Sumatra
Bicara Guru
Nature / Ancestral Spirit Danger 2 of 5 · Unsettling
- Form
- Stillborn-infant family guardian
- Origin
- Toba Batak family guardian: the begu of a stillborn baby or dead infant, ritually installed as a household guardian spirit with its own shrine and annual feast. Documented in Batak ethnographic writing.
- Behavior
- Watches over the household that feeds and feasts it.
- Deterrents and vulnerabilities
- Annual feast and offerings maintain the bond.
- Diet
- Non-consumptive
- Culture
- Toba Batak
- Region
- Sumatra
- Sampling
- Added in dataset v3–v5; first placed on a tree here.
Coded characters
◆ New entry coded by folklore synthesis. Sex: Unspecified.
| Human-like | Humanoid, witch, or human spirit |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male, unspecified, or variable |
| Death or birth origin | Death, childbirth, or infant origin |
| Incorporeal | Ghost, spirit, or undead |
| Flight | Grounded |
| Burial | None or weak |
| Children | Child spirit, child theft, or infant targeting |
| Blood and organs | None |
| Theft and mischief | None |
| Hair or fur | None |
| Animal form | None |
| Detached head | None |
| Fire or light | None |
| Water | None |
| Forest | None |
| Settlement | Village, house, hospital, or road |
| Black magic | No strong sorcery motif |
| Widespread | Localized |
| Body plan | Humanoid spirit |
| Diet | Non-consumptive |
