Chonchon, Winged Head
The chonchon is a flying head with enlarged ears for wings. Spawned from sorcerers, it drinks blood and shrieks a “tue-tue” cry that foretells sickness or death.
Story beats
- 1) A kalku (sorcerer) uses dark rites to detach head from body, sprouting winglike ears.
- 2) The chonchon flies at night, unseen save for glowing eyes and its chilling cry.
- 3) It feeds on blood or life-force, targeting lone travelers and sleepers.
- 4) Protective amulets, salt, or loud noises drive it away before dawn.
Context & symbolism
The chonchon embodies fears of secret sorcery and unexplained deaths. Ear-wings twist listening into predation: what hears all might also take life.
Its cry as omen ties community health to vigilance; hearing it spurs collective protection rituals.
Motifs
- Flying disembodied heads
- Witchcraft transformations
- Death omens at night
- Household wards (salt, charms)
Use it in play
- Guard a village after a “tue-tue” cry; find the hidden sorcerer.
- Catch a chonchon in a net of salt-thread before it returns to its body.
- A party member’s ears tingle—they’re being groomed to transform.
- Reverse the spell and reunite head and body to end the curse.
Comparative threads
- Flying heads: Japanese rokurokubi variants, Malay penanggalan (sans body).
- Omen cries: Banshees, barn owls as death messengers.
Hooks and campaign seeds
- A chonchon pacts with a noble; silence it to expose the alliance.
- Its severed body must be hidden; find it before the head returns to heal.
- The “tue-tue” cry rings nightly—track which rooftop it circles.