#Halimaween 2023

Depending where in the Philippines you are, ‘Aswang’ can mean many different things.

They can be:

Bloodsucking vampires or cannibals – In some beliefs such as for the Karay-a in Panay Bukidnon, ‘Aswang’ are warriors who have eaten human flesh.

Self-segmenters – In some parts of Eastern Visayas, Quezon Province and other areas ‘Manananggal’ and ‘Aswang’ are synonymous. ‘Manananggal’ refer to creatures that can split in half and fly, usually eating the innards of their victims.

Shapeshifters – Some ‘Aswang’ can turn into dogs, cats, black pigs, birds.

Witches – They can cause illness to people from afar as well as other magic like turning corpses into other objects.

Corpse Eaters – Some descriptions have ‘Aswang’ as exclusively eaters of dead bodies.

As well as any combination of those above!

‘The tamawo are described as “beautiful or handsome and
fair- complexioned.” When wanting to court a villager, a tamawo appears as an
ordinary person but when scrutinized closely, he is said to have no narrow
groove on the upper part of the lip. One’s image is also believed to appear
slanted when seen through the pupil of the tamawo’s eye. A person courted by a
tamawo exhibits strange (lunatic-like) behavior. 

The bentohangin resemble that of a flying horse, but half of
their body is that of a man. They neigh like a horse and are known to roam the
village past midnight.

The Bird of Mount Gurayn is a bird with seven heads. It possesses
the power to see in all directions at the same time. It wrought havoc and
destruction in the area surrounding its home. Was killed by Rajah Indarapatra.

The Berkakang is a giant fish. It has a large mouth and can
smell blood. It swallowed the hero Lam-ang in the epic ‘The Life of Lam-Ang’.

The Tikbalang has the head of a horse, the body of a human
with long legs. It has a hairy head and back, long ears and large teeth. Can be
warded by turning your clothes inside out. Sometimes changes itself into the
form of one of the relatives of its victim before it transforms back, scaring
its victim. Can be controlled by taking three hairs from its head. They usually
flirt with their victims. There is a belief that if it rains while the sun is
out, two tikbalang are getting married.

The Onglo is a human-like creature
with long straight, black hair around its body from head to toe. It has clawed
feet, long, sharp fingernails and long, pointy ears. Has a strong odor and a
person can smell it from a great distance. Its touch or mere presence causes humans
to itch.

The Talahiang is known in Zamboanga. He is twelve feet tall
and has large muscles. He is dark and has coarse, kinky hair. He has thick lips
and large teeth. He lives in big trees in the jungle. He makes travelers lose
their way. But he is afraid of noise. He runs away when he hears a shout. He
changes himself into a big lizard and flees.

Sumayang Galura’ is the largest and greatest of all birds.
It tried to steal the throne of ruler of all birds from sultan Sulayman and tried
to disrupt a prophecy made by Sulayman about the marriage of a girl born in the
south with unparalleled beauty and a boy in the North who had everything. He
hid them both away in different places. Despite Galura’s efforts the pair were
married anyway. Galura then ran away, but was tricked by the woodpecker to seek
forgiveness from Sulayman

The Ino-Trigo is a being that could take a lot of water into
its stomach. It could drink so much that its side could stretch until one could
see its intestines, a little prick would easily break the skin of its belly.

The Bumalabag is a male tamawo/ engkantu. His office is to
drive away spirit beings who bring illness to people and animals

The Mamamarang uses certain magic called the haplit using a
doll. The doll is made during the 7 Fridays of lent. The mamamarang starts on
the first Friday with a part of the manyika then continues, until the last
Friday, Good Friday, the doll is completed. They give the doll power by telling
it that it is their slave. Pricking the doll with a needle will make the victim
feel intense pain. The mamamarang hires someone to take the doll to church
while a child is being baptized and have the doll undergo the same process. The
name of the child is also given to the doll. If the child dies the doll can be
used for haplit. The mamamarang will command the doll spirit (spirit of the
dead child) to cause sickness to the victim

The Anyasing spirit is known for its laughter. The spirit is
believed to keep on laughing upon seeing a human being. The heavy laughter
eventually inverts the skin on its face.

The Intumbangol are a pair of snakes wrapped around the world, one is female and one is male. They do not fall off the world because they are held up by the god Magbabaya. They lie to form a cross, their mouths are below the water at the point where the earth meets the sky. When the Intumbangol move they cause earthquakes, when they breathe they cause winds when they pant they cause violent storms.

