The Krasue
Thai folklore tells of a woman whose head leaves her body at night and floats, glowing, over the fields.
What was reported
The krasue is a spirit of Thai, Cambodian and Lao folklore: a woman who, at night, leaves her body behind and floats about as a glowing head, with her insides trailing below. By day she seems an ordinary person.
She's said to hunt for blood and raw meat, and villagers protected their animals and expectant mothers with thorny branches, which her trailing body could catch on.
Explanations offered
The legend is shared across mainland Southeast Asia, with relatives such as the Malay penanggalan. Some suggest the glowing head grew from sightings of will-o'-the-wisp lights over fields and marshes. The krasue is a staple of Thai cinema.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Isan, north-eastern Thailand
- Witnesses
- Thai, Cambodian and Lao tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.