In the folklore of Bali, the Leyak (in
Indonesian, people called it 'Leak' (le-ak)—the
Y is not written or spoken) is a
mythological figure in the form of flying
head with entrails (heart, lung, liver, etc)
still attached. Leyak is said to fly trying
to find a pregnant woman in order to suck
her baby's blood or a newborn child. There
are three legendary Leyak, two females and
one male.
Leyaks are humans who are practicing black
magic and have cannibalistic behavior. Their
mistress is 'the queen of Leyak', a
widow-witch named Rangda, who plays a
prominent role in public rituals. Her mask
is kept in the village death temple and
during her temple festivals, she is paraded.
Besides leyaks, demons are said to be the
followers of Rangda.
Leyak are said to haunt graveyards, feed on
corpses, have power to change themselves
into animals, such as pigs, and fly. In
normal Leyak form, they are said to have an
unusually long tongue and large fangs. In
daylight they appear as an ordinary human,
but at night their head and entrails break
loose from their body and fly. Leyak statues
(a head with a very long tongue and sharp
fangs) are sometimes hung on a wall for
house decoration.
In real life, Balinese people sometimes
attribute certain illness or deaths to
leyaks. A balian (Balinese traditional
healer) will conduct a séance to identify
with witchcraft who is responsible for the
death. During the séance, the spirit of the
dead will directly or indirectly point to
his/her attacker. However, vengeance by the
victim's relatives or family is usually
counseled against, and people are advised to
leave any action to the spirits themselves.
Hence, the suspicions and fears of the
family and relatives are confirmed, but
revenge upon the witch is discouraged by the
healers.
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In the folklore of Bali, the Leyak (in
Indonesian, people called it 'Leak' (le-ak)—the
Y is not written or spoken) is a
mythological figure in the form of flying
head with entrails (heart, lung, liver, etc)
still attached. Leyak is said to fly trying
to find a pregnant woman in order to suck
her baby's blood or a newborn child. There
are three legendary Leyak, two females and
one male.