Sundel bolong

SpiritIndonesia · Southeast AsiaLegendFear 7/10

Description

A spirit from the folklore of Indonesia. In Indonesian mythology, a sundel bolong is a mythical ghost from the archipelago which is a woman…

Origin & Background

The name 'sundel bolong' is derived from the appearance of the ghost. 'Sundel' means 'prostitute' or 'whore', and 'bolong' means 'hole' in Javanese. Modern folklorists believe that this legend originated from Javanese culture during the Dutch East Indies colonial period and was created to suppress prostitution.

The Legend

In folklore, sundel bolong is primarily referred to as the ghost of a prostitute and is considered the spirit of a woman who died during pregnancy outside of marriage. She is often depicted as giving birth from her grave or dying during childbirth, with the baby emerging from a hole in her back. This results in a large hole in her back, which she hides with her long black hair. The victims of sundel bolong are mainly men and children, and as a vengeful spirit, it is said that if a man rejects her, she castrates him. Additionally, she is said to abduct children, particularly infants, to replace her lost child.

In Popular Culture

Sundel bolong has appeared in several films. In 1981, the adult horror film 'Sundelbolong' was released, followed by 'Legenda Sundel Bolong' in 2007, and a remake titled 'Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur' in 2018. Additionally, in Marvel Anime: Blade, sundel bolong is depicted as a subspecies of Asian vampire, and she also appears in the horror game 'DreadOut' developed by Digital Happiness.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Sundel bolong" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia