THE PHILIPPINE CRYPTID ENTITIES

ABAT
- (Eastern Visayas) A Waray aswang that sucks internal organs. Big red
bulging eyes, fingers long and bony, and disheveled hair. Detaches from
the lower body. The creature is said to resemble a beautiful maiden by day
and marries an unsuspecting man to live close to human communities. She
goes to bed early with her spouse, and one informant from Samar reported
that the creature quietly gets out of bed at moonrise, opens an eastern
window, and stares at the newly-risen moon until her lower body drops off.
The abats of a town can visit neighboring towns. They fly over nipa houses
in which pregnant women live.
- On the day, the abat is a normal person but after sundown, he or she
performs a ritual at home or in a secluded area, which involves applying an
ointment on the body while murmuring an incantation and bending over at
the waist for some time. Unlike the manananggal, the abat does not grow
wings on its back; instead, the arms and hands turn into leathery, bat-like
wings. The skin turns coal black while the teeth grow pronounced fangs.
Then the body starts to separate at the waist until the upper body glides
off. The abat has big, fiery eyes which almost bulge out of their sockets.

ADA
- (Tagalog Provinces) The term is used for a “fairy”. Derived from the word
“engkantada” from the Spanish encantar which means in Tagalog is
"charm", "mambabalani" or "charm". It is also called by local names as
tumao in Cagayan and Misamis , meno in Iligan , and panulay in Siquijor.

AGALON HAYOPAN
- (Bicol) Inactive aswangs, prefer to live right by the river where crocodiles
are plentiful. They desire to eat human flesh and employ crocodiles to kill
people and discreetly bring their flesh to them.
- In Bicolano lore, when an aswang, especially one that has gotten too old no
longer wants to hunt for human prey itself, the aswang moves and lives by
the swamp or along the river. There, the hayopan raises crocodiles that
follow its bidding. When the hayopan‘s craving for human flesh kicks in, it
simply orders these crocodiles to find and kill a person and bring the
corpse back home so it may cook and eat the victim’s remains.
AGHOY
- (Eastern Visayas) The East Visayans call them aghoy. They look like little
men and women and their skin is fair and smooth. They have deep-set
eyes, blue, green, or brown. They have high noses and yellow hair. Their
feet are bare and they dress like villagers. They live in trees near villages.
They come into a village after dark. They speak to men in whistles. They
make friends with kind people. They give their friends wonderful gifts. They
give them magic pots always full of food. They give them magic purses
always full of gold.
- The term likely comes from the term “panaghoy” (lament/mourn).
“Whistling at night is prohibited lest an engkanto answers. Then something
bad will happen to you. (Ayaw gayud panaghoy sa gabii kay tubagon ka ug
engkantos. Unya may piligro nga modangat kanimo.)”
- Waray folklore describes the aghoy as attractive-looking men and women
in their early twenties although it is said they are small in size no taller than
a person’s knee. They have golden to blond hair, deep-set eyes of blue,
green, or brown, high bridged noses, and often go about barefoot. The
trees serve as their gateway to the human world. They come out after dark
and call on their human friends through whistles. They only enter a friend’s
house if they are invited in. The aghoy are good at finding lost things and
often use this ability as a way to test people’s honesty to identify
individuals who deserve their help. When a person loses something, a
silver ring, for example, the aghoy presents a ring of higher value,
pretending that it has no idea what the missing ring looks like. If the person
turns out to be honest, he gains the aghoy’s favor and receives a fantastic
reward such as a magic purse that never runs out of gold. If he turns out to
be greedy and dishonest, he gets nothing and won’t be able to see the
aghoy again. Sometimes the aghoy play pranks on their friends. When a
friend is asleep, the aghoy changes the sleeping person’s position in bed.
- Some say the aghoy are actually hideous in appearance and only pretend
to be good. Their true form is said to be shadowy humanoids covered in
pitch-black hair. The male aghoy allegedly rape women in their sleep like
an incubus.

AGTA
 - (Eastern Visayas) On September 18, 1963, Virginia Taglucop told folklorist
Maximo Ramos that she and her sister were walking on a lonely footpath in
Barrio Palanas, Masbate, in 1957 when they saw an agta sitting under a big
santol tree (Sandoricum koetjape). The creature stood and walked toward
them for a distance of twenty-five meters before they ran away. The
creature was black and twice as tall as an ordinary man. The agta of the
East Visayas are said to live in mangroves and swampy places. The agta
was reported to have carried a rattan cane – the only Philippine creature
shown by the data to be provided with this elegant appurtenance. The Agta
reported most often in Leyte smoked a large cigar and it can usually be
seen in a standing position. Benilda Moreno (from Barrio Gabas, Baybay,
Leyte) said that an agta once ordered some night fishermen not to proceed,
blocking their river route with large trees that it had knocked down to force
to its demand. Virginia Taglucop reported seeing an agta smoke, between
eight in the evening and four the next morning, under a santol tree in which
it resided. Although they share similar traits, the Agta should not be
considered a ‘variety of kapre, but instead one of the many tall, black, tree-
dwellers that have been (mis)classified under that umbrella term.
- The Agta has also been described as a supernatural man of dark
complexion and extraordinary size inhabiting trees, cliffs, or empty houses.
He is said to play practical jokes on people or kidnap them. He has a large
cigar in his mouth. In Bacolod, people believe the Agta is human, giant, and
very black. He stays in a tall tree, wears a hat, and smokes a pipe. He is
harmless as long as people do not harm him. As a protection against the
agta, a bottle filled with mercury (asugui) should always be carried,
because they are afraid of mercury.
- This diminutive agta only shows itself to people it likes, especially children
and beautiful women. It could also be seen by bending over and looking
down backward through the opening between the legs. Being fond of
women and children sometimes, the agta may pinch them in the leg,
leaving a dark mark on the skin. These helping fishermen by revealing
spots in the river or sea where fish are plenty.

AKOP
 - (Northern Luzon) In Tinguian or Itneg folklore, Akop is an evil spirit who
brings death to someone, especially a woman whose spouse just passed
away. This spirit is said to have no body, only a head with long slimy arms
and legs attached to it. Upon sensing that a man has died, Akop stalks the
wake and when it gets the chance, it gives the widow a cold embrace and,
thus, dooms her to follow her husband to the grave. Such misfortune can
only be averted if the spirit is kept away from the window. This is done by
hiding the widow behind a barricade of pillows in one corner during the
three days the deceased husband’s body is kept in the house. When the
wife sleeps she must be covered with a fish net so when Akop tries to
reach for her, its long fingers will be entangled among the meshes. Another
alternative is to cover the widow with a white blanket which she must wear
as a bandoleer during the day until after the burial. The widow may also
wear certain seeds which the spirit dislikes.

ALALIA
- (Ilocos) Believed by Ilocanos as spirit doubles of people, the alalia or al-alia
manifest during a person’s death as the groans of the dying, the cracking
of glass, the rattling of beds, or the banging of doors. These may be also
present when pigs grunt, dogs howl, or chickens crow at night. This
presence is said to warn the relatives to pray for the souls of the deceased
or suffer misfortunes.
- In other areas, the alalia are known as bambanig.

ALAN
- (Abra) The skin on the face of a wizened old alan is described in a
Tingguian tale as having been tough like carabao hide. The alan’s long
arms had fingers pointing back from the wrist, horrible to look at.
Elsewhere, the alan is said to be as large as people but have wings and can
fly. Their toes are at the back of their feet, and their fingers point backward
from their wrists with long nails. The alan is said to have lived in the depths
of a dark forest where people seldom went. They hang upside down from a
tree like a bat. In the tale “The Alan and the Hunters,” a man climbed to the
top of a forest tree and saw smoke rising in the distance. He and his
companion then walked toward the smoke and reached the house of a
female alan. They killed her and found a jar of beads; and another jar of
gold in her house.
- The Lepanto tale (Benguet Province) “How a Young Man Escapes a
Cannibal” tells that the alan lived in a house of pure gold in Kitlungan. They
 alan are rumored to adopt children who have been lost in the jungle. This
cannibalistic version of the alan in Northern Luzon should be quite a
character to draw—rough-skinned, long-armed, winged, but cravely afraid
of crabs, his hands and feet set the wrong end forward, when asleep
hanging upside down from a branch like an enormous bat or bird, and yet
courting and being accepted by village girls and able to trade off his green
mangoes for human male babies. They are said to procreate by collecting
menstrual blood, aborted fetuses, and afterbirth from humans, which they
form into Alan children.
- There is a regional variant of the alan in northwestern Pangasinan and La
Union. They describe these creatures as taller than most people, their
complexion is a bit darker than the rest of the local community, but they
have eyes that are light/fair (amber or light brown). They seem to live in
tribal communities and travel during a full moon or sometimes at dusk,
beating drums and bells.
- Some alan resides near springs with a few living underwaters.

ALLAWIG
- (Ilocos) The allawig, also known as silew-silew (‘lighter’), is a ball of fire
moving across open fields or through wooded areas at night. Unlike fire, it
ignites nothing it touches. It is commonly red but maybe blue, green,
orange, or yellow. Unlike a real flame, too, it is round rather than peaked. It
may burn bright or just flicker. One under its spell follows it and is then led
round and round until he falls in exhaustion. The creature may also lead a
man into a mudhole or swamp where he can drown. One under the spell of
the allawig should take off his clothes and put them on inside out. The
creature will then leave and he will find his way home, which may prove to
be just around the corner after all.

ALASIP
- (Tagalog Provinces) is a person who at night becomes a creature that
preys on people, killing them in their sleep to eat their liver. To turn them
into an alasip is called nag-aalasip and is done by an aswang.

ALED
- (Cagayan Valley) The aggressive aled are one of the spirits most dreaded
by the Gaddang. In their normal form, the aled are invisible but can change
 into human or non-human forms. Sometimes they take the guise of pigs,
birds, or a human.
- As spirits, the aled inhabit trees, rocks, stumps, and other things in the
forest. Anyone touched by the aled immediately becomes dizzy, weak, and
would die within a few days if not subjected to a ritual. It is like the aled to
kill because their main source of food is human corpses.

AMALANHIG
- (Western Visayas) The amalanhig —or maranhig—of the Hiligaynon is said
to be a dead woman who has lived on because no one inherited her
vampiric state when she was dying. She lives in the woods, quietly enters
villages at night, and sucks the blood of those asleep.
- When about to die, a vampire asks a close relative to take over her
vampirism. If no one agrees to do so, she lives on and remains a vampire.
- One should climb up a crooked tree when pursued by the Hiligaynon
vampire—the amalanhig—since her joints are stiff and she cannot
negotiate the crook in the tree. If no crooked tree is around, one being
pursued by her should follow a crooked path, for the vampire cannot follow
such a path because she cannot bend her legs to turn. Or one should jump
into a river or lake since an amalanhig fears bodies of water.
- “An old man from a distant barrio in one of our towns is known throughout
as a maranhig. This man is old and cannot die unless someone in his
family inherits his power. Whenever he begs, his children to take his
power, saliva comes out of his mouth and reaches down to the ground. The
saliva is long like a rope and sticky. His sons married women from outside
the province who did not know about their sickness. His daughters have
become spinsters and cannot marry unless one of them inherits her
father’s power.
- Only one in the family will become a maranhig and will do as he does. The
old man used to make those who talked about the sick.”
- The amalanhig with unfinished business are relentless in pursuing the
persons they have chosen to fulfill their goals. Avenging amalanhig, on the
other hand, tickle their victims to death while sucking their life force.
- They also mimic the words of the persons they encounter. Their presence
is usually detected through the stench of their rotting flesh.
- The amalanhig have stiff legs that cannot bend. The aswang amalanhig,
however, are still fast and cannot be outrun. If an amalanhig chases you,
climb a crooked tree to prevent the creature from catching you. You can
also jump into the river or any body of water since these are known to keep
the amalanhig at bay. Water can turn an amalanhig into a heap of worms
 and maggots that must be destroyed before they could form back into the
creature.
- According to one legend, a long time ago before the Spaniards came to the
Philippines a chieftain ordered his priestess to create an army of warriors
that could not be killed. These immortals were created by killing ordinary
men and encrusting their bodies with dark soot, putting a strange pebble in
their mouths, and doing other rituals. After three days they came back to
life but they were mindless, walking corpses that only died after
accomplishing their task.
- Amalanhig means “stiff one”.

AMBABOY
- (Mountain Province) This pinading in Sagada assumes the form of pythons
on trees held sacred by the natives. They could kill by constriction anyone
foolish enough to desecrate their abode.

AMAMARANG
- (Visayas, Mindanao) According to folklore from some areas in Visayas and
Mindanao, the amamarang are ordinary-looking women by day but are, in
fact, aswang whose faces become hideous at night while their hair grows
longer and harden like wires. When an amamarang ambushes a lone
person she strangles him with her hands while her hair tries to get into the
victim’s ears, nose, and mouth to suffocate. The hair has a nauseating
smell that could make the victim lose consciousness. In other areas,
amamarang are self-segmenters (like the manananggal) that use their wire-
like hair to grab or tackle people who wander alone after dark.

AMOMONGO
- (Western Visayas) The term amomongo has been used to describe a gorilla
in traditional Visayan folktales, such as “Amomongo and Iput-Iput (The Ape
and the Firefly). In Barangay Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental,
the same term was used to describe a man-sized creature that attacked two
residents and disemboweled goats and chickens in the area. Elias Galvez
 and Salvador Aguilar reported to then-Mayor Alberto Nicor Jr. and the
police that they were separately attacked by a “hairy creature with long
nails,” on the nights of June 09 and 10, 2008. Barangay Sag-ang residents
described the creature to be about 5 feet and 4 inches tall and look like a
monkey. Sag-ang Barangay Captain Rudy Torres has confirmed reports of
the existence of such a creature, called amomongo (gorilla) by residents.
Brgy. Sag-ang in La Castellana town is located at the foot of Mount
Kanlaon, which has many caves where the creature could live.
Amomonggo means “old monkey” in Hiligaynon.

ANANANGGAL
- (Bicol, Visayas) Like the manananggal, the anananggal of Visayas and
Bicol separate at the waist but do not have wings. Instead of flying, they
float or levitate. When not on the hunt for people at night and in the wee
hours, they enter a wake unseen (invisible) and sniff the corpse to their
satisfaction like ghouls.

ANDAGAW
- (Western Visayas) The Buid say the andagaw look like persons but are
invisible most of the time. These invisible beings live in houses under
mountain peaks, which can only be reached through doorways or
sakbawan (openings into the earth) such as springs and caves. The
andagaw are very aloof and mostly avoid contact with humans. People who
pass by an area believed to be part of the andagaw territory are careful not
to disturb or offend the latter.

ANDUDUNO
- (Catanduanes) In Catanduanes, the anduduno (one who visits the sick)
feeds on human corpses, and her cannibalism is passed on through seven
generations. It is reported that when the ghoul senses that the patient
smells like ripe langka (jackfruit), it means he is about to die and she stays
around.
 - The anduduno from Bicolano folklore is an aswang that can smell if a
person is terminally ill. It prowls outside or under the house of the victim
and uses its very long, snake-like tongue to lick the sick person to hasten
death. Sometimes it waits outside the house of a dying person or lies flat
on its belly on the roof with its long tongue dangling like a dog panting.
Once the person dies, it sneaks in and replaces the corpse with a cut
banana trunk. Also, when it finds a woman in labor, it lies under the house
directly under her or enters the house and hides under the bed and – like a
drug addict – finds ecstasy in smelling the mixture of amniotic fluid and
blood that comes out of the woman. When it gets the chance, it sucks the
woman’s blood. In Camarines, it is known as paraduno. The anduduno’s
very long tongue is often mistaken as a separate creature called dila.

ANGAKOKANG
- (Cagayan Valley) According to the Gaddang, the angakokang is an invisible
entity whose presence is detected through its dog-like whining or
whimpering in the stillness of the night. Its whining can cause illness to
those who hear it. If not treated through a ritual, the victim will die.

ANGGITAY
- (Tagalog Provinces) The anggitay was reported from Santo Tomas,
Batangas, by the late Aproniano G. Castillo, a lawyer and the father of
Maximo Ramos’ daughter-in-law, Exaltacion C. Ramos, a psychologist. It
has peculiar anatomy. Seen from in front, it is a beautiful maiden from head
to foot, and it is a haggard mare seen from behind. It sits in a tree in a plank
of wood and quietly watches wayfarers go by.

ANGONGOLOOD
- (Bicol) Through more in-depth translations of the Ibalong Epic of Bicol, this
is the being that is thought to be described in stanza 31 when translated to
Bicolano.

Los pongos y orangutangs

La miraban con horror,
Porque las aguas del Bicol
Con su sangre coloro.

The pongos and orangutans

Watching the fight filled with horror stung,
With color due to crocodiles blood
He tinged the Bicol River red.

- Bicolano folklore says the angongolood looks like a gorilla and inhabits
swamps and riverbanks. It can turn people into trees by pouncing on them
as they pass. It is reported that some people passing in boats will strike the
sides to create enough noise to frighten off the angongolood.
- The angongolood or angunguluod is a creature in Bicolano folklore said to
look like a gorilla and inhabits swamps and riverbanks where it attacks
fishermen and boatmen. It jumps on and hugs the unsuspecting victim very
tight until the hapless person is dead and then turned into a tree. The
creature is spooked away with noise created by striking the sides of a boat.

ANGUNGULKOL
- (Bicol) The angungulkol or angongolood is a creature from Bicolano
folklore said to look like a gorilla that inhabits swamps and riverbanks
where it attacks fishermen and boatmen. It jumps on and hugs the
unsuspecting victim so tight until the hapless person dies and the corpse
is then either stuffed in a tree hole or turned into a tree. The creature is
spooked away with noise created by striking the sides of a boat.

ANI-ANI
- (Zambales) The ani-ani is said to stand eighteen feet tall. A man may think
he is standing between two trees and then realize that he is between the
lower legs of the ani-ani. The creature lumbers along because of its great
size. It is dark-complexioned, hairy, and bearded. Its nose is flat and its
mouth wide, and it has rough skin. It generally appears when there is a new
moon and may be seen at night smoking on the branch of a large tree
beside a country road such as the Bulala (Iloko) or Talisay (Tagalog). The
 ani-ani blocks the path of a wayfarer at night. It changes its shape from that
of a tall, dark man to that of a carabao without horns, a horse, or a hog and
back into a tall, dark man again.

ANIOAAS
- (Ilocos) According to folklore from Ilocos Norte, an anioaas or aniwaas
(a.k.a. alingaas) is the soul of a murder victim. It departs in the form of
steam before the body grows cold and stiff. Instead of moving on it lingers
in the world, often haunting places where it used to frequent as a living
person, and appears to its relatives as a shadow.

ANITO
- (Luzon, Visayas) The natives of Luzon refer to the anito as spirits of nature
and those of deceased ancestors, which they worshiped. The anito are
often represented in households and sacred areas by anthropomorphic
idols carved from wood, the most popular are the bulul or bul-ol rice god
idols of the Igorot. The natives pray, perform rituals, and sacrifices to the
anito for good harvest, good hunting, fertility, rites of passage, battles, and
other undertakings. Along with the diwata, anito worship in the Philippines
was almost eliminated by Spanish friars who took charge of the destruction
of the idols. Despite this, worship and belief in the anito continue today
with some incorporated into local festivities such as the Pahiyas Festival of
Lucban, Quezon. During ancient times in the Visayas, anito originally
referred to the various rituals performed for the diwata.

ANNANI
- (Cagayan Valley) The annani among the Ibanag generally ate human food.
When offended, they were propitiated with a fat hog, the uncooked head of
a carabao, rice cakes, coconut milk, sugar, bibingka, basi, cigars, and a fee
of a dozen betels.
- The annani are Ibanag elves that look like humans except for their pointed
ears. All of them wear colorful or white clothes, headbands made from
either leaves or metal, and girdles or sash. The females generally wear a
ring of flowers around their heads. They eat human food and love to smoke
 and chew betel nuts. Their favorite is the head of a carabao served with
native wine. They have a piece of wide knowledge on healing, longevity,
and other secret arts which they sometimes share with human friends. As
guardians of certain places they are unable to leave their territory,
otherwise, they will fade away.

ANSISIT
- (Ilocos) The Ilokanos call him ansisit. He is an old man who is as short as a
boy of three. His joints, belly, head, eyes, nose, and mouth are large. He
lives underground and owns all the land. He lives in caves and anthills, too.
Anthills are mounds of earth made by termites. He naps on the anthill at
noon. He does not want farmers to plow the ground with tractors. He fears
that plowing with heavy tractors will ruin his home. He visits people’s yards
after the sun has set. He walks under our homes at noon and after dark. He
doesn’t want us to sweep our yard or floor then. If we do, the dust may get
into his eyes. He pinches us, and our skin becomes blue. He pulls our toes
and makes them twice as long. He gives us scabies, fever, and chills.

APADEL
- (Cagayan Valley) The apadel or kabagaang (a.k.a. kalagang), according to
the Tinguian, are spirits that dwell in peculiar-shaped stones called pinaing
which are found under trees or along rivers or streams.
- Apdel or Apadel, according to Tinguian or Itneg belief, is the spirit that
supposedly resides in peculiar-shaped stones called pinaing which are
found under trees, along rivers or streams, or at the gate of villages. Apdel
is regarded as the guardian spirit of villages, which it must protect from
sickness and enemies during ceremonies or when away. Apdel may appear
as a red rooster or as a white dog.

ARAN
- (Cagayan Valley) The aran is a gnome-like creature with wide feet that point
backward. It is as small as a child and has wrinkled skin and red hair.
Although it has poor eyesight, it has superb hearing. This creature is
known to court human maidens and has a knack for stealing rice. It owns
gold and precious stones which it hoards in its underground lair. Fearful
maidens keep it at bay by wearing a necklace of garlic or crocodile teeth.
Among the Gaddang, the aran is a mist-like entity in the forest. At night it
sneaks into a house and possesses a sleeping person. This person will
then act as if he is losing his mind and die sooner or later.
ARIMAONGA
- (Lanao) Arimaonga is the term used for lion. It appears in traditional
Maranao folktales such as “Pilandok and Arimaonga” (The Mouse-Deer and
the Lion). It is also described in a Maranao myth as one of the moon-
eaters.
- “Up in the sky lives a huge lion named Arimaonga. The animal sometimes
gets playful and it swallows the moon thus producing an eclipse of the
moon. The Arimaonga is forced by the people to disgorge the moon only
by making noises during an eclipse of the moon, by beating gongs and
plucking their fingernails. The eclipse of the sun happens when one of the
wheels of the chariot which carries it gets destroyed thus forcing it to
deviate from its regular path.”

ASBO
- The asbo of Bicol is a flightless aswang that belongs to the group of
shapeshifters and werebeasts called the aswang na lakad. A person by
day, the asbo turns at night into a black, canine beast slightly larger than a
carabao. In this form, it prefers sucking the blood of its victims after
mauling them to death and devours only a bit of the flesh and innards,
especially the heart and liver.
- The asbo has become synonymous with aswang; with other aswang
variants in the Bicol Region being referred to as asbo.

ASWANG
- (Many regions) The aswang concept is most usefully understood as a
congeries of beliefs about five types of mythical beings identifiable with
certain creatures of the European tradition: (1) the blood-sucking vampire,
(2) the self-segmenting viscera sucker, (3) the man-eating weredog, (4) the
vindictive or evil-eye witch, and (5) the carrion-eating ghoul. Thus when
Philippine folk speaks of the aswang, they generally refer to the physical
traits, habitat, or activities of these five types of mythical beings, and
sometimes also of other mythical entities like the demon, dwarf, and elf.
What follows is a brief description of each aspect of the aswang, a term
chiefly used by the Tagalog, Bikol, and Visayan groups in the country.
● (Bloodsucker Aspect: Bicol, Cebu, Visayas, Ilokano) By Philippine folk
traditions, the vampire is a bloodsucking creature disguised as a beautiful
maiden. It marries an unsuspecting youth and thus can sip a little of his
blood each night till he dies of anemia, whereupon the monster gets itself
another husband. To suck blood the vampire uses the tip of its tongue,
pointed like the proboscis of a mosquito, to pierce the jugular vein.
● (Viscera Sucker Aspect: Bicol, Luzon) The viscera sucker is a mythical
being said to suck out the internal organs (naguneg in Iloko, laman luob in
Tagalog, kasudlan in West Visayan) or to feed on the voided phlegm of the
sick. This creature rarely occurs in European folklore but is widespread in
Malaysia. It is reported to look like an attractive woman by day, buxom,
long-haired, and light-complexioned. Its tongue is extended, narrow, and
tubular like a drinking straw — but not pointed like the vampire’s— and it is
capable of being distended to a great length. At night the monster discards
its lower body from the waist down and flies or floats or glides out.
● (Were-Beast Aspects: Bicol, Cebu, Western Visayas, Luzon) The weredog
is a mythical being said to be a man or woman— chiefly the former—by
day, but at night to turn into a ferocious beast, principally a dog, known as
aso in many Philippine languages. A werewolf is identified as the fiercest
animal in a region so that Europe has werewolves, China werefoxes, and
Indian weretigers. Since there are no wolves in the Philippines, the term
weredog is more appropriate; although the term werebeast may, in some
cases, be even more applicable. A weredog is said to reside in a village and
turn into a ferocious dog, boar, or large cat at about midnight.
● (Witch Aspects: Bicol, Cebu, Eastern Visayas) Another member of the
cluster of mythical concepts encompassed by the term aswang is the
witch, believed by the folk to be a man or woman—mostly the latter— who
is extremely vindictive or who causes sickness without meaning to do so.
By magically intruding various objects—shells, bone, unhusked rice, fish,
and insects of various species—through the victim’s bodily orifices or by
herself entering the victim’s body, the Philippine witch punishes those by
whom she has been put out. Or by an innocent look or remark, she also
makes an equally innocent victim ill. Unlike the European witches,
however, the Philippine witch has no appetite for human flesh. She is shy
and lives in abandoned houses on the outskirts of towns and villages. She
will not look people straight in the eye because the image in the pupils of
her eyes is said to be upside down and the pupils are thin and elongated
like a cat’s or lizard’s in bright sunshine.
● (Ghoul Aspect: Many areas in the Philippines) The Philippine ghoul is said
to steal human corpses and devour them. For this purpose, its nails are
horned, curved, and sharp and its teeth pointed. Its smell and breath are
 fetid, and though generally invisible, the creature is said to look like a
human being when it shows itself. Some ghouls live in human
communities. At night they congregate in large trees near a cemetery and
then descend atid exhume the newly buried corpses. They devour their
plunder, making audible noises as they do so. A ghoul is said to be able to
hear, over great distances, the groans of the dying. Its greed is aroused
when it catches the scent of death, and then it snatches the mourners as
well as the dead.

