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A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in Indonesian and Malay folklore.[1][2] It also appears in the various other mythologies of Southeast Asia and is typically invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun, pawang, or bomoh) by means of black magic.[2][3] A common use for the toyol include using it for financial gain, where the creature robs people of their riches,[2] making it similar to the Babi ngepet, a boar demon in Indonesian mythology, and the Hantu Raya, a familiar spirit in Malay folklore. As such, the toyol is popularly known to bring good luck to its host, but mishap to those who are unfortunate to encounter them.[4]

Appearance and Behaviour

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The toyol is traditionally and commonly described as looking no different from a near-naked toddler.[5][6] However, regional differences can account for variation in appearance and characteristics; Pampanga notes the tiyanak to be a brown infant, whereas Palawan says it to be that of an elderly man.[2] Modern depictions often give it a goblin-like appearance with green or grey skin, pointed ears, and clouded eyes.[7]

The toyol's behaviour and personality is typically said to be similar to that of a playful child, where it enjoys sweets, toys, and clothes.[2] Its small size and childish tendencies are said to render it harmless.[8] Although, behavioural characteristics can also differ according to region; for instance, the Indonesian tuyul is noted to be less aggressive than the tiyanak.[2] The toyol is also said to only steal half of a person's valuable belongings.[9]

Interpretation and Symbolism

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The belief in the toyol - and by extension, child supernatural creatures - has links to the common Asiatic belief that every being consists of a soul, including that of babies.[2] The many similarities between Southeast Asian countries have also been remarked to be a sign of the nations' close cultural ties.[2]

Aside from the belief in the supernatural, the toyol serves a range of social functions, including acting as a disciplinary tool, to assist in maintaining social hierarchy, and to ward off perceived outsiders away from the community.[2]

It is not an uncommon occurrence for people to associate those with wealth and success to having used a toyol, and this negative association is extended to even government officials.[10] These stories of corruption and amorality have been theorised to be a method of negating dissonance, where through associating social status with the supernatural, it allows for the people to believe and accept that the matter is beyond their control.[11]

The toyol remains widely used in a variety of ways and through various mediums, including via games, literature, and television. These point to a society and community that continues to hold sustained belief in the existence of toyols and other supernatural entities,[12] where to them, such folklore contributes a part of their lived reality.[2]

Modern Encounters and Usage

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In 2006, a fisherman from Kuala Pahang, Malaysia reported finding a toyol that had been enclosed in a bottle on coastal shores. The toyol was handed over to the local state museum where the director noted its red eyes and black clothing.[13]

The toyol has also been used in theft crimes - though not in the supernatural sense - through the exploitation of people's belief in the creature. In 2009, a 77-year-old woman living in Bukit Bandaraya, Malaysia was tricked into believing that her valuables were being targeted by a toyol through an anonymous phone call. She was advised to hide them following specific instructions but soon found them to be stolen. Her resulting loss amounted to RM700,000.[14]

In 2016, a Malaysian local online newspaper reported a villager having physically encountered a green-skinned toyol after assuming his and other residents' missing money had been the work of a thief.[15]

As recently as 2019, it was reported that residents living in the Mengwi subdistrict of Badung Regency in Bali, Indonesia believed that a toyol was the reason for why one resident had mysteriously lost IDR1.4 million. This was attributed to the discovery of seemingly child-like footprints found on the victim's car. In response to the incident, local police cautioned that the culprit was likely to be intentionally attempting to mislead them.[16]

Similar Entities Beyond Southeast Asia

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Spirits of children are not limited to Southeast Asia. In Japanese folklore, the zashiki-warashi shares some similarity to the toyol where they are believed to bring good fortune to their owners. The zashiki-warashi are also mischievous in nature and enjoy sweets and toys, but they differ from the toyol in numerous ways. Rather than appearing as an infant, the zashiki-warashi are said to look like a young child or adolescent.

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Television

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  • The Malaysian animated television series Upin & Ipin features a toyol in the episode "Kisah 2 Malam."

Literature

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  • The 2010 story Toyol by Nicole Lee is a narrative written from the perspective of a female toyol named Meera who is an originally deceased child that has been brought back to life.[17]
  • The 2012 book Malay Sketches by Singaporean writer Alfian Sa'at has a segment titled "A Toyol Story" that focusses on a father-son pair.[18]

Music

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  • "Toyol" is a song by late Malaysian singer-songwriter Sudirman in his album Perasaan (1979). The lyrics include describing the physical attributes of a toyol.

Video Game

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  • Baby Tuyul (2015) and Greedy Toyol (2017) are mobile games that use the apk file format. Both games involve collecting coins amidst various obstacles.
  • The indie game Pamali: Indonesian Folklore Horror (2018) offers a purchasable downloadable content (DLC) called The Little Devil that centres around a toyol.[19]
  • Nightmare (INCUBO) (2019) is an indie game that features a toyol.[20]
  • Tuyul Gundul (2019) is a mobile game where the player takes on the role of a toyol, stealing money from villagers whose houses have been booby-trapped.[21]
  • Toyol Attack! is an upcoming mobile game that, as of 2020, is being developed by members of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. The game is intended to promote Malaysian heritage and folklore to the younger generation.[22]

Other

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  • Toyol was the name of a Malay humour magazine in the late 1980s.

