Hihi are large, ape-like yokai with lips so massive that they can completely cover their eyes when they laugh. Their name, hihi, comes from the sound they make while laughing. For reasons unknown, hihi find humans amusing and burst into laughter—“hihihi”—whenever they encounter one. These yokai dwell in forests and mountains, preying primarily on large forest animals. However, if given the opportunity, they will not hesitate to hunt and devour humans.

In Myanmar folklore, stories of helpful spirits are not uncommon. However, there is no distinct classification of spirits that are exclusively friendly. Much like humans, some entities have kind dispositions, while others can be malicious. Certain beings, because of their inherently menacing nature, are expected to be hostile to humans. For instance, man-eating belu fall into this category, but as described in Chapter 31 of Ghosts, Spirits and Paranormal Entities from Asian F

A height-changing ghost can grow its height by feeding on people’s fear. Upon encountering its victim, it typically appears as a tall, shadowy figure. As the victim becomes more frightened, the ghost increases in height, towering higher and higher. This effect is further amplified if the victim continues looking up at it, creating a vicious cycle where the ghost reaches the size of a mountain or until the victim flees in terror or faints.  According to the folklore, one way t

Hantu Raya are familiar ghosts bound to black magic practitioners. Since the term “hantu raya” translates to great ghost, this has led to the common misconception that they are the rulers of all ghosts. But the term is used for spirit servants that work for necromancers and black magic practitioners.  Some sources also claim that hantu raya are the Malay counterparts of genderuwo from Indonesian folklore (described in Chapter 75 of Ghosts, Spirits and Paranormal Entities from

In Malay folklore, hantu air are spirits that inhabit bodies of water, ranging from small puddles to vast seas. They are also said to dwell in man-made drains and ditches. As shapeshifters, hantu air can take on various forms, such as drifting logs, alluring women bathing in the streams, or even water-dwelling creatures like fish and frogs. Some accounts also describe them as bloated men covered in fish scales.

Hanako-san is a Japanese urban legend about the ghost of a young elementary school girl who died in a school toilet and now haunts the place as a vengeful spirit. There are different versions of how Hanako-san died. In one, she was a young girl from the World War II era who was playing hide-and-seek in a school toilet when an air raid struck. In another version, she was murdered by her own parents or a stranger in the toilet. Yet another story suggests she took her own life a

Hairy ghosts, as their name suggests, are entirely covered in coarse black bristles. These massive spirits, classified as deformed ghosts in Myanmar folklore, have two large, shiny eyes—sometimes as big as a frying pan. Their presence is said to be accompanied by a pungent, rotten smell. While one might assume that hairy ghosts are simply misidentified apes in the forests, their sightings are not limited to the wilderness. Anecdotes about encounters with hairy ghosts are also

Gurumapa is a mythical child-eating ogre from a popular folktale of the Newar people. To this day, Newars are said to prepare an annual...

Gui da qiang is a supernatural phenomenon in which people are trapped in a place by a malicious entity. Victims often find themselves...

Ghosts with attachment encompass most spirits from Myanmar folklore. These spirits are tormented by their strong attachment to something...

Genderuwo are muscular, ape-like spirits from Javanese mythology. Allegedly spotted in the forests and mountains of Java Island, their...

Gayal are vampiric creatures that crave human flesh and blood. Like their Western counterparts, they sleep in their graves during the day...

Gaung pyat tha yae are headless ghosts, depicted as either floating heads or headless bodies. Their sightings are common in areas...

Gashadokuro are giant skeletal yokai towering at a height of about 90 feet tall. They are made of the collected bones of people who died...

Galone trace their origins to garuda in Indian mythology—divine sun birds that serve as the mounts of the Hindu god Vishnu. They also...

Gaki are the Japanese counterpart of e gui. They are ghosts of individuals who committed grave sins linked to greed and extreme...

Futakuchi Onna, or two-mouthed woman, appears to be an ordinary woman except that she has a second mouth hidden beneath her hair at the...

In Myanmar folklore, familiar ghosts are spirits summoned and bound to a practitioner through black magic rituals. These spirits are...

In Bengali folklore, Ekanore is a one-legged ghost that dwells among the palm trees. Often featured in children’s stories, this phantom...

E Gui are the tormented ghosts of people who were exceptionally greedy and miserly in life. Despite having the means to help others, they...