A common similarity amongst all malay ghosts is that several, if not a overwhelming majority of the Malay ghosts attack women, especially virgins or pregnant women. The origin of the ghosts is similarly related : The Pontianak failing in childbirth, attacking other women bearing child. The Penanggalan is supposedly the result of a woman wishing to stay beautiful forever, and thus through the use of black magic, haunts the towns at night looking for human flesh and blood.
It could be argued that these stories were based upon the fundamental Malay societal values, of which includes patience and morality. It could be argued that these stories were written for the same purpose as Aesop’s Fables : to bring across a message in the most subtle way possible. For instance, the story of the Pontianak could have served as a warning to pregnant women to keep themselves safe during pregnancy. The stories seem to look down , if not, warn women about the horrible consequences of being greedy or being careless.
In comparison to other ghosts, commonly of European or Asian origin, the other ghosts could not be easily explained as most of them would entail the sighting of a particular figure in a photo – only after the photo is developed. The usual background behind these ghosts were that they were the spirits of people who had died an untimely death, as compared to Malay Ghosts, which exist in multitude. As such, it could be argued that although the existence of ghosts is to be speculated, Malay Ghosts seem to be a means to serve as a warning to women to keep themselves safe and the follow traditional Malay Values.
