Leyak: The Sorceress of Bali
The Dark Magic of Bali
The Leyak is not a monster in the biological sense. It is a human who has mastered dark magic (Pengiwa or "Left-Hand Path"). Usually a woman (often an ordinary grandmother by day), the Leyak seeks spiritual power through forbidden means. At night, she enters a trance. Her head detaches from her body. Unlike the Penanaggalan, the Leyak is often accompanied by three distinct colored lights (red, yellow, green) that bob through the palm trees. She flies to graveyards or homes to feed.
The Hierarchy of Forms
The flying head is just one manifestation. A powerful Leyak is a shapeshifter. They can transform into:
- Animals: Monkeys, pigs, or strange goats.
- Objects: Spinning balls of fire or motorcycles that drive without riders.
- Rangda: The most powerful adepts can channel the form of Rangda, the Demon Queen herself.
The Prey
The Leyak feeds on vital essence.
- Newborns: They hover over homes where a birth has just occurred, seeking to suck the blood of the infant or eat the placenta.
- Corpses: They dig up fresh graves to consume the dead, using the parts for magical rituals.
Protection
Balinese Hinduism offers defenses against the Leyak.
- Crabs: Leyaks are compelled to count things. Hanging a crab shell over the door confuses them (they get stuck counting the legs).
- Mirrors: Reflection deflects their magic.
- Silence: The Balinese rarely speak the names of suspected Leyaks out loud. To name them is to invite their attention.
The Final Warning
The lights over Ubud are not satellites, and they are not drones. If you see fireballs dancing against the wind above the rice paddies, do not marvel at them. The lights over Ubud are not satellites, and they are not drones. If you see fireballs dancing against the wind above the rice paddies, do not marvel at them. The grandmother has detached her head, and she is hunting for the scent of new life. If you are pregnant, lock the windows and hide, for the grandmother is hungry.
