Pocong

ghost · Indonesia · Southeast Asia

The pocong is a familiar Indonesian ghost: a corpse wrapped in its white burial shroud (kain kafan), tied at the head and feet, that hops because its legs are bound. It appears in graveyards and lonely places, sometimes asking passersby to untie its shroud, said to arise when the burial knots are not loosened. The figure grounds horror films and folk tales in real Islamic burial custom.

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