Belu are the Myanmar version of rakshasa from Hindu mythology—a fabled race of man-eating humanoids. Interestingly, several other Southeast Asian countries also have mythical beings with traits similar to rakshasa.
In Myanmar, belu prominently appear in various Buddhist texts and ancient stories. Nearly every major pagoda has belu’s statues, often sculpted as guardian deities. These statues have bulging eyes that seem to glare at anyone who dares to look at them. While belu have human-like features, they also appear monstrous with unnatural skin complexion of green or red. Their faces are depicted with grinning mouths, protruding fangs and rows of sharp teeth.
The belu race has both males and females—the males are called belu while the females are known as belu ma. They are shapeshifters, often disguising themselves as humans to mingle and manipulate their prey. However, certain traits in their human forms can betray their true nature to observant individuals A prominent trait of belu is their inability to blink, a feature they retain even in their disguised forms.
If you want to read more about belu, check out my book Ghosts, Spirits and Paranormal Entities from Asian Folklore and Mythology (Book 1).