Sumatra
Pelesit
Pesugihan / Wealth Demon Danger 4 of 5 · Dangerous
- Form
- Grasshopper familiar
- Origin
- Malay female-associated familiar spirit kept in a bottle, taking grasshopper form, paired with the Polong; said to be inherited or made from a dead child's tongue in classic accounts.
- Behavior
- Attacks victims chosen by its mistress, causing madness and wasting; cries betray its presence.
- Deterrents and vulnerabilities
- Burial of the bottle, exorcism by a bomoh.
- Diet
- Blood / Fetuses
- Culture
- Malay
- 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 | Not death or birth related |
| Incorporeal | Ghost, spirit, or undead |
| Flight | Grounded |
| Burial | None or weak |
| Children | None |
| Blood and organs | None |
| Theft and mischief | Theft, pranks, or mischief central |
| 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 | Black magic or witchcraft central |
| Widespread | Localized |
| Body plan | Animal or animal hybrid |
| Diet | Blood |
Nearest on the tree
Identical coding to Polong, so the tree cannot separate them.
