The whole dataset, chart by chart
Patterns in the haunting
Where they haunt
Java has the most ghosts (42), then Sumatra (29) and Sulawesi (15). Widespread motifs and outgroups from beyond Indonesia sit in the dashed boxes. Lower the sea to see the Pleistocene coastlines.
Sea level today: present-day coastline.
Bubble area is proportional to the number of ghosts. Select a region to list its ghosts. Shelves are ETOPO1 bathymetry; line placements are approximate.
Java · 42 ghosts
Sundel Bolong
Wewe Gombel
Genderuwo
Ahool
Babi Ngepet
Pocong
Banaspati
Buto Ijo
Suster Ngesot
Batara Kala
Bajang
Tuyul Buncit
Si Manis Jembatan Ancol
Nyi Roro Kidul
Lampor
Wedon
Kepala Buntung
Kuntilanak Merah
Nyai Blorong
Dewi Lanjar
Nyi Pelet
Calon Arang
Kolor Ijo
Pastur Kepala Buntung
Hantu Jeruk Purut
Kereta Hantu Manggarai
Hantu Ambulans Bandung
Mak Lampir
Grandong
Pocong Merah
Dedemit
Lelembut
Jerangkung
Setan Gundul
Jailangkung
Nini Thowok
Hantu Terowongan Casablanca
Hantu Rumah Kentang
Hantu Rumah Darmo
Hantu Lawang Sewu
Seblang
Eyang Jugo
Show the data as a table
| Region | Ghosts | Most common clade |
|---|---|---|
| Sumatra | 29 | Nature / Ancestral Spirit (9) |
| Java | 42 | Elemental / Demonic (11) |
| Bali | 14 | Elemental / Demonic (5) |
| Nusa Tenggara | 12 | Nature / Ancestral Spirit (7) |
| Kalimantan | 14 | Vengeful Female (4) |
| Sulawesi | 15 | Nature / Ancestral Spirit (3) |
| Maluku | 7 | Nature / Ancestral Spirit (2) |
| Papua | 9 | Elemental / Demonic (2) |
| Widespread | 11 | Elemental / Demonic (3) |
| Outgroups | 13 | Volant Viscerophage (4) |
What each clade is made of
Each row is a clade, each column a coded trait. Volant Viscerophage is the bloodiest clade: 100% of its members target blood, flesh, or organs.
- Share with the trait
- 0%
- 1–20%
- 21–40%
- 41–60%
- 61–80%
- 81–100%
Darker cells mean more of the clade has the trait. Hover a cell for the exact share.
Show the data as a table
| Clade | Human-like | Death or birth origin | Incorporeal | Flight | Burial | Children | Blood and organs | Theft and mischief | Hair or fur | Animal form | Detached head | Fire or light | Water | Forest | Settlement | Black magic | Widespread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vengeful Female | 100% | 92% | 100% | 0% | 4% | 63% | 58% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 4% | 100% | 4% | 4% |
| Nature / Ancestral Spirit | 91% | 3% | 14% | 0% | 29% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 9% | 51% | 94% | 83% | 3% |
| Volant Viscerophage | 71% | 14% | 86% | 100% | 21% | 93% | 100% | 0% | 14% | 7% | 64% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 93% | 14% | 14% |
| Pesugihan / Wealth Demon | 83% | 17% | 75% | 0% | 0% | 17% | 50% | 92% | 25% | 8% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 100% | 17% |
| Therianthrope / Shapeshifter | 64% | 7% | 79% | 14% | 14% | 14% | 71% | 0% | 36% | 93% | 14% | 14% | 7% | 7% | 71% | 29% | 0% |
| Undead / Revenant | 89% | 78% | 89% | 0% | 61% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 17% | 6% |
| Elemental / Demonic | 92% | 3% | 79% | 8% | 3% | 13% | 63% | 8% | 13% | 8% | 0% | 8% | 13% | 11% | 89% | 74% | 3% |
| Hominid Cryptid | 100% | 0% | 88% | 0% | 0% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 100% | 13% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 88% | 0% | 0% |
| Volant Cryptid | 67% | 0% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 33% | 33% | 0% | 0% | 33% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| All ghosts | 88% | 26% | 70% | 13% | 17% | 23% | 43% | 9% | 14% | 13% | 7% | 4% | 6% | 21% | 93% | 48% | 5% |
How dangerous
Each plate is one ghost, placed by clade and danger. 23 are lethal in their dominant telling; Volant Viscerophage has the highest mean danger (4.9 of 5).
