Soul of Girl Roams Around Jakarta's Ancol Bridge

Tales of girls becoming sexual targets have been retold since ancient Greek times. But the tale of a roaming soul of a rape victim is perhaps typical of Jakarta.

A female ghost in white is believed to occasionally come into view on the Ancol Bridge in North Jakarta, scaring pedestrians or drivers who cross the bridge at night. Eyewitnesses say that the ghost sometimes make a sudden appearance at the end of the 200-meter bridge and disappears into the darkness.

The appearance of the ghost, locally called Ariah, Si Manis Jembatan Ancol (Ariah, Pretty Girl of the Ancol Bridge) has been made into a popular TV series. In the TV version, the girl's name is Mariam and is clad in white outfit. Normally sexy and alluring, her face turns pace and demonic when men attempt to seduce her.

Ariah is an unfortunate Betawi girl known for her prettiness. She lives with her mother who was a widow. To survive, she was compelled to seek and sell vegetables and eggs at local traditional markets. Her mother, Mak Emper always advised her to be careful when seeking vegetables and hens' eggs. One day, to her mother's surprise, the girl did not return home, making her mother extremely worried. That night Mak Emper met Ariah in her dreams, and her daughter tried to calm her down, saying that she was alright and nothing happened to her. She even promised to help her sister who was about to get married. What Ariah said to her mother came true when Mak Emper found a basket of fresh fish and vegetables in front of a door of the house where she lived. Nobody claimed to be the senders of the fish and vegetables.

Folklore has it that Ariah was the victim of rape and murder, though the culprit was never found. After being killed, the soul of Ariah is believed to continue to roam around her kampong, making all those who see her petrified with fear.

According to eyewitnesses, Ariah looks calm but she will turn into pale and cold when men try to seduce her. She is burned up with fury at women-chasers attempting to seduce her, generally throwing them in the river.

And until today, drivers who pass the bridge often blow their horn or flash their lamps just to say hello to the soul of Ariah.

[Source]