Indonesia is a rich country when it comes to culture. In this tropical country, various differences can be found in our cultures, yet those differences only make us stronger. This is one aspect that we Indonesians are proud of: "Unity in diversity." 

The cultural differences include Indonesia's mythological creatures. Indonesia with its traditional culture is bound together when it comes to local beliefs. From Sabang to Merauke, you can find that each area has various beliefs about the mythical creatures. There are still many creatures that are believed to exist until now. Here they are.

Leak

One of the first Indonesian mythical creatures is Leak. Famous in Bali, Leak is a bad creatures from the other world whom humans want to cooperate to get rich. It is believed that Leak becomes ordinary human during the daytime, and it turns back into Leak every night. This mystical creature forms the human head without a body but with entrails like the heart, lung, and liver. 

The people of Bali believed that Leak comes nightly to suck on the blood of children and pregnant women. In order to increase wealth, Leak needs their blood. This creature is similar to New Borneo's "Kuyang." Shall a person wants to kill a Leak, they must stab the Leak from the bottom of the intestines and separate it from the head. Only then, Leak could die. 

Ahool

Another Indonesian mystical creature that you might not hear of before is Ahool. It takes the form of a large bat that has a wingspan of 3 meters, which is twice the normal size of the largest bat found in history. They have giant wings, long snouts, and a thin crest. While the females live in groups, the male ones live alone. 

Like many other cryptics, there is no physical evidence of this creature. However, a number of people claim that they have seen this creature grow throughout the country. Ahool is said to live in the deep forest of Java Island, Indonesia. 

Banaspati

Another creature from Java Island is Banaspati. This particular creature takes two forms- ordinary fire or fire-human. Banaspati is believed to be dangerous as it lurks each midnight to find someone to hurt. The first form might not look that scary, but wait until it comes to the size of a human. 

Legend has it that this creature can feed off the fear energy from humans upon encounter. It could make the fire bigger and as a result, it will turn more dangerous. Another form of Banaspati is the fire-human. It is another manifestation of human black magic. They are said to be walking upside down- hands under to walk and feet above.