Leyak

• #3853
•  Pacific (culture)
•  Sorcery and Medicinal (attribute)
•  Deadly (behaviour)
•  Vampires (common type)

Pronounced ‘Leak’ as the y is not spoken, this is a Vampire-like creature from the mythology of Bali, Indonesia. It is one of the flying head creatures much like Flying Heads from North American myth and Chonchon from South American belief. The Leyak comprises of just a head with its entrails such as its heart, liver and lungs hanging from its severed neck. It has two bulging eyes protruding from its head, sharp tusks and a long tongue. Its menacing face is covered with long black hair. There are said to be humans who practice black magic and use it to transform into these creatures. They are cannibals by nature in as flying heads, they venture out to find a pregnant woman so that they can suck on the blood of a newborn child, a type of blood they crave so much. There are three Leyaks of folklore, one is female the others are male. The female Leyak is the Queen of the Leyaks a widow witch called Rangda. The Leyaks haunt graveyards and feed on corpses if they cannot find any pregnant women or new born babies.

The Leyaks have the power to change themselves into flying pigs and appear as ordinary humans by daylight. It is only at night that their head separates and they become a flying head. illnesses and certain deaths a believed to be caused by the troublesome Leyaks. This is determined by a balian, a Bali healer who conducts a seance to find out who is responsible for the death.

Similar to Chonchon.

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