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SciFi & Fantasy Art / Gallery 265 of 1003 / Jonathan Franz / Picture 39 of 47 / Penanggalan

"Penanggalan" by Jonathan Franz

SciFi/Fantasy Picture 39 out of 47 by Jonathan Franz. ←Previous - Next→

Item censored due to its Parental Rating level (#3 of 4), as set by the artist...

SciFi and Fantasy Art Penanggalan by Jonathan Franz

The penanggalan (pronounced 'pen-a-nang-gal-lan') is a bizarre sort of vampire which comes not from my own imagination, but from malaysian folklore. Always female, the penanggalan consists of a disembodied, floating head with a full set of body organs trailing beneath it. Its name literally means 'head with dancing intestines' and it feeds primarily on the blood of infants and pregnant women. It can squeeze through small openings like a slug, manipulate its intestines like the arms of an octopus, and makes its presence known with an eerie, high-pitched whine. Some penanggala keep their original bodies lying around and can re-enter them by day, but must soak their organs in vinegar before they can fit them back inside.

In some legends, the penanggalan drips a powerful acidic venom. Sometimes, a fast-growing thorny black weed springs up wherever this venom falls.

Date	Name	Comment
13 Sep 2002	Clayton Tait	Loading... I love it. How deliciously decrepid.
18 Sep 2002	Aaron A. Allen	Loading... Is she single? Jonathan Franz replies: "...She enjoys long walks under the full moon, dancing, and trips to the maternity ward."
26 Oct 2002	Aaron Weaver	Loading... Looks great. Like the details.
5 Nov 2002	Ari	Loading... I think this is cool. Wonder if I would look like this if I crapped my organs out... Good Job!
20 Nov 2002	FOSKOrider@aol.com <FOSKOrider@aol...com>	Loading... I saw that the other day she was buying grapes at wal mart
20 Nov 2002	The magnificent* jen*	Loading... She's my idol.
14 Jul 2003	Bill Adcock	Loading... As a hobby I buy and paint metal miniatures, fantasy, scifi, historical, whatever. I found a company that has a pair of Penanggalan miniatures. Pretty cool, eh? And imagine the fun one can have painting all those guts...I may need to buy another bottle of purplish red...
1 Nov 2003	Uzumaki uzumaki@lyc...de>	Loading... Great article and drawing. If you want to see the penanggalan in action, I advise you to check out MYSTICS IN BALI, THE WITCH WITH FLYING HEAD and the two 'Sundelbolong' movies SUNDELBOLONG and TELAGA ANGKER (it makes an appearance at the end of each movie, although it looks, ahem, a bit unfamiliar...) Let me tell you this: seeing the head separating from the body and flying through the air with the organs and intestines dangling below is a sight you won't forget... Jonathan Franz replies: "Oh yes, I need to track all of those down."