A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO SOME LESSER-KNOWN PHILIPPINE MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES

In the Philippines, land of my birth, current residence, there is a creature called a 'Tikbalang.' It has the body of a man, but get this, the head of a horse! Now, the chosen abode of the tikbalang are these large trees beside cemeteries. In media, they are often portrayed smoking a rolled tobacco. They are harmless. The 'sigbin' is also another interesting creature. The sigbin story is from the Visayas region. From what my sources have told me, that is, my relatives, friends and acquaintances, it is a four-legged creature, something resembling a goat. I don't know if it has any magical properties or anything. It's more in the realm of cryptozoology. Now, what is interesting about the sigbin is that it is summoned by whispering incantations onto a cluster of special stones. The reason I know this is because my uncle is claimed to own one. He supposedly hides the rocks at the top of a tall coconut tree so other people won't steal it. He acquired said sigbin from an older drinking buddy who died who was also known as a sort of herbal healer. The 'bakunawa' is my favorite of all Philippine mythical creatures. Accounts differ. Some say it is a very very large bird. Others claim it is a fish. Some say it is some sort of dragon-creature. Whatever the form is, all agree regarding the immensity of its size, and that it is the reason why there are eclipses - because it swallows the sun. Philippine mythology is populated with creatures that are also found in other Southeast Asian cultures. The word 'pontianak' is shared with Indonesia for example, but the meaning is different. A pontianak in Indonesia is this weird creature that can separate its head that is connected with its internal organs, and just floats around scaring people. In the Philippines, in the Visayas especially, a pontianak or 'tiyanak' is this zombie-infant that attacks people. It has been the subject of numerous badly-made local films. Lastly, the 'aswang' is a particularly interesting creature in Philippine mythology, as people here really seem to have a fascination-horror-belief of it. It is a viscera-eater. Usually aswang are female, but there are also cases where they are men. They have this special oil they rub on their body so they can transform into another form. They can appear human, but with bloodshot eyes. They can take the form of domesticated animals such as dogs or pigs.* They like hanging around rooftops at night on houses where there's a pregnant woman. They have long tongues which they snake down from a hole in the roof and onto the belly of the woman. It then sucks the fetus and also the amniotic fluid and maybe even a piece of the mum's organs, I dunno. A manananggal is a type of aswang. Its distinguishing ability is that it can separate the upper and lower halves of its body. It has bat-wings and is almost always female. The upper-half flies while the lower-half is hidden behind tall grasses or someplace. One way to scare away aswang is by placing crosses on the entrances of the house. Garlic is also used. If you find the lower-half of the manananggal, you can place chili or holy water or garlic, or a combination of all these so that it cannot re-connect with its body. *An aswang joke I once heard (R-18): An aswang came home one night very disheveled. Her mother asked what has happened to her, has she escaped a beating? No, she said. I changed into a pig after eating a child, and hid in someone's pig pen after being chased by people. Then why are you all

disheveled like that? Well, I was hiding there in the dark, and failed to notice there was a large boar in the pen with me. EDIT: It appears what I described as 'pontianak' is actually 'krasue' in Indonesia.http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/18ebfd/what_are_some_less_knownto_the_ average_redditor/c8e6xr9 EDIT 2: Realized I first encountered the Krasue in Shintaro Kago's manga story 'Head Prolapse Elegy,' where it is called a 'pontianak,' thus the confusion.