It has its intestines as her entrails ( my mum used to tell a story like this to me when I was young )dripping with blood and when it touches any mortal, severe sickness follows. Her favs are pregnant women and young children. It cackles to announce her presence and often tries to enter through the floorboards to feast upon the victims blood.
To prevent these attacks, jeruju leaves (sharp and prickly) were hung in houses and thorny bushes were placed outside the house. Apparently her entrails would get caught in the sharp leaves. People believed the penanggalan originated from a women who sold her soul to the devil and on the day her apprenticeship ended, she was able to fly with only her head and entrails dangling.
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