you stuck with it for the rest of your life, but all your descendants will also be condemned to own it.
However, it can still get released by either the owner or 'bomoh' to roam free. Without a master, it would stray into the jungle or visit homes as an observer without disturbing residents. Based on an anecdote, a toyol confessed that it likes to peek into people's lives apart from the occasional distraction of playing with any toys found within houses. Simply put, toyol is quite harmless without a master but like a gun, it can turn to crime or mischief under the command of an unscrupulous individual.
When it comes to stealing of money or jewellery, people wonder how the toyol can find such valuables in hidden places where even humans fail to find them. There is speculation that it can somehow see through walls or barriers with its big red eyes (like infra-red) to spot hidden valuables but this is yet to be confirmed. After stealing, the only traces of its presence are its child-like footprints and fingerprints found at the crime scene if it happens to have dusts on its hands and feet. Otherwise, people would not suspect that a toyol had raided their premises.
Weaknesses
Although seemingly cunning, toyols are supposedly not very intelligent. It is said that they are easily deceived by marbles,beans and sand and strands of garlicGarlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
hanging on the door post or placed on certain parts of the house. The toyol will start playing with these items until it forgets its task at the intended victim's house. Money placed under mirrors has the potency to ward off toyols due to a phobia of their reflections.