ASWANG NA GALA
- (Tagalog Provinces) The aswang na gala (literally, “wandering aswang”)
are energy vampires that feed off the life force or vitality of sick, weary,
stressed, and dying persons. They appear as normal people – some work
in hospitals to prey on the patients. Staring into their eyes reveals their true
nature because it is believed everything is reflected upside-down in their
eyes. Sometimes they feed off the life force of a yet-to-be-born child,
causing miscarriage.

ASWANG SA KALIBONAN
- (Visayas) The hairy aswang sa kalibonan or aswang sa talon of the Visayas
forests is a very ancient being. It lives away from human habitations and
resides deep in the jungle. From time to time, when it wants to taste human
flesh, it lurks in the outskirts and ambushes anyone who happens to pass
by. Also, it may lie in wait underwater in a river or a stream and drown the
person who takes a dip near it. It keeps a flock of black chicks which it
gives to people who wish to become aswang.
ASUWANG NA LAKAW
- (Bicol) A classification of asuwang was detailed by Francis Lynch, S.J. in
his paper “An Mga Asuwang: A Bicol Belief”. This kind of asuwang, the
walking species, is by far the most common. Asuwang na lakaw decides,
about 6 p.m., where he or she operates that night by putting his ear to the
rice mortar and listening to sounds of mourners or listens for such sounds
while standing on his head, resting in a shallow hole in the ground, or, say
others, removing the cover of a specially made listening well and listening.
At 8 o’clock in the evening, he leaves for his operations. Some claim this
asuwang uses a special concoction rubbed over its body (a premixed
ointment consisting of chicken dung and coconut oil).
ASUWANG NA LAYOG
- (Bicol) A classification of asuwang was detailed by Francis Lynch, S.J. in
his paper “An Mga Asuwang: A Bicol Belief”. There are two kinds of flying
asuwang: the simple asuwang na layog, and the anananggal. They differ in
that the latter type leaves its trunk and limbs in some secluded spot while
the head and entrails take to the air. The former flies with its entire body
intact.
- Lynch, from his compilation of Bikol asuwang studies, revealed that the
anananggal goes into the hidden portion of the house or a secluded area,
then, “…..dipping his right hand into the foul-smelling ointment which he
has prepared, applies it on the line beginning from the tip of of the little
finger of the left hand, progressing the length of the arm to the armpit,
thence down his left side and the outer side of his left leg, ending at the tip
of the little toe. Then the left hand is dipped into the chicken dung mixture
and the process is duplicated on the right side of the body. During the
operations, he repeats to himself, but alone, the following formula or its
equivalent: Siri Siri daing Diyos kung banggi, labaw sa kahoyan, lagbas sa
kasirongan! Translated, the formula reads, “Siri, Siri, there is no God at
night, over trees, under houses.”
- Supposedly after the application of the chicken dung mixture, an oily
membrane appears on both sides of the body, more like flying skin folds.
For the ordinary layog, he needs only to jump and hop for momentum
before he ascends to the night sky. The anananggal reacts differently.
Propping himself against a wall, if there be one, through magic he is then
presumed to detach himself from his lower limbs. The cry kakak or kikik is
heard in the process of flight.
- The anananggal creature perches on the roof where he droolingly awaits
his next meal, and it is his long thread-like tongue that passes through the
roof shingles.

ASWANG NA LUPAD
- (Bicol) Distinct from their other flying kin, the aswang na lipad keep their
human form and do not need wings to fly. Before setting out, an aswang na
lipad takes its clothes off and applies on its armpits a green ointment made
of herbs and fat. This concoction gives the aswang the ability to fly in the
night sky.
- The aswang na lipad never prey on living men; instead, they only take the
liver of a fresh corpse and depart swiftly. When this “commodity” is scarce,
they turn on farm animals for their liver. The mere presence of citrus fruits
nearby hamper their ability to fly.
ATROS
- (La Union) Fair complexioned humanoid beings about three feet tall with
bulging eyes, long pointed ears, red curly hair, and big bellies. According
to a lore in La Union, the atros come out during new moon and full moon
nights as a large parading group while riding horse-like beasts. Their
arrival is preceded by the sound of drums from a distance. People who
hear these drums hide in their houses because the atros are notorious for
taking the souls of those they see. Even the slightest noise from within a
house may attract their attention. When this happens, they stop by in front
of the house and one of its occupants will fall ill or die. It is believed the
atros consume the souls of their victims. If a person happens to be
outdoors during the atros’ arrival, with no means of getting indoors
immediately, he must lie down with his belly on the ground to prevent the
atros from seeing him. Others believe wearing hats render people invisible
to the atros.

AWOK
- (Eastern Visayas) Similarly, the abat and awok of the Eastern Visayas have
been described as extremely dangerous beings that fly with only the upper
part of their body and have big, red, bulging, and hungry eyes, disheveled
hair, and long bony and clawed fingers. They are reported to fly with only
their heads and hands. Maximo Ramos points out that the awok may
simply be a different name for the abat used in other Visayan areas.
BACKLESS WOMAN
- (Ilocos) This ghost in Ilocos is not widely known as only a handful of
individuals claim to have encountered her. She is described as a beautiful
woman in a long white dress. What makes her scary is the huge gaping
wound or hole in her back, or according to others she does not have a back
at all – only exposed bones and bloody flesh. She appears to be similar (at
least in appearance) to the sundel bolong of Indonesian folklore. The
sundel bolong is the vengeful spirit of a woman who died while pregnant,
or who died during childbirth and has a gaping hole in her back.

BACOBACO
- (Zambales) In 1915, Henry Otley Beyer recorded a myth of the Ayta living in
Zambales that sounds very much like a volcanic eruption of Pinatubo. The
battle is between Algao, which may be the northern name for the Sun
(related to Aldo), and Bacobaco, a great sea turtle. In this account, Algao
and Bacobaco have a great battle in which the latter eventually bores into
 the top of Pinatubo creating a great crater and emitting great flames, huge
rocks, mud, ashes, smoke, and deafening noise in the process. According
to the legend, Bacobaco continued to dwell in the mountain, and when he
comes out “woe be to us.”

BAGAT
- (Central Panay) The bagat, according to the Central Panay people, is seen
on a full moon, or when it is extremely dark after a slight drizzle earlier in
the evening. They assume the form of domestic animals and are normally
harmless. However, they are dangerous when harmed. Some of them are
pets of supernatural beings. The aswang also sometimes takes the form of
the bagat.

BAG-ONG YANGGA
- (Panay) The term yanggaw is an Ilonggo term that refers to infection, more
specifically, of an affliction that turns normal human beings into aswangs.
It was popularized with Richard Somes’ 2008 film “Yanggaw”. Bag-ong
Yanggaw refers to a newly empowered or ‘infected’ aswang. A newly
empowered aswáng is aggressive and dangerous and is likely to kill people
they encounter alone near rivers at night. There are no historical sources
for Bag-ong Yanggaw.
BAKAYAUWAN
- (Ifugao) In Ifugao lore, the bakayauwan are benevolent mountain spirits
that appear as hunters in the forest. They fly instead of walking and help
human hunters who deserve their generosity.

BAKUNAWA
- (Western Visayas) Sometimes a deity was represented as a serpentine
dragon, according to Filipino mythology. He has two sets of wings,
whiskers, a red tongue, and a mouth ‘the size of a lake.’ The Filipinos once
thought that the Bakunawa lived in the sea at a time when the world had
seven moons that the serpents, being fascinated by their light, would rise
out of the sea into the sky and consume the moons. Thus, the serpents
were the cause of lunar eclipses. To prevent the world from becoming dark
the people would run out of their homes, taking their pots and pans, to
make the most noise they could to scare the Bakunawa so they would stop
eating the moons and give them the moonlight back. But in some versions,
 these serpents also devour the sun in which case also causes the solar
eclipse.

BALAU
- (Cagayan) In Tinguian or Itneg myth, Balau was a bird of prey of immense
size, whose lair was in the island of Babuyan. Balau had human-like
intelligence and could talk. This huge bird met its end in the hands of a boy
with supernatural abilities, who beheaded Balau with ease.

BALBAL
- (Palawan) A monster that steals corpses from its grave, and has a foul
breath. Replaces corpse with a banana stalk that exactly resembles the
deceased.
- The balbal is a corpse-eater in Tagbanua lore. It has sharp curved nails,
sharp pointed teeth, and a long proboscis-like tongue. It glides in the night
sky like a flying squirrel. When it finds a house with a dying person inside,
it either lands on the roof and tears it open with its nails, waits under the
house if it is elevated, or hides under the victim’s bed. It sucks the victim’s
life force using its tongue until he is dead. The balbal will then steal the
corpse (when it is on the roof it uses its strong tongue to snatch the
deceased). In place of the corpse, the balbal leaves a banana trunk or a
clump of branches or grass made to resemble the dead. In other times it
raids cemeteries for newly-buried corpses, using its claws to dig the grave.
- Disguised as a normal person attending a wake, a balbal can spirit away
the corpse when no one is looking. When suitable corpses are rare, it preys
on the fetus inside a woman’s womb.
- Among the Tiruray, the balbal are known as bolbol, which spread disease
in villages and eat the entrails of the dead. To ward off the balbal, the
exterior of houses was decorated with uar vines which the balbal feared
because they thought the vines were snakes.

BALBALAN
- (Sulu) Tausugs believe the balbalan are manananggal-like creatures that
enjoy eating the liver of corpses. The natives make a lot of noise during a
wake to keep the balbalan away.

BALENDIK
 - (Aurora, Quezon) The Dumagat negritos in the northeast coast of Luzon
describe the balendik as a tree-dwelling white spirit with thin legs and a
horse’s head. Negritos who have a successful hunt in the forest chop off a
part of their kill and throw it up a tree as an offering to the creature saying:
“This is for thee.” The balendik is possibly related to the tikbalang.

BALIKWAD
- (Tagalog Provinces) A creepy creature that eats babies.

BALINOK AND BALINSOGO

- (Davao) For the Bagobo people, they are husband and wife who love blood
and cause people to run amok.

BALO
- (Tagalog Provinces) According to Tagalog farmer lore in Tayabas City,
Quezon, the balo are forest spirits that frighten wanderers. These beings
manifest as floating smoke or shadows but most of the time they are
invisible and can only be heard as terrifying wails and moans.

BANAG
- (Visayas) Ancient Visayans believed the banag were evil spirits that
rampaged between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. when there was a moon, trampling
plants, bushes, and even breaking branches and vines as they ran off to an
unknown destination. It is said their rampaging even scared other Encanto
that some of the latter were forced to fly to the moonlight to avoid them.

BANGKILAN
- (Palawan) Powerful female Aswangs who could turn into big black boars.
They are so powerful they could turn a normal human into an Aswang
through a kiss. In Cuyonen, Bangkilan means fierce pig or boar.

BANGUNGOT
- (Tagalog Provinces) It takes the form of an old, fat woman residing in trees,
and is very vengeful. Most punishments they endure include suffocation.
They punish people who cut the tree to where they dwell. Whoever rests or
sleeps on the wooden bench or bed which came from the wood of her tree,
 will die by sitting over that person. The only way to escape her is to press
hard the thumb-toe of that human sleeping on it.

BANIX
- (Nueva Vizcaya) The banix or banik of Isinay lore in Nueva Vizcaya takes on
several forms such as a ball, a jar, or a headless man rolling on the ground.
People are advised not to look into a banix’s eyes because it causes
insanity or death.

BANNOG
- (Ilocos, Cagayan Valley) A huge bird with strong legs and talons that can
live as a carabao. It carries large animals off to feed its young.

BANTAY
- (Pangasinan) An old man living in a large tree. He turns into a white rooster
that grows bigger and smaller. It stops people from going near a tree or
blocks their path so they cannot pass. Bantay means a guard or sentinel in
Tagalog.
BANWAANON
- (Cebu, Western Visayas) – Meaning ‘of the forest’. They are sometimes
called Katsila from ‘Castilian’ (shortened to kastila) meaning Spaniard. The
Banwaanon only appear to people that they choose and help people who
help them. They are said to have Caucasian features and coloring.
- Also known as baua (also spelled bawa), the banuanhon are tall, hairy
beings that inhabit the forests and mountains of Iloilo and some parts of
Aklan and Capiz provinces.
- The banuanhon have protruding mouths like snouts with large teeth, big
nostrils, and dangling lower lips. Their heads which are almost flat on top
are covered with long hair. They have thin and hairy bodies while their
arms and legs are considerably long, making them agile and fast runners –
able to outrun the fastest animal. They can render themselves invisible or
take the form of a carabao, wild pig, large dog, or fabulous bird. A
banuanhon can easily wring a person’s neck when provoked. Some say the
mere sight of these beings can make a person insane for months.

BARANGAN
 - (Eastern Visayas) You will know if you are cursed by Barangan if you will
see a white centipede in your house. Albularyos are called to reverse their
curse. The Barangan is a witch who uses insects and spirits, and any
material to enter the body of anyone they hate and come out disgustingly.

BARAS
- (Pangasinan) Tall, dark, and hideous. Lives in the deep woods. He steals
women carries them off to his home. When they awaken, they are terrified
and go insane.

BATANGUON
- (Mindanao) Not much is known about the batanguon except that they are
said to be ugly and poorly dressed fairies. Some who claim to have
encountered these beings describe them as girls in their early teenage
years with disheveled hair, soot-covered skin, and dressed in tattered rags
without any shoes or sandals

BATIBAT
- (Ilocos) It takes the form of an old, fat woman residing in trees, and is very
vengeful. Most punishments they endure include suffocation. They punish
people who cut the tree to where they dwell. Whoever rests or sleeps on
the wooden bench or bed which came from the wood of her tree, will die by
sitting over that person. The only way to escape her is to press hard the
thumb-toe of that human sleeping on it.

BATO-BATO
- (Tagalog Provinces) The bato-bato, in Tagalog folklore, are hulking
humanoids of rock and minerals, 6 to 8 feet tall, and serve as sentries of
the entrance to the territory of some Encanto. The bato-bato first appear as
weird rock formations but will rise and chase away any person who sets
foot on the area they are tasked to guard.

BAWO
- (Cebu) In Cebuano lore, the bawo are tall, muscular men who inhabit large
trees. Unlike the agta, they wear loincloths. They are sometimes seen idling
 away on tree branches while smoking tobacco. They play pranks on people
by calling their attention, only to disappear and cause confusion.

BAYUGO
- The bayugo is some sort of invisible creature that hangs out or visits
houses at night. When it does show itself it is described as a humanoid
with red skin and often mistaken as a demon. The bayugo has a weird habit
concerning sleeping people, especially children. It hits or punches the
heads of children or persons who lay their heads beyond the edge of the
sleeping mat or higher than those of their elders. Why the bayugo does this
is never explained although some say it was probably made up by the
elders to encourage proper sleeping etiquette among children.

BEKAT
- (Mountain Province) Bekat was a giant woman who dwelt in a cave in the
Mountain Province. Isneg folktale relates that she had a keen sense of
smell for meat, her favorite food. She knew if a hunter was carrying meat
nearby. It is said she tricked hunters in order to steal the meat of their kill.
She loved to cook meat along with rice in large pots in her cave.
- In an Isneg folktale, Bekat was a female giant with a particular appetite for
animal meat and, occasionally, human flesh. She had sharp teeth, long
matted hair, and she had a strong sense of smell, especially for meat. She
was a bit dim-witted, having been tricked by children. Her house was a
cave where she kept a small fire within to roast her prey. She met her end
when she accidentally cut one of her legs at the knee with an ax in an
attempt to cut down the tree where the children who tricked her took
refuge.

BERBALANG
- (Sulu) A winged monster with slanted eyes digs up the graves then eats the
corpses of the dead person. The berbalang are a tribe of ghouls in
Cagayan, Sulu. When fresh corpses are nowhere to be found in their
locality, they send out their astral bodies to other places in search of
 cadavers or feed on the innards of sleeping persons. They lie down and fall
into a comatose or trance-like state then their moaning and glow-eyed
astral bodies fly off. Lime juice washed all over a corpse or sprinkled on a
grave and a cocoa nut pearl (some sort of agimat or charm) keeps the
berbalang at bay.

BERBEROKA
- (Apayao) A swamp creature that lures victims by sucking water in the pond
to pool fish together, attracting fishermen, who then drown in the process.
- The Apayao fear the big and amphibious berberoka (also spelled
berberoca) that prowls in ponds and swamps. It lures victims, especially
fishermen, by exposing a multitude of fish on the surface or in the shallows
after sucking most of the water in. When a fisherman approaches to catch
the fish, the berberoka releases the water back, overwhelming and
knocking down the victim. The victim either drowns and then is eaten or
dragged down and eaten alive. Despite its fearsome reputation, the
berberoka is afraid of crabs.

BENTOHANGIN
- (Panay) According to the Sulod tribe in Panay island, they are half-human,
half-horse-like creatures similar to the Centaur of Greek Mythology. But
unlike their Greek counterpart, these creatures have horse-like heads and
can fly.

BIANGONAN
- (Palawan) The Biangonan is described as a small human with black skin,
kinky dark hair, and feet pointing backward. They can sometimes be found
climbing through the tallest trees. It can transform into a human or a pig,
where it will use this guise to sneak into a village and steal a pig or a
human for its consumption. When villagers detect a rotting smell, they
know a Biangonan is near. They will light a large fire which is believed to
ward it off. The Biangonan devours every part of the human they steal
from the village but will leave the jaw bone of the victim hanging in a tree.
An alternate description appears in “The Encyclopedia of Philippine Folk
Beliefs and Customs Volume 1”: The Batak believe that biangonan are
small people possessed of talons who hide in rocks and trees. When they
attack their victims, they utter long piercing shrieks that paralyze their
victims. Then they tear and claw at the throat of the helpless man.
BINAGOONGAN
- (Zambales) For the Aeta people, a big man, like an American with his body
glimmering on fire. An evil spirit of giant proportions. It was seen by a man
named Pan Basilio that eats people. Disguised itself as a patianak spirit
and possessed Pan Basilio. Caused great sickness and misfortune for their
human victims.

BINALIW
- (Western Visayas) The binaliw or tigbaliw of Western Visayan folklore is an
aswang that looks like an ordinary person and targets sick people. With the
ability to render itself invisible, it sneaks into the house where there is a
sick person inside and spirit-away the victim, replacing him with a banana
trunk made to look like him called lamat in Tagalog. Baliw or baylo means
“to change” in their dialect.

BINANGENAN
- (Quezon, Aurora) The Dumagat negritos of Baler, Aurora says the
binangenan or binangunan is a being somewhat similar to the tikbalang but
has a flaming mane that runs from its head down its back and tail.

BINANGUNAN
- (Pampanga) A bloodsucker in Kapampangan folklore, that could suck a
child’s blood even without having physical contact with the victim. This
bloodsucker does not kill its victim at once but feeds off him/her for days
or weeks until the victim finally succumbs to a severe condition. With the
victim is near death, the bloodsucker moves on to another child to feed on.

BINGIL
- (Kalinga, Cagayan Valley) If a sangasang (shrine) was not erected at a new
site settled by these shifting cultivators, it was said that a bingi would
appear- a person covered with old wounds and pus, and smelling like
rotten flesh, with his tongue hanging out, like a severed head. Illness or
death would plague the settlement until a shrine was erected. The bingil
could only be propitiated by a headhunting or a large animal sacrifice and a
chase (dagdag) in which all the village residents took part.
 - For this rite, an effigy of the bingil is tied to a pole where the shrine will be
erected, with a banana trunk as its body, rags hung on it for clothes and an
old raincoat. A broken pot on top represents the head. Bamboo tubes ate
struck with other objects to make noise and to drive the bingil out of the
village. The participants chase it out toward the effigy, then strike the
banana trunk with spears of the same kind used in headhunts and run
away to the village. A medium who joins them in the chase becomes
possessed by the bingil and pursues them back to their houses. Her
tongue hangs out like the bingil, and her touch is said to kill any person
she catches. When the participants have arrived back at the house once
haunted by the bingil, the bingil-medium says he will no longer molest
them and leaves, to stay at the village shrine with the other guardians.

BINOBAAN
- (Ifugao) Has a thunderous voice, is cannibalistic, gets men drunk, and then
opens them up to eat.

BIRADDALI
- (Sulu) The ‘Biraddali’ is usually translated from Tausug or other Samal
languages as ‘angel’ or ‘skymaiden’ They are female winged beings with
the glowing beauty of the rainbow. In some legends, each biraddali has a
pair of silver wings that they can remove. In other myths, these maidens
can change shape. They use the rainbow as a bridge to visit earth.
Whenever a rainbow is seen the biraddali are usually enjoying a pleasant
bath in the mountains. There are some Samal myths wherein a mortal man
steals a biraddali’s wings to make her his wife. The biraddali eventually
finds her silver wings and escapes the clutches of the man, with some
versions ending with the man learning his lesson and becoming worthy of
the biraddali through a series of tasks.

BLACK LADY
- (Worldwide) The only difference between the black and white ladies are the
dress they were as a ghost. They are sometimes associated with devils
because they are black. Some says it is more dangerous than the white
lady. How good white ladies are, is equaled by black ladies for being
wicked. They appear similar to how the white ladies appear in front of you.
Their origin is almost similar the same as that of the white one. They may
be harmful and vengeful entities. There are only a little information about
their existence.
 - One example of this paranormal case has happened in Dalaguete, Cebu.
According to a report made by the local newspaper The Freeman, the
appearance of a “black lady” to a 10-year-old pupil in the middle of the
class prompted grade four teacher Zita Hayo of Dalaguete Elementary
School to suspend her class that day.
- The pupils in the grade four class were terrified when one of their female
classmates suddenly bursts into tears because of fear. The pupil told her
teacher that she seeing a “black lady” in the classroom. She described it as
having black eyes with blood dripping from her mouth.
- Hayo said she first noticed the unusual behavior of her pupil last Monday
in the previous week. According to her, she was having her class
discussion in the morning when the pupil suddenly cried without any
reason. When she asks the child what was wrong, the latter said that a
“black lady” appeared before her. Hayo referred the incident to their
principal, Cecilia Cartilla.
- They referred the child to healing minister Vioh Amamapang who
performed a prayer over the child. They also called the parent’s child who
brought her to the nearby district hospital. Upon examination, the doctors
found her negative of any disease. However, the same incident occurs the
morning of the previous day. Prompting the principal to investigate the
child. She said the child is not insane and performs well in the class.
- Cartilla said the child told her that the “black lady” first appeared in her
dreams and introduced herself as Nunita Cabal. Cabal allegedly told the
child that she died long ago and that she needs prayers. The “black lady”
asked the child to offer prayers for her because she was no family pray for
her.
- The pupil was allegedly instructed to offer five masses for her within five
Sundays. Upon hearing of the story, the Principal said she immediately
asked her staff to offer a prayer for the soul of Cabal. However, the pupil
screamed and went wild because she is allegedly seeing different faces
telling her that Cabal is not worthy of her prayers. This prompted the
Principal to send the pupil to Santo Rosario Parish Church in Cebu City for
spiritual healing.

BOLAWAN DATOMANONG
- (Lanao) This creature from the Maranao myth is a golden two-headed lizard
said to be a treasure from the skyworld and passed on as an heirloom. It
has two heads – the second one is at the other end where the tail is
supposed to be – which causes it to move in circles. This motion of the
lizard is reminiscent of the Sagayan dance, therefore, it is also called
 Somagayan an Oray. As a magical creature, it can take on other forms such
as a snake or a golden living doll about a foot tall. It can also foretell the
future. Whoever keeps the bolawan datomanong will become rich because
it attracts gold. However, after some time, it will suddenly disappear,
especially when no longer needed, for it has to return to the skyworld
where it really belongs. It can be summoned back through a certain ritual.

BONGO
- (Bicol) According to ancient Bicolano lore, the bongo or bonggo were
descendants of the evil god Asuang. They were black-skinned and roamed
the forest or woods at night. They were hideous to look at and their eyes
glowed red like fire and could shoot out flames.

