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Pelesit
Pelesit () is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore. It is generally a cricket, or occasionally a grasshopper. The term literally means "buzzer" from the root word ''lesit'' meaning to buzz or whizz, as an insect does. They are also called Palasik. Belief in the pelesit traces back to Malay animism before the introduction of monotheism. Generally speaking, a pelesit can only be owned by a woman, and were said to have been prevalent in Kedah. The male equivalent is another hereditary spirit, the bajang. Due to the similarity, the two are sometimes confused in folklore. Two rituals exist for acquiring a pelesit, both of which involve recitation of the correct incantations and biting off the tongue of a dead child. This tongue, if kept properly with the appropriate rituals, is what becomes the pelesit. Pelesit attack their victims by entering the person's mouth tail-first. A person afflicted by the pelesit will insanely rave about cats. By itself, the pelesit does nothing els ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malay Folklore
Malay folklore refers to a series of knowledge, traditions and taboos that have been passed down through many generations in oral, written and symbolic forms among the indigenous populations of Maritime Southeast Asia (Nusantara). They include among others, themes and subject matter related to the indigenous knowledge of the ethnic Malays and related ethnic groups within the region. The stories within this system of lore often incorporate supernatural entities and magical creatures which form parts of the Malay mythology. Others relate to creation myths and place naming legends that are often inter-twined with historical figures and events. Ancient rituals for healing and traditional medicine as well as complex philosophies regarding health and disease can also be found. Oral tradition The oral forms of this lore are transmitted primarily through nursery rhymes, folksongs, theatrical exhibitions, and stories that are commonly told from parent to child. Nomadic storytellers that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malaysian Mythology
Malaysian folklore is the folk culture of Malaysia and other indigenous people of the Malay archipelago as expressed in its oral traditions, written manuscripts and local wisdoms. Malaysian folklores were traditionally transmitted orally in the absence of writing systems. Oral tradition thrived among the Malays, but continues to survive among Orang Asli and numerous bornean ethnic groups in Sarawak and Sabah. Nevertheless, Malaysian folklores are closely connected with classical Malay folklore of the region. Even though, Malay folklore tends to have a regional background, with the passing of time, and through the influence of the modern media, large parts of regional Malay folklore have become interwoven with the wider popular Malaysian folklore. In Malay, the term ''budaya rakyat'' is used to describe folklore. According to the ''Kamus Dewan'', ''budaya rakyat'' can be interpreted as stories, customs, clothing, behaviour etc that are inherited by a society or a nation. Malaysian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malay Ghost Myth
There are many Malay ghost myths (Malay: ''cerita hantu Melayu''; Jawi: چريتا هنتو ملايو), remnants of old animist beliefs that have been shaped by Hindu-Buddhist cosmology and later Muslim influences, in the modern states of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and among the Malay diaspora in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. The general word for ghost is hantu, of which there exist a wide variety. Some ghost concepts such as the female vampires pontianak and penanggal are shared throughout the region. While traditional belief doesn't consider all ghosts as necessarily evil, Malaysian popular culture tends to categorise them all as types of evil djinn. History Traditional ghost beliefs are rooted in prehistoric animist beliefs. However, the region has long had extensive contact with other cultures, and these have affected the form of some of the legends. Trade links with southern India and China were established several centuries BCE, in large part shaping ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toyol
A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore. 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. The creature is used to rob people of their riches, which is similar in nature to Babi ngepet. Names The toyol is known by different names across Southeast Asia. The Malay word toyol is in Indonesian, in Javanese, and in Sundanese. It is known as ''cohen kroh'' in Khmer, and ''kwee kia'' in Hokkien. In Thai, the male is called '' kumarn-thong''. A similar creature exists in Philippine mythology known as ''tiyanak''. Appearance The toyol is traditionally described as looking no different from a near-naked toddler. Modern depictions often give it a goblin-like appearance with green or grey skin, pointed ears, and clouded eyes. In popular culture Film * Malik Selamat directed a 1980 Malay horror film ''Toyol'', starring Sidek Hussain and Mahmud June. * In Billy Chan's 1987 Hong Kon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polong
The polong is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore. It has the appearance of a miniature woman, the size of the first joint of the finger. The polong is one of the ghosts mentioned in ''Hikayat Abdullah'', written by Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, much to the amusement of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, his employer. Creation A polong is created from the blood of a murdered man kept in a type of spherical bottle with a narrow neck. Over a period of one to two weeks, incantations are said over the bottle. When the period is over, the blood becomes a polong. It refers to its owner as its mother or father. The polong is hidden outside the owner's house when not in use. Task The polong is sent to attack a victim against whom either the owner themselves or someone who paid the owner bears ill-will against. The polong is always preceded by its pet or plaything, the grasshopper-like pelesit. The pelesit enters the victim's mouth and begins to chirp. The polong follows and possesse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hantu Raya