| Clade | 1 · Benign | 2 · Unsettling | 3 · Frightening | 4 · Dangerous | 5 · Lethal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vengeful Female | |||||
| Nature / Ancestral Spirit | |||||
| Volant Viscerophage | |||||
| Pesugihan / Wealth Demon | |||||
| Therianthrope / Shapeshifter | |||||
| Undead / Revenant | |||||
| Elemental / Demonic | |||||
| Hominid Cryptid | |||||
| Volant Cryptid |
Each plate is one ghost. Hover a plate for its name; screen readers hear the names cell by cell.
Bodies and diets
Body plan and diet are characters 19 and 20 of the matrix. Of the 33 blood-feeders, 9 are spectral females and 7 are detached flying heads.
Bubble area is the number of ghosts with that body plan and diet. Hover a bubble to list them.
Show the data as a table
| Body plan | Blood | Flesh | Life force or offerings | Non-consumptive | Omnivore | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectral female | 9 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Detached flying head | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Detached upper torso | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hairy biped | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Shrouded corpse | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fireball | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Giant or ogre | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Winged hominid | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiger-human | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Elongated humanoid | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Haunted object or procession | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Serpent or naga | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Masked deity | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Human witch | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Animal or animal hybrid | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Humanoid spirit | 3 | 1 | 23 | 31 | 1 | 0 |
| Aquatic spirit | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Child-like familiar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hungry ghost | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
How sure the tree is
Ultrafast bootstrap support across all 119 internal nodes. Only 4 reach 95; 92 fall below 50.
Most nodes have low support, so the deep branching is unresolved. Bars at 90 and above are highlighted.
Show the data as a table
| Support | Nodes |
|---|---|
| 0–9 | 40 |
| 10–19 | 24 |
| 20–29 | 17 |
| 30–39 | 4 |
| 40–49 | 7 |
| 50–59 | 6 |
| 60–69 | 6 |
| 70–79 | 1 |
| 80–89 | 5 |
| 90–100 | 9 |
Indistinguishable ghosts
27 sets of ghosts share identical rows in the matrix, so no tree can separate them. They sit together with zero-length branches.
Palasik, Penanggalan, Kuyang and Poppo
Cindaku, Hantu Belian and Bakkara
Si Manis Jembatan Ancol, Langsuyar, Antu Gerugugu, Tosalili, Ndope, Pontianak, Kuntilanak Merah and Churel
Tetek Arum, Ina Ama, Senggiq and Wedon
Batitong, Nitu and Kelimutu spirit
Tandi Barane and Kapre
Hantu Jeruk Purut, Memedi, Arwah Penasaran, Ketcat Sikatai and Berahu
Orang Bunian, Hantu Rimba, Waruga Spirit, Dedemit, Lelembut, Peri, Roh Komodo, Penunggu, Putri Gunung Ledang, Wong Samar, Gamang, Putri Mandalika and Hainuwele
Hantu Galah and Longga
Mambang and Dewi Anjani
Hantu Banyu, Tonya, Hantu Air and Hantu Laut
Phi Tai Hong and Onryo
Datuk Keramat, Eyang Jugo, Opo Empung, Marapu, Lulik, Nunusaku Spirits, Korwar and Mbis Spirit
Hantu Terowongan Casablanca, Hantu Lawang Sewu, Suster Keramas and Hantu Sumiati
Where the codings come from
148 of 166 ghosts have some or all traits coded by folklore synthesis rather than the source matrix; the site marks them ◆.
- Source matrix
- Gaps filled by synthesis
- New entry by synthesis
- Vengeful Female31011
- Nature / Ancestral Spirit332
- Volant Viscerophage383
- Pesugihan / Wealth Demon417
- Therianthrope / Shapeshifter356
- Undead / Revenant1314
- Elemental / Demonic2630
- Hominid Cryptid242
- Volant Cryptid3
Bar length is the clade size; segments show where each ghost's coding comes from.