BOROKA
- (Zambales) In Dean Fansler’s 1921 Filipino Popular Tales he theorized that
“Boroka, (is) a corruption of the Spanish bruja (“witch”).” Maximo Ramo’s
entry in his 1965 dissertation The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology
states: “But in the years when the present writer was a boy in Zambales,
people went into hysterics every time the boroka, a viscera sucker, was
thought to have made its presence felt. There a boroka in the tale “Pedro
and the Witch” is reported to have “had wings like a bird . . . but a head like
that of a woman,” although the present investigator’s Zambales informants
described the boroka as the true viscera sucker in both appearance and
habits: physical beauty, ability to detach the lower portion of her body
about midnight before she went out on a raid, in the form of a bird
returning with the hearts and livers of her victims before dawn, her inability
to join the upper portion of her body to the lower if ashes and a mixture of
salt and vinegar were sprinkled on the latter, and her being frightened off
by calling out these substances when signs of her proximity were evident.”

BRUKA
- (Cagayan Valley) The bruka of Isinay lore is a spirit with red skin and
dressed in red. It either possesses people or takes the form of a person
and kills sleeping individuals to eat their flesh and innards.

BUBUU
 - (Western Visayas) An aggressive kind of Aswang. To deceive its victims
with its presence, it makes a sound similar to that of a hen laying eggs.

BUKAW
- (Marinduque) A race of wee people with golden hair. The Bukaw are said to
be attractive and look like a doll. They are friendly, fun-loving, and often
laugh. They love riding on an “uyo” (the outer shell of a coconut flower).
Their golden hair can be used as an “agimat” and has the power to
command people.
- It’s worth noting that the “bukaw is also a small type of hawk-owl. They are
known for their messy, sometimes golden brown, feathers. It’s a common
saying when someone has lousy hair “Ano na yang buhok mo. Gulong
gulo. Parang sa bukaw.” or “What is your hair. Tire mess. It is just like
bukaw.”
BULALU TALUN
- (Maguindanao) According to Tiruray’s belief, the bulalu talun is an evil
spirit that lurks in the forest and feeds on human flesh.

BUNGISNGIS
- (Tagalog Provinces) One-eyed giant who is always laughing is strong but
dim-witted. This Philippine folklore giant lives in forests and woods. It is a
happy and playful cyclops.
- According to folklore from Bataan, the bungisngis is a one-eyed giant man
with large teeth and two tusks that protrude from the sides of its mouth,
making it appear as if it’s always grinning. His name is derived from the
word ngisi which means “to grin”. He is said to have a protruding upper lip
so large that he uses it to cover the top of his head like a hat. He has
superb hearing. His thighs are extremely long that when he squats the
knees are two spans higher than his shoulders. He dwells in the forest and
carries a club when searching for prey. He has a voracious appetite for
anything palatable from animals and humans to cooked food. Being a
giant, the bungisngis possesses incredible strength. In one tale, he
displays this strength by lifting a carabao by its horns and throwing it
knee-deep into the ground. Despite his hulking size and terrifying look, the
bungisngis is a bit of a dimwit. His counterpart in Davao del Norte is known
as mahentoy while his kin in Tayabas City, Quezon was known as bulislis
in the olden days.
BUNOG
- (Iloilo) As believed by ancient folks of Southern Iloilo, a bunog is a horse-
like sea phantom with glowing, snow-white hide and usually seen running
on the surface of the water during a rain or a storm. When disturbed, a
bunog will attack and sink a boat.

BURING CATANDA
- (Bicol) It is similar to Agta and Kapre, who were dark-complexioned, hairy-
skinned giants, and looks like either an old man or woman with very long
hair. The behavior of these creatures depends on how people treat them. If
you do unpleasing things to them, they can be vengeful while if you do
good to them, they can reward you. They are also depicted like engkantos
with distinct black skin.
- The buringcantada (also spelled, buring cantada, buringkantada) are dark
engkanto in Bicolano myth, whose attitude towards humans depends on
how they are treated, although, there are naturally malevolent ones. Their
appearance varies from being human-like and of ordinary height to hideous
and giant-like in height and size. Most are dark-skinned. The monstrous
ones are hairy, mostly one-eyed, and sport a pair of tusk-like upper fangs.
Most of them prefer to be left alone by humans. Their main food are the
animals, plants, fruits, and root crops in the forest but there are times when
they would eat persons who have strayed in their territory. Despite their
seemingly savage traits, the buringcantada live in big, well-furnished, and
multi-roomed houses are hidden in plain sight through magic. These
houses hold riches and are decorated with vines that sport brightly colored
flowers. Sometimes, the buringcantada would host a feast in their homes in
the evening, which is attended by other creatures. They have servants who
are lesser creatures. The buringcantada, however, are easy to dupe and
some are dumb enough to believe that a strip of rope is a strand of hair
from a much bigger monster.

BURULAKAW
 - (Western Visayas) These beings, according to old folks in central Panay,
are women barely three feet tall and have fire for hair. They fly and travel
horizontally in a sloping manner starting from a point of origin usually a
stream or a shallow well and disappear upon reaching the destination. It is
believed they are messengers of the Encanto.

BUSALIAN
- (Panay) According to the Sulod tribe in Panay Island, the busalian are
mighty priests or shamans who can command the elements, produce water
from a rock by merely thrusting a spear into it, fly with the wind, and
possess other supernatural abilities.

BUSAW
- (Mindanao) The Busaw was a ghoul and corpse thief. An evil spirit who
looks and behaves like an ordinary human being by day, and listens for the
sounds of death in the evenings. It dwells in large trees near cemeteries. It
has pointed teeth, hooked nails, and a long tongue. It uses banana tree
trunks to replace the corpses it steals. Then, spiriting the corpse off after
first turning it into a pig, the Busaw will feast on it and even try to feed it to
their human neighbors during the day to turn them into a ghoul-like itself.
To ward off the Busaw, all corpses should be washed completely with
vinegar and strong-smelling herbs. Salt is also a Busaw repellent.

BUSO
- (Bukidnon) A black shadow. Lives in big branches and cemeteries. Dig up
bodies after a funeral and eats everything but the bones. Can be seen at
night if certain rituals are followed.
- The buso or busaw of Bagobo myth are various malevolent man-eating
beings that were once friendly and helpful to humans. They live as a tribe
surrounded by fruit-bearing plants like papaya. They barter these fruits in
exchange for human children to eat. When no one is willing to barter, they
go after the people, slaughtering with iron axes and machetes. They pile
the bones of their victims under their dwellings. Having matulus or magical
powers, they can run faster than a man and some can fly without wings.
Their blood, when sprinkled on a plant, can make it grow faster and
abundant. Among the Mandaya, these beings are known as tuglinsau,
tagbusau, or mandangum while the Manobo call them busaw. Tagbusau
can possess warriors and fill them with rage and a desire to kill. In order to
calm down the possessed warriors, cold water is thrown on them.
 - Some buso, as believed by the T’boli tribe, assume a shadow-like form of
varying sizes and have a taste for human corpses which they consider a
delicacy. Unseen, these corpse-eaters hang out in groups in the trees in
graveyards where an internment is being held. When the grave is finally left
alone, they descend on it and dig out the corpse which they eat, leaving
nothing but bones. When fresh corpses are rare, they dig out old corpses
and feed on the carrion. Strong-smelling herbs or vinegar rubbed on a
corpse keeps these corpse-eaters at bay. It is believed only dogs can see
and smell the corpse-eating buso; therefore, one method for a person to
see the being’s true form is to dampen his eyes with dog tears.

BUWAYA
- (Many regions as a crocodile) It was a Tagalog saurian, mottled-skin,
monster with a coffin-like saddle on its back. It usually lives in a cave in the
deep sea. Whenever it catches a victim, the coffin-like saddle serves as its
bag.

BUYAGAN
- (Cebu) A buyagan is a person known to cause certain ailments by merely
commenting on anyone. It is a popular belief that one who is born
coincidentally with the rising of the sun (pagsilaw sa adlaw) will grow up to
be a dangerous buyagan. A first-class buyagan possesses a very dark
tongue.”
- “A real buyagan uses only his saliva to cure an ailment that may result
from the comments made. . . .”
- “In cases where the real buyagan could not be found, anyone who has
been treated by him is considered qualified to administer the treatment. In
this case, bun- ga* (a fruit), mayana* leaves, and ash from the hearth are
chewed together and this concoction is spat on the head, on the temples,
at the nape, at the spinal column, and on the joints of the limbs. Other
effects of buyag are itches or scabies and pain in that part of the body
commented upon.”
CALAG
- (Western Visayas) Scared off by noise. Bursts’ corpses belly open by
touching the coffin.

CALANGET
- (Cagayan Valley) A small earth spirit in the ground, in a mound, or woods
and fields. Makes a whizzing sound when responding to the shaman’s call.
Regarded as “the true owner of the land”. Inflicts harm those who disturb
its home.
- The malign carangat or caranget is feared most by the Gaddang. These
diminutive spirits are often invisible but when seen they are described as
having long and sharp pointed teeth. They can assume other forms and are
very aggressive without provocation. This is their nature because they are
regarded as the true owners of the land and may do as they please with the
tenants (the people). Their habitations include trees, especially the balete
and samalagad, riverbed boulders, wells, and under the ground in house
yards or in the fields. Those that reside in the ground are called cutu sa
zubag (lice of the ground or kutong lupa in Tagalog).
- The carangat always demands sacrifice or offering as a form of rental
payment when people erect a new house or make a clearing. They make
those who failed or were late to pay the rent (make an offering) sick.
- A carangat will also lurk in a village disguised as a chicken or a post in
search of a soul to steal. Anyone it touches becomes sick, insane, and
would die if not treated with a ritual.
- When a sick person is diagnosed as a victim of the carangat, a ritual is
performed where the healer offers a bilateral agreement to the spirits,
saying: “You, carangat, shall give back the soul you took hold of or you
shall protect this household and its offspring. We on our side will pay our
dues by giving you a feast, we will kill a pig for you and offer you all those
 little things you are fond of: rice cakes, tobacco, betel nuts, gin. Moreover,
we will make it clear that these offerings are not intended as a mere
exchange, which would not impose any further obligations, for we will cut
off a small piece from the vital parts of the pig(s) and prepare these for you.
We will, in other words, perform the uali rite, and this shall be the authentic
sign of our bilateral contract.”
- In Isabela, the chief of all carangat is called Dumadaga whose name
signifies increase or bounty. He has two wives, Siloit whose name is
derived from the whizzing noise reeds make when moved to and fro (Siloit
is known to make whizzing noise as a response to a shaman’s invocation)
and Alucasianan whose name means “provided with narrow loins”.
Dumadaga’s minister, Adayag or “the wobbling one” is thus named
because of his peculiar gait.
- A carangat can be killed. A person has to trick it to stuff its mouth, eyes,
and ears with a mixture of betel nut, chewing leaves, lime, and water which
will boil and choke the carangat to death. However, tricking the carangat is
not easy as they are very cunning.
- To the Ifugao, the carangat are known as calanget, while the Ibanag calls
them carango.

CAMANA
- (Zambales) It dwells in gloomy places and assumes the form of small
animals or becomes invisible. A person who encounters a camana must
offer it food or other gifts, otherwise, he will become sick. Those made ill
by a camana can be cured through a mag-anito ritual.

CARANGO
- (Cagayan Valley) A small earth spirit in the ground, in a mound, or woods
and fields. Makes a whizzing sound when responding to the shaman’s call.
Regarded as “the true owner of the land”. Inflicts harm those who disturb
its home.
DALAGANGAN
- (Panay) As believed by the ancient tribes in central Panay, the dalagangan
were persons who had extraordinary strength despite having light bodies.
This lightness accounts for their agility, ability to jump tremendous
heights, and leap great distances.

DALAKETNON
- (Eastern Visayas) They are called dalakitnon by the East Visayans. Their
name means ‘those who live in the balete tree’. They appear like good-
looking tall men and women. Their skin is smooth and white. Their hair is
wavy and brown. Their clothes have gold and silver threads. They mix with
people and attend public dances. They go to college and travel to foreign
lands. They drive new cars and win beauty contests. But they live deep in
the wild woods. What we think are balete trees are their mansions. We hear
the clink of dishes in their kitchens. We smell their cooking and hear their
babies cry. An attractive city girl once came to the village. She wanted to
spend a quiet summer near a forest. A good-looking youth met her at the
village dance. They danced and danced, and she fell in love. She agreed to
visit his folks. In his car, he drove her to a beautiful city. The streets were
wide and the houses were splendid. The next morning she was found
weeping in the woods alone.
- The dalaketnon are Waray engkanto that appear as tall, handsome, and
beautiful mestizos with some having blond hair and blue eyes. They look
like ordinary humans but wear fashionable clothes while some ride the
latest model of automobiles. It is said their good looks are a disguise and
that their hair are white, their skin gray, and their eyes are all white. Their
hidden abode can only be reached through a portal in the dalaket tree.
They are notorious human abductors. They lure a person to their abode
where they hold a feast for the visitor, enticing him to eat their black rice.
The black rice is bewitched and any human who tastes it either turns into a
dalaketnon or becomes a slave to serve and entertain the dalaketnon and
 could only be set free depending on the masters’ whim. The dalaketnon
can manifest tangible illusions of themselves which they use to confuse or
disorient people.

DALIGMATA
- (Mindanao) A personal spirit helper for the Manabo people. The enigmatic
spirit assists the medium’s personal spirits in locating the “abducted” soul
of a severely sick person during the gudguden ceremony. Among the
Visayans, it is said to be a rare herb that enables one to see witches and
who by under invisible.

DALONGDONGAN
- (Panay) People from the Sulod tribe in Panay say the dalongdongan cannot
be harmed physically after applying an oil with magical properties called
dalongdong all over their body. Any bladed weapon, blunt weapons, and
even bullets will just bounce off their skin. Some dalongdongan, who are
adept in sorcery, would bury some strange roots or other things under the
house of an enemy. Whoever stepped on these either became insane or got
sick and died.

DAMBUHALA
- (Tagalog Provinces) The dambuhala is the equivalent of the Japanese kaiju.
It is the term given to beings and beasts of immense size and stature
ranging from twice taller than a man to something bigger than an island.
Later, the Spanish called them Gigantes or giants, which became the local
higante.

DANAG
- (Cagayan Valley) A blood-sucking creature. According to Isneg legend, the
danag – once a gentle nature spirit – used to live peacefully with humans
and taught them how to plant the root crop taro. One day, during harvest a
maiden accidentally cut her finger. The maiden sucked on the wound to
prevent infection. This got the danag curious and volunteered to do it.
While sucking on the wound the danag found the blood sweet and in no
 time drained the maiden until she died. From then on the danag was
shunned and feared by the people for turning into a blood-thirsty being.

DANGGA or AGITOT
- (Panay) The dangga is a vampire-like variant of the aswang known in Panit-
an, Capiz. This being is described as a very attractive flamboyant man who
roams at night in search of women. When he finds one, he seduces her,
only to violate her and suck her blood later. It is said a dangga is easily
distracted by freshly drawn seminal fluid thrown at him. He will halt the
assault on the woman and, instead, take his time lapping up the fluid,
giving the victim ample time to escape. Curiously, dangga in old Hiligaynon
means “to seek love or affection”. Agitot, on the other hand, means
“flamboyant man” or “gay man”.

DANGGAB
- (Western Visayas) According to folklore in Samar and Leyte, a danggab is a
person who roams at night and attacks people to eat them (basically an
aswang and possibly related to the dangga of Capiz).

DARUANAK
- (Bicol) In Bicolano folklore, a gigantic turtle-like but hairy sea monster.
Once it lived on land but because of its gradual growth, it took to the sea in
order to move freely.

DAYAMDAM
- (Agusan) The tiniest folk you could ever see. You must ask their
permission to gather fruit or fell forest trees.

DIGKUSANON
- (Eastern Visayas) The digkusanon in Samar are diwata that inhabit the air.
They are known as envious, easily offended, and can cause inexplicable
illness or loss of senses to a person. To appease the digkusanon, a ritual
called pagmayaw is performed around a table laden with food, which
 serves as an altar of offering. The digkusanon is said to have an enchanted
city in Samar popularly known as the hidden city of Biringan or Araw City.
- Biringan is a mythical city that is said to invisibly lie between Gandara,
Tarangnan, and Pagsanghan in the Samar province of the Philippines. The
city is said to be located in the province of Samar. It is also designated as a
barangay of both Pagsanghan, Samar, and Gandara, Samar. According to
the local folklore, the population of Biringan comprises supernatural
beings: the Engkantos ("enchanted beings"), and their progeny with the
humans. The engkantos are described as shapechangers who can take
human form. In their human form, they are said to lack a philtrum between
their nose and lips.
- A small number of people claim to have seen the city. Some seafarers have
claimed to have seen a "dazzling city of light" on moonless nights, for a
few minutes. According to folk stories, most of the people who claim to
have seen the city have been the victims of demon possessions. There
were reports of satellite images from a Japanese company that allegedly
show brightly lit tracts of lands in the region, which led the Japanese to
believe that there are rich deposits of gold and uranium in the suspected
area. They began work immediately, setting up a large work site in the town
of San Jorge, but mysterious accidents and mishaps plagued the project
from the start, forcing the Japanese company to shut down the operation
and abandon the project completely in an effort to avoid bankruptcy and
cut their losses.

DILA
- (Tagalog Provinces) Drawn to those who are ill, this spirit passes through
the bamboo flooring of provincial houses, then licks the sick and dying to
death. Dila meaning tongue in Tagalog.

DIWATA
- (Many regions) An environmental spirit with the ability to take on human
form, forest spirits, or forest spirits. Mostly females who dwell in trees,
mountains, seas, etc., are also believed to be gods or demigods.
(the Marias – Maria Makiling; Maria Sinukuan; and Maria Cacao)
- The diwata are nature spirits revered by the ancients as gods and
guardians of nature. They usually serve as guardians of certain places. As
mostly benevolent beings, they help deserving mortals who are in need.
People who exploit the places under their care are severely punished, often
turned into rocks, trees, or animals. Some of these diwatas become
 attracted to humans and lure them through their good looks and hypnotic
singing into their abode. The most popular diwata is Maria Makiling, the
guardian of Mount Makiling in Laguna. Diwata is derived from the Sanskrit
deva meaning, “heavenly” or “divine”, which indicates that the belief was
of Hindu influence.
DUMADAY-O
- (Antique) According to Antique province folks, human-looking beings
come from the sea. They bring with them illness and pestilence as they set
foot on the beach. It was also known as Lawodnon or Puro-Anon.

DUWENDE
- (Cebu, Tagalog Provinces) Mischievous little creatures who can shower
good or bad luck to mankind. Duwende is goblins, hobgoblins, forest
spirits, or small earth spirits. They are little creatures who can provide
good fortune or bad fate to humans. In the Philippines, duwendes
frequently live in houses, in trees, underground, termites like a mound or
an anthill (punso), and in rural areas. They are known to be either good or
mischievous, depending on how homeowners treat them. They usually
come out at 12 noon for an hour and during the night. Filipinos always
mutter words (“tabi-tabi po” or “bari-bari apo ma ka ilabas kami apo”)
asking them to excuse themselves for bothering the Duwendes. Filipinos
would leave food on the floor so that the duwende residing (or guarding)
the house would not be angry with them. They also take your things and
laugh at you when you try to find them. They give it back when they feel
like it, or when you tell them to please give it back.
- The Duwende or Duende are gnome-like creatures living in habitations near
those of humans. They tend to be capricious, sometimes acting
benevolently toward humans and sometimes acting cruelly. They have
large heads. Most have beards and wear red clothes and dried squash fruit
for a hat. Some only have one eye and big noses. Duwende varies in size
with some barely bigger than a human hand. They live underground and
come out at noon or after sunset. Like human societies, they too live in
communities and have a leader – a king and even a queen. Those who
belong to the upper class wear colorful clothes. They multiply by creating
another duwende from the soil.
- Black duwende looks different. They have greasy, coal-black skin,
bloodshot eyes, and a pair of small horns. The texture of their skin is
similar to that of frogs. They wear nothing but leaves to cover their private
parts. They hiss at humans who can see them. Sometimes a duwende
becomes attracted to a human and gives him/her gifts such as fruits and
 even accessories made of gold. A nasty duwende could be turned to stone
by a very skilled herbolario. In Western Visayas, they are known as kama-
kama or camacaon (karay-a term).

EBWA
- (Northern Luzon) Evil Spirit. Ebwa is kept away from corpses for 9 days
and nights by a constant fire. In Tinguian lore, the ebwa are corpse-eaters
that hunt in pairs or groups. Notorious for stealing corpses in wakes, they
are kept at bay by people staying up all night in the wake and by bright
lights placed near the corpse. If nine days and nights went by without
successfully getting near the deceased, the ebwa lose interest and leave
the vicinity. In some cases, they stalk the house of a dying person, ready to
steal the body after the victim expires.

EKEK
- (Tagalog Provinces) Ekek is a creature that is bird-like humans. They are
winged humans who at night search for victims. They hunger for flesh and
blood.

ENGKANTO
- (Tagalog Provinces, Agusan, Masbate, Eastern Visayas) The blond, good-
looking, taller than ordinary humans. Has a high-bridged nose and no
philtrum. They live in large trees, chiefly the balete.
- The term Encanto or engkanto was given by the Spanish to the
supernatural beings – mostly humanoid – with which the diwata, tamawo,
and other elf-like or fairy-like beings belong. They were called Encanto
(means “one who enchants” or “enchanter”) because most of them
attracted their victims through the enchantment of their melodious singing,
luring the humans into their hidden abode. There, they entice the visitors to
stay forever with lavish parties (think of Circe in Greek mythology) and
valuable gifts. If a human tastes their food or drinks, he becomes
bewitched to stay with them forever. An hour of stay in their abode is
equivalent to a few days, weeks, months, years, or just a few minutes in the
human world depending on the Encanto’s plain. Some who are eventually
allowed to return home look exactly the same or never aged the day they
disappeared despite decades of being missing. A female Encanto is called
Encantada (sometimes shortened to ada) while the male is called
Encantado. It is generally believed that Encanto abhors salt, the mere
mention of it offends them.
 -Good engkanto, on the other hand, only want to play and want to be in the
company of those they like or give human friends gifts without any
negative consequences.
FAGAD
- (Maguindanao) The Teduray people believe the fagad is some sort of spirit
that eats the dead. To keep it at bay from the newly deceased, a mirror is
placed on top of the corpse’s head. When a fagad tries to get near the
corpse, it will get spooked by mistaking the corpse as having two faces,
forcing it to flee.

FIEU AWAS
- (Davao) The fieu awas of the B’laan are forest diwata often encountered as
a group of dancing women. Some stories say they are all dressed in
flowing white robes, have long silky hair that reached the ground, and don’t
have faces (others say they do have faces and are very beautiful). They
don’t say any words but just keep on dancing (usually around the person
who encounters them) while a soft, ethereal glow envelops the
surroundings. The B’laan of Davao del Sur has a folk dance called Maral
Fieu Awas which means “dance of the beautiful nymphs” performed by
girls as entertainment during festivals and rituals. In other tribes, the fieu
awas are known as kahoynon.
GABUNAN
- (Western Visayas) They are the experienced, oldest, strongest, and most
cunning Aswangs. They usually do not shape-shift into animals and remain
strong and powerful during the day. They could attack a human even
before sunset, pouncing on the victim, strangling him, or breaking his
neck. Most Gabunan are so swift you would not see them coming. They fly
without wings, sailing the night winds in search of a victim. Some Gabunan
does not kill their victim on the spot. Instead, they keep him tied and locked
up. They then turn a tree or banana trunk or a bundle of twigs into a copy
of the victim and order it to go home. Upon arriving home, the copy with
get sick and later die, a sign for the Gabunan to slaughter the real victim.
They could even steal a baby unnoticed, replacing it with a piglet or large
fish that has been made to look like the victim. The oldest of Gabunans
have coal-black skin, bloodshot eyes, protruding fangs, and long white
disheveled hair when in their true form. Despite their viciousness, the
gabunan only eat human flesh once or twice a year.

GAEOK
- (Panay) The gaeok of Aklan is a diminutive goblin-like creature that can
take the form of an animal. It calls people’s names and whoever answers
will die.

GAKI
- (Mountain Province) A giant crab is said to cause earthquakes. The god
Lumawig once ordered the gaki to plug the world’s water hole to flood the
lands, which killed the antediluvian people. The word antediluvian comes
from the antediluvian period which is the time period chronicled in the
Bible between the fall of man and the Genesis flood narrative in biblical
cosmology.