References

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  1. ^ Cunningham, Clark E.; Aragon, Lorraine V.; Russell, Susan Diana (1999). Structuralism's Transformations: Order and Revision in Indonesian and Malaysian Societies : Papers Written in Honor of Clark E. Cunningham. Arizona State University. p. 310. ISBN 9781881044215.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Laranjo, Ronel; Martinez-Erbite, Kristina; Santos, Zarina Joy (2013). "Intersection of Asian supernatural beings in Asian folk literature: A pan-Asian identity". Proceedings of the Asian Conference on Asian Studies 2013. Osaka, Japan: 20–23. doi:10.22492/2187-4735.20130102 (inactive 31 December 2022).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of December 2022 (link)
  3. ^ Mayberry, Kate (15 Jun 2019). CultureShock! Malaysia. Malaysia: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-9814868020. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  4. ^ Ain Nur Iman Abd Rahman and Zainor Izat Zainal, “HUMAN AND GHOST ATTACHMENT IN HANNA ALKAF’S THE GIRL AND THE GHOST,” Platform: A Journal of Management and Humanities 5, no. 1 (2022): 4.
  5. ^ Laranjo, Ronel; Martinez-Erbite, Kristina; Santos, Zarina Joy (2013). "Intersection of Asian supernatural beings in Asian folk literature: A pan-Asian identity". Proceedings of the Asian Conference on Asian Studies 2013. Osaka, Japan: 20–22. doi:10.22492/2187-4735.20130102 (inactive 31 December 2022).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of December 2022 (link)
  6. ^ Chua, Liana (2012). Southeast Asian Perspectives on Power. Routledge. p. 59. ISBN 9780415683456.
  7. ^ Estep, Richard (25 Jan 2016). The World's Most Haunted Hospitals. Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 978-1632659729. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  8. ^ Cheryl L. Nicholas, Radhica Ganapathy, and Heidi Mau, “Malaysian Cerita Hantu: Intersections of Race, Religiosity, Class, Gender, and Sexuality,” Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 6, no. 3 (2013): 173.
  9. ^ Nicholas, Ganapathy, and Mau, “Malaysian Cerita Hantu,” 173.
  10. ^ Nicholas, Ganapathy, and Mau, “Malaysian Cerita Hantu,” 174.
  11. ^ Nicholas, Ganapathy, and Mau, “Malaysian Cerita Hantu,” 174.
  12. ^ Dahlan Bin Abdul Ghani, “Upin & Ipin: Promoting malaysian culture values through animation,” Historia y Comunicación Social 20, no. 1 (2015): 253.
  13. ^ Mohd Fairuz bin Ali and Ng Perng Jeu, “A Malaysian Folklore Game Design As A Tool Of Culture Preservation and Entertainment: Toyol,” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research 207 (2018): 198.
  14. ^ M. Kumar, “‘Toyol’ scam leaves elderly woman RM700,000 poorer,” The Star, December 22, 2009, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2009/12/22/toyol-scam-leaves-elderly-woman-rm700000-poorer.
  15. ^ Fairuz and Ng, “A Malaysian Folklore Game Design,” 199.
  16. ^ “‘Tuyul’ footprints found at scene of alleged theft, police say thief might be human after all,” Coconuts Bali, December 16, 2019, https://coconuts.co/bali/news/tuyul-footprints-found-at-scene-of-alleged-theft-police-say-thief-might-be-human-after-all/.
  17. ^ Nicole Lee, “Toyol,” World Literature Today 84, no. 5 (September/October 2010): 34-36.
  18. ^ “Malay Sketches,” BookSG, accessed February 24, 2023, https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/detail/0ac756b3-3ce9-4f54-8dc2-bedd36081119.aspx.
  19. ^ “Pamali: Indonesian Folklore Horror,” Indie Games, Steam, accessed February 24, 2023, https://store.steampowered.com/app/854570/Pamali_Indonesian_Folklore_Horror/.
  20. ^ “Nightmare (INCUBO),” Indie Games, Steam, accessed February 24, 2023, https://store.steampowered.com/app/992330/Nightmare_Incubo/.
  21. ^ “Tuyul Gundul,” Google Play, accessed February 24, 2023, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pologames16.tuyul&hl=en_SG&gl=US.
  22. ^ M. F. Bin Ali, N. Perng Jeu and C. H. Teeng, "Enriching Malaysian Cultural and Folklore through Mobile Game Learning Development: Wau & Toyol," 2020 IEEE Graphics and Multimedia (GAME), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, 2020, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/GAME50158.2020.9315081.
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