September 8, 2024
Posted by in Mythology and Mysteries, Paranormal, Tsem Paranormal TV | 8.15am
My adventures in Sabah are kept alive in Kota Belud – a place where the natives are firm believers of paganism and the practice of dark magic since hundreds of years ago. According to the locals, the remote areas of this town were once infested by a type of spine-chilling creature known as the Balan-balan, and its very presence has lingered on to this very day.
Finding out more about Balan-balans
To better understand the origin of the notorious Balan-balan, I sought help from various individuals who have had first-hand experience on this subject. These insights collectively helped me in mentally preparing myself before I attended a ritual that would result in my very first encounter with a Balan-balan.
Generally, a Balan-balan is believed to be a product of dark magic that is brought to life through a continuous recitation of mantras. Others claim that it is a genetic disease, where the abilities of a Balan-balan are passed down through the generations. This entity sustains its life by feeding on the blood of women who have just given birth, new born babies and corpses, and this in turn gives it power, beauty, and even immortality. There are two distinctive types of Balan-balan – one which possesses the ability to detach its head from its body and fly with hanging entrails; while the other manifests itself in the form of a human being.
Through the interviews conducted, I came to learn that the locals have a mixed reception towards the Balan-balan – some believe that it is a bad omen while others regard it as a blessing as it can offer help in times of need.
Interview with a former Balan-balan
It perplexed me as to why anyone would want to transform themselves into beings that feed on blood and bodies. This prompted me to get to know two women who were once Balan-balans in order to learn more about their experiences and the purpose of their transformation. Both the women I interviewed had very different stories to share.
According to the first woman, her transformation arose through an unexpected encounter with the Balan-balan and this eventually turned her into a living monster at nightfall, where she hunted for dead bodies to feed on. However, the story shared by the other woman gave me a new perspective on the matter. She said her abilities were passed down to her by her family, and she considered it a gift as it gave her the power to help her family when they were in need; she once located her younger brother who went missing for days at sea – even when the rescue team had failed to do so.
After accumulating sufficient knowledge on the subject matter, I made the bold decision to see a Balan-balan for myself. With the help of a shaman, we called for its appearance in the middle of a dark, silent night. The unorthodox process involved chanting and the burning of chicken feathers. According to the shaman, a Balan-balan takes on a few forms – sounds, shadows, animals or like fireflies. During the ritual, my crew and I could clearly hear numerous loud thumps, and despite not being able to see the entity, we definitely felt its eerie presence around us.
Summoning the Balan-balan
Through research, I have come to understand that the Balan-balan has always been believed to have existed throughout Southeast Asia from centuries ago to this very day. The stories surrounding it, however, are constantly evolving according to time and region. The existence of the Balan-balan may be genuine, but getting to know its true form and purpose can be a tricky task which we may never come to fully understand.
Noteworthy Highlights
- A cleansing ritual using lime water, tobacco water and water from a young coconut can be performed to expel the entity from the body.
- A loud laugh indicates that a Balan-balan is far away, while a faint laugh indicates that it is close by.
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After reading this article, I realise that there are many phenoemena we don’t know, so we have to acquire knowledge and methods to protect our self. If we have knowledge we can know more about the world and being around us. I recite Dorje Shugden mantra to protect myself.
I’ve never heard of Balan Balan. Sounds like it’s a shamanistic practice to help a person overcome their problems. This reminds me of how there are practices who use child spirits aka toyols to assist their masters in getting what they want.
Meddling with dark forces is something that we should never take lightly. This is because we are not equipped to protect ourselves when they decide to harm us. It would have been very exciting if you could have captured on video their existence.
Thanks for sharing Likim!
Fortunately I was part of the production team and we were there in Kota Belud for a week to gather more information before the shoot. I remember something very weird happened which our car tyres punctured twice (on different tyre) at the same area. Both times happened when we left the village of the Shaman who can summon the Balan Balan.
Our instinct told us that something wanted to show their presence or tell us that they are there. The shoot went smooth, we witness something but as usual the cameras and devices couldn’t capture. However like what Likim says, the shoot covered some stories that able to let audience understand more on this topic, which for us is very fulfilling.
This article reminds me our exciting explorations in Sabah, the team experienced a lot of creepy moments together and brought back a lot of precious footages. May all these efforts educate more people on the paranormal zones.
Thank you.
This reminds me of the stories we hear as a child in the backwater of the northern states of Malaysia. We tend to stay home and not have any laundry hanging out after dark. The story goes that if we leave them out and if the entity’s entrails brushes against it and leaves even a speck of blood, it will follow the owner of the clothes.
The difference, is that the entity that we heard about could be seen as 2 green orbs, which were supposed to be the light from the eyes, flying through the dark night. Well, I wouldn’t wish to see any green flying orbs at night, thank you.
But, the moral of the story is that there are similar stories being told but we were not familiar with the whole story. The fear is actually that we were not familiar. As, we were scared of an owl that was kept by one of our neighbours back then. The fact that the owl was active at night and could, well, seem to rotate its head was creepy due to our ignorance.
That was very brave of the paranormal team to actively look into the matter. But, as Li Kim said, she did her research and educated herself. so that she knew what she was getting into. That was interesting and brought back memories. Thank you.
Am not familiar with local entities or black magic. I only know one thing, they always cause harm instead of good. The scary part is where the Balan Balan feed on blood of women who have just given birth but I am sure there are ways to prevent them.
Kudos to the paranormal crew for always braving whatever that goes their way, no matter scary or not.But I am sure during some of the shoots, there are personal experiences. Perhaps at the end of each episode, you can put some short interviews from the crew members (if any). That would be interesting.
Cant wait to see the new season of Paranormal! Keep up the great work in bringing more exciting information to us!
