Kong Koi
GroupingLegendary creature
Sub groupingVampire
Similar entitiesJiangshi
Patasola
Shanxiao
Gollum
FolkloreThai folk mythology & Lao folk mythology
Other name(s)Phi Kong Koi
CountryThailand, Laos
RegionSoutheast Asia
HabitatDeep jungle in northeast of Thailand & west of Laos

Kong koi or Phi Kong Koi (Thai: ผีกองกอย) is a Lao and Thai jungle ghost. Their appearance is not easily characterized, but often described as a phantom with one leg. They move by hopping with one leg and shout, "Koi, koi, koi". Some people believe it has a fly-like tube mouth.[1] Others describe it as looking like monkey or langur. Most agree this ghost is ugly and cannot climb trees,[2] which is unusual in nature. It is believed that the Phi Kong Koi will suck blood from the toes of the sleeping traveler in the jungle; travelers should keep the feet together or cross their feet when sleeping to protect themselves.

The name Phi Kong Koi [3] has several sources. Phi means ghost in the Thai language; some people use the term Phi Pong (ผีโป่ง) or Phi Pong Kang (ผีโป่งค่าง; 'mineral lick ghost') and Phi Teen Diao (ผีตีนเดียว; 'one-footed ghost').[4] The word koi or koy (กอย), as defined by the Royal Institute Dictionary means, "An ethnic group having black skin, curly hair in the Malay Peninsula, also known as Sakai."[5] Sakai, here, most likely refers to, either, the more generally used (at least in Malaysia) Orang Asli, or the Semang.[lower-alpha 1] Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo (former abbot of Wat Doi Mae Pang, Chiang Mai province) said that when he traveled in the jungle in Khammouane, Laos, with Luang Pu Tue Ajala Thamฺmo, they fought with many Phi Kong Koi at night. He described the Phi Kong Koi as being shaped like children of about 13–14 years old. They were thin with a bulging belly, dark brown skin, dark hair, and a chubby nose. They were armed with a small crossbows or arrows and shouted "Koi". Luang Pu Waen and fellow travelers were meditating, which protected them from the Phi Kong Koi. At dawn, the Phi Kong Koi surrendered and invited both of them to their home.

Some have suggested, based on this story, that the Phi Kong Koi are really the Kha Ra Dae (ข่าระแด) an ethnic group. This indicates that in the above story, they were hunting and possibly killing intruding humans and taking the meat to eat.[8]

In the faith of Tai Dam people in Nong Sung district, Mukdahan province, they believe that Phi Kong Koi is a long-haired, very small (childlike) woman with a backwards foot. They speak the opposite of reality.[9]

In September 2016, strange footprint were found at a cave in the forest in Loei province. Believed to be the footprints of Phi Kong Koi, the director of a local cultural agency said Phi Kong Koi are real and that they are ethnic group whose has not been seen for a long time.[10]

Similar creatures

  • Jiangshi: Chinese hopping vampire
  • Madam Koi Koi: African demon walking with hopping with one heel
  • Patasola: one legged female vampire in jungle of South America
  • Shanxiao: Chinese mountain one legged hairy creature
  • Nasnas: In Arabian folklore it is a one legged type of Jinn, said to be the offsprings of Shiqq and Humans.

Notes

  1. ↑ Sakai, in this case, likely a use of the former sense of the term, meaning any of the heterogenous aboriginal peoples of Malaysia.[6] Alternatively, it may be the ethnic-minority group, the Semang (formerly also conflated under the Sakai term in Malaysia), some of whom live in areas of Yala Province in southern Thailand, while the majority live in Malaysia.[7] Sakai are a Malay people, but a separate group, quite distinct from earlier uses of the term.

References

  1. ↑ นวรัตน์, คุณนิติ (24 May 2013). "เรื่องผีของไทย (3)". Thairath (in Thai).
  2. ↑ "โป่งค่าง". gun.in.th (in Thai).
  3. ↑ "พิสูจน์แล้ว! โลกโซเชียลฮือฮา สัตว์ประหลาด-ผีกองกอย แค่หมีป่วยในมาเลย์". Thairath (in Thai). 20 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "เปิดตำนาน ดงพญาไฟ-ผีตีนเดียว! ร.๕ เสด็จจึงกลายเป็นดงพญาเย็น สร้างรถไฟไปโคราชได้สำเร็จ!!". ASTV Manager (in Thai). 10 August 2018.
  5. ↑ กอย คืออะไร แปลภาษา แปลว่า หมายถึง [goi (or koi) meaning]. dictionary.sanook.com. ราชบัณฑิตยสถานพจนานุกรมไทย-ไทย [Thai dictionary Royal Academy]. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ Colin Nicholas (27 January 1994). "'Orang Asli' is an English term". Center for Orang Asli Concerns. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Endicott, Kirk. "Semang". Encyclopedia of World Cultures. CENGAGE. Retrieved 22 November 2021 – via Encyclopedia.com.
  8. ↑ "ขนพองสยองเกล้า!! ... อสุรกายในป่าดิบเขตลาวที่พยายามทำร้ายหลวงปู่แหวนก็คือ "ผีกองกอย"!!". T-news (in Thai). 1 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "ผีกองกอยเดอะซีรีย์ : เรื่องเล่าหลายตอนจบของชาวไทดำ". langrevival.mahidol (in Thai).
  10. ↑ ""ผอ.วัฒนธรรม ยัน!รอยเท้าผีกองกอย จ.เลย เป็นเรื่องเข้าใจผิด!"". Nation TV (in Thai). 26 September 2016.
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