Toyol
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A toyol or Tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore. It also appears in the various other mythologies of Southeast Asia and is typically invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun, pawang, or bomoh) by means of black magic. A common use for the toyol includes using it for financial gain, where the creature robs people of their riches, making it similar to the Babi ngepet, a boar demon in Indonesian mythology, and the Hantu Raya, a familiar spirit in Malay folklore. As such, the toyol is popularly known to bring good luck to its host, but mishap to those who are unfortunate to enco
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Article
16 sectionsContents
- Alleged origins
- Names
- Appearance and behaviour
- Interpretation and symbolism
- Modern encounters and usage
- Similar entities beyond Southeast Asia
- In popular culture
- Film
- Literature
- Music
- Television
- Video Game
- Other
- See also
- References
- Works cited
A toyol or Tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore. It also appears in the various other mythologies of Southeast Asia and is typically invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun, pawang, or bomoh) by means of black magic. A common use for the toyol includes using it for financial gain, where the creature robs people of their riches, making it similar to the Babi ngepet, a boar demon in Indonesian mythology, and the Hantu Raya, a familiar spirit in Malay folklore. As such, the toyol is popularly known to bring good luck to its host, but mishap to those who are unfortunate to encounter them.
== Alleged origins == There is a distinct lack of research, information, and academic sources that trace the history of the toyol. Yet, according to some blogs, the late academic Mohd Taib Osman suggested that the origins of owning a toyol date as far back as pre-Islamic Arab society. Some have linked this to the prevalence of infanticide that took place during that time.