GARUDA
- (Lanao) The Garuda that played the villain in the Maranao tale “The Bird
That Stole the Sultan’s Beard” lived in an underwater realm. Three brothers
pursued a small bird that had been snatching off their father’s golden
beard, and it descended by a pit in the sea. The youngest went down after it
by using many lengths of rope joined end to end, and he reached the
 region under the sea. There the garuda had imprisoned three princesses in
separate mansions of increasing size and magnificence. In the form of a
tiny bird, one of the princesses had been making sorties into the realm of
men to attract the attention of someone who might liberate them. One
princess explained, “Have you not heard about the winged monster
Garuda? When he flies, his wings sound like ten thunderstorms. The sweep
of his wings pulls down houses and uproots trees. He can carry six men in
his talons, and I tremble to think what will happen if he finds you here.”
- The garuda in Maranao’s story “The Tale of Diwata” lived in a cave on the
summit of a mountain made inaccessible by a pathless jungle. The summit
was bare, but the hero “found bones scattered about.” Entering the cave,
he came to “a magnificent house.” He walked in and saw . . . in the hall a
beautiful table of solid gold. A golden chair stood on one side of the table
and a silver chair on the other. He sat down on one of the chairs, and to his
surprise, two betel nut boxes—one of gold and the other of silver—floated
into the hall and placed themselves on the table. An occurrence which the
hero understood to be a conventional sign of welcome. The garuda was
subject to flattery and it revealed its life index to its captive because of her
smooth words. As it lay dying from stab wounds inflicted by the hero, the
garuda “looked up at [the hero] and congratulated him on his success.”

GATUI
- (Ifugao) The Ifugao dread the gatui because it feasts on the souls of people,
especially those of yet to be born children, causing miscarriage among
expectant women. The gatui is said to be like a harpy or a self-segmenter
like the manananggal. Others describe it as a winged dog with a human
face

GAWIGAWEN
- (Northern Luzon) A Tingguian mythical giant with six heads. It wields a
spear and a head-ax the size of half the sky who rules an enchanted land
called Adasen. He owns orange trees, the fruit of which are too dangerous
to take because the branches of the tree are as sharp as knives.
Gawigawen’s head-ax is the size of half the sky. The gate and walls of his
village are decorated with the heads of slain enemies while the hair of
defeated warriors adorns the roof of his house. Gawigawen was defeated
and beheaded by a boy, the son of a warrior he beheaded and skinned for
taking two of his oranges.
 - In another story, Gawigawen is a handsome chieftain who possesses
magic and has eighteen (18) concubines comprised of young women.

GIAMBOLAN
- (Northern Luzon) According to Tinguian myths, Giambolan was a giant
headhunter who had ten heads. He had a huge shield and was armed with a
head axe and a spear. A giant boar’s tusk adorned his armlet. Giambolan
was the lord of a place called Kaboyboyan where a beautiful spring flowed.
One day he was challenged to a fight by two little boys, Ilwisan and
Dondonyan who were both created by alans from menstrual blood. With the
help of their magical weapons, the boys were able to slay Giambolan.

GISURAB
- (Northern Luzon) Huge man-eating human. Lives in the cave or forest
homes near villages. He Will hit his leg and behead himself if children wish
him to do so.

GRAY LADY
- (Worldwide) are the ghosts of women who die violently for the sake of love
or throughout the heartless action of a family member. They are tragic
figures and many ghosts are fit this description. They are the lonely women
ghosts who wander the world, lost. There are grey lady stories throughout
the world and they are as prolific as any ghost story.

GUBAN-ON
- (Eastern Visayas) The early Waray people called the diwata that inhabited
the forests guban-on. To the natives, the guban-on owned everything in the
forest lands and should not be desecrated to avoid the guban-on’s wrath.

GUIMBANGUN
- (Northern Luzon) A beautiful woman who hails from the village of
Iculengan, gifted with the power to resurrect any dead person. She brought
the hero Lumalindaw back to life in the Gaddang epic that bears his name.

GUMON
 - (Iloilo) In Karay-a folklore of Iloilo, gumon is an aswang related to the kubot
and the manlalayog. It is described as a crawling, mass of hair stalking the
woods or desolate places after dark. Within the tangle of hair is said to be a
woman seeking human prey. It ensnares and wraps a person completely,
strangling and suffocating the victim with its nauseating musk and by
stuffing his orifices while sucking the blood and life force. When the
gumon is done, it leaves a crushed and emaciated corpse. One way to
defend one’s self against this creature is to set it on fire before it could
attack. Gumon in Hiligaynon means “tangle”.

HANTU DEMON
 - (Sulu) An evil spirit or demon, notorious for possessing people and driving
them to insanity. Hantu is the Malay and Indonesian word for spirit or
ghost. In modern usage, it generally means spirits of the dead but has also
come to refer to any legendary invisible being, such as demons. In the
traditional context, the term also referred to animistic nature spirits or
ancestral souls. The word is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qanitu
and Proto-Austronesian *qaNiCu. Cognates in other Austronesian
languages include the Micronesian aniti, Lio language nitu, Yami anito,
Taivoan alid, Seediq and Atayal utux, Bunun hanitu or hanidu, Polynesian
aitu or atua, and Tsou hicu among the Formosan languages. In terms of
concept and place in traditional folklore, it is most similar to the Filipino
anito. (See many types of Hantu below for the additional details.)

Types of Hantu:
Aside from generic spirits of the dead, there exist various forms of hantu
including both the benign and malevolent.

● Hantu Air:
- Hantu Air, Puaka Air, or Mambang Air is the Malay translation for
Spirit of the Water, which according to animist traditions in Maritime
Southeast Asia, is the unseen inhabitant of watery places such as
rivers, lakes, seas, swamps, and even ditches. Communication
between humans and Hantu Air occurs in situations based on the
well-being of an environment and can be positive or negative. Water
spirits are called on and communicated with through ceremonies,
rituals, incantations, and in extreme cases exorcisms. Hantu Air is
associated with bad things happening to people including missing
persons, drowning, flooding, and many other incidents.
- The identification of incantations and rituals can be derived from
indigenous, Hindu, or Islamic origins. These origins influenced the
cultural belief that everything contained a supernatural soul or
essence. For a long time, animism and dinamism were widely
practiced in Maritime Southeast Asia. Locals would associate almost
anything with the spiritual world, including nature. The civilization of
Maritime Southeast Asia believed that the well-being and success of
humans were dependent on the spirits which inhabited the
environment. The spirits are considered powerful entities that spread
throughout the environment and are identified as being either good
or evil.
- Determining whether a spirit is good or evil depends on the
interaction between spirit and human. A positive interaction invokes
 the benevolent spirits which are treated similar to pets and help their
owners with endeavors. This relationship is a mutual companionship
to maintain the well-being of an environment. A negative interaction
invokes the malevolent spirits which cause disease.
- Negative associations commonly occur when the spirits are
disturbed from their home. In that case, one's health would decline,
and one may become very ill. A pawang would have to identify the
spirit, address the issue, and correct the wrongdoing. Then the
person who became ill can heal and return to proper health. Based
on the severity of harm done by the malevolent spirits, the pawang
can either peacefully negotiate with the spirits or exorcise them. To
conduct an exorcism, the pawang may need to perform a seance to
cleanse the evil influence of a person, object, or place. This includes
purification and neutralization processes.
- Hantu Air is used to explain any sickness or death associated with
watery areas that cannot be otherwise explained. Some people
believe that spirits discarded by their previous owners will haunt
places associated with water. The unguided and lost spirit roams the
area and feeds on anything available, including humans.
- Superstitions arising among the locals tell of this evil spirit dwelling
in watery places where it sometimes disguises itself as an old tree
trunk, a beautiful lady, fish, or other animals in order to lure people
into its trap. When caught the human will be eaten or drowned.
- Currently, deaths near watery areas are attributed to outbreaks of
Leptospirosis, instead of Hantu Air.
- A ceremony called Semah Pantai was once popular among local
older Malays, especially on the East Coast of Malaysia. It is a
ceremony whereby fishermen and seafarers honor the sea spirits
and ask for blessings and protection when they fish at sea. The ritual
is used in times of uncertainty or chance. Common practices include
chants, small sacrifices, and the use of charms. The people of Malay
with the specialties of fishing, navigation, and sailing are called
pawang dl-Laut or pawang of the sea. The pawang has experience
and knowledge that displays the qualifications needed to perform the
ceremony. The last ceremony was undertaken on April 22, 1960. The
ceremony usually took place every three years and lasted seven
days and nights.
- Expert fishermen perform rituals as a type of humble communication
with the sea spirits asking to guide them to locations with an
abundance of fish. During poor fishing seasons in coastal villages,
the Semah Pantai ceremony calls on the spirits of the sea in the hope
 that fish will be provided. In other instances, navigators have been
known to stand on the bow of their ship and call on the sea spirits
for assistance and guidance when in treacherous or rocky waters.
Communication with Hantu Air also occurred when water was
needed as a resource for irrigation of crops. Specifically, in Maritime
Southeast Asia, rice fields were the main crop source and needed a
plentiful amount of irrigation to support the inhabitants. Water spirits
were called on when the rivers ran dry from droughts and rituals
were often performed.
- If the Hantu Air feels threatened by the sailors and fishermen, signs
will be shown through of lack of fish or deadly seas storms. In
extreme cases, Hantu Air is believed to disguise itself as a creature
of the sea and drown the people invading its space

● Hantu Beruk: The ape demon.

● Hantu Belian: The tiger spirit.
● Hantu Musang: A civet cat spirit that is invoked in a game of possession.
● Hantu Pusaka: A grave demon.
● Hantu Raya:
- The Hantu Raya is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore that acts
as a double for black magic practitioners. Roughly meaning "great
ghost", it is supposed to bestow great power onto its master.
Because the Hantu Raya always takes on its owner's appearance, its
true form is unknown. Modern urban legends typically describe it as
a large, imposing black shadow with a humanoid shape.
- The word hantu is most often translated as the ghost in modern
Malay, but is actually closer in meaning to "spirit". The word Raya
roughly means "great" or "high". The term hantu Raya (therefore
meaning "high ghost") is sometimes mistaken as meaning a
supreme demon that rules over all ghosts, but its high status comes
not from its position and instead refers to the spirit's power, being
one of the most useful of spirit familiars.
- The Hantu Raya manifests itself in the physical form as a double of
its owner. In this form, it can be used to work in the fields in its
owner's place. This was said to be especially useful since the Hantu
Raya possesses superhuman strength and can work more efficiently
than mortals.
- The Hantu Raya could also be used as an alibi if the owner were to
commit a crime. If a man were to have an extra-marital affair, the
Hantu Raya could stay with his wife in his place
 - Normally the Hantu Raya feasts on ancak, an offering made for the
spirits, containing yellow glutinous rice, eggs, roasted chicken, rice
flakes, and a doll. Food offerings must strictly be observed in a
timely manner, to avoid any harm caused by the spirit.
- The Hantu Raya is also blamed for childbirth death, which was quite
common in the days before modern medicine.
● Hantu Rimba: The deep-forest demon.
● Hantu Tinggi:
- Hantu Tinggi (Tall Ghost) is a being similar to 'Hantu Raya' or
'genderuwo' but so tall its body from the waist up is hidden by
clouds. It only exists in the Western and Eastern regions of Malaysia.
In Thailand, Hantu Tinggi likely resembles a closer myth called Preta.
- Usually, people in West Malaysia call it Bajang Tinggi which means
'tall demon,' or otherwise Tinggi Puaka in the modern culture of
Malaysia. In Indonesia and Borneo, the common term would be
'Bapak Hantu' or 'Bapak Jin' which means 'Demon's Dad.' (Dad in
this us Hantu Tinggi may be mistakenly conflated with Hantu Galah,
which is a spirit in the form of bamboo in the forest. They are more
similar to Hantu Raya or Genderuwo and are possibly related.
[citation needed] The Hantu Tinggi is said to be so high it reaches
the sun. They are considered ancient beings, predating even the
existence of Lucifer/Iblis. People may be cursed with physical
ailments such as broken spines or necks if they encounter Hantu
Tinggi, or blindness if they make eye contact. If a nearby person
approaches the spirit, they may find themselves in the Ghaib Realm,
or the demon realm. Parents advise their children to recite Qur'an, or
quranic verses, coupled with du'a to protect against Hanta Tinggi, or
for their children to avoid tall forests or hills and mountains.
Someone cursed by one may go to a Bomoh, Pawang, Dukun, or
ustadz, Imam, Ruqyah healers, or any Islamic healer to cure them.
- They are described as similar to Hantu Raya, but thousands of times
larger. It is said that a single hair strand from the leg of it is as big as
a body builder's arm. Age means bigger than the biggest.)

HARIMODON
- (Bicol) The harimodon of Bicol are aswang that can shape-shift into wild
boars. Their saliva is so potent that any human who makes contact with it
becomes one of them.
HIGANTE
- (Tagalog Provinces) Huge man. Tagalog word that comes from Spanish
Gigantes.

HIGANTENG BITIN
- (Tagalog Provinces) The higanteng bitin was a snake so huge and so old it
could barely move and could no longer crawl. Instead, it laid still on the
forest floor until grass and moss grew on it. It was often mistaken for a log.
- As the story goes, one day a man roaming the forest got tired and rested
on top of a log that was overgrown with grass and moss. Suddenly he
noticed that the log was moving. Curious, he walked on the top of the log,
searching for its end. Upon reaching it, he was shocked to see the huge
head of a snake. The log turned out to be a giant snake that cannot crawl
anymore because of its size.

HIMAGAN
- (Iloilo) A himagan is a person with the ability to cure an illness by just
touching the patient. Others use their saliva to heal maladies.

HUANANGAN
- (Cagayan Valley) In Tinguian belief, the huanangan is a spirit that roams at
night on horseback and kills the children it encounters.

HUBOT
- (Western Visayas) Aswang variants in Western Visayas fly at night in the
form of bird-like but with leathery, bat-like wings.
- The hubot of Western Visayas are self-segmenting aswang related to the
manananggal. Eyewitness accounts describe them as appearing like flying
umbrellas from afar. This rather curious description is due to the hubots’
bat-like wings which are somewhat concave in shape and wide enough to
 cover their whole body. Their skin is pitch-black. These creatures are
notorious for swooping down and snatching people who are still outdoors
after dark. They are allegedly afraid of thorny branches, fearing that the
thorns might tear the membranes of their wings. They don’t attack their
neighbors; instead, they look for prospective victims in other villages or
towns.
- In some Karay-a tales, the hubot are described as pitch-black, shadowy
forms or a hovering clump of black mist that engulfs night travelers before
carrying them in the air to be devoured somewhere.

HUKLOBAN
- (Tagalog Provinces) A witch who could kill anyone simply by pointing a
finger at him and without using any potion. It could destroy a house by
merely saying so. The Hukloban appears as a very old, crooked woman.
- The hukloban was a sorcerer much feared by the ancients in the Tagalog
region (including in Bicol and Catanduanes) because of his/her ability to
kill any animal or anyone by simply pointing a finger at them and without
the aid of potions. A hukloban could destroy a house by merely saying so.
According to a lore in Bulacan, the hukloban was a wise old hermit,
hundreds of years old like the biblical Methuselah, who possessed magic
and was consulted for advice (that reminds of Tata Lino from the comedy
show Bubble Gang). Today, persons of very old age are called matandang
hukloban which has become synonymous with the derogatory “old hag” or
“crone”. How the once respected hukloban became a thing of evil is
probably due to machinations by Spanish Catholic missionaries.

IBAWANEN
- (Pangasinan) According to old folks in Bolinao, the ibawanen is like a witch
– a woman with the ability to put anything (usually small objects) in the
body of a person to make him sick.

IBINGAN
 - (Bicol) A huge and venomous, many-horned red serpent with a prominent
crest on its head and dorsal fin on its back. In Bicolano folklore, it is said to
guard a cave occupied by water spirits and sea maids. It stations itself at
the mouth of the said cave and crushes intruders with its powerful tail.

IKKI
- (Tagalog Provinces) The Ikki or Iqui (also spelled ike) is an ordinary person
by day but at night transforms into a winged self-segmenter that leaves its
lower legs from the knees down when it flies off. In Quezon province, Ikki
raids homes, feeding on the sleeping residents or attack travelers, slashing
their bodies open and taking home the heart and the liver. While in flight
they often let out a frightful shriek. Some say the Ikki are exclusively male.
- While in flight it often lets out a frightful shriek which sounds like “krrrr
krrrr.” Some say the Ikki is the male counterpart of the manananggal.

IKUGAN
- (Mindanao) Huge, fierce man in the Manobo folklore. Has a tail and skin
covered with soft hair. Lives in trees and has monkey-like behavior.

INIKADUWA
- (Lanao) Maranaos believe every person has a companion spirit in the form
of a bird called inikaduwa. An inikaduwa may help or harm its human
partner depending on whether the person is good or bad. When someone
wishes to ask for the aid of his inikaduwa, especially when he wants to be
cured of a mysterious illness, he can communicate with it through a
pendarpaan, a shaman, who will serve as the medium for the inikaduwa to
possess.

INLABLABBUUT
- (Ifugao) A huge monster that can transform to the size of a man. Lures
women back to his home then transform into the monster and threaten to
eat them if they leave.

INONGOK
 - (Bicol) Inongok is a man-like creature in the Bicolano myth. Its complexion
is completely black with shabby hair covering its body while the hair on its
head is long and shaggy. From its dark eyes, tears of fire would roll down
and form a pool of glittering red upon falling on the ground. Known as a
harmless prankster, the inongok suddenly appears in isolated byways
during the darkest night to frighten those who wander in the night.

INTUMBANGOL
- (Bukidnon) The intumbangol were a pair of gigantic serpents revered by
the ancient Bukidnon. These serpents were believed to support the earth
from the underworld and were regarded as responsible for earthquakes.
One was male, the other was female. Their bodies formed a cross, their
mouths below the water at the point where the earth and sky met. Their
movements now and then shook the world. Their breathing produced
winds while their panting caused violent storms. The intumbangol did not
fall down to the underworld because they were held up by the great god
Magbabaya. These snakes represent the chaos, unruliness, and
purposelessness of life. They are associated with the deity Tumpaa
Nanapiyaw.

ITIRONG
- (Nueva Vizcaya) The Isinay of Nueva Vizcaya say the itirong are men with
long tails. These creatures attack people in the forest and eat them.
Manobos of Agusan call them tidung.

KABALAN
- (Catanduanes, Bicol) Stories of the Kabalan hail from the province
Catanduanes in the Bicol region. They are described as horse-like (with 4
legs like a centaur). Hairy from head to toe, with a human face/human
likeness to the face. They are said to live in trees and are angered when
their homes are disturbed. There are some legends where humans
accidentally kill kabalans by burning down their tree-homes through
 kaingin farming methods. The creatures are merciless though and will
curse the offenders with sickness and bad luck until the end of their days.

KABAYO DE BENTO
- (Eastern Visayas) According to Waray folklore, the kabayo de bento is a
winged horse like Pegasus of Greek mythology. In other parts of Visayas it
is called kabayong bento and pakpakan kabayo in Inabaknon.

KADONGAYAN
- (Northern Luzon) In Tinguian folklore, Kadongayan is an evil spirit who
takes pleasure in mutilating corpses in wakes. He visits wakes and slits the
mouth of the corpses from ear to ear, giving them a Glasgow smile. To
avoid such harassment from the spirit, the family of a newly-deceased
would nail to the door of the house a live chicken with its mouth split down
to its throat. Another alternative is to kill a chicken, burn it in the fire, and
then fasten its body beside the door. When Kadongayan approaches the
house of the dead, he will notice the suffering of the chicken and, fearing
he might suffer the same fate, leaves and never comes back.

KAGKAG
- (Romblon) A race of ghouls that comes out at moon rise and moonset.
They listen for the sounds of other ghouls, then follow them to find freshly
buried corpses. Once a cadaver has been found, they place it over a large
banana leaf and proceed to celebrate in anticipation of their feasting. They
cut the body into pieces and share it among all the members of their group.
To hide they have the power to take on the form of animals. Kagkags are
apparently repulsed by seaweed and spices.

KAHOYNON
- (Eastern Visayas) Wood-folk/Of the woods/Forest people. They are
extremely attractive and give favor to those they deem worthy. Other
stories say they are invisible spirits living a parallel human existence –
fishing, farming, marrying, etc.

KAKAP
 - (Tagalog Provinces) The ancient peasants in Tayabas, Quezon believed the
kakap was a thin shadow-like being in the shape of a person. It was
somewhat tangible but difficult to grasp as it was slippery.

KALAG
- (Visayas) Although generally referred to as the spirits or ghosts of the
dead, the kalag (sometimes spelled calag) in Sugbuhanon and Waray
folklore are spirits used as accomplices by mang-aawog sorcerers. A kalag
makes sure the mang-aawog’s spell takes effect. After a victim dies, the
kalag will arrive at his wake and burst open his belly by touching it.

KALANGET
- (Ifugao) A small earth spirit in the ground, in a mound, or woods and
fields. Makes a whizzing sound when responding to the shaman’s call.
Regarded as “the true owner of the land”. Inflicts harm those who disturb
its home.

KALAGYO
- (Tagalog Provinces) In Tagalog folklore, the kalagyo are playful little spirits
that love to play with newborns or babies, especially those that have not
been baptized yet. It is believed the kalagyo are responsible when a baby
laughs or cries during sleep or giggles alone as if being entertained by an
unseen playmate, much to the astonishment of the parents and other
members of the family. When a baby suddenly disappears from the crib or
beside the parents during sleep, only to be found unharmed under the bed
or in another part of the house, it is said the kalagyo must have played with
the baby.

- In older beliefs, kalagyo is the spirit double or soul of a baby. In some parts
of Laguna, when an infant gets frightened or acts strange it is believed that
the soul may have left the body. The mother or the babysitter must call the
child’s soul back by saying, “Uli, uli, kalagyo, (child’s name), magbalik ka
sa bahay.” (Come back, come back, the soul of [child’s name], return
home). When the infant acts normal again, it is assumed the soul has
returned to the child’s body.

KALAPAW
 - (Cagayan Valley) A creature that breaks tall coconut trees. His son wrecks
fences and tears up rivers.

KALARIOT
- (Pampanga) Tall, dark, and hideous creature. Kalariot lives in the deep
woods and he steals women that carry them off to his home. When they
awaken, they are terrified and go insane.

KAMANAN–DAPLAK
- (Zambales) Tiny mythical people who live in trees over mountain brooks.
They will put sweet wildflowers beside infants who are left alone.
- The Zambals believe the kamanan-daplak are tiny people that reside in
trees along rivers and streams. Playful in nature, they call out people’s
names after sundown and would laugh while the persons tried in vain to
find who called them. They are known to leave flowers at the side of
sleeping infants or toddlers left unattended by their parents. Their
presence is detected through the sweet smell of flowers.

KANTANOD
- (Tagalog Provinces) An Aswang appears and acts like an ordinary person.
When it sees a pregnant woman, it follows her at home where it would sit
hidden outside or sneak inside the house unnoticed, hiding in the shadows
by turning into a pitch-black form and sniff the scent of the unborn child.
When it leaves, the baby inside the victim’s womb would also be gone,
which results in severe pain and bleeding with the mother. It is assumed
the Kantanod is not actually present in the vicinity but employs its astral
body to spirit away the fetus.
KANTASMA
- (Visayas) According to some stories in the Visayas, a kantasma is a tall
dark man who scares the hell out of people by stretching his arms, fingers,
legs, and torso to abnormal proportions and opening his mouth so wide
while letting out a nerve-wracking shriek.

KAPAPUAN
- (Western Visayas) These entities are the roaming spirits of deceased
ancestors in Panay Island.
KAPEROSA
- (Visayas) The kaperosa of Visayas are female spirits or ghosts often seen
wearing flowing, white dresses, gowns, or robes. Their long black hair
covers their faces. Some may be seen without heads or with rotting flesh
while others have no facial features. It is assumed the “white lady” is either
the ghost of a murdered woman or an engkanto visiting the human world.

KAPRE
- (Many regions) Kapre is a filthy, black, hairy giant spirit who likes to smoke
huge rolls of cigars, and hide within and atop large trees, particularly the
balete and old acacia or mango trees. A Filipino Bigfoot scares away little
children who play at night. If you’re stuck in a place and you keep going
around in circles, you’re said to be played around by a Kapre. To escape its
control, you must remove your t-shirt, and wear it inside-out. They are
usually depicted with a cigar as large as the trunk of a tree.
- In Tagalog folklore, a kapre or cafre is a very tall, hairy man with pitch-
black skin. He lives in huge trees and smokes tobacco that never burns
out. He can take on various shapes and disappears at will. Although
regarded as an evil entity that plays harmful pranks, terrifies night
wanderers, and abducts or rapes women, the kapre can be friendly towards
humans, especially those with mental disabilities. It is said the kapre hates
salt.
- The kapre’s name is probably derived from the tall, black African slaves
brought by the Spaniards to the Philippines. These dark-skinned slaves
were referred to as cafre by the Spaniards, a term derived from the Muslim
kafir meaning, “heathen”.

KARIBANG
- (Lanao) In Maranao mythology, the karibang are dwarf-like beings with long
hair and are somewhat obese. They are said to live underground and when
on the surface, they are mostly invisible. Like the duwende, they also
possess magic and can be either benevolent or malevolent depending on
their mood.

KARKARISON
- (Ilocos) In Ilocos, the karkarison is a night apparition comprised of a cart or
kalesa being pulled by a headless horse or carabao. Sometimes the cart
 also has headless passengers and a headless coach. It is believed the
karkarison brings death to the persons it passes by out in the open, pulling
their souls along for a ride.

