Toyol is a vampire demon in the legends of Malaysia. This demonic being was particularly created by a witch using her dark magic in order to use it as her familiar. For it to work, the witch needed the body of a dead small fetus. The witched would then perform a ritual that invokes the spirit of a child into the fetus causing it to reanimate.
It was traditionally depicted as a naked or a half naked infant with green (sometimes grayish) skin and pointed ears. It also has fangs that it used in attacking its prey. Generally, the toyol is used by the witch to do her biddings like stealing things and causing mischief. In the case of stealing, it is known to only steal the half of what is present.
The toyol, though a witch familiar, still possess the thinking of a kid. You can protect yourself from the attack of a toyol by scattering beans on your doorways or leaving toys or sweet on the openings of the house for them to play. This will distract the toyol and spent most of their time playing rather than attacking the residents of the house.
It is believed that an owner of the toyol is destined to become rich. But it comes with a great price. In order to achieve the wealth that was promised by the toyol, the health or sometimes the life of loved ones must be exchanged.
In recent times, the spirit of the child has developed into a demonic being. The witch is believed to summon a demonic entity that possesses the dead fetus. It is usually kept in a jar called “tempayan” since it is known to be mischievous once released. The tempayan is being kept inside the house of the witch and the witch set it free only when the time that she needs it.