The kama-kama are known to be both helpful and naughty. They
are very small, from one to two feet in height. When kind, they can bring luck
to a family by giving or showing them treasures or magical objects that will
bring them luck. When naughty, they could pinch and this is known only by the
appearance of some bluish-blackish spots on the skin. They are known also to
put foreign objects like small stones, broken glasses, or hair on a person’s
body especially when one takes a bath near a shallow well.

The Kapre is a bearded man of enormous size with a
complexion as black as coal. He smokes a roll of tobacco as big as a banana
trunk. When a big lighted cigar is spotted and a dark shadow forms behind it,
it is an indication of a Kapre’s presence. Enjoys making humans lost in the
woods. If the human wears their shirt inside out then they will escape the
enchanted maze.

Li?iyan kat baga is a panya-en, supernaturals of the
Tagbanwa people. He is the leader of the pigs and looks like an old man. Once a
hunter from Tigman, Wali, was lost in the forest for seven days and nights. He
found the place at the head of the Maasin river where there were countless
pigs. He met an old man that introduced himself as the leader of the pigs. Wali
helped Li?iyan kat baga’s children and the panya?an gave him a reward in
return, making Wali able to go back to his village.

The imprisoned Naga is a dragon trapped in the milky way.
Its eyes shoot flames and its mouth is large enough to fit ten carabaos. The
stars are hosts of fire and smoke, and by its head you can see tongues of fire
shooting.

The tribe of the faceless is a tribe of people that have no
features on their faces and would come into town with heavily covered heads.
There are no eyes on their faces but they have one eye on each armpit.

The Manangilaw is a cave – dwelling black giant that wears a
vine for a hagkús ( belt ). When hungry, this creature would lower its vine
belt into the sea , a river or a well ; he would catch shrimp and other small
game.

The Kataw is a fish that has features of a woman on half of
its body. In Leyte it is a ‘likeness of a person’ that has a fish tail. Leads boats to sink by holding out a light that lures sailors.

The giant Bungisngis is described as “a large strong man who
is always laughing.” He has one eye. His name is said to be derived from the
Tagalog word ngisi (‘to show the teeth’). He is also said to have “an upper lip
so large that when it is thrown back, it completely covers [his] face.

The Mambubuno looks like a fish with a double tail. She has
large, black, slimy scales. Sometimes her scales are of many bright colors. She
lives in a brook with a cave under its bank. 

In her human form, Oryol, looks like a beautiful maiden with
a beautiful voice. She has long, black, wavy hair and white, smooth skin. In
her serpent form she is a multicolored serpent whose scales glisten in the sun.
She is the daughter of the god Asuang and can appear and disappear at will. She
has irresistible  charm and beauty.

The Sagay are dwarf-like beings. They live in gold mines. Gives
the gold from its mines in exchange for blood, espescially the blood of
children. They steal children in the dead of night.

Tiyanak look like newborn babies. They are said to be a spirit
of any baby that dies before it is baptized. Generally they mislead children.
They are usually invisible. Any person can be safe from a tiyanak by turning
their clothes inside out.

Kolakog is a kind giant. There are many stories of him
leaving his footprints in the Bikol region. His favorite food is clams and many
clam shell mounds are attributed to him.

At times Kadaklan, a god, enters the body of a favored
medium, and talks directly with the people; but more frequently he takes other
means of communication. Oftentimes he sends his dog Kīmat, the lightning, to
bite a tree or strike a field or house, and in this way makes known his wish
that the owner celebrate the Padīam ceremony

Bagsang is a seven headed serpent with one of the heads
being stark white. Each head of this seven headed serpent has their own power.
One would have the power of wind, another water and another fire. There is a
white head which is the most important. If that head is chopped off then the
world will be destroyed but it is hard to decapitate because the head is metal.
Elders say bagsang is still alive because if it dies then the world would
disappear.

The Kurita is a creature with many limbs that lived partly
on land and partly in the sea. Its favorite haunt was the mountain where the
rattan grew. It brings utter destruction on living things. It killed all living
creatures in the land and villages surrounding its mountain home.

The Bakunawa is a serpent or dragon that is believed to eat the sun or moon during an eclipse. It is kept at bay by loud noise and music. It seeks to possess all 7 moons by swallowing them. The Bakunawa already swallowed 6 moons, but was stopped by the god Bathala from eating the last one.