The Birth of the Kuyang: A Dark Legend from Borneo, Indonesia

Long ago, in the thick jungles of Borneo, there lived a midwife named Nyi Bidara. Known for her beauty and healing skills, many sought her help—but few knew her deepest secret: she was obsessed with eternal youth.

Desperate to stop time, Nyi Bidara turned to forbidden magic. She wandered into the darkest parts of the forest, where the spirits of the dead whispered ancient chants. There, she offered her own soul in exchange for youth and power. The forest answered her.

But the magic came at a terrible price.

Each night, Nyi Bidara's body would separate from her head. Her skin peeled away, revealing a floating skull trailing her organs, blood dripping onto the earth below. She became a Kuyang—a creature of the night that feeds on the blood of pregnant women and newborns.

To hide her curse, Nyi Bidara cloaked herself as a healer by day. But at night, villagers heard her: the sound of slithering entrails, the moan of a hungry spirit, the eerie flutter of something flying just outside the window.

Over time, her legend spread. Mothers hung garlic and mirrors. Husbands stayed awake with machetes. But none could stop her.

And when Nyi Bidara finally vanished, her curse lived on—passed through dark rituals and whispered incantations to women who sought the same forbidden youth.

Thus was born the Kuyang, not just a creature... but a warning.

Never trust the beauty that walks in the daylight,

for her head may fly in the darkness.