The Phi Pop Spirit Tradition in Northeastern Thailand

Record summary

Phi pop is a Thai and Lao-region tradition concerning a predatory spirit believed in some communities to afflict or consume people, sometimes through a human carrier or suspected witch. Accounts connect it with illness, social accusation, exorcistic rites, expulsion, and community conflict. This provides a clear comparison lead for studying how possession labels can identify both an invisible agent and a stigmatized person. The tradition is documented in folklore and anthropological literature, but particular village incidents, dates, and alleged deaths require independent verification rather than acceptance of retrospective community narratives.