KARKARMA
- (Ilocos) Ilocanos believed the karkarma were the spirits or essence of
people, which left the body after death and made their presence felt in the
form of a fragrant scent, the odor of a burning candle, or a strange draft of
wind. Instead of moving on, the karkarma will inhabit a nearby tree to haunt
relatives who failed to visit them on their sickbed, watch over their loved
ones, or take care of an unfinished business. These spirits will only move
on after a post-funerary offering of food is held for them.
- There were cases when a karkarma left the body of a still-living person in
the form of vapor or an insect. The person won’t die but he will lose his
reason sometimes. To make the karkarma return to the body, one has to
say these words: “Intayon, intayon” or “Intayon kaddua.” while striking the
chest with the palm of the hand

KAS-KAS
- According to Visayan folklore, the kas-kas is a bird-like aswang often heard
circling the house of potential victims at night while making a sound from
which its name is derived. If a house is elevated or on stilts, it will prowl
under it. In Siquijor, the kas-kas is described as having no eyes, ears, and
nose, and its beak doesn’t have an opening.
- In other areas like Cebu, the kas-kas is believed to be a nocturnal bird that
makes a sound when an aswang is on the prowl.

KATAMBAY
- (Bicol) A guardian spirit who protects humans, he is tall and muscular with
long dark hair and wears a red “Pudong” with gold ornaments. He acts as a
guardian angel in times of need.

KATATAOAN
- (Ilocos) Anitos that take the form of humans and sometimes giants. They
can disappear at will and only reveal themselves to deserving humans.
Sometimes they ride a boat that travels in the air to pick up the bodies of
those who died.
KATAW
- (Cebu, Iloilo) Reigning rulers of the oceans, and has the ability to
manipulate water. Sinks ships and drowns sailors. They can lure men with
her physical charms.

KATAWTAW-AN
- (Ilocos) Ilocano folks believe the katataw-an are spirits of infants that died
unbaptized. They are notorious for assaulting newborns out of jealousy.

KEDU
- (Maguindanao) The Maguindanao people once believed that the monstrous
kedu caused an eclipse when it tried to devour the sun or the moon.

KIBAAN
- (Ilocos) Mischievous fair-skinned beings with teeth of gold. Their heels
point forward and toe behind. They have long hair but are the size of a two-
year-old child. They can be found in the Bangar tree, in bushes, and in
small trees frequented by “alitaptap” or fireflies at night. By its frustration,
it is kept in a mortal’s yard. It keeps the ground under its tree home well
swept. It has a kitchen where a spicy odor emanates after sunset. It sings
in small groups on vines in groves while strumming tiny guitars. The
Kibaan steal yam from fire, but is fooled by stones roasted in place of the
tubers. It gives mortal friends a magic pot, purse, hat, net chain, goat, whip,
and/or drum.
KIKIK
- (Bicol) As believed by Bicolanos, a kikik is a nocturnal bird with an eerie
call that augurs the impending death of a person or persons in a
community. Others speculate that it is actually an aswang disguised as a
bird. Upon hearing this bird the people invoke the anito for protection.

KILKILAN
- (Ifugao) In the Ifugao myth, the kilkilan are two-headed spirit dogs that
accompany the gatui and the tayaban.

KIMAT
 - (Northern Luzon) A lightning demon that takes the form of a white dog.
When the great spirit Tadaklan wants to punish people who have violated
taboos, he summoned Kimat to be sent down as a lightning form on the
offenders’ house. It bites the house, setting it on fire.

KINNARA
- (Tagalog Provinces, Agusan, Butuan and Surigao) The kinnara or kinnari
are half-human, half-bird beings known for their undying love and devotion
to their human lovers. They have the upper body of a slender, beautiful
woman and the wings, tail, legs, and talons of a bird. They are excellent
dancers and musicians but will only show such talent to the mortals they
have fallen in love with. Once a kinnara has fallen in love with a human, her
whole life will only revolve around him and she will spend the rest of her
days serving him. Such is the devotion of a kinnara that even after her
human lover died and has been buried, she will stay by his tomb. In the
olden days, kinnara were mistaken to guard treasures in jars when in fact it
is the remains of their lovers in jars they are looking after (people used to
be buried in jars along with some of their personal belongings and
valuables). It is said that when a kinnara becomes broken-hearted due to a
human lover’s betrayal, she turns into a monster called mandurugo that
sucks the blood of men to exact revenge.
- The belief in the kinnara started when Hindu-Buddhist influence spread in
the Philippines, especially in Agusan, Butuan, Surigao, and some parts of
the Tagalog region in the 1st millennium CE, before the arrival of Islam.

KIRBAS
- (Ilocos) Tall, dark, and hideous. Lives in the deep woods. He steals
women carries them off to his home. When they awaken, they are terrified
and go insane.

KIWIG
- (Aklan) Looks like a stooped dog, cat, or pig. Fiery eyes and coarse tangled
hair. It kills people and eats them raw. It fears long, loose hair.

KORO-KORO
- (Bicol) A koro-koro is a black or brown bird in Bicol said to presage death.
If heard at night, it means an aswang is on the prowl. If its call is followed
 by muffled rumblings in the sky, it warns of impending death. Localities
inhabited by this bird are said to have an aswang resident. Interestingly,
there is a village named after this bird but the residents there deny the
presence of an aswang in the area.

KOROKOTO
- (Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao) A shape-shifting Aswang in Eastern
Visayas and Northern Mindanao that could turn into a dog or a cat. When it
walks in its human form its feet do not touch the ground. It hides behind
bushes or trees in the woods and pounces on unsuspecting victims. It
wrestles the victim, drags him home, and cooks him. Its name is derived
from the sound it makes.

KOROKOY
- (Bicol) In Bicol, this hearth cricket’s eerie sound presages the death of a
relative. If a sick person is in the house where the korokoy chirps, the help
of a skilled healer is sought to prevent the patient’s death.

KULARIUT
- (Pampanga) In Pampanga, this is an elusive creature with big eyes, a white
beard, and black-furred. A harmless creature, it lives in bamboo groves or
in the forest. If a house is located nearby, it quietly watches the household
members while they slept.
KUMAKATOK
- (Luzon, Visayas) Three-hooded spirits that knock on your door signal that
someone will die the other day after. One of them resembles that of a
female, and the other two looks like old people. There is one point in time
when residents of Luzon and Visayas painted white crosses or write across
using white chalk on their doors to scare or to ward off this trio.
- Before World War 2, three tall persons (two old folks and a young woman)
dressed in hooded black robes would knock on the doors of houses in the
middle of the night. Those who opened the door were told by the
mysterious trio that a member of the family or household (usually the
eldest or the one with an illness) will soon die. The trio usually showed up
when there was an outbreak of diseases, especially cholera. They were
believed to be harbingers of death.
- In some parts of Visayas, after hearing about the trio of knockers, people
painted their doors with a white cross to keep the trio at bay. Then rumors
 spread that the trio knocked on the doors of business and government
establishments and even in churches.
- After the war, visits from the trio became scarce until no one saw them
again. It was speculated that most of the houses were destroyed in the war
that the trio could not find a proper door to knock on. In Visayas they were
called manoktok.

KUMAO
- (Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Zambales, Pangasinan) Bleeds children to death
by pulling out their fingernails. Eats women and follows their companion
home.
- The kumaw or kumao of Sambal belief is a hideous man that abducts
children. It bleeds the children to death by pulling out their fingernails. The
kumaw also attacks individuals who are still outdoors after dark, dragging
the victim to a secluded place to devour him.
- In Ilocos, among the Tinguian, the kumaw is a malevolent spirit that can
change its appearance, especially into a fabulous bird feared by the people
because it snatches unattended children. It also has the habit of making
individuals lose their way in the forest. Later, especially in the 1960s, the
kumaw became associated with a cult that kidnapped children and
allegedly bled them to death in order to sprinkle their blood on a newly-
built bridge or building as a ritual to ensure the durability or sturdiness of
the structure. They were also believed to drink the blood or use it as a
sacrifice to their heathen god. Today, in Ilocos and Pangasinan kumaw is
synonymous with kidnappers or abductors.

KURARET
- (La Union) Known in Bangar, La Union, the kuraret takes and eats people’s
souls by beheading them. While traveling at night, it pulls an iron cart
containing the skulls of its previous victims. It passes by villages and
enters the houses of those who fail to keep silent while it passed by their
residence.

KURIPAP
- (Visayas) Another form of Tiyanak. This one has the shape of a newly-born
child but looks hideous with an umbilical cord still attached to it.
- They’re no bigger than a one-year-old child and generally hideous in
appearance: dark wrinkled skin, pointed teeth, big bald heads, and big
 bloodshot eyes. Some appear as hideous newly-born children with their
umbilical cord still attached.

KURITA
- (Maguindanao) A monster who has many limbs and the one who eats all of
the creatures he can find. Digs claws into the hero’s flesh.

LA’AW
- (Mindanao) The la’aw are gentle pranksters in the Manobo myth. They are
tiny, elf-like forest-dwellers with feet pointed backward.

LAGTAW
- (Sulu) The tall black demon with huge eyes. It hides in the knots of trees
and comes out to frighten boys and girls.

LAHO
- (Tagalog Provinces, Pampanga) A serpent that swallows the moon and
causes eclipses. According to the myth of ancient Kapampangans, the laho
was a huge serpent that caused the eclipse by swallowing the sun or the
moon. The ancient Kapampangan’s concept of the laho was derived from
the Sanskrit Rahu (meaning, “eclipse”) when some “kingdoms” in Luzon
became partly Indianized in their beliefs.
LAKI
- (Bicol) A bipedal creature in Bicolano folklore that has a knack for scaring
night travelers with its shrill, piercing voice but is generally harmless. It
has hooves for feet, goat-like legs, and a hairy body. Its face is that of a
man but ugly.

LAMAN LUPA
- (Luzon) Invisible little people. Owns the land and it may be used by
persons only under certain conditions. Lives in communities follow human
trails out of hills, receives offerings before and after planting & harvest,
partakes of proficiency gifts from humans.

LAMBANA
- (Tagalog Provinces) A small fairy-like creature living in the forest. There are
many depictions of them: a gruesome small goblin with dragonfly wings at
their back, and a little fairy sometimes of dragonfly or butterfly wings with
or without a firefly’s glow.

LAMPONG
- (Northern Luzon) Among the head-taking Ilongot of Northeastern Luzon,
the lampong is a dwarf said to shepherd wild deer. A hunter once saw a
lampong in the shape of white deer with a single bright eye. He shot it with
an arrow five times without hitting it. His sixth shot landed, and then the
creature became a bright-eyed two-foot dwarf with a long white beard.

LEWENRI
- (Iloilo, Romblon) Handsome people who will appeal to boys and girls by
moonlight. They may also appear at dawn, noon, and dusk. They make
frightful shrill sounds and play sad or joyful music as they laugh, cry and
sing. They help the humble and punish the proud.

LIBLIBAYU
- (Northern Luzon) In the olden days, the Ifugao and the Kankanaey held the
invisible liblibayu responsible for stomachaches or intestinal troubles.
When offended, these spirits cause stomachaches by piercing the belly of
 a victim with invisible spears. They can be appeased with an offering of
rice wine and chicken or pig. There must always be pig or chicken in the
offering, otherwise, they will be offended more and cause more pain to the
victim (demanding, no?). In other areas, they are called liblibayan.

LIGAW NA TAO
- (Ifugao) According to Ifugao belief, a humanoid creature that steals
children. The literal name of the cryptid was “Wild Man” in the Tagalog
language.

LITAO
- (Ilocos) Described in Isabelo delos Reyes’ book, El Folk-lore Filipino, the
litao is a male anito of the waters. In Vigan, it is a small man that lives in the
branches of bamboo trees along river banks and is the husband of the
Sirena. The spirit sometimes goes on land disguised as a normal man and
tends to the bamboo trees in his area. He curses with illness those that cut
the trees. In his human form, his true nature is revealed through a strong
fishy smell that emanates from his body.

LUBI
- (Bicol) Lubi was the name given to the tiny being allegedly caught in the
woods of Basud, Camarines Norte after the liberation from Japanese
occupation in 1945. The being was described as a young woman only six to
seven inches tall and dressed in leaves. She was called Lubi because it
was the only comprehensible word she spoke. Her captors cashed in on
her as a sideshow freak in a carnival, making her dance all day in front of
spectators. The song “lubi, lubi, ikembot mo” is said to have been derived
from what the people sang as they urged her to dance. Unfortunately, due
to severe exhaustion and maltreatment, Lubi died during a presentation in
the town of Vinzons, her mouth was foaming.

LUBUS
- (Visayas) The lubus were ancient Visayan herbalists who bartered strange
roots which had miraculous effects.

LULID
 - (Ilocos) According to Ilonggo folklore, a creature that resembles a cross
between a newborn puppy and a piglet with white, leathery hide, an
unusually long body, and very short legs (some have no limbs at all). They
burrow underground like earthworms and usually reside in mounds or in
hills where during full moon their grunts or laughter could be heard. Others
claim that the Lolid looks like a wrinkly-skinned infant without limbs and
has a big head.

LUNOD
- (Mindanao) As believed by the Manobo people, the lunod are the busaw of
streams, rivers, and lakes. When given an offering, the lunod ensures the
fishermen will have a good catch. When offended they drown people.

LUTAW
- (Mindanao) Reanimated corpses in Mindanao, who have done something
wrong when they were alive. They appear in their funeral dress with their
heads turned to one side appearing as if they have broken necks.
- As believed by the Tausug people, the lutaw or lutao are the reanimated
corpses of people who have wronged others when they were still alive.
They appear in their dirty funeral dress. Their heads are turned to or lean
on one side because they have broken necks. They are said to show up
just before sunset or after dark, chasing and scaring the wits out of people
or strangling individuals to death. There is a belief that should a person
encounter a lutaw, he must not run away with his back turned to the
revenant or else it will chase him; instead, he must flee backward while
facing the lutaw so it would not follow.
- Originally, in Philippine Muslim culture only the bantut (male Muslims
tagged as gay or homosexuals) were said to become lutaw after death. The
belief is that by virtue of the bantut as social deviants or violators of the
Islam norm, even the earth itself rejects their corpses, turning them into
lutaw.
 - Later, the possibility of becoming a lutaw was extended to sinners,
avenging murder victims, and Muslims who were not buried in time of the
traditional schedule of burial.

MAGINDARA
- (Bicol) Bikolano myths paint the Magindara in extremes; they are either
said to be guardian deities of Bikolano fishermen, or “aswang ng dagat”
who will eat adult humans but do not harm children (a sharp difference
from Tagalog Sirena myths that show children as their preferred
sacrifices). They are briefly mentioned in the Ibalon. Beautiful but vicious
creatures of the sea, they have colorful and sharp scales and enchanting
voices that can lure fishermen to their deaths, or draw them to their rescue.
Some believe that the Magindara can summon aswang at will.

MAGITALONAN
- (Bukidnon) The spirits that inhabit rocks and trees.

MAGKUKUTUD
- (Pampanga) A self-segmenting flier in Kapampangan folklore similar in
appearance to the Manananggal. Its only difference is that it lays eggs,
which when cracked open contain human body parts and organs. It also
 has a habit of digging out freshly-buried cadavers which it takes home and
cooks.

MAGPUPUTOL
- (Tagalog Provinces) Luzon’s magpuputol is an entity that can dislocate or
detach its head, limbs, and other extremities. It terrifies people at night by
showing up as just a head or a disembodied hand. The head often falls
near the victims.

MAGTITI-LAOK NGA BILAKAK

- (Abra) A serpent whose scream sounds like a very loud and haunting
rooster’s morning call. It does this to scare and prevent hunters and
loggers from entering the mountain.

MAGTATANGGAL
- Mentioned by Spanish Fray Juan de Plasencia in 1589 in his classification
of local witches and sorcerers in Luzon, the magtatanggal from
Catanduanes is a person who, at night, detaches his head, along with the
entrails from the body. A possible precursor to the manananggal of the
Tagalog, it is related to the wuwug and ungga-ungga of Visayas.

MAGTITIMA
- (Bukidnon) Invisible being. Given offering of white chicken. Gives mortals
permission to cut wood.

MAHAK
- (Eastern Visayas) The mahak is an aswang variant in Samar that feeds on
the vitality of sick people, especially children. She only shows herself to
her victims and is mostly invisible to others. Her skin is so pale to the point
that it’s almost white, her face wrinkled, her eyes glaring and bloodshot,
and her long stiff hair stands on end. Her name is derived from the sound
she makes, which is described as almost similar to that of a duck but raspy
 or husky. She sucks the vitality of sick individuals while clinging to the
window next to her victims or while crouched under the house directly
beneath the victim’s bed. She flees when discovered by the victims who
alert other members of the family.

MAHOMANAY
- (Bagobo) A forest animal guardian. Some pictures of her as a beautiful
diwata just like Maria Makiling, with long hair and a Filipina feature.

MAKABOTENG
- (Tinguian) Guards deer and wild boar in the forest. The name Makaboteng
means “the one who scares or frightens” which seems appropriate for this
creature as the one who scares hunters who dare to trespass in its forest.
The Makaboteng is also invoked in rituals to make the dogs of the hunter
have a successful chase.
- In Tinguian belief the makaboteng or boteng (a.k.a. sanadan) is a nature
spirit and guardian of deer and wild pigs. His blessing is needed in order
for the dogs that accompany hunters to succeed in the chase. He could
make a hunter lose his quarry by making him follow an apparition – a child,
a familiar person, or a fancy-looking animal. It is said anyone who sees
such apparition loses control of himself and is forced to follow it (in a semi-
hypnotized state) wherever it goes. One can be released from such a spell
if he accidentally hits an obstacle such as trees or stumbles on the ground.
Upon escaping the makaboteng’s enchantment, the victim realizes that a
considerable length of time has passed depending on how long he was
under the spirit’s control (e.g.: an hour is equivalent to a day).

MALAKAT
- (Waray) In human form, until it attacks – eyes fiery, saliva flowing, nails
grow long and sharp, and her hair grows into the nose, ears, eyes, and
mouth of its victim to completely silence them. Cannibalistic creature.
- Richard Arens, who was for a time on the Silliman University faculty, did
fieldwork in the Eastern Visayas on the side and reported that the malakat
(the walker) of Leyte could be either male or female—something unusual
since the creature is said to be always male in other reports. Arens
described an attacking malakat in these words:
- “In attacking a person, she assumes a horrible and frightful shape. Her
long hair spreads all over her face. Her eyes turn fiery and her saliva flows
 from out of her mouth like long strings. Her nails grow long and sharp. As
the fight begins, her hair crawls into the person’s nose, ears, mouth, and
eyes, depriving him of his breath, voice, and sight. She grips the victim
firmly on the arms and legs. With her sharp claws, she digs into the
victim’s skin until it bleeds; if [she] has a weapon with her, she avoids the
struggle and the victim might be killed; thereafter [she] feasts on the
victim’s flesh.”

MALIGNO
- (Luzon) A Spanish word for “malign ones”, maligno was the name given to
supernatural creatures, often described as hideous and misshapen, that
are either benevolent or malevolent towards humans. They are generally
humanoid in form but with varying physical abnormalities. Some of the
beings and creatures listed here belong to this group.

MAMAMARANG
- (Visayas) According to some Visayan folklore, the mamamarang is a sort of
female aswang that attacks travelers in lonely places and tries to kill them
so she may eat their flesh.
- In other areas, especially in Siquijor, the mamamarang are persons who
practice haplit sorcery with a wooden Manyika (doll) and pins as their main
tools. The doll represents the victim and whenever it is pricked, he will feel
excruciating pain. The needles are prepared and the doll is created during
the seven Fridays of Lent. After the doll is created the mamamarang hires
someone to take the doll to the church where a child is being baptized and
have it baptized as well. The same thing must also be done to the doll
during the child’s baptismal rite – even giving it a name similar to that of
the child. If the child dies later, the doll will then be used for haplit as it is
believed that the dead child’s spirit has possessed it to be the
mamamarang’s servant.

MAMBABARANG
- (Bicol) Mambabarangs are ordinary human beings with skills in black
magic. You will know if you are ‘nabarang’ (cursed by Mambabarang) if you
see a white centipede in your house. Albularyos are called to reverse their
curse. The Mambabarang uses insects and spirits, and occasionally other
 material to enter the body of anyone they curse. The result of the curse
manifests disgustingly. Although often compared to Mangkukulams, they
are different because their curse does not only inflict pain or illness.
Mambabarangs use a strand of hair from their chosen victim and tie it to
the bugs or worms which they will use as a medium – the victim
immediately experiences the intended effect and displays grotesque
symptoms.

MAMBABABOY
- (Marinduque) The mambababoy is an aswang in Marinduque said to appear
as a large black pig at night. It does not prey on people; instead, it targets
domesticated pigs.

MAMBUBUNO
- (Zambales) A fish-like human with a double tail and large black slimy
scales. When a fisherman sees her, he cannot help but follow her to her
cave. He does not get wet or drown unless he decides to leave her. In
Sambal folklore, the mambubuno is a mermaid-like creature but instead of
a fish-like tail, it has two scaly limb-like tails. The upper part of the body is
that of a woman but covered with black, slimy scales. She lives in
underwater caves and could be glimpsed basking during full moon nights.
She abducts those who stray near her lair, using magic so the victims will
not drown while being kept underwater. The victims can only return home if
the mambubuno lets them. Those who try to escape end up dead by
drowning. The mambubuno will then eat the victims’ remains. A day spent
in her lair is equivalent to a year on the surface.

MAMELEU
- (Western Visayas) A sea serpent with a body and head as large as that of a
water buffalo. It also possesses two white horns, and its body stretches up
to thirty fathoms long. It has eyes torch-like, fire jets in them; long teeth;
and large resistant scales.

MAMUMUYAG
 - (Western Visayas) She is known for her hostile glance and can give various
ailments to those she hates. She is known to give a twisted mouth or
painful tumors. She does not join in community activities and people are
afraid to pass her house.

MANAGBATU
- (Cagayan) In Cagayan, the managbatu is a dark spirit in the shape of a man.
It inhabits trees and at midnight throws stones and clods at the houses
near its dwelling. It causes sickness to people who offended it.

MANAGINULOD
- (Ilocos) The managinulod are hot-tempered hexers in Ilocos known for
causing misfortune to their victims. Anyone who offends a managinulod
will incur the latter’s wrath through misfortunes such as recurring or
strange sickness or suffering accidents like a car crash or a burned house.
Some pay a managinulod to harm their enemies.

MANAGTANEM
- (Ilocos) Ilocano folks believe the managtanem uses a type of voodoo
similar to those practiced in the Caribbean. A managtanem’s ritualistic
witchcraft utilizes a voodoo doll that represents the victim. Pins are stuck
in various parts of the doll to inflict severe pain on the victim, making him
suffer.

MANANANEM
- (Pangasinan) She goes out to harm her enemies when the moon is full.
She gives chills and fever. She keeps a tiny doll under her fireplace that
she pricks where she wants her victims to suffer. She also picks up the
earth of her victim’s footprints and roasts them in a clay pot to cause high
fevers.
MANANANGGAL
- (Bikol, Tagalog Provinces) A flying fiend, and carries only half its body,
bodies are cut in half at night. Some says, like Aswang, by day, they are
beautiful maidens living in a nipa hut, by night, they rub a kind of oil to
their whole body which gives them the power to separate themselves into
two – the upper part which she carries with bat-like wings, and the lower
part which they live then goes back to connect its upper part before the
dawn.
- Manananggal is an aswang that can fly after separating itself from the
lower half of its body. It eats babies and fetuses from a mother’s womb. It
eats babies by means of passing their long tongue through a small hole
from the roof of a house. The sharp end of the tongue touches the mother’s
navel to suck the blood of the fetus or unborn child.
- A manananggal can also be a sorceress that visits villages and barrios. To
feed, the self-segmenter chooses an isolated place where she will leave her
lower torso while she hunts at night. Bird When she separates from her
lower torso, she then gains her ability to fly. She then goes off in search of
houses where pregnant women reside. Upon choosing a suitable victim,
the Manananggal alights on the house and inserts her tongue through the
roof. The tongue is long, hollow, and extremely flexible. She uses it to
puncture the womb of the sleeping woman and to suck out the fetus. At
other times, she seduces men with her beauty and lures them to a private
place before eating them alive. She usually eats the insides, like the heart,
stomach, or liver. Sunlight is deadly to the Manananggal when she is in her
monstrous form. Should her two halves still be separate with the coming of
dawn, she will be destroyed. According to legend, to destroy the
Manananggal, one should search for the lower torso that she leaves behind
during her nightly hunts. Salt, ash, and/or garlic should then be placed on
the exposed flesh, preventing the monster from combining again and
leaving it vulnerable to sunlight. Small containers of salt, ash, and raw rice,
and the smell of burning rubber are said to deter the Manananggal from
approaching one’s house.

MANANGILAW or MANANG HILAW

- (Bicol) Hairy humanoid giants in the mountains and caves of Bicol.
Generally described as having big feet, bodies covered in black hair, deep
voices, and vicious-looking faces, these shy and harmless beasts use
vines, which some wrap around their waist like belts, to catch fish and
shrimp in the river or hunt small animals. In the 1980s two Manangilaw, a
mother and a child were allegedly captured by soldiers patrolling Mount
 Isarog. The two beasts were chained to train wagons for 15 days and were
fed with live chicken and cow blood. Nobody knows what became of the
said creatures.

MANAOG
- (Lanao) According to the Manobo myth, the manaog are revered spirit
beings that reside in the smallest layer of the skyworld about the size of a
gabi leaf. The manaog are fond of scaring children and making them cry.

