Thien Linh Cai: Dark Magic Or A Delusion? (Pt.1)
A true story in Vietnam. You asked him to treat your illness, he proceeded to cut off your head to practice magic.
Imagine this: you’re living in the late 1990s in a poor rural area in the south of Vietnam, where people are more inclined to get their health checked by a traditional herbalist than a certificated doctor.
All of a sudden comes a kind-hearted herbalist, well, kind enough to treat people for free. You come to his hut asking for a remedy, however, you pass out right after taking the medication, and the last thing you feel is the pain of the knife slicing your head off. So what happened?
Before you read: This article is mainly based on my own observation and research, information from various sources will be used for reference but it might contain holes and shortcomings. Read at your own discretion.
1. The Grotesque Herbalist
It all started in 1995, on a small ait in Dong Thap province, appeared a man named Pham Van Tuan who claimed to be a traditional herbalist. His arrival was quite strange: he was on a little boat drifting along the Ma Truong canal. He led a nomadic life on the water and somehow ended up arriving in this small village [1].
He appeared to be a small guy who always kept his eyes down, quite timid at first glance, but people soon found out he was a great person. Ever since his boat anchored there, he would always help the sick villagers with their ailments, offering medical herbs for free. Feeling grateful for the kind and helpful man, people gave him a nickname, “Hai Tung” (if the southern Vietnamese give you a nickname, that means they like you a lot).
“I gave Hai Tung a lift from time to time. He was short and fast, he walked with his head bowed down. He spoke softly to the villagers and always appeared to be modest and kind. That’s how he portrayed himself as a virtuous and helpful individual.” - According to one of the villagers [2].
Things started to escalate quickly. When he first came to this village, he claimed to have studied Taoism at Mount Sam in Chau Doc. With his knowledge of medicinal herbs, he could treat both ordinary and incurable diseases that the modern medical system could never. Meanwhile, his expertise in incantations let him “repair” relationships between husbands and wives, girlfriends and boyfriends, or even “summon” those who cheated back home.
People rushed into his boat. Some came for the medicine while the others came for his spells. He managed to leave his nomadic life, thanks to the sympathetic locals who lent him a small piece of land to build a modest shelter by the canal [3].
Now that he had a hut, he started to build a “fortress wall” around it. People living close by were taken aback at how this “shaman” could tirelessly dig and build the whole day. Upon being asked why he did so, he would skittishly explain that it was for "preventing the thieves from sneaking in." Occasionally, a few women came to seek treatment at night, and the disappearances began shortly after people heard of what he was doing: practicing Thien Linh Cai.
2. Thien Linh Cai
For people who first come across this term, Thien Linh Cai is simply a kind of Asian “voodoo” that originated in Thailand, called “Kuman Thong”, and spread to other nearby countries, including Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Upon arriving in Vietnam, it was called “Thien Linh Cai” and Pham Van Tuan was the first ever known serial killer in this country to practice this. However, some might argue that Thien Linh Cai is a variation of the original, so the two should be different. But let’s just take a look at what Kuman Thong is, in case you’ve never heard of it as well.
The Kuman Thong originates from the ritual of summoning the spirits of the dead by Thai sorcerers. It requires the sorcerers to collect the fetus from a deceased pregnant woman, which is then dried. These sorcerers proceed to evoke the spirits of these fetuses, adopting them as their own children and harnessing their powers for specific purposes.
To be more specific, according to ancient Thai manuscripts, the unborn child must be taken to a designated cemetery for a ritual to call upon the spirit of Kuman Thong. The body undergoes a meticulous drying process over a fire while the sorcerer chants invocations and summons the spirit. Upon completion of the ritual, the dried Kuman Thong is coated with Ya Lak, a special lacquer infused with gold leaf, hence it is called "Kuman Thong," meaning "Golden Child."
In some cases, Kuman Thong is immersed in Nam Man Phrai, an oil derived from burning a candle near the chin of either a deceased child or an individual who met an abnormal demise. This practice, however, has become increasingly rare due to its legal restrictions [4].
The reason why people wish to adopt a Kuman Thong varies, however, Kuman Thong is often classified into two main types: good and evil. The evil Kuman Thong is specifically crafted to focus on malicious actions, intended to harm others or a targeted person. In order to achieve this, the sorcerer must feed the spirit with aversion, hatred, anger, and agony, so much so that it turns into a demon.
The good Kuman Thong, on the other hand, is the protective spirit that safeguards the family, brings prosperity, attracts good fortune, and warns of impending misfortune. To achieve this, the Kuman Thong should be summoned by using either white magic or black magic [5], the people who adopt the spirit must shower it with love as if it was their own child. A slight hint of neglect would likely anger the spirit.
In 2015, Thai sorcerers preferred using Luk Thep dolls, hyper-realistic dolls of children, for their Kuman Thong rituals [6]. At least, it could counter the legal restrictions and make it more visually acceptable to the bearers.
Thien Linh Cai is a Vietnamese name for Kuman Thong. Despite referring to the same kind of ritual, it seems like Thien Linh Cai is indeed different from its original.
According to legend, the skull of the deceased often serves as the dwelling place for lingering spirits. Thien Linh Cai is crafted from the severed head of a young, virgin girl. The sorcerer must procure the skull by either taking the life of a person or retrieving the head of a recently deceased virgin, no older than 21 days. This head is then used in rituals to summon the spirit of the deceased into the skull.
After acquiring the skull, the sorcerer must conduct more complex rituals, including setting up a dedicated altar for the victim and offering daily meals. Upon successful completion, the sorcerer gains the ability to command the spirit for reconnaissance, gathering information from distant locales. Furthermore, the higher-ranking sorcerer may even command the spirit to kill a designated target [7].
