Have you ever wondered what the scariest demon is? Or are you into finding the scariest demons from around the world? Or are you looking for scary bedtime stories or scary campfire stories for kids? If so, surely this article will help you with that. When we talk about the scariest demons, we often talk about the terrifying demons from movies, books, or stories. Most of the time, those scary evil spirits or demons are from folktales. In fact, folklore around the world brings us numerous scary tales with numerous scary characters. One of such scary demons is Reeri Yaka or Reeri Yakshaya in Sri Lankan folklore. Particularly from Sinhalese folklore.
Who is Reeri Yaka or Reeri Yakshaya?
As said before, Reeri Yaka is a form of Sinhalese folklore from Sri Lanka. Reeri means blood, and Yaka, or Yakshaya, means demon in Sinhala. So, Reeri Yaka means blood demon. The belief is that this scary demon lives in graveyards. This demon is only second to Mahasona himself, the most feared demon in Sri Lanka. According to the folktale, Reeri Yaka has 18 avatars. A few of those are
- Ree Rajja
- Agu Rajja
- Pulutajja
- Reeri Gopalla
- Maru Avatar
In some versions of the tale, these avatars are said to be separate demons but not avatars of Reeri Yaka. The folktale says that Reeri Yaka has more than a hundred incarnations as different people. In one life, he is the son of a king named Sanka Pala. In another life, he is the son of King Lagal Pura. And in another life, he appears as a female demon called Ginimuru Yakinni. This powerful demon is said to be uncontrollable by any gods. And all the gods feared him. Finally, God Vishnu was the one who bound him with a chant.
Apperance of Reeri Yaka, the Scariest Demon
When it comes to appearance, Reeri Yaka is quite unique among other scary folklore creatures. Reeri Yaka has the head of a monkey and a human body with blood-red skin. has the body of a human and the head of a monkey. In some versions of the folktale, it is mentioned that this scariest demon has four hands, and in other versions, it is implied that this demon has only two hands. The folktale version that says this demon has four hands describes that Reeri Yakshaya holds a chicken that has been squeezed until blood comes out, a parrot that is bleeding out, a sword, and a bleeding human head that is shivering from life.
In the version of the folktale that says he has only two hands, the tale further describes his appearance. In his right hand, he holds a “mas-billa,” in his left hand, he holds onto a “le-billa,” and in his teeth, he holds onto a “pulutu-billa.” Billa means the prey, Mas means meat, Le means blood, and Pulutu means barbequed or burned. So, mas-billa means the prey for meat, le-billa means the prey for blood, and pulutu-billa means the prey for barbecue.
Holding all of these in his hands and mouth, he rides a bull who is as fiercely red as the demon himself. Obviously, this appearance depicts a scary demon. Another scary demon in Sri Lankan folklore is Mahasona and his vehicle is a giant wild boar.
Why is Reeri Yaka one of the scariest demons?
Reeri Yaka is one of the sacred demons in Sinhalese folklore, not because of his appearance. If it were due to his appearance, people would have called him a scary demon, not the scariest. It is because of his power and evilness. Reeri Yaka, as his name suggests, is a blood demon.
The folktale says that bringing plagues is one of the tasks of this evil spirit. The tale further implies that this demon brings illnesses that are connected to blood. Nonetheless, this demon attacks humans. When a person is hit by Reeri Yaka, his face blanches due to the draining of all the blood from the face. Therefore, when a patient is pale, skinny, and weak, villagers used to do exorcism to ward off the evil spirit of Reeri Yaka. This is just one reason for Reeri Yaka to be one of the scariest demons.
Another reason is that Reeri Yaka is said to be the demon on our deathbed. When a person is on his deathbed, he arrives. According to the folktale, he appears on the deathbed holding a cock on his hand, a club in the other hand, and a human body in his mouth. This avatar is only six inches tall. In this form, Reeri Yaka is called “Maru Avatar”.
Another reason is that dark magicians in Sri Lanka, even today, take revenge on their enemies via Reeri Yaka. They perform certain dark magics called Hooniyam. Then, to remove or defend those dark magics, exorcism, which is called thovil, is performed.
Another reason for Reeri Yaka to be one of the scariest demons comes from a distinct version of the folktale about him. In that version, all the deities, who are so powerful, including the guardian gods, fear him.
The Tale of Reeri Yaka, the one of the blood thirsty scariest demons
The tale of Reeri Yaka has many versions. Since that is the beauty of folklore, here are the most common versions of the folktale.
Reeri Yaka, the Blood Thirsty Demon Rises!
The origin of Reeri Yaka has two distinct folktales. In one version, he was a human son born to human parents. In another version, Reeri Yaka was a born demon.
Human Origin of Reeri Yaka
According to the folktale of Reeri Yaka’s human birth, he was born to human parents in Uttara Bharatha. Uttara Bharatha means Northern India. Since childhood, he used to kill animals and drink their blood. As he did this as a habit, people in his village were scared of this child. They suspected him of being a demon son born to human parents. There he began to place his name as a scary demon.
