U Symphut (Pnar) and U Suid Tynjang (Khasi) is an apparition/ ghost who captures an individual, carries him to places far and wide leaving him at the top of a cliff, or a tree, by the side of a river or a stream and even to a completely new and foreign land.
Daohi Manar says:
"I am not sure whether 'Symphut' is a ghost or an animal, but one thing I am sure about is that 'Symphut' never harms or injures its victims. During our childhood, incidents of someone being carried by the 'Symphut' occurred quite frequently with men usually being the victims! According to Khasi-Jaiñtia myth, 'Symphut' is a phantom or a ghost who snatches or captures an individual and carries him to places. The person who is in a daze is unaware of what is happening to him. He will come back to his senses only when an apparition wills it and departs or at times when the man is confronted or touched by another person. He then wakes up from this trance, not feeling hungry or in pain or even loses his sense of fear, realising his plight while still clueless of what happened to him and how he reached there. 'Symphut' supposedly never harms his victims and thus there is no tragic end to the story."
What is said about "U Symphut" or "U Suid Tynjang" is that it is an imp who lives in a deep forest. His appearance is horrifying as his body is covered in sores. Thus, his skin is marked by scabs which torment him with an undying itch. This itch can be relieved by the scratching of a human hand. "Symphut" lures his victims by imitating the human call "Kaw hoit" for those travellers who are lost and exhausted. In this way he captures them and if they do not comply, they are tickled to death or left on the edge of a gorge or in a tree to die.
"U Symphut" (Pnar) or "U Suid Tynjang" (Khasi) sent by Daohi Manar @xdtnoahjupejackllthmanar 👻👻👻 Thank you for this entry! 😅😅
Picture and reference: Around the Hearth: Khasi Legends (Folktales of India) (2007) by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih.
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