MANAUL
- (Negros) The manaul is a mythical king who became a bird. He was
believed to have caused the seas and the skies to fight against each other.
The clash between the seas and skies resulted in the formation of the
Philippine Islands or the Philippines.

MANBUKAY
- (Western Visayas) Fair-complexioned male Encantos that frequent shallow
wells. They wait for maidens to fetch water from the well and attempt to
spirit away the victims to their kingdom. Sometimes some court the
maidens first for weeks, enticing them with various gifts.

MANDARANGKAL
- (Tagalog Provinces) ‘Mandarangkal’ means praying mantis in Tagalog. It is
a beautiful type of female aswang that seduces men. When the man is on
the verge of orgasm it will grow sharp teeth and claws to tear and eat the
victim’s flesh.
- The mandarangkal of Tagalog folklore is an aswang in the guise of a
gorgeous woman. She uses her good looks to seduce men to have sex with
her in order to eat them. When the victim reaches orgasm, the
mandarangkal grows claws and sharp, pointed teeth and bites or slits the
victim’s throat and mauls him to death. She will then feast on his flesh.
 - Mandarangkal is the Tagalog name of the praying mantis which share the
same habit with the monster – killing their mates. Female praying mantis
are known to bite off the head of their males after mating.

MANDURUGO
- (Tagalog Provinces, Capiz) Pretty woman by day, winged monster by night.
Intermarries with humans. Attacks the jugular of its sleeping victims by
night. Becomes powerless by day and it is said to live in Capiz.
- The blood-sucking mandurugo of Philippine folklore use their beauty to
attract and prey on men. In the olden days, a mandurugo would get married
to a healthy, plump youth to ensure a constant supply of blood every night.
The tip of her hollow tongue tapers to the needlepoint and pricks the
sleeping victim’s neck and sucks a bit of his blood. Another way for her to
consume the victim’s blood is to insert her tongue into her sleeping
husband’s mouth – the tip of her needle-like tongue pricking the inside of
the mouth – and suck the flowing blood while seemingly kissing him
passionately. The clueless husband loses weight rapidly, weakens, and
withers away as the days go by. When the mandurugo has drained her
husband dead, she assumes the form of a bird-like creature and flies off to
look for another healthy youth to marry and feed on.
- It is said the mandurugo arose from kinnara or kinnari who were betrayed
by their human lovers.

MANG-AAWOG
- (Eastern Visayas) In Waray’s belief, the mang-aawog (also spelled mang-
aawug) uses a spell called awog against people who still have fruits or
vegetables from a farm or a plantation (usually coconut plantation). The
spell is maintained by an accomplice, the evil spirit called kalag. Anyone
who takes and eats produce from the farm or plantation without the
owner’s consent develops a bloated belly that grows bigger and bigger
each high tide as the full moon approaches. The victim would not be able
to eat nor defecate and only foul-smelling fluid comes out of his own
orifices. His belly will grow as large as the belly of a pregnant woman until
he finally dies on the third full moon. During his wake, the kalag arrives and
bursts his belly open with a single touch.

MANGALAYO
 - (Panay) Sulod natives in Panay Island tell of a flying ball of fire that appears
at night and chases lone travelers.
- Known as Allawig in other parts of the country it is said to lead travelers
astray into dangerous paths like cliffs or holes in the ground.

MANGALOK
- (Palawan, Western Visayas) Invisible by day and a fair-skinned woman by
night. Lives in trees deep in the jungle. Drapes wings over a branch and
hair over her face to sleep. Hides under victims’ mats. She eats the bowels
of children, pulls the entrails out of the sick, the liver of fresh corpses, but
prefers babies and human rectum.

MANGGAGAMOD
- (Ilocos) She goes out to harm her enemies when the moon is full. She
gives chills and fever. She keeps a tiny doll under her fireplace that she
pricks where she wants her victims to suffer. She also picks up the earth
of her victims’ footprints and roasts them in a clay pot to cause high
fevers.

MANGINGILAW
- (Western Visayas) An anthropoid giant in Iloilo’s forests with a hairy body,
very long hair, and bog teeth. Despite being wild beasts, it is said that
some actually wear animal hide to cover their private parts. The
Mangingilaw is vicious and prefers to eat its prey raw especially humans.
Its name is based on the local word ‘kilaw’, meaning ‘food prepared raw’.
Also, there is a local delicacy referred to as ‘kilawin’, its main ingredient is
either raw fish or pork.

MANGHIHIKAP
- (Tagalog Provinces) The manghihikap were ancient Tagalog sorcerers who
could kill a person instantly with just a single touch.

MANGKUKULAM
 - (Many regions) They are witches that cast evil spells to cause harm to
humans and/or plagues. They use a doll (Voodoo Doll) with a hair strand on
it then cast spells for a curse.
- Mangkukulam or bruha are witches, wizards, bruho, or sorcerers who cast
evil spells on humans. This kind of witch uses dark magic.
- The difference between a mambabarang and a mangkukulam is that the
mambabarang uses magical insects to bring harm to his victims. These
insects are released after incantations, when they will search for their
supposed victim and burrow under the skin, impregnating her. After some
time, matriculants return to the house to kill the pregnant mother, open her
abdomen, and eat the growing fetus.

MANGKUKUSIM
- (Pampanga) In Pampanga, there is a type of sorcerer known as the
mangkukusim or mangkukusino, who sends out his spirit to harm his
victims. Through his spirit, the mangkukusim can poison his targets or put
small metal objects or even small live animals such as a chicken inside the
body of the victims without making direct contact.

MANGLALABAS
- (Tagalog Provinces) The manglalabas (literally, “the one who appears”) of
Tagalog folklore is the mischievous wraith of a miser. Three days after a
miser dies, he returns and terrorizes (e.g.: throwing household items, move
beds, pulling the legs of sleeping people, creating terrifying noise, showing
up as a horrifying apparition) his family or anyone in the house until they
are forced to abandon it out of fear. Those brave is enough to stand the
manglalabas’ horrifying antics are rewarded with the wraith revealing
where it hid its fortune before finally resting in peace.

MANGLILILI
- (Pampanga) In Kapampangan folklore, an invisible creature or entity is said
to lead lone travelers astray. Those who lose their way wander in the forest
or in the mountain for hours and even days.
MANGMANGKIT
- (Ilocos) According to Ilocanos, a spirit living in the innermost part of trees.
It is often asked through a ritual for permission to penetrate a forest.

MANINIBLOT
- (Zambales) She goes out to harm her enemies when the moon is full. She
gives chills and fever. She keeps a tiny doll under her fireplace that she
pricks where she wants her victims to suffer. She also picks up the earth
of her victim’s footprints and roasts them in a clay pot to cause high
fevers.

MANGMANGKIT
- (Ilocos) Invisible tree spirit. Is upset when tree-home is felled without
permission. The Kankanaey folk call them tumungaw. They cause illness to
those who have offended them, especially people who urinate under or cut
their trees without giving an offering first. To appease these spirits, an
offering of chicken’s blood and the chicken itself must be made so they
may lift the illness from the offender.

MANGNGIBAWANEN
- (Pangasinan) According to old folks in Bolinao, Pangasinan, the
mangngibawanen is a woman who, through witchcraft, could put anything
(usually small objects) in the body of a person, make her victims sick, or
make a woman talk to herself as if she is insane.

MANGGUGUYAM
- (Tagalog Provinces) An offshoot of the mangkukulam, the mangguguyam
have the ability to make a person ill through fatal versions of usog or balis.
They are skilled in using oraciones or incantations called palipad hangin to
harm someone without the aid of potions. The mangguguyam whispers the
incantation to the air directed towards the victim who will later fall ill, go
crazy, or become catatonic. Some skilled mangguguyam feed on their
victims’ energy like psychic vampires.
MANILAG-NILAG
- (Iloilo) The manilag-nilag of Iloilo are female tamawo that attend human
social gatherings and festivities.

MANINILONG
- (Tagalog Provinces) An Aswang in Catanauan, Quezon believed to prowl
under nipa houses to victimize the household. It uses its long, thread-like
tongue to suck the fetus of a sleeping pregnant woman or licks and eats
the phlegm discharged by a sick person or one who suffers tuberculosis.

MANIOKAN
- (Bukidnon) Generally, they are evil spirits who resemble themselves as
snakes.

MANLA’AW-LA’AW
- (Iloilo) The manla’aw-la’w of Iloilo are tamawo often seen observing from
behind anthills the activities of people.

MANLALAYOG
- (Misamis) In Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental they are called
‘manlalayug’, they are covered with hair from head to toe. They kill people
with their hair by forcing it in all the orifices of the victim’s body.

MANNAMAY
- (Ilocos) Ilocano people abhor the mannamay because these witches
practice tamay to inflict suffering on others. The harm usually manifests as
terrible itchiness on the victim’s body.

MANOBO TAGSELATA K’ALO

- (Mindanao) Bagobo mythology describes black people who live where the
sun rises, the Manobo tagselata k’alo cannot withstand daylight and the
sun’s heat for half a day. Like humans, they eat rice but they cook it
 peculiarly. Just before sunrise, they leave a big pot outside full of rice and
water. Then they creep back into their hole in the ground. The scorching
heat of the sun cooks the rice and the black people retrieve this at noon.
From noon until sunset, and then all night they play and work.

MANSALAUAN
- (Cebu) Bird the size of a very large bat, eyes like a carbuncle, head of a
lizard, tail hairy and sharp tongue. Feet as large as a man’s and feet of a
monkey. Introduces tongue into female victims and sucks the bowels.

MANSUSOPSOP
- (Pampanga) Similar to the ghoul aspect of the aswang, the Mansusopsop is
a being in Philippine Folklore that preys on pregnant women. This creature
hovers over the rooftop and finds any opening for its long, thread-like
tongue to pass until it reaches the stomach of its victim, sucking the blood,
fetus, and life energy until the victim dies.

MANTAHUNGAL
- (Palawan) Cow-like in body and voice but hornless. Shaggy coat of hair.
Monstrous mouth with two pairs of huge tusklike incisors.

MANTIYANAK
- (Mindanao) A ghost with a wound in her pregnant belly. She blames all men
for her death. She avenges men by hunting them down and pulling their
penis off, causing them to bleed to death.
- In some parts of Mindanao, the mantianak or manti-anak is the vengeful
spirit of a pregnant woman who died before giving birth. Thinking that she
could have lived had she not been impregnated by a man, she blames all
men for her untimely demise. She returns as a wraith with a hole or slit in
her bloated belly – the unborn child tucked inside. She exacts revenge by
attacking any man she chances upon at night and savagely rips off the
victim’s penis or testicles, causing him to bleed to death. In the middle of
the night or the wee hours, a mantianak could be heard humming a lullaby
to her wailing baby. When such sound is heard within a residence, the men
in the house must stay still and avoid making noise to be safe from the
 mantianak. In order to discourage the mantianak from attacking, a man
must wear a woman’s skirt. She seems to have certain similarities with the
Pontianak or kuntilanak of Malay and Indonesian folklore. In other areas in
Mindanao, the mantianak takes the form of a flying head that bites off the
penis and testicles of men.

MANTIW
- (Western Visayas) Giant spirits were in Iloilo over thirty feet tall. They are
usually seen roaming the fields or leaning against a coconut or Buri tree
alone while whistling melodiously. People who have allegedly seen a
Mantiw describe it as having a fair complexion, wide shoulders, and a tall
aquiline nose. Also, a male Mantiw has an incredibly long penis and large,
dangling scrotum. Although peaceful, a Mantiw is easily offended when
human whistles along with it. It will grab the nuisance human, carry him to
the tallest coconut tree, and leave him on top with no means of climbing
down. Mantiw means “lanky” or “gangling” in Visayan.

MANTRUCULAN
- (Tagalog Provinces) A monstrous creature in Luzon the size of a man. It
has long hair, a hideous face, and sharp claws. This creature will maul
pregnant women to death in order to eat the fetus inside the victim’s womb.
It is also known to impregnate virgins after which it leaves and only returns
when the woman is at the peak of her pregnancy to eat its own spawn.

MANUHIGWIT
- (Visayas) An evil witch, not unlike the Mangkukulam in other regions.
Believed to cause curses or hexes on others.

MARISPIS
 - (Western Visayas) Beings in Western Visayas that make cricket-like sounds
where their deep, sharp eerie chirps presage the coming of a ghost,
sickness, or death.

MARKUPO
- (Western Visayas) It is a large snake, with a prominent red crest, a long
tongue with thorn-like hairs, sharp tusks, and a forked tail. It dwells in
mountain tops.

MARUKPUK
- (Iloilo) Spirits of the dead that haunt bamboo groves in Iloilo. The frequent
sound of breaking bamboo, twigs, and rustling of bamboo leaves despite
the absence of a strong wind announce their presence.

MATANDA SA PUNSO
- (Tagalog Provinces) Lives in a tree or termite mound. Steals pretty girls
from villages and offers jewels or gold for them to live with him.

MAY-GALING
- (Quezon) The may-galing were sorcerers during ancient times in the
Quezon province of Luzon, who had the ability to create illusions. Their
favorite was conjuring a multitude of snakes in an instant.

MINOKAWA
- (Bagobo) A large bird is said to feed on the moon where there are no other
sources of food around.
- In the Bagobo myth, the minokawa is responsible for the lunar eclipse. It
was believed that this island-sized bird always tried to swallow the moon.
To discourage it from consuming the moon completely, the people would
make loud noises. Its abode is somewhere outside the eastern sky
(probably space). This gargantuan bird has a beak and talons of steel, eyes
like mirrors, and tough sharp feathers.
MONDUNTUG
- (Ifugao) According to Ifugao folklore, the monduntug are spirits that haunt
the mountains. Hunters fear the monduntug because the latter are
notorious for causing people to lose their way.

MOTOG
- (Bicol) A male Aswang shape-shifts into a humanoid creature with a boar’s
head.

MULTO
- (Tagalog) A Ghost or a spirit of the deceased.
- Derived from the Spanish word “muerto” meaning “the dead”, the multo or
murto are wandering spirits of the dead. They haunt their families, friends,
and relatives or the places where they died or places they held so dearly
when they were alive, refusing to accept the truth or have no idea that they
are already dead. Others linger in the world seeking justice or revenge for
their unnatural death.

MUMU
- (Many regions) In it is simplest form, the Mumu is a malevolent spirit that
lurks in darkened, shadowy corners waiting to snatch children away from
their families. In the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), the most
common belief is that the Mumu is a ghost or spirit that has unfinished
business in our world, has not been given last rites, or has not yet
accepted their death. As we move northward on Luzon the belief changes
into a spirit that feeds on children or takes their souls. When we move
south through the Philippines towards Bicol and the Eastern Visayas, the
term Mumu is used to describe a variety of mythical beings and ‘engkanto’.
The same can be said for Negros and Mindanao. In Iloilo, however, the
Mumu is likened to the Tamawo.

MUNTIANAK
- (Mindanao) Infant-like creatures who eat the living and terrify children.
MURUKPOK
- (Western Visayas) A diminutive being almost three feet tall with dark skin,
curly hair and looks somewhat cross-eyed. It is usually seen strolling the
Iloilo countryside with a red cowl on its head. It walks with a cane while a
bow and a quiver of arrows are strung over its shoulder. The Murukpok is
malevolent and very powerful. By just pointing its cane at someone, that
person will fall ill. Instant death befalls those who get hit with the cane.

MUTYA
- (Many regions) A banana flower will grow and bend at midnight. Stand
under it and catch the jewel that falls in your mouth. Put it under your
tongue. A dark creature will try to snatch it from you. If you keep the jewel,
you will become the strongest of men. If you lose it, you will go crazy.

MUWA
- (Central Panay) These beings from Central Panay folklore and mythology
are known for hoarding food provisions such as palay (rice) and other
harvested crops. They reside in remote areas and may appear as old men
or women. When in their true form, they have very long, kinky, greasy hair,
and their hair also cover their whole body like the alleged Wildman of China
and Indonesia. They reside in bamboo groves in their bamboo palaces.
Despite their appearance and the fact that they eat humans, the Muwa are
civilized and have a culture of their own mostly based on agriculture. It is
said that any farmer who fails to invite them during the pre-harvest rite
called Pangkuyang would have his crops harvested ahead by the Muwa.
NAGA
- (Bicol, Maguindanao) The naga, according to Tiruray belief, is a huge eight-
headed fish, possibly an eel, in the depths of the ocean.
- In Bicolano myth, the naga are eel-like mermaids powerful than the
magindara. They have greyish or silvery scales. Unlike the vicious
magindara, the naga are benevolent, more intelligent, and have a better
command of the weather. However, when they are offended they could
conjure up storms, devastating winds, or cause the rivers to overflow and
flood the surrounding areas.
- The concept of the naga may vary in the local myths of the Philippines, but
this is derived from Hindu-Buddhist beliefs brought by settlers from Hindu
and Buddhist-influenced kingdoms in Southeast Asia. In Hindu-Buddhist
tradition, the naga are benevolent half-human, half-snakes, or serpents
with many heads.

NAGINED, MAGKABURAK, and ARAPAYAN

- (Bicol) The powerful trinity of demons in old Ibalong beliefs is said to be
three powerfully built handsome men with tattoos covering their faces and
whole body. It is said that when they talk they all speak at the same time,
and that their true form is a three-headed demon. They are demons invoked
when one wants to do harm. Even Asuang asks for their help when he
wants to cause chaos.

NANGANGATOK
- (Tagalog) The Nangangatok are usually invisible spirits that are harbingers
of terrible things to come. People are advised to peek through the window
first when someone knocks before opening their doors or they might let the
Nangangatok inside their house.
NIÑONG BUHAY
- (Tagalog Provinces) The niñong buhay is popular among those who seek
anting-anting, agimat, and supernatural abilities. Named after the Santo
Niño or Holy Child, it’s not exactly the child Jesus himself but a being that
appears like a living native version of the Santo Niño image – small in
stature (no taller than a toddler or even smaller), curly hair, and dark brown
skin. There are many varieties of this creature, which vary in size. Their
complexion range from agta (black), brown, and red (considered as the
most powerful). One variety is called caballero because it rides a winged
horse-like creature. They wear nothing but loincloths. They can be found in
certain areas in the forest, especially on Mount Madyaas in Panay Island,
and can only be seen and captured after doing certain preparations and
rituals. If one succeeds in capturing one of these beings, he must snatch
the libreta or booklet the size of a matchbox tucked in its loincloth at the
waist. This booklet contains knowledge on acquiring supernatural abilities
(e.g.: running on water, standing on the thinnest branch, super strength,
extraordinary agility). But he who snatched the booklet must be careful, for
the creator of the niño, a being described as a “white kapre” will arrive and
try to retrieve the booklet. If the person succeeds in fending off the “white
kapre,” it will depart with the niño but the two can be summoned for help. If
a person already owns a niño, he can use it to capture other niños.

NUNO SA PUNSO
- (Tagalog) Nuno sa punso (literally, a goblin of the mound) are goblins or
forest spirits who live within mysterious lumps of soil (ant hills). They can
provide a person who steps on their shelter with good luck or misfortune,
in some cases, inflicting harsh punishments to those who offend them.
People who are punished are called Namatanda and must be brought to an
Albularyo (Shaman), to heal the punishment.
 - Superstitious Filipinos, when passing by a mound, will ask the resident
Nuno’s permission to let them pass with the phrase, “Tabi-tabi po”.
Strange and sudden illnesses that befall a person are sometimes attributed
to nunos.

OGUIMA
- (Aklan) The oguima were hairy humanoid creatures in the forests and
mountains of Aklan province. They had goat-like legs and hooves like
fauns or satyrs.

OMAYAN
- (Mindanao) Invisible little people. Owns the land and it may be used by
persons only under certain conditions. Lives in communities follow human
trails out of hills, receives offerings before and after planting and harvest,
partakes of proficiency gifts from humans.

ONGLO
- (Eastern Visayas) Large and frightful. He lives in dark nipa swamps. he
uses his huge ‘hard as stone’ elbows and knees to break shellfish. You
can tell he is eating when you hear the shells of tuway (clams) being
broken.
PALASEKAN
- (Iloilo) Invisible tree spirit. Whistles to convey messages for people to stay
home at night. Offended when tree-home is felled.
- The Ilongot people believe the palasekan are invisible tree-dwellers. These
spirits whistle to humans and hang out near human habitations in the
evening until early in the morning. They spend their time listening to a
magical music box while drinking native wine. They help good and honest
farmers take care of the crops and warn those who are in danger, for they
have the ability to foresee the immediate future of people. Those who cut a
palasekan’s tree may appease the spirit with an offering of wine made from
sugarcane.

PALILI
- (Davao) According to Mandaya tradition, the palili are spirits that reside on
the summit of Mount Campalili. The palili guard an enchanted lagoon at the
peak of the said mountain. This lagoon is filled with alligators, turtles,
sharks, and other kinds of fish. The palili will petrify or turn to stone
anyone who desecrates the lagoon.

PAMAHANDI
- (Bukidnon) The ten protectors of horses and carabao, and senders of good
fortune, although each has specific duties. They are much respected and
each year a family will observe a ceremony to obtain their goodwill.
Occasionally they cause trouble and send sickness.
- Their names are Pamahándi púti, Pamahándi lansion, Pamahándi biohon,
Pamahándi sīgolón, Pamahándi hagsálan, Pamahándi boñau, Pamahándi
opos, Pamahándi logdangon, Pamahándi komagasgas, and Pamahándi
somágda. Not all these names are recognized in the Central Valley, but
there is agreement as to their number and their duties.
- The Pamahándi are often generalized into a single deity.
PANIGOTLO
- (Western Visayas) The favored beast of the Aklanon god, Gamhanan. If it
bleats before midnight during a full moon it means the next day will be
fruitful and abundant. If the bleating is heard after midnight it is an omen
that something bad will happen.

PARADUNO
- (Bicol) They look like humans and love the smell of rotting flesh. They lie
on their bellies on the roofs of the dead with their tongue hanging out.
People must not say someone is about to die, or the paranduno may show
up and hasten the death of the sick.

PARAKARAW
- (Bicol) The parakaraw are witches in Bicol, who inflict stomachaches and
other bowel-related maladies by whispering or blowing a dark incantation
to the food of their intended victims.

PASATSAT
- (Pangasinan) A ghost of a dead person who died in a tragic way, especially
those who died in the Japanese Era (World War II). This kind of ghost
usually shows to passersby in a solitary path in the forest or even in cities.
In order for the ghost to stop haunting, someone should stab the coffin or
the reed mat where the body of this ghost was buried. It will show no sign
of the body but putrid flesh can be smelled.
- In Pampanga, the pasatsat are ghosts that appear in the form of rolled-up
banig (sleeping mats made of woven reeds). During the Japanese
occupation of the Philippines, burial in a coffin was uncommon as it was
considered too costly by the locals who have become impoverished
because of the war. Corpses were instead wrapped in sleeping mats and
buried away from the communal cemetery to be safe from grave-robbing.
The pasatsat usually show up on solitary roads, blocking lone travelers. In
order to get rid of the ghost, one must stab it. This causes the mat to unroll
but there would not be any corpse inside; instead, a putrid odor of rotting
flesh is released into the air.

PATIANAK
 - (Zambales) A dwarf in the form of a little girl. Was seen by a man named
Pan Basilio. The patianak dropped a handkerchief and he picked it up. Pan
Basilio eventually forgot about the patianak which made her angry and
caused her to make Pan Basilio sick due to unrequited feelings.

PILI
- (Ifugao) In Ifugao’s belief, the pili are guardian spirits invoked to watch over
a property against thieves and trespassers. Accompanied by a spirit dog, a
pili bites anyone who steals or trespasses its charge. Its bite will become
swollen and can only be healed through a ritual involving the sacrifice of a
chicken.

PINADING
- (Northern Luzon) The Ifugao and Kankanaey people believe the pinading or
pinad’ing are nature guardians that inhabit boulders, rocks, and sacred
trees called patpatayan. These spirits also watch over rice fields and
granaries. They look like normal people and are mostly benevolent.

PIRITAY
- (Tagalog Provinces) A shape-shifting creature that waylays a person
around noon or at sunset by appearing to be someone familiar or attention-
worthy to the victim. Anyone who follows it will find himself in an
unfamiliar place and that he has been gone for hours.
- As a mischievous shape-shifting entity, the piritay of Batangas waylays
persons at noon or at sunset by appearing as someone familiar or
attractive to the victims. It lures individuals to follow it and those who do,
find themselves in an unfamiliar place and realize that they’ve been gone
for hours. The unlucky ones often end up falling off a cliff, swallowed by
quicksand, or never seen again. The piritay‘s true form is said to be that of
a woman with red skin.

PONGO
- (Bicol) Another ape-like creature from Bicolano folklore. This one
resembles an Orangutan but is twice bigger as a male gorilla and a lot
faster than a regular Orangutan.
PONGKOE
- (Aklan) The pongkoe in Aklan is an imp-like creature fond of tickling
sleeping individuals.

POO
- (Eastern Visayas) Waray folks tell of an Aswang that appears as an
ordinary human. It only comes out when the moon is full, making a sound
from which its name is derived. When it makes the sound a fourth time it
means it is already inside the victim’s house. It steals infants whose
parents have fallen asleep and kills individuals who sleep alone.
- Interestingly, poo in old Visayan means “to injure, to kill, or to betray the
sleeping”.

