Kuntilanak, Pontianak and Langsuir
The Kuntilanak, Pontianak and Langsuir are three related but distinct female spirits in South East Asian Folklore, rooted mainly from Malay and Indonesian cultures. These spirits act as a reflection into the anxieties surrounding maternal death, tragedy, and vengeance within the cultures they derive from.
The Kuntilanak is predominantly a spirit from Indonesia, specifically the islands of Java and Kalimantan. A central figure in Indonesian folklore, thought to be the soul of a lady who tragically perished after childbirth. According to certain legends, Kuntilanak are female rape victims who became pregnant and were subsequently brutalized by their rapist. According to other accounts, the Kuntilanak originated from traumatized women who were abused by their attackers and / or spouses until they died during or after childbirth, either as a result of despair over losing their child, domestic violence, or maternal death.
Such folk stories have been analysed especially in regard to gender ideology (Nicholas and Kline 2010). Indeed, Kuntilanak/Pontianak is always female. In some narratives it is said that she is a victim of rape who fell pregnant and was eventually killed by her rapists. Kuntilanak appears here as a traumatized ghost seeking revenge against men.2 She is death hiding in beauty and temptation, which makes the death even more frightening (compare Bubandt 2012:10). Another main narrative is that she found an unhappy death in childbirth. Both narratives indicate that Kuntilanak is a malevolent spirit, since she experienced a ‘bad death’, a concept also known in other parts of Southeast Asia (see, for example, Fox 1973). Indeed, the word anak in Kuntilanak/Pontianak means ‘child’ in Malay. As she is undead, Kuntilanak/Pontianak can be both a gruesome and dangerous vampire, with white clothes and long black hair, but also a woman subjected to the traditional roles of womanhood. She becomes the latter when caught and a spike or a nail is driven into her head or the nape of her neck. In their analyses of Pontianak narratives in Malaysia, Nicholas and Kline (2010:202) pointed out the phallic symbolism behind the spike. When human, Kuntilanak is a beautiful and subordinated woman. However, when the spike or nail is removed she turns into a ghost again. She is then uncontrolled and symbolically depicts the inappropriate aspects of female behaviour. She seduces men and is dangerous to pregnant women; when nearby, one can hear her loud and shrieking laughing, which is also considered inappropriate behaviour for Malay women. Cohen (1996:16) stresses the connection between the dangerous features of monsters, the need to evict these characteristics, and the latent potential of their return: ‘The monster is transgressive, perversely erotic, a lawbreaker; and so the monster and all that it embodies must be exiled or destroyed. The repressed, however, like Freud himself, always seems to return.’ This is true for the monstrous aspect of Kuntilanak as a female ghost that can seduce but is independent (and therefore dangerous) when not controlled by the spike in her head.
My Personal take
References
Stories passed down aren’t necessarily untrue.
Rather they are woven tales or warnings meant as teaching tools. Passing down cultural values, morality, or attempts at explaining phenomena to future generations. Reflecting the individuals who told the tale.
Tales are passed through fragments of a story. These collections are a compilation of an attempt to combine parts in order to present the most comprehensive story. Some descriptors may take minor creative liberties to highlight or emphasize what has already been said.
