Phii Tai Tang Klom

ORIGIN:

Thailand

CLASSIFICATION:

Ghost

Phii Tai Tang Klom are ghosts of women who died during pregnancy or childbirth. In traditional Thai ghost-lore, as elsewhere, they are considered the most ferocious, wrathful, angry, dangerous ghosts. The scariest and fiercest of these ghosts are women and babies who died together in childbirth, the child never emerging from its mother. The two souls combine to create the most formidable ghost of all. Their power isn’t just doubled: it’s squared. (And a woman with multiple births is exponentially even more powerful.)

The corpse of a woman who died in childbirth must be treated with extra care and respect. Rituals may mitigate her anger and prevent transformation. She must also be guarded because her corpse has traditionally been valuable to Thai sorcerers who seek to melt her chin fat in order to create Magic Oil, an ingredient in potent love spells. The targets of these spells find themselves compulsively and irresistibly attracted to someone whether or not they wish to be. (Magical tattoos antidote these spells.)

SEE ALSO:

• Ghost Miscellaneous
• Ghosts
• Golden Boy
• Mae Nak

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – Written by : Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.