POPO
- (Bicol) Tall and slender with a tail, a scary creature that snorts like a pig
and is said his eyes could cause pain and even kill. He drains humans and
animals of their energy. He is one of Aswangs creatures.

PUGOT
- (Ilocos, Pampanga) Headless, shape-shifting creature, usually that of a
black, gigantic headless ghost, can move at great speeds, feeds on snakes
and insects, usually harmless to humans. They said it was a friar of the
Spanish Era, beheaded once and still searching for its head.
- The happy-go-lucky pugot of Ilocano folklore can detach its head without
dying. Taller than a man and having a very dark complexion, this being can
morph into a dog, a boar, or a huge pheasant. It lives in the woods or the
forest where it sits on a tree branch during idle times. Known as a
prankster, it scares people by showing up without its head, the exposed
stump of its neck bubbling with blood. Also, having developed a fondness
for women, the pugot is notorious for stealing their underwear hung
outdoors to dry overnight. The pugot feeds on small animals and insects
which it swallows through its neck. It is known as numputol in other parts
of Luzon. In other accounts, the pugot is just a tall, dark-skinned, and hairy
man who lurks in the woods and abducts children.

PUGOT MAMU
 - (Ilocos, Pampanga) Similar to the Pugot, it is also a headless mythical
being. However, the Pugot Mamu is said to eat children through a hole in
its neck which acts like a mouth.

PUTING BABA
- (Tagalog Provinces) The subterranean, white-skinned goblin-like creatures
with very long chins. They make their chins protrude on the surface of the
ground, making them appear as stones or mushrooms. Whosoever makes
the mistake of tripping on them or picking them up is pulled underground.

PUTOT
- (Iloilo) Small Goblin-like underground dwellers in Iloilo with truncated body
parts. Some only have one leg, one arm, or no limbs at all and move by
means of rolling.
RABOT
- (Bicol) Half-human and half-beast. Rabot is an ugly monster with a loud
booming voice. Some say he is the son of the trinity of demons Nagined,
Arapayan, and Magkaburak with a human who they raped over and over
again. He was given the gift to turn people to stone with his eyes. He was
killed by Bantog using a bolo in the Ibalong Epic.

RAGIT-RAGIT
- (Romblon) Tiny beings with eyes that cannot wink. They live forever and
never grow old. Only infants less than a year old can see them. If a baby is
left outdoors after dark, the Ragit-Ragit will steal it or make it ill.

RED LADY
- (Worldwide) A Lady in Red or Red Lady is a type of female ghost, similar to
the White Lady, but according to legend is more specifically attributed to a
jilted lover, prostitute killed in a fit of passion, or woman of vanity. Such a
figure is thereby seen as a victim of objectification. In all cases, the Lady in
Red is wearing a scarlet or blood-red dress. She is said to typically be
friendly in disposition, with a story attached to historic hotels, theatres, or
other public places, with a higher frequency of reports from old mining
communities due to the prostitution trade.
- This ghost is wearing a robe or a gown in red from where she got the name,
Red Lady. In the stories read by other readers, this ghost is the most
dangerous of the lady ghosts. Dangerous than the black ones, it can give
you goosebumps more than what you feel to black ladies. As they said, red
ladies died because of sexual abuse.
- There was a real ghost story that tells about in a lady in red at the
University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, Manila. According to the story, the
lady in red was published in The Varsitarian, the official student publication
of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for their All Saint’s Day edition. The
ghost haunts in the Main Campus, which is the oldest building. The
shocking thing about her is she was wearing high heels. They would hear
the rhythmic tock-tocking of her high-heeled shoes in the hallway, but
mostly in the lady’s powder room.
 - The story goes, there is a student who went into the powder room and
when she was relieving herself. She heard walk steps in the restroom, then
the sound tok tok tok tok was unmistakable. The high-heeled shoes
belonged to the lady in red. All of a sudden, someone started pounding to
the door of her bathroom stall. The door does not go all the way, so we
know that you could see the feet of whoever is in the front of the door.
- She got annoyed that at how rude this person was so she said sandali
lang! Or just a moment! Also, at the same time, she looks with her eyes
automatically drifted down at the bottom of the floor. She did not see any
pair of feet that touched the ground. Yet, the pounding sound continues…
She looked above the door and that was the time saw the red lady angrily
looking in her. The story ended there… We did not know what the girl did
after that.. but she lived to tell her tale that's for sure...

RIWA-RIWA
- (Mindanao) The Riwa-riwa from Bagobo belief is a tall buso with eight eyes
and resides in the sky. While suspended upside-down, the Riwa-riwa
listens to people who are talking. If it gets offended by a random remark,
the Riwa-riwa’s eyes turn big with anger and it drops to the ground,
bringing sickness to inflict on those who have offended it.
SALUT
- (Tagalog Provinces) In the olden days, during an outbreak of cholera,
people in the Tagalog region feared that the salut or salot (literally,
“pestilence”) would come knocking on their doors. As the name suggests,
the salut was a personification of pestilence and disease, especially
cholera, in the form of a mysterious old woman dressed in black. This spirit
would roam in the middle of the night and knock on houses. Anyone who
answered her was stricken with illness and died eventually.

SANGKABAGI
- (Ilocos) The old folks in Ilocos believe in a being that rides on a flying boat
and roams in the middle of the night in search of corpses to take to its lair
in the underworld.
- The katataoan’s counterpart in Ilocos Norte are the sangkabagi which
means “unity of bodies” or “one body.” They are beings from another
realm and appear as fair-looking people. At midnight the sangkabagi sail
the skies on a small wooden boat, searching for the souls of the dead to
take to the afterlife. They would, from time to time, chose individuals to
serve as their medium in healing the sick. These individuals become local
healers called maibangbangon. Later, the sangkabagi were demonized by
the Spaniards. From ferrying the souls of the dead, they became spirits that
feed on the dead. The sangkabagi allegedly ate the liver of people who
have offended them and filled the gaping wounds on the victims’ bodies
with herbs. They became notorious for dragging sleeping people or making
individuals lose their way. These spirits could also see the entrails of living
people. The sangkabagi gave magical books to the people they liked. These
books had the ability to transport the owner to any desired place in an
instant.

SANTELMO
- (Tagalog Provinces, Visayas, Eastern Luzon) It is a fireball seen by dozens
of Filipinos, especially those living in the Sierra Madre Mountains. It was
scientifically explained as electric fields which have diverged from the
lines. However, the sightings were reported since the Spanish era (16th-
19th centuries). There were also sightings in the Alps in Europe and the
Himalayas in Asia.
 - The name santelmo is derived from Saint Elmo’s fire which is said to be
seen by sailors in the middle of the sea and believed to be the spirits of
people lost at sea. Saint Elmo's fire is named after Saint Erasmus of Formia
(also known as Saint Elmo), who was a Christian saint and martyr. He is
venerated as the patron saint of sailors and abdominal pain. Erasmus or
Elmo is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, saintly figures of Christian
tradition who are venerated especially as intercessors.
- According to others, some santelmo serve as guardians of buried
treasures, chasing or scaring away would-be trespassers. These guardians
may be elementals or spirits of slaves buried with the treasure of a dead
datu or chieftain.

SARANGAY
- (Cagayan) A half-human, half-bull, with a jewel attached to ears, will kill if
the jewel is stolen.
- According to Ibanag lore, the sarangay is a tall, hairy, and dark-skinned
man with long, coarse black hair. He wears big wooden earrings and owns
a magical jewel that glows like an ember in the dark. He is aggressive and
charges at people on sight, bellowing like an enraged bull. The person who
is able to steal the sarangay’s magical jewel will gain the strength of ten
men.

SARIMAO
- (Bicol) The Sarimao were avenging monsters in the Ibalong Epic that were
brutally fierce, ugly, and ruinous. They went after evildoers, usually to
those with hidden guilt, who could not be brought to justice. Handyong
exiled the Sarimao to Mount Kulasi. Their human equivalents are believed
to be those who take the law into their own hands, who have suffered
injustice.

SARIMANOK
- (Mindanao) A Sarimanok is a magical, mythical flaming bird who brings
good luck to anyone who are able to catch it. Some say it is a pet of
Engkantos. A Sarimanok known as Magaul is associated with the legend of
Malakas and Maganda. Magaul was the Sarimanok bird that pecked the
bamboo from where Malakas and Maganda were born from.
SARINAGO
- (Mindanao) Spirits who steal rice from the households.

SARUL
- (Western Visayas) Spirit beings that take the form of animals and insects,
frequenting places passed by travelers or peddlers in Iloilo.

SARUT
- (Western Visayas) Its name literally meaning ‘pest’ or ‘salot’ in Tagalog,
this is a human who, according to ancient Ilonggo folklore, turns into a
dog-like creature that attacks lone travelers. It also feeds on the livestock
and poultry animals of a farm or a village which amounts to large losses,
hence the name Sarut.

SASAILO
- (Cagayan Valley) The sasailo are the Tinguian version of the anito. The
benevolent sasailo dwell among us with some disguised as normal
persons. They are both feared and respected for their boundless
knowledge, longevity, and ability to influence daily activities.

SHADOW PERSON
- (Worldwide) A shadow person (also known as a shadow figure, shadow
being, or black mass) is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living,
humanoid figure, and interpreted as the presence of a spirit or other entity
by believers in the paranormal or supernatural. A number of religions,
legends, and belief systems describe shadowy spiritual beings or
supernatural entities such as shades of the underworld, and various
shadowy creatures have long been a staple of folklore and ghost stories,
such as the Islamic Jinn and the Choctaw Nalusa Chito.
SIGBIN
- (Eastern Visayas) A cross-breed between goat, dog, and kangaroo said to
suck the blood out of its victims from shadows.
- The sigbin or amamayong are creatures resembling a cross between a dog,
a goat, and a kangaroo a bit larger than a goat and have whip-like tails.
Although four-legged they mostly hop on their longer hind legs. They have
wide ears that clap when they’re on the move. At sunset or during the night
they are often seen eating squash blossoms in a garden or a farm. At noon
they roam in search of small creatures in mounds. They can move so fast
for human eyes to see, giving way to the belief that they can become
invisible. Their presence is often betrayed by their nauseating odor. Some
say the sigbin walks backward.
- The sigbin are attracted to the smell of a dying person, often hastening his
death by licking him. They can make a person sick or kill him by biting his
shadow. Good luck is bestowed upon persons whom they choose to
befriend provided they are fed with charcoal and, in some cases raw meat.
- A sigbin could be used as transport. All a person has to do is to ask his
friend sigbin and tell it where he wants to go. Then upon sitting on the
sigbin‘s back (facing the creature’s tail) he should tap the tail’s base gently
and off they go as fast as lightning. Some of the aswang use them as
familiars.

SIGBINAN
- (Eastern Visayas) A person or a family who own Sigbins. They keep these
creatures inside clay jars and feed them with charcoal. They have the
power to command the Sigbins to harm or steal from anyone. This is the
reason why Sigbinans are generally wealthy.
- In the olden days, the sigbinan were originally sorcerers who could change
into alligators, snakes, or dogs and preyed on people. They killed children
and made amulets out of the hapless kids’ hearts.

SILAGAN
 - (Catanduanes) The silagan were flightless aswang in Catanduanes. People
with fair skin and those dressed in white during mourning were their
preferred victims. It is said they can see the internal organs of a person.
They always went by twos, one wearing a white robe and the other clad in
black. The duo would lie on either side of a sleeping person, and the one
clad in white robe took the victim’s liver away after the other tore the victim
open through the anus.

SINAN BABOY
- (Ilocos) Creatures that resemble wild pigs and are usually found under
mango trees. Usually, small in size, they would sometimes pass through
the legs of a person unnoticed. When angered they could grow to immense
size and trample a person to death.

SINANDAPI
- (Ilocos) In Ilocano belief, a sinandapi is a terrifying tall being as black as
the night. It lives in big trees and follows people to their homes. It haunts
people’s dreams especially women who act like an incubus, inducing a
nightmare.
- The sinandapi also takes on various forms to deceive people. When it takes
the form of an old woman it is called sinan baket. When it turns into a man
it is called sinan lakay, and when it assumes the form of a priest or shaman
it is called a sinanpado or sinanpadi.

SINASA’BAN
- (Bicol) A sinasa’ban is an aswang in Bicol said to be particularly attracted
to the smell of the phlegm and other excreta of sick people. It finds the
smell of such things intoxicating and becomes elated upon capturing even
the faintest scent of fresh excrement. Guided by its nose, it locates the sick
person’s house and from then on visits the house every night to satiate its
grotesque olfactory needs. In doing so, it slowly absorbs the victim’s life
essence, causing his condition to worsen.

SIPAY
 - (Tagalog Provinces) In the olden days in Quezon Province and in Laguna,
the sipay is a mysterious man (allegedly hired by people engaged in the
construction of bridges and buildings) who snatches children who are
outdoors at 3 p.m. or after sunset and carries them off inside a sack (some
say the sack is black). The sipay decapitates a captured child and collects
the victim’s blood. Others say the innards and flesh are set aside for the
sipay to eat later. The sipay brings the blood to his contractors and either
mixes it with the cement or smears it on the structure as some sort of ritual
to ensure the bridge or building lasts and can withstand the test of time.
- It can be told if a sipay is approaching because the area suddenly becomes
so quiet and a somewhat foul stench could be discerned in the air. Some
sipay may snatch more than one child which it loads on a wooden cart.
- Later, the sipay was used to scare children who refuse to take a nap in the
afternoon or those who remain outdoors at 3 p.m. until sundown. In other
areas, the sipay is known as manunupot. In Bicol and Camarines Norte, he
is known as mambabansok. In other areas, the sipay is called mandudugo
or mamumugot.

SIRENA
- (Many regions) Sirena is a mermaid, a sea creature with a human upper
body and a fishtail instead of lower extremities. They attract fishermen and
tourists. Sirenas are reportedly often seen ashore by fishermen, especially
in the towns bordering the Pacific Ocean.
- Folklore about the Sirena, local mermaids, is popular throughout the
Philippine archipelago. All Sirena appear as women with fish tails instead
of legs. However, there are varying accounts about the appearance of the
Sirena. Some say they have seaweed-like hair, a pair of small holes in place
of a nose, dark and fish-like eyes, a fish-like mouth filled with small pointed
teeth, webbed hands, and a tail closer to those of aquatic mammals. This
version of the Sirena can’t talk and only make sounds similar to those of
whales or dolphins. The more popular version are those with the upper
body of a beautiful woman and a long tail like that of a fish complete with
scales. These are said to be hermaphrodites, capable of having offspring
with humans. They are notorious for luring people to the sea with their
sweet voices and singing. Their hair is said to be an effective bait in
catching fish. It seems the Sirena’s being malevolent or not varies
individually and sometimes depends on how they perceive humans.

SIRING
 - (Mindanao) Ugly man with curly hair and long nails. Lures boys wandering
the woods by assuming the likeness of their father. Feeds them worms. Is
thwarted by red pepper. Also said to be spirits inhabiting caves, cliffs, and
dangerous places and who also impersonate family members.
- The siring or sir’ing of Bagobo folklore are curly-haired, shadowy creatures
with long, sharp, and tough fingernails. They abduct children or women by
disguising themselves as the victims’ relatives. The victims are kept in
their lair in a cave or a cliff and are fattened with a meal of worms and
snakes, only to be slaughtered and eaten later. One way to elude these
creatures is by carrying red pepper which they hate.

SIYAM-SIYAM
- (Iloilo) In mid to late 19th century Iloilo, travelers on horseback or carriage
told of encountering a restless spirit at night. The spirit at first appeared as
a normal human and asked to hitch a ride. On the way, it would talk
casually and confess its nine sins that it committed nine times. Then the
hitchhiker will turn into a skeleton in tatters and ask for the nearest church
and disappear while the travelers screamed their heads off. In one story,
Siyam-Siyam finally found peace when he encountered a friar.

SIYOKOY
- (Tagalog Provinces) Sea creatures with fish-like bodies and long, green
tentacles that drown mortals. Siyokoys are mermen, sea creatures that
have a human form and scaled bodies. The Siyokoy is the male counterpart
of the Sirena. The lower extremities of a Philippine merman can either be a
fishtail or scaled legs and webbed feet. They could also have long, green
tentacles. They drown mortals for food. Siyokoys have gill slits, are colored
brown or green, and have scaly skin, comparable to that of a fish.

SUMARANG
- (Ilocos) The big man with large eyes and a wide nose as big as two feet put
together.

TA-AWI
 - (Lanao) A monster that travels faster than the wind. Makes a thunderous
noise when it is close. Performs cannibalistic raids but cannot digest the
eyeballs of its victims.

TAGAMALING
- (Mindanao) Ogre-like creatures that become cannibalistic every other
month.
- The Bagobo tribe considered the tagamaling as the least evil among the
buso because there were times when they were good to the people. The
Mandaya regarded them as the ones who taught the tribe how to weave the
dagmay cloth, while the ancient Manobo considered them as spirits that
watched over the crops. Said to dwell in invisible houses of gold on top of
large trees, they sometimes appeared to humans as normal-looking people.
Their true appearance, however, was hideous with only one eye and
fearsome fangs. They were also slightly taller than a man. This fearsome
appearance only appeared every other month at the start of the full moon –
when they became true buso and felt the urge to eat human flesh and kill
any human being they meet– until the beginning of the new moon. After
that, they again assumed their good nature for a whole month between the
new moon and before the beginning of the full moon. Having magical
powers, they could turn an erring person into a rock.

TAGARESO
- (Mindanao) Low spirits who cause people to become angry and do evil
deeds or cause insanity.

TAGBANUA
- (Mindanao) The Manobo people believe the Tagbanua or mangudlaway are
harmful busaw that dwell in balete trees.

TAGOLABONG
- (Panay) The tagolabong or tagalabong was a terrifying humanoid creature
encountered in the fields, pasture lands, and mountains of Panay Island
during ancient times.

TAHAMALING
 - (Mindanao) A red complexioned earth spirit. Lives in balete trees. Keeper of
animals. The red-skinned and yellow-eyed tahamaling of Bagobo folklore
are considered guardians of animals. These elusive female spirits of the
forest are mostly active at night. They take care of wounded animals,
including the domesticated ones in nearby villages. Those who were lucky
to glimpse them say they wear nothing but bracelets and anklets made of
bones. It is believed they inhabit trees.

TALAHIANG
- (Zamboanga) Dark creature, 12 feet tall with large muscles. They make
travelers lose their way and they are fraid of loud noise.
- The Yakan people in Zamboanga say the talahiang is a muscular, twelve-
foot-tall version of a male negrito. This giant with thick lips, a large nose,
big teeth, and coarse kinky hair inhabits big trees. It leads people astray
but is easily scared away by noise. When spooked it transforms into a big
lizard and flees. Like the batibat, it induces nightmares in those who reside
near its tree.

TAMA
- (Mindanao) In the Manobo myth, a tama or tame is a malevolent giant spirit
that inhabits big trees like the balete in the forest or the unknown wilds.
The tama is mischievous and leads hunters and travelers astray with
strange calls and other sounds.

TAMAWO
- (Western Visayas) They live in large dark nunok trees. Beautiful, tiny
beings that steal infants from people’s yards. They offer black rice and
yellow root to children. If they accept, they will never be seen again.
- The elf-like tamawo or tumawo of Western Visayas live in vast mansions
hidden underground, in the woods, or on elevated areas in the field. They
use big trees as portals to the human realm. They appear as handsome
young men and beautiful women sans a shadow, their true form being tiny
people with very long hair that reach the ground. They mingle with humans
and even attend mass but leave before the benediction. A person who eats
tamawo food (black, violet, or red, big grained rice that seems to move) can
never go home and becomes a tamawo.
- There are male tamawo that hypnotize women to have sexual intercourse
with them. After that, the woman immediately bears a child which will be
 taken away by the father. The mother will remember the whole incident as a
dream.
- Like the engkanto, tamawo disguised as ordinary persons have no philtrum
or the dent between the nose and the upper lip. Some prefer to reside in the
house of humans, called lumon. The lumon plays pranks on members of
the household by hiding some of their belongings which are later found
from where they first disappeared.

TAMBAL
- (Tagalog Provinces) In Tagalog folklore, the tambal (meaning, “a pair”) is a
forest spirit, a local version of the doppelganger, notorious for copying the
appearance and voice of a person. Once a person enters the forest
inhabited by a tambal, the spirit will cause the said person to get lost in the
forest for hours or even days. Meanwhile, the tambal copies the victim’s
appearance and mingles with the latter’s relatives, family, or
acquaintances. The victim could only be set free from the tambal’s
enchantment if someone finds him in the forest or if the tambal’s deception
is discovered by someone familiar with the victim. Other tambal kill their
victims in order to replace them for a period of time. The disguised tambal
then disappears or fakes its death supposedly caused by a mysterious
illness but its corpse is nothing but a cut banana trunk or a small tree trunk
made to look like the victim.

TAMBALUSLOS
- (Bicol, Mindanao, Visayas) From Cebu: Overly large head and a freakish
grin. Has a scary, evil laugh. Makes people who walk through the forest
lost. The more lost its victim is the harder it laughs. If you put your clothes
inside out the tambaloslos finds it so funny it will laugh so hard it will cover
its eyes with its enormous upper lip, giving the victim a chance to escape.
- Tambaloslos is a slang word in the Cebuano language. It is used to mean a
useless or an inept male. It is seldom used to refer to a woman. It is a
vulgar word and is not used in polite or formal conversation. Occasionally
people say it to elicit a humorous effect. The suffix “loslos “is a slang term
for male genitalia.
- “Tambaloslos kang daku!” is a saying in Cebuano that is similar to “You’re
such a dimwit!”.
- From Bikol: It got its name from the long, wrinkled penis and dangling
testicles which dangles to the ground (luslus).
 - An awkward, lanky, wrinkled black creature, it has long, thin, wobbly legs,
hooves, and big joints. It has long, thin arms and fingers and a mane like
that of a horse that went all the way down from the head to the buttocks. It
has wide protruding lips that cover its face when it laughs.
- The Tambaluslus hides under trees on moonlit nights and loves to chase
people who are lost in the woods. The word ‘luslus’ means ‘loose and
hanging’.
- Also from Bikol: A tall humanoid creature. Generally black in complexion, it
has long and thin legs with big joints, hooves, long thin arms and fingers,
and a mane that runs from the back of the head down to its buttocks. It also
has wide protruding lips like an ape. Another strange feature of this
creature are its long wrinkled penis and loose testicles which dangle near
the ground.
- The Tambaluslos chases people who wander in the woods. The only way to
escape it is to take off your clothes and wear them upside-down. The
creature finds this act very hilarious and it will laugh so much that its wide
lips would cover its face, therefore preventing it from seeing the victim who
in turn will have ample time to escape.
- Bicol, Bisaya, Mindanao: from ‘luslos’ or to have an erection. Takes women
into secluded areas. To escape one must turn their clothes inside out so
that the tambaloslos can see their breast, this will make the tambaloslos
erect so much that their genitals will cover their vision.

TAMBANOKANO
- (Maguindanao) One of the children of the Sun and Moon was a giant crab
name “Tambanokano”. He is so powerful that every time he opens and
closes his eyes lightning flashes. He lives in a large hole at the bottom of
the ocean. When the tide goes out, it is because he has left the hole and
the water rushes in to fill it. His moving about causes great waves which
crash on the shore. The crab is quarrelsome, like his father; and
sometimes becomes so angry with his mother (the Moon), that he tries to
swallow her. In the version of the Manobos, the ‘Tambanakua’ is a huge
tarantula or a scorpion.

TANDAYAG NA OPON
 - (Bicol) Is a huge black boar with tusks as big as a man’s arms. He lives in
the hills of Lingyon. He attacked the rice fields and plants of Linza and was
killed by Baltog in the Ibalong Epic.

TANGGAE
- (Aklan) The tanggae of Aklan looks similar to a manananggal but it has the
ability to disguise its discarded lower half into an anthill. Thus, the lower
half is safe from being discovered and destroyed while the tanggae is away
searching for prey.

TANGGAL
- (Palawan) The Tagalog tanggal or tanggar in Palawan refers to the self-
segmenting night fliers that can detach the upper part of their body from
the lower half at the waist or the head from the rest of the body like the
manananggal and the ungga-ungga.

TAONG TUOD
- (Tagalog Provinces) Some trees in the forest are not what they appear to
be. This is the case of the taong tuod of Tagalog folklore. They are beings
in the shape of trees. But unlike trees, they can move but aren’t not ile,
have fewer leaves, most have weird or humanoid in shape, and are smaller
in size with a hollow in the middle of the trunk. They ensnare and kill those
who get near them.

TARABUSAO
- (Maguindanao, Maranao) A very large, ugly man who crashes through the
forest making the trees move. Yells loudly when drawing close to his
home.

TAWAK
 - A tawak or magtatawak is a healer who specializes in treating snakebites,
especially those from venomous snakes. Born the same day a snake
hatched from its egg, it is said a tawak has a supernatural bond with the
latter and other serpents including some reptiles, which makes him
immune to snake venom. He can expel the venom from snakebites and
cure the patient by applying his saliva or using magical stones on the
wound. Moreover, a tawak has the ability to command snakes and other
reptiles.

TAWO SA SALUP
- (Bukidnon) According to Bukidnon’s belief, the tawo sa salup are spirits in
the forest. They are called upon for their aid in times of war. People who
enter or pass by their territory without invoking their permission are
punished with sickness.

