Malay Magic by Walter William Skeat

Description

Malay Magic is a book by Walter William Skeat, first published in 1900, that offers a systematic introduction to the folklore, popular religion and magical practices of the Malay Peninsula. Drawing on Skeat’s field notes, local manuscripts and contemporary Malay sources, the work surveys the Malay pantheon, spirits, ghosts, sorcery, charms and ritual rites, and places those beliefs in the context of everyday life and social custom. Rich in first-hand accounts, folk narratives and ethnographic detail, the book remains a dense compendium for readers interested in Southeast Asian belief systems, traditional healing, and comparative folklore. Organised to be both descriptive and analytical, the volume addresses themes such as the relationship between humans and the supernatural, rites of passage, protective charms, and the cultural logic behind magical practices. It has long been referenced by historians, folklorists and anthropologists as an early English-language record of Malay traditional religion and popular superstition, useful for anyone researching colonial-era ethnography, Malay mythology, or the history of magic and ritual in the region.

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