Pontianak
Country of Origin: Malaysia/Indonesia
Being Type: Ghost (Vampiric Woman)
Being Type: Ghost (Vampiric Woman)
Power Stats
Aggression
9/10
Magic Abilities
8/10
Physical Power
6/10
Origin Backstory
The Pontianak is the vengeful spirit of a woman who died in childbirth, appearing as a beautiful long-haired woman to lure men before revealing tree-nail holes and feeding on entrails. Southeast Asian folklore uses her to explain maternal mortality horrors.
Key Features
- •Long black hair covering face
- •White dress
- •Nail in neck hole to repel
- •Screeching laugh
- •Preys on men
Lore
Pontianak is the most feared ghost in Malaysian and Indonesian folklore, the restless spirit of a woman who died during childbirth or while pregnant, transforming into a beautiful long-haired woman in white to lure men with her seductive appearance and sweet scent. Once close, she reveals her true nature—tree-nail holes in her neck—and attacks, feeding on entrails or blood with a piercing screech. A nail driven into her neck hole can repel or kill her, turning her back into a log. She symbolizes the horrors of maternal mortality, dangerous beauty, and unresolved grief, often haunting banana trees or graveyards and serving as a warning to men against infidelity or lust in traditional tales.