TAWO SA TALONAN
- (Palawan) The Tagbanua of Bulalacao Island in Coron, Palawan believe the
tawo sa talonan (means “people in the forest”) are forest-dwelling, dark
and hairy beings that eat children and play pranks on hunters, wood
gatherers, and travelers.

TAWONG LIPOD
- (Bicol) A race of mythological creatures in Philippine mythology, most
prevalent in the Bicol area they are the court servants and handmaidens of
the lunar gods Bulan and Haliya. They are beautiful, supernatural beings,
youthful and elegant, and superb in the art of dancing. They are the
nymphs of the winds and clouds forever loyal to the moon gods. The story
of how the lunar gods Haliya and Bulan descended is one that concerns
them, for stories tell that it was the ”Tawong Lipod” (wind people) who
convinced Haliya who in return convinced Bulan to go down and bathe in
the waters of Ibalon (Bicol).

TAWANG LUPA
 - (Mindanao) Invisible little people. Owns the land and it may be used by
persons only under certain conditions. Lives in communities follow human
trails out of hills, receives offerings before and after planting & harvest,
partakes of proficiency gifts from humans.

TAYABAN
- (Ifugao) According to the Ifugao myth, the tayaban are tiny, humanoid
flying creatures with scales so shiny and radiant that they appear like
fireflies at night. Despite their small size, the tayaban can kill a person by
preying on or consuming his soul.

TAYHO
- (Western Visayas) A creature in Western Visayan folklore similar to the
Centaur of Greek mythology except this one has an animal-looking face
and more swift. It is said that a Tayho is an offspring of a female water
buffalo and a giant male Agta.

TEKMA
- (Bukidnon) According to old Subanon beliefs, the tekma are tall and
hideous forest creatures with feet turned backward. They are so frightening
that to see one could turn a person permanently cross-eyed.

THALON
- (Zamboanga Del Sur) The Thalon is an obscure creature in Philippine
Folklore. From its origins in Zamboanga Del Sur, its myth has not spread to
the other parts of the Philippines. Unlike most monsters in Philippine
folklore, the attitude of the Thalon is based on its gender, either being a
simple trickster spirit if male, or a terrible man-eating beast if female.

TIBAGLINAW
- (Mindanao) In the Manobo myth, a tibaglinaw is a half-diwata, half-busaw
spirit that inhabits the budbud tree.

TIBSUKAN
 - (Central Panay) A creature in Central Panay folklore that appears as a piglet
with an extra-long snout which it uses to burrow underground where it
prefers to live. Any human who disturbs it will get ill. Some Encantos and
witches who wish to make a human ill or even die would make a Tibsukan
burrow and live under the house of the victim.

TIBURONES
- (Bicol) A shark, with razor-sharp teeth, that can fly and circle its prey from
the air. ‘Tiburon’ is Spanish for ‘shark’, most English translations of the
Ibalon use this name for the creature (Triburon). In Bicol, these creatures
are known as Pating na Pakpakan. In the Ibalon epic, they were tamed by
the warrior-hero Handyong.

TIGABULAK
- (Tagalog Provinces) In Tagalog lore, the tigabulak are aswang (usually old
men) that lure children with candy and other sweets. Upon reaching a
secluded area, a tigabulak incapacitates the child and puts him/her in a
sack which he carries to his dwelling in the woods. The child is then
butchered. The tigabulak collects the victim’s blood which he sells in the
market along with some of the child’s meat – perfect for dinuguan (a local
dish of pork and blood).

TIGADLUM
- (Bukidnon) In Sulod-Bukidnon’s belief, the tigadlum are people who can
make themselves invisible. Such ability is possessed mainly by sorcerers,
witches, and aswang.

TIGALPU
- According to the Sulod-Bukidnon tribe in Panay, individuals who can pass
through solid objects (like the Shadowcat character in the X-Men series)
are called tigalpu.

TIGBANUA
 - (Mindanao) Worst of all the buso (dark spirits). Bagobo myths describe the
Tigbanua as having one eye, with tall, lean bodies and long necks that they
can twist to see what’s behind them. Their hair is disheveled and their one
eye is either red or yellow. They have flat noses and pointed teeth, their
feet are oversized and usually, their skin is covered in muck and grime.
They prefer to stay in jungles, caves, or rocky areas. They are some stories
where they hunt in groups and attack a victim, dismembering the poor soul
and tearing them with their claws. These creatures are afraid of dogs,
despite their large and fearsome demeanor.

TIGMAMANUKAN
- (Tagalog Provinces) A bird of omen, usually letting travelers know to
expect good or bad luck.
- Ancient Tagalogs believed the tigmamanukan was a small omen bird with
blue and black feathers. If a traveler encountered a tigmamanukan flying to
the right it meant his journey will be without incident, but if the bird flew in
the opposite direction it meant he might encounter dangers along the way
and even lose his way and may never be seen again. According to Fray
Pedro de San Buenaventura, a Franciscan friar from the early 1600s, a
native hunter who accidentally caught a tigmamanukan usually cut off the
bird’s beak before setting it free while uttering, “Kita ay iwawala, kun ako’y
may kakawnan, lalabay ka,” which translates to: “I will set you free, if I
travel, sing to the right.” This was believed to guarantee safe travel for the
hunter. To encounter a tigmamanukan was called salubong or welcoming.

TIKBALANG
- (Tagalog Provinces and other regions) A half-man and half-horse creature
similar to the Greek Centaur that terrorizes women. Actually, they are
summoned by shamans or landlords to secure and protect their houses. It
has a horse’s head, the body of a human but with the feet of the horse. It
travels at night to rape female mortals. The raped women will then give
birth to more tikbalang. They are also believed to cause travelers to lose
their way, particularly in mountainous or forest areas. Tikbalangs are very
playful with people, and they usually make a person imagine things that
aren’t real. Sometimes a Tikbalang will drive a person crazy.
- Legends say that when rain falls while the sun is shining or in a clear sky,
there is a wedding between two Tikbalangs.
- Since horses only arrived in the Philippine archipelago during the Spanish
colonization (thus, the borrowed term ‘kabayo’), there is a theory that the
 image of a half-horse, the half-man creature was propagated by the
conquistadors to keep the natives afraid of the night. Stories are claiming
that the Tikbalang are half-bird, half-man creatures, much like the Japanese
tengu.
- It is sometimes believed to be a transformation of an aborted fetus that has
been sent to earth from limbo.

TIKTIK
- (Western Visayas) A kind of Aswang. There are two kinds of Tiktik: the one
are eating fetuses and the one who warns people of the presence of
Aswangs in their place.
- Folklore concerning the tiktik is widespread in the Philippines, therefore,
the creature’s characteristics vary from one tale to another. In some
anecdotes, the tiktik is a variant of the aswang that lives as a normal
person by day but turns into a huge, black bird after dark and preys on the
child inside a pregnant woman’s womb or on a bedridden sick person. It
inserts through a hole on the roof or through the window its long, hollow,
and pointed tongue which could become as thin as thread. The tongue
pierces the sleeping victim’s womb through the navel and sucks the fetus’s
blood or digests the child itself and sucks it out like drinking through a
straw. It uses the same tongue to suck the life force of a sick person. In
other tales, the tiktik reverts to its human form upon landing on a
prospective victim’s roof. Its name is said to be derived from the sound it
makes. There is a belief that when the tiktik’s shriek is loud, it’s still far
away; but when its sound grows faint, it means it’s nearby. Also, gusts of
wind despite calm weather indicate that it’s on the prowl. In other areas the
tiktik is a blackbird that serves the aswang, helping the latter locate
potential victims, hence, the name which in Tagalog means “spy.” This bird
alights on the roof of potential victims and calls for its master. One legend,
however, says that the tiktik is an enemy of the aswang. Its cries warn the
people that an aswang is nearby.

TIMBUSAW
- (Mindanao) The Manobo believe the timbusaw is an ogre-like spirit – tall,
hairy, and has large claws – that devours the souls of sleeping persons,
 especially hunters who sleep in the jungle. A person whose soul has been
eaten by the timbusaw lives a normal life for a few days but will be found
dead in his sleep later.

TIMU-TIMU
- (Iloilo) An ape-like ogre deep in the forests of Iloilo. Its mouth can gape so
wide it can chew a human whole. Its name means ‘likes to chew’ or ‘always
chews’.

TINAKCHI
- (Kalinga) The Tinakchi from the mountain range of Kalinga are a classic
example of “unseen beings” that are often a pivotal element to staple
horror stories. Called by the people from the mountain as “cha tagun
ajipun maila” (people who cannot be seen), Tinakchi seems to be on par
with the likes of Engkanto, Palasekan, and Tahamaling who exist alongside
people, while hiding their presence. Often they blend mystery into the
mundane life of normal people; the usual root cause of supernatural events
that cannot be comprehended or explained.

TIRTIRIS
- (Ilocos) The tirtiris of Ilocano folklore are wee folk smaller than a human
hand. Their teeth have gold fillings and they wear silk clothes embroidered
with gold thread. Friendly to humans, they are often seen in groups,
dancing, and merry-making in the evening at a friend’s backyard. They are
generous and give rice to people they like. When wronged, they cause the
offender to have sore eyes or skin rashes.

TIYANAK
- (Tagalog Provinces) An infant-like creature that eats the living and terrifies
children. Their origin was (some says) are aborted fetuses from mother’s
womb who took revenge for not giving them birth or babies who died
 before receiving baptism. After death, they go to a place known as Limbo, a
chamber of Hell which unbaptized dead people fall into and are
transformed into evil spirits. These phantasms return into the mortal realm
in the form of goblins to eat living victims. The tiyanak can also be the
offspring of a woman and a demon. It can also be an aborted fetus that
comes back to take revenge on its mother. Most Tiyanaks are said to live in
forests. If they see a human, they transform into what looks like a normal
baby. When the person notices the Tiyanak and comes near to take a look
at it, the Tiyanak changes back to its true form and eats its prey.
- The true origin of Tiyanak came from the Malaysian creature, Pontianak or
Mantianak – a female viscera. They share many similarities, but the
Pontianak is the mother who died while pregnant, Tianak is the ghost of the
child, not the mother herself.
- Whenever we hear Tiyanak, the first thing which comes to our mind is an
innocent-looking baby, but according to some, they look like duwendes
(small earth spirit). You can kill this monster by means of any pointed
instruments, more specifically pointed metal made of silver.

TIYU-AN
- (Capiz) A flightless variant of the Manananggal originating from Capiz. This
one doesn’t have wings and doesn’t split her body in half. Instead, the
Tiyu-an jumps on the roof of a victim or enters the house unnoticed. It will
then extend its tongue into a very long and thin proboscis and pierce the
belly of a pregnant woman and suck the blood of the fetus inside. In some
cases it will lick and sniff a severely ill person, sucking the life force until
the victim dies. The Tiyu-an is only female and owns a puppy that never
grows old. It is said the puppy, which is passed from one generation to
another is actually the master from whom she got her powers. When this
mutt licks the Tiyu-an, it is telling her that it is hungry and it’s time for her
to hunt.

TODTOD
- (Visayas) According to Visayan folklore, the todtod or tod-tod is a tall, hairy
man in the woods, whose teeth have two pairs of fangs (two above, two
below). One of his arms is as hard as stone (like that of Hellboy) and he
carries a small golden hammer. The todtod has the ability to make people
 get lost in the woods. Clever individuals, however, could steal his golden
hammer but he will stalk them without end until they are forced to return
the said implement.

TONONG
- Maranao folks believe a tonong is a nature spirit that accompanies and
guides a deserving person upon his birth and for the rest of his life. This
spirit keeps the person company at all times, warns him of impending
danger, and helps him during conflicts. A tonong is also the source of a
person’s amazing abilities. It usually stands behind the person, by his left
shoulder near the left ear so it can whisper easily.
- There are three kinds of tonong: those in the clouds, those on top of trees,
and those in the water. The tonong that inhabit water are called diwata.

TUBTUB
- (Antique) An Aswang variant found in Libertad, Antique. The northernmost
municipality in the province bordering Aklan.

TULAYHANG
- (Central Panay) According to Central Panay folks, a creature resembles a
Umang-Umang or mud crab. It usually lives underground on riverbanks
where it bores a hole. Most Tulayhang are pets of the Encantos and
whoever disturbs them in their hole will suffer a terrible illness.

TULUNG/ TUWUNG
- (Zambales) The Negrito version of the Tikbalang. A horse-like head was
similar to the tikbalang. What sets the tulung apart from the tikbalang is
that instead of hooves, it has clawed feet and very large penis and
testicles.

TUPONG-TUPONG
- (Bicol) A humanoid creature in ancient Bicol that could stretch its body. It
could be as tall as a tree or as short as a child if it wanted.
UGAW
- (Pangansinan) The Ugaw is a small creature that follows humans and
steals rice from them. It is very tiny and looks like cute dolls. The Ugaws
live near rice granaries or follow humans where there is an abundance of
rice. They move swiftly and people are advised to close the lids of their rice
bins to prevent Ugaws from stealing them. They know by the spillage
some people leave by their bins.
 - The Iloko word naugaw describes a person wasteful of rice. It is derived
from ugaw, an elf. The folk level the rice in a bin and place an inverted
coconut-shell bowl on it to keep elves away. A string of empty snails is
also laced around the neck of a jar used as a rice bin to keep elves away by
the tinkle of the shells when these creatures clamber up the sides of the
bin.
- Found in Iluko folklore, especially in Pangasinan, the ugaw are people only
as big as the human thumb and are seldom seen because they move so
fast. It is believed they are beings from another realm. They are notorious
for stealing rice from granaries or human habitations with an abundant
supply of rice. When containers for storing rice are not secured properly at
night, the ugaw would raid these and take away the rice down to the last
grain, leaving empty containers before sunrise. Despite such notoriety, the
ugaw are kind to those who have earned their favor. They roam around
carrying kadus (a bag or sack made from cloth and sewn by hand) filled
with riches which they give to deserving individuals. If an ugaw is caught
by a person, the former will offer riches to its captor in exchange for its
freedom.

UGKOY
- (Eastern Visayas) Usually seen in rivers during floods. Drags victims by
their feet (like a crocodile) into the water.

UKBAR
- (Eastern Visaya) Ukbar is an entity revered by some of the aswang in
Samar.

UKO or OKO
- (Tagalog Provinces) Ape-like creatures the size of a man in Luzon that
abduct and eat children. They live in caves where they take their victims.
They live as a pack in caves and are notorious for abducting and eating
individuals who stray near their territory.
UKOY
- (Many regions) The ukoy or syokoy are hideous humanoids that inhabit
lakes, rivers, streams, and the sea in various parts of the Philippines. The
popular one is the creature with the head of a fish, scaly body, can appear
as a handsome youth or a familiar guy and impregnates women. The other
one is somewhat like an octopus. Some are small but possess superhuman
strength. This variant loses strength outside its habitat. The ukoy are said
to be responsible for the death of those who swim in bodies of water for
supposedly venturing near their territory. Known as ugkoy among the
Waray, they drag people by their feet into the water. They are glimpsed in
the river during floods.

UMANGOB
- (Ifugao) The umangob of Ifugao folklore is a large, dog-like creature that
eats only the thumbs and big toes of fresh corpses. Upon smelling the
scent of death, the umangob tracks down the newly-deceased and when
the corpse is unattended during a wake, the creature gets near it and bites
off the thumbs and big toes. To discourage the umangob from getting near
the corpse, relatives watch over the dead. Lights are also placed around
the corpse since these are believed to fend off the creature.

UNGGA-UNGGA or WUWUG
- (Visayas) (also spelled Wowog) The Ungga-Ungga of Negros, known as
Wuwug in Eastern Visayas, is a self-segmenting viscera-sucker that has an
appearance similar to that of the Penanggal of Indonesia. Like the latter, it
separates at the neck and the wingless head hovers off with its entrails
dangling in the air, leaving the body behind. Unlike the Penanggal, this
creature is not exclusively female.
 - The ungga-ungga or unga-unga of Visayas and Mindanao (known as
wuwug or wowog in Bohol) is a self-segmenting viscera-sucker similar in
appearance to the penanggal or penanggalan of Malaysia and the krasue of
Thailand. By day she is a normal woman but after dark, her head along with
her glistening entrails detaches from her body and hovers off to look for
pregnant women to feed on. She is propelled in the air by her rotating or
undulating intestines, which make a whirring sound. She uses her
elongated, proboscis-like tongue to suck the fetus or the blood of a baby or
even the innards of a grown-up. When not hunting for pregnant women, an
ungga-ungga attacks individuals who are still out in the dark. She has
strong, wire-like hair which could strangle or suffocate her victim. She may
even lift her victim and drop him to his death. An ungga-ungga won’t go
near a house surrounded by bamboo groves, fearing that her hair and
entrails might get entangled with the thorns and brambles.

UNGLOC
- (Western Visayas) A black-complexioned giant spirit with long, pointed
teeth and lives in a cave in the mountains of the Western Visayas Region.
The Ungloc can also talk and understand the human language but is stupid
enough to turn by a child. If he succeeds in catching a child, it will bring
the victim to its domain and, through magic, turn the hapless youngster
into a coconut for later consumption.

UNGMANAN
- (Bicol) The unseen dweller of nature is found near strange rock formations,
water, and misshapen trees. If you disrespect nature, you disrespect the
Ungmanan which will cause you sickness. The sickness will not be fatal,
but you will need to visit an albularyo (healer) who will perform the ritual of
“santigwar” to heal you.

UNGO
- (Waray) A hairy giant spirit. Walks toward humans. Wanders alone at night.
Seen standing still and alone. Orders fishermen not to fish abroad in the
dark from 8:00 p.m.- 4:00 a.m.
- A woman by day, but a flying beast by night. She flies out of a secret hole
in her roof in order to steal corpses. She cooks it, then gives some to her
neighbors. They are creature man that eats flesh, they will also become
searching for an ungo.
WAKWAK
- (Surigao, Visayas) A human, bird-like creatures flying in the night sky in
search of flesh and blood. It could be a witch itself, or a night bird
belonging to a witch. Also said to be a blood sucker-like creature who can
take the form of a night bird.
- Widespread in the Visayas, the wak-wak may appear after dark as a large
bat-like creature, a black-skinned and hideous-looking person with huge
leathery wings, or a plain person with a wild look in its eyes and hair that
stand on end. When it flies, the flapping of its wings generates gusts of
 wind strong enough to shake tree branches. It confuses people of its
presence by making a faint sound as if it is far away when in fact it is
nearby. Aside from hunting for pregnant women to feed on their yet-to-be-
born children, it ambushes persons who are alone outdoors at night. It
lashes and secures itself on the back of a person by wrapping its legs
tightly around the victim’s waist while attempting to strangle him.

WHITE LADY
- (Worldwide) A modern kind of ghost, particularly those living in Balete
Drive in Quezon City and Baguio City. The White Lady is a type of female
ghost, typically dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly
seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy. White
Lady legends are found in many countries around the world. Common to
many of these legends is an accidental death, murder, or suicide, and the
theme of loss, betrayal by a husband or fiancée, and unrequited love. In
popular medieval legend, a White Lady is fabled to appear by day as well as
by night in a house in which a family member is soon to die. They also
appear within photos just before or after death. According to The Nuttall
Encyclopædia, these spirits were regarded as the ghosts of deceased
ancestors.

WIRWIR
- (Apayao) Tirelessly searches for the freshly dead. Lives on corpses it
exhumes. The wirwir are nomadic corpse-eaters in Apayao belief. They
hunt far and wide, in groups, from one place to another in search of
cadavers to eat. They fend off other ghouls from the cemetery or burial
grounds they find.

YAMUD
- (Lanao) In Manobo’s belief, the yamud are freshwater diwata that appear
similar to mermaids. They inhabit underwater caves, deep pools in rivers,
lakes, and streams, and serve as guardians of fishes and the bodies of
water they inhabit. They are very elusive. When offended they cause people
to drown.

YASAW
 - (Bicol) Another creature of the night and minion of aswang, Yasaw are like
children but are dark skinned and has claws, the are beloved by or are
playful and like to frighten humans but they only scare, they do no harm to
humans.

References:
A Study in Tinguian Folk-Lore, Fay-Cooper Cole, 1915

An Mga Asuwang: A Bicol Belief, Francis X. Lynch, S.J., 1949

Anima, Nid. Witchcraft Filipino-Style. Omar Publications, 1978

Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend, and Folklore.
McFarland, 2016
Bikols of the Philippines, Maria Lilia F. Realubit, A.M.S. Press, 1983

Bikol Voices Anthology, Merito B. Espinas, Caesar C. Altarejos, Carlos S. Gegantoca,

Bikol University, 1983

Blare and Robertson, eds. The Philippine Islands

Blare and Robertson, eds. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898. Cleveland, Ohio, 1903-09.

Blumentritt, Fernando. Diccionario Mitologico de Filipinas, 1895

Cole, Fay-Cooper. Traditions of the Tinguian: A Study in Philippine Folklore. Field

Museum of Natural History, 1915

Coronel, Delia. The Maranao and Nature, 1994

Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. University of the Philippines Press, 1971

Demetrio, Francisco, S.J. Encyclopedia of Philippine Folk Beliefs and Customs. Cagayan
de Oro City: Xavier University, 1991.

Demetrio, Francisco, S.J. The Flood Motif and the Symbolism of Rebirth in Filipino
Mythology. In Dundes, Alan (ed.) The Flood Myth, University of California Press,
Berkeley, and London, 1988.

Filipinas Volume 12, Page 53, Filipinas Publishing, 2003

Filipino Ghost Stories: Spine-Tingling Tales of Supernatural Encounters and Hauntings by

Alex G. Paman, Tuttle Publishing 2011

Gardner, Fletcher (Trans.). Philippine Folklore. Palm Tree Press, San Antonio, Texas,
1941.

Gibson, T. Sacrifice and Sharing in the Philippine Highlands (London School of Economics
Monographs on Social Anthropology,n.57); The Athlone Press: London, UK, 1986.

Headhunting and the Social Imagination in Southeast Asia by Jules de Raedt, Janet
Hoskins, 1996

Kintanar, Thelma B. & Associates. U.P. Cultural Dictionary for Filipinos Second Edition,
2009
Lambrecht, Godfrey. Philippine Studies Vol. 7, no. 2: 194–218. Ateneo de Manila
University, 1959.

Madale, Abdullah T. The Maranaos: Dwellers of the Lake. Rex Bookstore, 1997

Magos, Alicia P. Seven Layers of the Panayanon Universe. Iloilo: A Rich and Noble Land.
2007

Melton, J. Gordon. The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead. 1999

Mentrida, Alonso de. Diccionario de la Lengua Bisaya, Hiligueina y Haraya, 1841

Philippine Demonological Legends and their Cultural Bearings, Maximo Ramos, 1990,
Phoenix Publishing

Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths and Philippine Folk Literature: The Folktales,
Damiana Eugenio, UP Press, 2001

Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology, Eugenio, UP Press 2007

Placencia, Juan de. Custombres de los Tagalos, 1589

Ramos, Maximo D. The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore. Philippine Folklore

Society, 1971

Ramos, Maximo D. Legends of Lower Gods. Phoenix Publishing, 1990

Ramos, Maximo D. Philippine Demonological Beings and Their Cultural Bearings. Phoenix
Publishing, 1990

Ramos, Maximo D. The Aswang Complex in Philippine Folklore. Phoenix Publishing, 1990

Ramos, Maximo D. The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Phoenix Publishing,

1990

Ramos, Maximo D. The Creatures of Midnight. Phoenix Publishing, 1990

Serag, Sebastian. The Remnants of the Great Ilonggo Nation. Rex Book Store, 1997
The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology and The Creatures o Midnight, Maximo
Ramos, Phoenix Publishing, 1990

The Encyclopedia of Philippine Folk Beliefs & Customs Vol. 1, Demetrio, Xavier
University Press, 1991

Torres-Campos, Felicisima. Mga Ginto sa Iloilo. Apostol Printers Co., 1990

Wallace, Ben J. Weeds, Roads, and God: A Half-Century of Culture Change among the
Philippine Ga’dang. Waveland Press, 2012.

Additional Websites:
● https://www.aswangproject.com/creatures-mythical-beings-philippine-folklore-
mythology/
● https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Creatures_and_Beings_of_Philippine_Folklore_a
nd_Lower_Mythology
● http://dungugkinaray-a.com
● http://kababalaghan.forumotion.com
● http://www.facebook.com/mganilalangngkadiliman
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantu_%28supernatural_creature%29
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantu_Air
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantu_Raya
 ● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantu_Tinggi
● http://www.hariragat.blogspot.com
● http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/MONSTERS/WAKWAK.php
● http://www.litera1no4.tripod.com
● http://www.mythmuseum.weebly.com
● http://www.oocities.org/horrorflip/
● http://www.pantheon.org
● http://pinoy-horror-stories.blogspot.com/2011/06/red-lady-on-ust.html
● http://philurbanlegends.blogspot.com/
● https://stoicaswang.wordpress.com/tag/cryptids/
● https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1875300/Cebu/Feature/Is-Amomongo-the-
Bigfoot-version-of-the-Philippines
● https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/48818-philippine-paranormal-
beings/
● https://www.wattpad.com/20786206-urban-legends-white-lady-black-lady-red-lady-
and
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_person

Featured Art:
● GodOfNumbers