Asura Origin of Reeri Yaka
In the tale of the demon origin of Reeri Yaka, he was born to Asura parents as an Asura. According to ancient beliefs in South Asia, particularly Vedic beliefs, there are two types of powerful non-human creatures called Sura and Asura. They are both more powerful than humans. Sura means the deities, or angels or white deities. Asuras are also types of deities, but they are like fallen angels or dark deities. Both Sura and Asura have similar powers. There are numerous stories about Sura and Asura. In Hindu folklore, the tale of the war between Sura and Asura describes a war between Sura and Asura and how Lord Vishnu intervened and defeated the Asuras.
Likewise, according to this folktale of Reeri Yaka being a born demon, he is the son of the asura goddess Kuma. From the right side of the belly of the asura goddess or asura yakshani Kuma, Reeri Yaka is born and from her left belly, Reeri Yakshani is born. It is said that both of them were born popping up from their mother’s belly. When these two asuras grew up, they married each other.
Blood Thirsty Demon’s Invasion of Sri Lanka
All the versions of the folktale of Reeri Yaka describe him coming to invade Sri Lanka for human prey. When Reeri Yaka was grown, he wanted to drink the blood of a thousand men in a day. So, he looks to his divine power to determine where to fulfil his need. So, he sees Lankadweepa, the island that we call Sri Lanka today.
The tale describes how he prepared for the journey to Sri Lanka. He has filled a canoe made out of red sandalwood with blood, bathed in it, and dressed as a herder. In his right hand, he holds a “mas-billa,” in his left hand, he holds onto a “le-billa,” and in his teeth, he holds onto a “pulutu-billa.” Billa means the prey, Mas means meat, Le means blood, and Pulutu means barbequed or burned. So, mas-billa means the prey for meat, le-billa means the prey for blood, and pulutu-billa means the prey for barbecue. Holding these Bili (prey) in his hands and mouth, he departed for the island with his army.
Gods Fear of Reeri Yaka
While coming to Sri Lanka, Reeri Yaka’s companion plays conches. Playing conches was part of the military drums in South Asian contexts in ancient times. Due to that noise, the four guarding gods that are believed to protect Sri Lanka, called Dvutharasta, Viruda, Virupaksha, and Vaishravana, become scared. They ran to Lord Vishnu and informed him about the approaching spate.
The lord Vishnu arrived at the front of the approaching spate of the Reeri Yaka and his companions and asked, “Where are you gods going?”.
Then Reeri Yaka replied, “I am Reeri Yaksha, the one who has the strength to make things done.”.
Lord Vishnu asked again, “Where are you going?”.
Then Reeri Yaka replied, “To kill a thousand per day and to drink blood, I am on the way to the island of Lanka”.
Hearing the intentions of Reeri Yaka, Lord Vishnu instantly sent Narada Muni to Lord Ishvara and accompanied him there.
God’s Plan to Protect Sri Lanka from A Scariest Demons Ever
Lord Eshwara arrived at the place where Lord Vishnu was. Then the gods discussed and decided that defeating this demon army in a battle was going to be so hard and destructive, so they decided to do a bandana. Bandana means a mystic trap.
Lord Ishvara, with the help of guardian god Vaishravana, conjured a le-billa, a pulutu-billa, and did enchant a mystic bound and trap Reeri Yaka in the “Koota-parvata” in Sri Lanka. Kuta means rock, and parvata means mountain. So, the Reeri Yaka is trapped in a rocky mountain by Lord Ishvara. Then Lord Ishvara appoints the god Kanda Kumara or Skanda Kumara, to guard this demon. God Skanda Kumara is worshipped at Kataragama, in Sri Lanka.
Also, Lord Ishvara offers one grant to this powerful demon, who is trapped in a rocky mountain. That grant was to take bili (prey) and make people ill, and to take prey and make people cure. That is the reason why mystic performers in Sri Lanka, who use dark magic for destroy or revenge on enemies, make it done by Reeri Yaka. And that is what makes him one of the scariest demons.
On the day that Lord Ishvara trapped Reeri Yaka, Lord Ishvara told him that once a certain number of preys were received, the Reeri Yaka would be released. When that time arrives, people will be corrupted and evil. Therefore, God won’t be coming to help people and the demon, when he returns after being trapped for so long, will do massive destruction.
Exorcism to Ward of Reeri Yaka
According to the folktale, when exorcism is done, the Reeri Yaka himself does not arrive to take the prey. It is his companion demon that arrives at his place to take the prey. Meanwhile, Reeri Yaka himself is trapped with a never-ending blood thirst. Not to mention that the demons who come to his place are also scary demons, only second to their master.
The exorcism is done for two reasons. One for warding off Reeri Yaka, who had been harming humans by himself. The other reason is to ward off Reeri Yaka, who is sent by dark magic performers to take revenge or do harm to people. Either way, this scary demon is warded off by performing an exorcism called thovil. Mystic performers play drums, sing chantings, and provide bili in thovil.