Case file · Folklore / legend
Phi Pop
A cannibal spirit in Thai folklore that possesses people and devours human entrails.
1892 CE · 17.63, 100.40 · status: legend
The account
The poet Sunthorn Phu mentioned it around 1842–1843. In November 1892, under King Rama V, a notable pop case was recorded in what is now Uttaradit, and another in 1908 in today's Yasothon province.
The sceptical view
Recorded 'pop' cases are accounts of possession and accusation within communities, not evidence of a spirit.
Connections in the atlas
- Luk thep 'angel child' dolls
- Phi pop
- Jiangshi, the hopping corpse
- Penanggalan
- Naga fireballs (Mekong lights)