*Note this story is in Ilocano
Alikamen:
Buneng – maaramat tapno mauluyan ti aswang kalpasan a maparmek daytoy.
Ipus ti Pagi – maaramat tapno saanen a makakuti ti aswang. Mangted kaniada iti nakaro unay a sakit.
Kalamansi – kalasag tapno saannaka a mapidut ti aswang. Dayta ti mangpadagsen kaniada.
Dapo – Iwaras iti bagi ti aswang no agsina ti bagida. Saanen nga maisubli ti Aswang ti naisina a bagina no naikkan ti dapo daytoy.
Gabon/Sambong/Bukadkad/Subsob (Blumea balsamefera) – Daytoy a mula ket mausar tapno mabugaw ti aswang. Masapul a kapurpuros ken ikabil a kanayon iti bulsa.
Bawang – Saan a maanusan ti aswang ti angot ti bawang. Kanayonen ti mangitugot.
Asin- Maaramat kasmet la iti dapo. Mausar met tapno maiyadayo ti aswang kadagiti dadduma a lugar.
Ramramit – Nabendisionan a banbanag, bendita, ken anting-anting a masapul iti panangiyadayo kadagiti nakabutbuteng a parsua. Masapul a kasarita ti maysa a padi sakbay ti amin.
Dagiti ritos:
Mabalin a matiliw ti aswang babaen ti panangurnos ti tallo a dadakkel a bato iti sirkulo a kasla paglutuan. Inton mapasungadan ti ‘kak kak’ nga awag ti naparsua , baliksen ti Kredo dagiti Apostoles. Inton makadanon iti parte ti Kredo maipapan iti pannakailansa ni Cristo iti krus, mangpidot ti maysa a bato ket ipak-ol ti maysa a lansa iti daga. Agpababanto ti naparsua ket agdisso iti tallo a bato, ket ditoy mabalinen a patayen.
Adda ritos iti panangikkat ti lunod ti panagbalin ti maysa nga aswang; daytoy ket ti panaginum iti lemon ken danum, pannakaibitin a baliktad tapno maisarwada ti maysa a kasla billit a pinarsua ket daytoy maiwa-iwa iti pedaso.
Dagiti Palagip:
Usaren dagiti ramramit tapno mapasardeng dagiti encantasionda. Padsuen ida babaen iti ut-ot manipud iti ipus ti pagi sa ipungsay ti uloda babaen ti panggibus a tagbat ti buneng.
Dagiti lunod ti aswang ket mabalin a mapasingkedan babaen ti panangaramid ti ‘ritual ti itlog’ no sadinno a no makita dagiti marka ti mata ken dara iti itlog, kayatna a sawen a ti tao ket ‘inaswang’ (naallilaw).
Mabalin a maikkat dagiti ilusion iti taraon babaen ti panangipis-it iti calamansi kadagita. Dagiti masida a kas iti sinigang ket agbalin a malukong a napno iti ramay ti tao ken dara.
Dagiti lunod ti aswang ket mabalin nga agturong iti agsumbangir a dalan, isu a no ti biktima ket masapsaplitan wenno masugatan iti aniaman a pisikal a wagas, ti aswang ti makarikna iti dayta.
Saan a nalawa daytoy a listaan dagiti wagas iti panangtiliw iti naparsua. Adu pay dagiti ritual ken ramramit a maus-usar a manglaban kadagitoy a nakabutbuteng a parsua. .
Iwanwan koma ti Apo ti dalanmo.
Bendisyonannaka ti Dios.
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Engilsh version
Equipment:
Bolo – used to give a final blow after incapacitating the aswang.
Stingray Tail – used to incapacitate the aswang. Causes great pain to them.
Kalamansi – A ward to ensure that the aswang cannot pick you up. It weighs them down.
Ashes – Used to sprinkle on the aswang’s body if they self-segment. Aswang cannot reattach if ashes are scattered on their other half.
Gabon/Sambong/Bukadkad/Subsob (Blumea Balsamefera) – This plant is used to ward off aswang. Pick it fresh and keep it in your pocket.
Garlic – Aswang cannot stand the smell of garlic. Keep some with you at all times.
Salt – Used in the same way as ashes. Can also be used to ward certain places away from aswang.
Wards – Blessed objects, holy water anting-anting are all useful to keep away the monsters. Make sure to see a priest beforehand.
Rituals:
Aswang can be captured by arranging 3 big stones in a circle, like a stove, once the ‘kak kak’ call of the creature comes, recite the Apostle’s Creed. Once you reach the part of the creed about the nailing of Christ to the cross, pick up one of the stones and drive a nail into the ground. The creature will come down and perch on the three stones, where it can be killed.
There is a ritual in which the curse of being an aswang can be lifted, it involves drinking lemon and water, being hung upside down so that they will vomit a bird-like creature which has to be cut into pieces.
Reminders:
Use the wards to stop their spells. Incapacitate them with the pain from the stingray tail then cut their heads off with a final blow from the bolo.
Curses by aswag can be confirmed by performing the ‘egg ritual’ in which if eye marks and blood are seen in the egg that means the person was ‘inaswang’ (bewitched).
Illusions on food can be dispelled by squeezing calamansi over them. Dishes such as sinigang will turn into bowls filled with human fingers and blood.
Curses by aswang can go both ways so if the victim is whipped or injured in any physical way, the aswang will be the one that feels it.
This list is by no means extensive on how to hunt the creature. There are many other rituals and wards used to fight off these monsters.
May the Lord guide your path.
Godspeed.
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*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Inspired by various Aswang legends
Aswang Illustration by Patricia Ramos
FB: The Art of Patricia Ramos