The Hantu Raya is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore that acts as a double for black magic practitioners. Roughly meaning "great ghost", it is supposed to bestow great power onto its master. Its true form according to folktale is humanoid form with black hairy body except the facial area, rough grey skin, long sharp teeth and with red eyes. Etymology The word ''hantu'' is most often translated as ghost in modern Malay, but is actually closer in meaning to "spirit". The word ''raya'' roughly means "great" or "high". The term ''hantu raya'' (therefore meaning "great ghost") is sometimes mistaken as meaning a supreme demon which rules over all ghosts, but its high status comes not from its position and instead refers to the spirit's power, being one of the most useful of spirit familiars. Functions The Hantu Raya manifests itself in the physical form as a double of its owner. In this form it can be used to work in the fields in its owner's place. This was said to be especially ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stamford Raffles
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He is best known mainly for his founding of modern Singapore and the Straits Settlements also called Malaysia and Brunei. Raffles was heavily involved in the capture of the Indonesian island of Java from the Dutch during the Napoleonic Wars. The running of day-to-day operations on Singapore was mostly done by William Farquhar, but Raffles was the one who got all the credit. He also wrote ''The History of Java'' (1817). Early life Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles was born on on board the ship ''Ann'', off the coast of Port Morant, Jamaica, to Captain Benjamin Raffles (1739, London – 23 November 1811, Deptford) and Anne Raffles (née Lyde) (1755 – 8 February 1824, London). Benjamin served as a ship master for various ships engaged in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malay Words And Phrases
Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesian language, the official form of the Malay language in Indonesia ** Malaysian Malay, the official form of the Malay language in Malaysia * Malayic languages, a group of closely related languages in the Malay Archipelago * Malay trade and creole languages, a set of pidgin languages throughout the Sumatra, Malay Peninsula and the entire Malay archipelago * Brunei Malay, an unofficial national language of Brunei distinct from standard Malay * Kedah Malay, a variety of the Malaya languages spoken in Malaysia and Thailand * Sri Lanka Malay language, spoken by the Malay race minority in Sri Lanka * Songkhla Malay, variety of Malay spoken in Songkhla province, Thailand Race and ethnic groups * Malay race, a racial category used in the late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animism In Asia
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and perhaps even words—as animated and alive. Animism is used in the anthropology of religion, as a term for the belief system of many Indigenous peoples, especially in contrast to the relatively more recent development of organized religions. Animism focuses on the metaphysical universe, with a specific focus on the concept of the immaterial soul. Although each culture has its own mythologies and rituals, animism is said to describe the most common, foundational thread of indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or "supernatural" perspectives. The animistic perspective is so widely held and inherent to most indigenous peoples, that they often do not even have a word in their languages that corresponds to "animism" (or even "rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hikayat Abdullah
Hikayat Abdullah (حكاية عبدالله) is a major literary work by Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, a Malacca-born Munshi of Singapore. It was completed in 1845 and first published in 1849, making it one of the first Malay literary texts to be published commercially. Abdullah's authorship was prominently displayed in this text and the contents were conveyed in simple, contemporary Malay. Unlike typical classical Malay literary works that contain mythical and legendary stories, Abdullah's work dealt with social realism. The work has been described as Abdullah's autobiography, and contains his personal but perceptive view of Singapore and Malaccan society at the beginning of the 19th century. It provides a glimpse of his early childhood in Malacca, including an operation performed upon him by an English surgeon, his visit to an encampment of the Tiandihui, a Chinese secret society in the interior of Singapore, and events such as the founding of Singapore Institution, the demolition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cricket (insect)
Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 886 pp. "crickets" were placed at the family level (''i.e.'' Gryllidae), but contemporary authorities including Otte now place them in the superfamily Grylloidea. The word has been used in combination to describe more distantly related taxa in the suborder Ensifera, such as king crickets and mole crickets. Crickets have mainly cylindrically-shaped bodies, round heads, and long antennae. Behind the head is a smooth, robust pronotum. The abdomen ends in a pair of long cerci; females have a long, cylindrical ovipositor. Diagnostic features include legs with 3-segmented tarsi; as with many Orthoptera, the hind legs have enlarged femora, providing power for jumping. The front wings are adapted as tough, leathery elytra, and some crickets ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abdullah Abdul Kadir
Abdullah bin Abdul al Kadir (1796–1854) ( ar, عبد الله بن عبد القادر ') also known as Munshi Abdullah, was a Malayan writer of mixed ancestry. He was a famous Malacca-born munshi of Singapore and died in Jeddah, a part of the Ottoman Empire. Munshi Abdullah has been popularly regarded as among the most cultured Malays who ever wrote, one of the greatest innovators in Malay letters and the father of modern Malay literature. The term ''Munshi'' means "teacher" or "educator". Munshi Abdullah was a great-grandson of a Hadhrami Arab trader, and also had Tamil and to a smaller extent, Malay ancestry. Owing to his ethnic and religious background, the Malays would refer to him as a ''Jawi Peranakan'' or ''Jawi Pekan''. Munshi Abdullah followed his father's career path as a translator and teacher of colonial officials in the Malay Archipelago, mainly the British and the Dutch. J.T. Thomson, a contemporary of Abdullah, described him thus: "In physiognomy he was a T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
