A myling is the spirit of a child murdered by its
mother, often because it were born out of wedlock
or because there was no social safety net for those
too poor to care for their child. In the 19th century,
infanticide is punishable by death, and the myling
often wants to see its mother punished.

The spirit haunts the place where the body was
hidden – screaming, wailing, and sobbing. It appears
as a ghost of the same age as the child when it died.
The creature can also take physical form in the shape
of a giant black bird with a human head. A myling
can be teasing and mischievous.