Li Kim! That’s all? Please tell us more about Balan Balan! =D
Wow, the Balan-balan is scary. I am amazed by Li Kim and film crew’s courage to go through the summoning ritual. I read about the Balan-balan in a paranormal story set in Philippines when I was in my early teens. Exact same description except that the head of the Balan-balan can only fly as far as the intestine can stretch and the head don’t venture far as they fear the destruction of their bodies. It is interesting that it can also be hereditary and that Li Kim actually spoke to two ladies who were once Balan-balan. I wonder how did the one who inherited this disease stopped becoming one. In this world there are still so many undiscovered or documented mysteries and this blog really shares such fascinating stories, increasing our knowledge in the strange and beyond.
This is my first time learning about the name Balan-balan, though it bears some similarity to other dark creatures from this part of the world, like Penanggalan. It is rather disturbing to note that Balan-Balan actually consume blood of women who have just given birth, new born babies and corpses. In my mind, any creatures who feed on blood of a living being to gain abulity and strength is vile in nature.
Yet, in the case of the Balan-Balan, there is another side of the story, which is the passing down of ability genetically. This is far more interesting than the blood thirsty dark creature. I wonder how they control the ability to ensure it is only within the bloodline. Thank you, Li Kim, for this article.
@LiKim, this is indeed very creepy at the same time interesting. When can we watch the video or at least hear the sound that you all heard?
Another interesting mention in the article is the practice of paganism still exist in this part of the world. I have always thought that paganism only exist in Europe or America, and didn’t expect it to be in our “backyard” Sabah. 🙂 But having said that, there are always a lot of mystical events in Sabah and Sarawak.
In some parts of Malaysia, the Balan-balan is known as Penanggalan or Polong. It feeds on the blood of a woman during delivery. I read that during the days where home births were common, the midwife or family of the pregnant lady will place sharp thorny plants under their houses to prevent the penanggalan from visiting. It is believed that the sharp throny plants will trap the penanggalan’s entrails either killing it or trapped for the bomoh to subdue it.
Would love to watch this episode. Thank you for sharing this, Li Kim.
I wonder what is the criterion that one is considered a balan-balan, but to these are the stuff of nightmares are made of.
I think the black magic allows a person to appear in such a form to partake in the blood of others.
Li Kim and crew are really brave and compassionate too, to venture into many strange and sometimes eerie places to bring us many interesting stories. The paranormal sparks interest in many people but not many will dare to encounter such beings intentionally. It’s the fear of the unknown and fear of being harmed. Horror movies perpetuate the fear!
May Li Kim and crew always be protected by the Three Jewels and may those unfortunate beings they encounter during the course of their work have the opportunity to be blessed.
The first time I ever heard of a Balan- Balan (or Penanggalan or Hantu Penanggal as it is also known in Peninsular Malaysia) was when my Sabahan classmate told us about her relative’s close encounter with one. Hearing that tale, I remembered it as akin to a cross between a female vampire and banshee that appears at birth instead of death. That is because such creatures are said to feed off human blood and has a strong preference for the blood of a newborn infant, the blood of woman who recently gave birth or the placenta.
Another interesting point that comes to mind was the classification of Balan-Balan or Hantu Penanggal. According to the bomoh who was roped in to help my friend’s relative, such creature cannot be readily classified as a classical “undead being” since the “invocation” or “possession” is kind of temporary and done by way of active use of black magic or supernatural means. It was also revealed that scattering thorny Mengkuang leaves and looping them around the windows of the house can help protect against such creatures as it would either trap or injure the exposed lungs, stomach and intestines of the Penanggal as it flies in search of its prey. Prickly fruits and leaves like pineapple or aloe vera would also do the trick. For added protection, pregnant women are advised to have scissors or betel nut cutters within reach or under the pillow as apparently, such creatures are deathly afraid of such items.
Whilst it is good to know of options to defend oneself against such creatures, personally, I am very grateful to be under the care of my protector, Dorje Shugden and regardless can rest easier under His protection.
There are a lot of belief systems out in the world that are difficult to comprehend and also as to whether they are real or not. However, personally I would not like to encounter all these forms of existence.
What is interesting in the Balan Balan research by LiKim is that they exist as normal beings and transform when the night falls and then they seek blood from women who just gave birth, newborns or corpses. My question is are the Balan Balan spirits who possess these human beings and then act out their desires and then leave the beings to be their normal self again.
During filming, although Likim and her crew felt the presence of Balan Balan yet there was no visible form. So can it be concluded that Balan Balan are spirits who posses the human form and then leave. Or are the human beings, in this instances, the 2 ladies mentioned are both a balan balan and a normal being.
There is so much that cannot be answered and I am happy that under any circumstances I have my protector, Dorje Shugden who will protect me as He did for Likim and her crew.
Sound interesting……have not heard of it before. Kota Belud – a place where the natives are of many different tribes and they do practice of dark magic since many years ago.,The story of Balan-Balan began to fade, as the original inhabitants of the village has passed away. Many mysteries that play on their minds, for fear of being attacked Balan-Balan.Recording to some its seem that Balan balan able to separate the head from the body and they are able to fly alongside the spilled intestines. Stories like a woman to help her maintain her beauty, kill enemies, There is also believed to suck blood from woman after childbirth .Some said that its a hereditary disease,So whatever it is no body know the exact.
Balan-balan has always been believed to have existed ,centuries ago to this very day. but the true is no body dared say they did see it before.
Thank you Phng Li Kim for sharing this interesting article. Li Kim you did a good research on it .
Wow! This is really my first time hearing about this Balan-balan. It is interesting to know that there are such thing that exist. Whether it harms or assist a person a another different story altogether. I guess it is better to believe in the right and correct path that can really helps us long term rather than going for the fast and short term solution. which may harm ourselves.