Babi Ngepet

Introduction

Babi ngepet is believed to be the product of a person who practices pesugihan babi black magic. This type of magic involves a person surrendering their humanity in exchange for becoming rich instantly. The person is then transformed into a boar or allowing themselves to be possessed by a demon win the shape of a boar. It has similarities with the Western concept of a werewolf.

Physical Traits

Babi Ngepet looks like a wild boar, but it is much larger than a regular boar. When viewed through the camera, it has a muddy complexion and bloody mouth along with a human face.

Powers and Abilities

Some myths suggest that before a man turns into a creature, he is placed inside black robes. Babi Ngepet then attacks the village and steals its valuables by rubbing its body against the wall, door, cupboard, furniture or vaults. Once the man returns home, the black robes will be full of money and jewellery.

The person who practices black magic needs someone else to help them. Babi Ngepet’s assistant is usually tasked with guarding a lit candle from the outside world. If the flame is starting to fade, this is a sign that the magic practitioner is in danger.

People who practice the art of black music will light a candle and float it on a water trough. They will then rob the village while the lit candle is floating on the water. If the candle’s flame gets too dim, or fades, then Babi Ngepet is in danger. Since this belief is believed in the villages, they kill any animal that approaches them at night.

Modern Day Influence

The skeptical view is that it was a way to explain the mysterious disappearance of fortune. It could have been a way to control wild boars that were destroying the rice fields. The association of the boar with magic concerning fortune probably originated from Javanese pre-Islamic and pre-Hindu-Buddhist beliefs that associate the boar with domestic richness, fortune and prosperity, similar to its connections with Celengan, which means piggy bank in Javanese. The word Celengan is derived from word Celeng which means boar.