A PNG urban legend - the shape-changing ‘botol meri’
12 March 2016
RAYMOND SIGIMET
DIFFERENT regions and countries have their own urban legends - tales that seem fantastic, strange and bizarre to the ears.
Urban legends involving cryptids, elusive demons and shape changers are common worldwide.
People believe that shape changers are entities who exist in both the spirit world and the physical world.
Their true form is in the spirit realm and they can easily change their forms in the physical world we inhabit.
In Papua New Guinea, a popular urban legend speaks of the shape changer known as the botol meri.
The botol meri is either a spirit woman or water nymph masalai or a composite of both. She is a shape changer and takes on the form of a beautiful woman the would-be victim could have sexual intercourse with. This is done with the intention of maiming or killing the man after the sex act.
The legend of the botol meri was popular among boys and young men at the time I was growing up. People familiar with this urban legend can identify locations in their areas that are said to be frequented by the botol meri.
People who believe in the legend relate that the botol meri will usually attack an unsuspecting male by seducing him, engaging in sex and then injuring or killing him by mutilating the penis when the two are having intercourse.
According to this legend, the vagina of the botol meri is said to enclose a sharp toothed implement similar to jagged glass from a broken bottle that will sever the penis causing heavy bleeding and eventually death for the victim if help is not sought quickly.
Usually she lures and attacks her victims at a secluded location. Her favourite spot is a forested area or the bush near a stream where people take short cuts instead of following the main track. Her victims are always lone unsuspecting male travellers on foot.
When she is active, she will either follow the man or the man will chance upon her when taking a short cut. She will then flirt with and seduce him.
The legend warns men not be tricked when they come across a woman who flirts with them and asks for sex. The man also should not fall for her charm.
They are also warned that the shape changer can also take the form of the man’s wife or a girlfriend.
This deception by the botol meri can only be exposed if, instead of casually walking or jumping over a stick or log lying on the track, she walks around it.
The legend explains that if she walks over or jumps over a stick or log lying on the ground in her path, the sharp implements in her vagina will cut her from the inside and she will die.
The legend also advises men that if they chance upon a woman that they are suspicious of, they should put a branch or stick on the ground and ask the woman to walk over. They can also secretly place a stick in her way and observe what happens.
If she refuses or walks around the stick, she is surely a botol meri, and the man better start running in the opposite direction.
There are even tales of the botol meri chasing men who saw through her deception and escaped. In her anger of being rejected, she will hurl profanities at the men and tell them how lucky they were to have escaped unscathed from her clutches.
The botol meri when caught out will change shape back to her original spirit form. Sometimes, she is described as a middle aged or old woman in rags with long finger nails and long hair covering her face.
The occasional tall tales of close encounters with the botol meri were school yard tales that played around with my imagination and brought fear to me.
They also caused fear in the minds and hearts of young boys and men, similar to the urban legend involving female shape shifters in boarding schools.
These urban legends probably served a purpose and whether shape shifters are real or not, I will leave it as that.
You are correct, Evelyn, we don't hear about these tales anymore. The urban tale of the organ thieves in tinted vehicles were also quite popular back then (the 1990s). These tales created real fear and did serve a purpose.
Posted by: Raymond Sigimet | 16 March 2016 at 04:50 PM
I hardly hear stories about the bottle meri these days.. Maybe because Education and Westernisation have changed people's mindsets about such legends. But years back when I was in primary school in the early 90's in Lae that urban tale was popular. The Botanical gardens in Lae was said to be the home of these beautiful cum brutal women. We were scared as our school St Pauls Community (now primary) was close to the Botanical gardens. We were scared to even look towards it.
The other urban tale popular back then in Lae was the vehicle that went around kidnapping children for their hearts.To this day I am still trying to work out the underlying reason for this tale. I'm thinking maybe that tale was created just to keep children away from strangers.
Posted by: Evelyn Elvira Denu | 16 March 2016 at 04:06 PM
Thank you Chris and Garry for your comments regarding this urban legend.
This tale did its rounds in the late 1980s and early 1990s and people actually believe in it, probably because of its fantastic nature. I discussed this tale, before submitting, with my wife and surprisingly, she also heard about it (her's is a different location to mine) and she also identified the location in her area (a town location) where the botol meri is said to appear. It made me realise that perhaps this tale was quite popular then in PNG urban towns or rural towns.
I have an interest in this type of modern folklores and your comments are very important foot notes to this tale for those who also have interest in PNG urban legends and modern folklores.
I believe there are many more of these legends being whispered around in PNG that needs to be recorded.
Posted by: Raymond Sigimet | 14 March 2016 at 07:39 PM
The urban myth of 'botol meri" may have parallels in rural folklore. In the western highlands people spoke of 'rogia amp pukapuk" (not sure if spelling or pronounciation is right) who dwelt in the Baiyer river area and was a nymph or enchantress who seduced men and the men became ill afterwards and even died. One well known expat planter was even said to have fallen victim to her charms and died. In some European folktales the hero had to resist seduction by a woman offering an 'apple'if he was to reach the end of his journey.
Posted by: Garry Roche | 12 March 2016 at 08:35 PM
Raymond has presented a fascinating urban myth which, as I suspect he knows, is absolutely loaded with psychological and sociological significance.
The botol meri is the embodiment of mens' deep seated fears about women, sex and procreation.
On the one hand, the botol meri represents the ultimate seductress: beautiful, entrancing and offering the promise of ultimate sexual pleasure.
On the other, the myth reflects any man's worst fear, being traumatic, painful emasculation.
In a broader sense I think it reflects the uneasy relationship between Papua New Guinean men and their women.
This type of thinking about women is not, of course, unique to PNG.
All across the world there are similar myths which embody the dichotomous way men think about women.
Anne Summers' neatly encapsulated this in the title of her famous work about women in Australia, which she called "Damned Whores and God's Police".
Similarly, this dichotomy was also very evident in Ancient Rome where a woman's role as a mother and home maker was officially venerated at the same time as men routinely pursued sexual relationships outside of marriage.
Raymond has done a public service in airing an urban myth that goes to the very heart of a really serious and pervasive social problem in PNG.
Just how it is going to be resolved I do not know but it is certainly something that any woman has every right to be angry and concerned about.
Posted by: Chris Overland | 12 March 2016 at 11:40 AM