A Helloi or Heloi is a female nature spirit in

Meitei mythology Meitei mythology or Manipuri mythology ( mni, Meitei Mi Lai Tingi Wari) is a collection of myths, belonging to the religious and cultural traditions of the Meitei people, the predominant ethnic group of Manipur. It is associated with tradi ...

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

. Hellois are often depicted in the forms of beautiful young women. They are often associated with

seduction Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and sexual scripts, paralingual ...

of men. They are the most powerful among the female spirits. They can cause diseases. The hellois are often known for their charming beauty, ecological balance and

of males. Hellois are sometimes seen as evil spirits in the forms of beautiful maidens. Helloi Taret () are the seven sisters. They stay in the thick bushes or dark and dense forests. They also live in other places of wilderness like rivers and meadows.

In Meitei mythology

Hellois are one of the most common female spirits believed in

and

. According to the Maibas (), hellois are the most powerful female spirits. They could spread diseases, especially

sexually transmitted infections Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral se ...

. Hellois attack men and cause disorder of mind. From men, women may get sick in their sexual organs. According to belief, the highest rate of such attacks occurs in March and April. It is the time of celebrating

Yaoshang Yaosang is a festival celebrated in Manipur for five days in spring, starting on the full moon day of the month of Lamda (February–March). Yaosang is indigenous traditions of the Meitei people. It is considered the most important festival ...

, a spring festival. At the same time,

Thabal Chongba Thabal chongba is a Manipuri folk dance traditionally performed during the festival of Yaoshang in India. In the dance, participants join hands in a circle, hop on one foot and swing their free legs across, slowly advancing. Description In e ...

occasions are performed by both men and women.

In Meitei religion

''Helloi Oknaba'' () is one of the most common events of meeting with supernatural beings in

Meitei folklore Meitei folklore is the folklore and mythology of the Meitei people of Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the n ...

. Challenges to or conflicts with the hellois often make one's life unhappy. In such cases, one may get sick, mental imbalance and temporary madness. If such people are not properly treated by a maiba or a

maibi Maibi are the priestess of Manipur Kingdom commonly known for performing religious rites. They are considered as Shamanism, shamans as well as Midwife, midwives. They possess various skills of religious activities and ancient medicinal knowledge. ...

, the symptoms may continue long. It may lead to permanent madness (

mental impairment Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signific ...

). One who meets a helloi often acts in abnormal and mentally challenged ways. For example, the victims may not be able to recognize his family members and friends. However, the victims could still communicate with the very helloi. The spirit may not easily leave the victim. She will demand something in return to leave the victim. Thus, Hellois seek their needs by

bewitching An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

people. The maibas perform rites and rituals to prevent attraction and attacks on men by the hellois. They feed the spirits with animal

faeces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...

and some specially prepared ritual foods.

Hellois and Hingchabis

Hellois and Hingchabis are the two most popular forms of female spirits in

and

. But these two mythical beings are not almost all similar. Hellois are wandering spirits. On the other hand, Hingchabis live inside some women. They exposed their supernatural powers into the bodies of the victims. They cause illness, mental sufferings, bad luck, and sometimes even death to the victims.

In popular culture

Lairembigee Eshei Lairembigee Eshei ( mni, /lāi.rem.bi.gi í.səi/, lit. Song of the Goddess), also known as Song of the Nymphs, is a Meitei language play, written and directed by Ratan Thiyam, performed by the "Chorus Repertoire Theatre" of Imphal. It was shown as ...

( Song of the Nymphs) - a

Meitei language Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...

play directed by

Ratan Thiyam Ratan Thiyam (born 20 January 1948) is an Indian playwright and theatre director, and the winner of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987, one of leading figures of the "''theatre of roots''" movement in Indian theatre, which started in the 1970s ...

* ''HELLOY - Between conscious and sub-consciousness'' - a

film directed by G. Narayan Sharma * Dr. Hemogi Helloi (Dr. Hemogee Heloi) - a 2013

film, directed by

Homen D' Wai Homen D' Wai (''full name:'' Homendro Waikhom, 1970 – 10 July 2021) was an Indian film director, scriptwriter and lyricist from Imphal, Manipur. ''Dr. Yaima'', ''Mittrang Keithel'', ''Yaiskulgee Pakhang Angaoba'', ''Dr. Hemogee Heloi'' and ''V ...

, featuring a helloi (heloi) having a love affair with a human man named "Dr. Hemo"

References

Bibliography

Heloi Heloi Mi Heloi by Pramodini, Khaidem
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External links