Pandemoniac Pages

Friday, March 11, 2022

TUYUL

TUYUL
“Tuyul is believed to be the spirit of a [fetus]. Tuyul can be owned by purchasing them from a shaman or taking them from their dwelling place.”

“Tuyul is a supernatural creature that takes the form of a little child with a big head, small hands, clouded eyes, and greenish or sometimes grayish skin. It has a protruded bully, long nails and sharp teeth.”
Aulia Khairunnisa & Mira Wardhaningsih, The Book Of Indonesian Ghosts



I love a monstrous baby. As someone that got a vasectomy 20 years ago, it's pretty obvious I find children terrifying even when they're just human. But the idea of a demonic or mutant child hits a nerve for me and I've drawn a bunch over the years (here, here, here, here, here). 



The inspiration from this little goblin came from the folklore (which is alive and well) and also my favorite monster baby movie, Larry Cohen's 70s masterpiece It's Alive!


The tuyul (or toyol) in Malaysian & Indonesian mythology has spawned it's own series of movies ranging from goofy 80s sleaze like Toyol (Malaysia 1981) to broad comedies like Alamak...Toyol! (Malaysia 2011) to gritty contemporary horror like Tuyul (Indonesia 2015). 

That's the last magic creature for this week. Next week things get even weirder!




2 comments:

  1. Wow creepy baby. I'll have to read more about these over the weekend... then not be able to fall asleep. Thank you for sharing

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