A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

and Malay folklore. It appears in the mythology of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

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 language, Malay word toyol is in Indonesian language, Indonesian, in Javanese language, Javanese, and in Sundanese language, Sundanese. It is known as ''cohen kroh'' in Khmer language, Khmer, and ''kwee kia'' in Hokkien. In Thai language, Thai, the male is called ''Kuman Thong, 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 '':ms:Toyol, Toyol'', starring Sidek Hussain and Mahmud June. * In Billy Chan's 1987 Hong Kong film ''Yang Gui Zi'' (roughly translated as "feeding a child spirit", also known by its English title ''Crazy Spirit''), a jewelry store owner, wishing to have an heir, travels from Hong Kong to Thailand to obtain a spirit baby from a Taoist master, who seals it in an amulet. The amulet, on its way to Hong Hong, gets lost in transit and is found by a woman trying to conceive a child. She accidentally cuts her finger, causing her blood to drip on the amulet and releasing the child spirit. * The 2011 Malaysian comedy film '':ms:Alamak... Toyol!, Alamak... Toyol!'' features a toyol as its plot device. * In the 2013 Singapore horror film ''Ghost Child'', a family is troubled by a toyol which arrives from Indonesia in an urn. * In the 2016 Indonesian horror film '':id:Tuyul (film 2015), Tuyul: Part 1'', a new family moves into an old house of the wife's mother after she died. The husband finds a bottle hidden mysteriously underneath the broken wooden floor, which is home to a creature that could endanger them.

Television

* In season 1 of the HBO Asia Original horror anthology series ''Folklore'', episode 5 is titled "Toyol (Malaysia)" and features a toyol.

Other

* Drivers for gig economy services in Southeast Asia, such as Grab (company), Grab and Gojek, use third-party grey market apps called "tuyul" to optimize their work experience.https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kvpng/delivery-drivers-are-using-grey-market-apps-to-make-their-jobs-suck-less The apps are so named because like the tuyul in folklore, they help earn money through potentially illegal means.

References

{{Mythology of Malaysia Indonesian legendary creatures Malay ghost myth Ghosts Malaysian mythology Jinn