Urban Legends

Kuntilanak

Origin: Indonesia 

The Kuntilanak is a female ghost from Indonesian folklore. She is usually described as a woman with pale skin and long, black hair covering her face, dressed in a long white gown. They say that instead of eyes, she had vacant black holes in her eyes. The Kuntilanak also has a hole in the back of the neck.

The Kuntilanak is the ghost of a pregnant woman who died before her child was born. According to the legend, she stalks women, especially pregnant women, and tries to steal their babies. She makes sounds like a baby crying. If the crying is near, it means she is far away. If the cry is far away, it means she is near. She usually lurks in tall trees, old buildings, and by the edge of a river or lake. Some Indonesian people believe that the sight of a Kuntilanak can drive you insane.

According to one story, a young Indonesian woman was returning to her college campus late at night. It was dark, and there were only a few cars on the street, the min-bus suddenly stopped. The girl looked out of the window, thinking that another passenger must be getting on. She looked in the front seat and saw that the driver was gone. He had run away. Outside the door of the mini-bus, stood a woman in a white dress with an extremely pale face, and long, black hair. The woman was staring directly at her.

She was trapped inside the mini-bus and could not escape. The next morning, people found her still inside the mini-bus, cowering on the floor with a terrified look on her face. She was sent to a psychiatric ward and never recovered from the experience.

They say that the Kuntilanak is afraid of sharp objects and will not attack a woman if she is carrying either a nail, a knife, or scissors in her handbag. She can be killed by driving a nail into the hole in the back of her neck.