The Mythical "TOYOL"- in a Bottol.

regarded as a mythical supernatural creature – for real? Hundreds of visitors who thronged the state museum here think so as they scrutinised a figurine kept in a bottle that was on display there. A curious fisherman had found the bottle on Tuesday on the shores of a coastal village, believing that what he saw in it was a toyol. In Malay folklore, a toyol is a goblin-like creature that steals money and commits other mischief or evil at the instruction of its guardian.Not wanting to have anything to do with it,the unidentified fisherman from Kampung Kuala Pahang rushed to nearby Kampung Siong, about a kilometre away, and passed it to a bomoh. The bomoh, in turn, handed it to the state museum. Word of its discovery spread like wildfire and hundreds of people waited at the doorstep of the museum before it opened at 8am, eager for a chance to see the strange item. They came in buses, cars, and bicycles and on foot. Museum director Mohd Farid Abdul Jalal said the large number of people who had come to see the figurine surprised him. He said it looked like a puppet or marionette and was about 20cm tall. The figurine, kept in a wide-mouthed bottle, is cloaked in black and hasred eyes and mouth. “The bottle also contains some sand, a yellow string and slices of onions,” he said. “We believe it was used in some kind of spiritual rite or medication and thrown by someone into the sea several days before the waves washed it ashore.” He said the object would be displayed in the museum until he discusses with his officers on the next course of action.