Balinese leyak and Rangda traditions

Record summary

Leyak are Balinese occult beings associated with transformation, nocturnal flight, predation, and sorcery, while Rangda is the powerful witch figure central to the Calonarang performance tradition. Their representations appear in temple ritual, dance, theatre, tourism, and horror media. This lead supports comparison of shape-changing beings with ideas of ritual danger, illness, social conflict, and protective performance. Interpretations differ between Balinese religious contexts, anthropological analysis, staged spectacle, and commercial imagery, so the researcher should establish which register each account represents.