There are four different levels of Thien Linh Cai [8]:
Guarding wealth: In ancient times, landowners and aristocrats, wary of potential theft and property loss, would procure young slaves aged 13 to 15, specifically chosen for their virginity. These youths underwent a week-long regimen of fruit consumption to purify their bodies before being adorned in ceremonial attire and buried alive at the entrance of a cavern. The angry spirits will act as the guardians, preventing people from coming near the cavern, except for the owner or the sorcerer.
Subduing fate: The main purpose of the sorcerer who achieves this level is to control the “dragon's veins” of a particular land (known as the good layer of earth), which presumably has a decisive influence on a man’s fate. This endeavor aims to "slay the dragon," diminishing the land's energy and vitality, thereby thwarting the emergence of talent and potential. If the spell is not powerful enough, the sorcerer risks provoking the gods guarding the land, or being killed by their spells. The sacrificial offerings are still young virgins aged between 13 and 15. The number 9 is often considered the symbolism of eternity, these girls must be born on September 15th. The ritual must precisely begin at 9 o'clock on the 9th day of September in any year containing the number 9.
Commanding spirits: During the ritual, the sorcerer must hammer nails into the decapitated skull and apply a mixture of dog's blood and squid ink into the eye sockets, nostrils, and other orifices of the skull, effectively sealing them. This measure ensures that the spirits are unable to seek vengeance or rebel, rendering them obedient to the master.
Commanding Gods: Very few people are aware of this method as it transcends human imagination and is virtually extinct in modern times. In this advanced stage of practice, the sorcerer does not only use the head of the sacrificial offering, but also the limbs, intestines, liver, and other internal organs. These body parts are then interred at specific sites on a mountain or sacred land, creating deities tasked with overseeing a particular region of land or village.
While Kuman Thong requires the fetuses of deceased women as offerings, Thien Linh Cai demands a maiden’s skull as a vessel for the spirits. Both of these superstitious rituals play an important role in providing emotional support to people, akin to the "placebo effect" where they believe it actually helps them achieve their desires, even if it's a mere coincidence.
3. The Missing Girl
Now, let’s return to Pham Van Tuan, a.k.a Hai Tung.
He took pride in his ability to help women win back their estranged husbands who have grown distant and disinterested. He confidently assured them that his potions would have an immediate and profound effect. Conversely, for those who wished to divorce their husbands, Hai Tung offered a spell that swiftly led to their neglect and unenthusiasm, prompting them to leave. The enticing stories of herbal remedies and magical spells spread rapidly among the villagers, drawing them closer to his home.
With the unwavering trust and honesty of the people in the region, many women regularly turned to him for his spells and potions.
Despite possessing extraordinary abilities, he requested his patients only to visit his house alone and knocked on his door during the "yin" hours, which was midnight. As Thien Linh Cai only exerted its influence at night, only those who followed his instructions would receive the spirits' blessings and achieve the desired effects of his charms.
Thus, from then on, as night fell, Hai Tung’s house welcomed a stream of distinguished ladies and young maidens, eager to reignite their inner sparks with their husbands or escape from unwanted marriages. Many of these women who sought his potions praised his extraordinary skills in dark magic. They lauded his abilities, although some had never visited him personally for potions, some only heard of his name.
On special occasions, he would visit his neighbors to catch a few chickens or ducks. He also didn't hesitate to borrow a large pot, which he claimed was for stewing... large pig heads. No one dared to question his actions, and many villagers believed that was part of the usual rituals where he regularly made offerings to the spirits. After every ritual, Hai Tung would give all the “blessed” offerings to the locals, which they slowly grew uneasy about and refrained from touching. Although they couldn't quite explain why, the faint and pungent odor that hung in the air just made them unsettled.
At the end of May 2000, a young girl named Tran Thi Phuong happened to hear people gossiping about Hai Tung and his spells. She decided to pay him a visit, hoping that his spell would help detach her from her clinging husband.
It all stemmed from her current job at the time, which required her to work far from home. After a few years of landing a well-paid job in the bustling city, Phuong transformed into a gorgeous lady, who often showed up at her poor hometown with a lot of wealth and gifts. Hence, her husband started to get jealous of this “make-over”. He would call her non-stop, urging the wife to come home because he missed her terribly.
Feeling incredibly annoyed at how her husband got too clinging, Phuong turned to Hai Tung for help. Before going to his house to ask for a talisman, she hastily mentioned a few vague words to her family and then left. Since then, the girl disappeared without a trace and never returned. Two months passed with no sign of her, the family was frantically trying to find the missing Phuong, but to no avail [9].
Two days after the disappearance of Phuong, people found her clothes and belongings were still left untouched at home, so it was certain that Phuong hadn't gone to Saigon yet. However, what puzzled everyone the most was the disappearance of her boat. Amidst the confusion over the vanished boat, Phuong's cousin disclosed a crucial detail: two days earlier, they had used the boat to visit Hai Tung at midnight for a talisman.
Without any hesitation, Phuong’s family was prompted to visit Hai Tung. upon being asked about the young girl’s whereabouts, Hai Tung admitted there was indeed a 20-something-year-old girl who had requested a charm, however, she had left promptly afterward, leaving no trace of her identity or whereabouts [10].
Feeling unsatisfied with the answer, the people continued their search for the girl. The villagers were struck with horror when they discovered a foul-smelling patch of land just 500 meters away from Hai Tung’s house. As they kept digging, something slowly emerged in front of their eyes: a headless corpse. Frightened, they quickly reported the discovery to the local authorities.
It was at that moment that they discovered Hai Tung’s true colors, but the horror didn’t just stop there…
—To be continued—
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Absolutely crazy. I'm from Pakistan and this stuff is quite a thing there also but this is on another level. Thanks for sharing Lee.