Philippine Folklore Creatures

ABAT (ᜀᜊᜆ᜔)

The abat or awok is a variant of the manananggal from some parts of Visayas, especially among the Waray. It doesn’t grow wings on its back, instead, its arms are the ones that turn into leathery bat-like wings. Its big, fiery eyes almost bulge out of their sockets.

AGALON HAYOPAN (ᜀᜄᜎᜓᜈ᜔ ᜑᜌᜓᜉᜈ᜔)

In Bicolano lore, when some aswang no longer want to hunt for human prey themselves, they move and live by the swamp or the river. There, the hayopan raise crocodiles as servants which will do their bidding. When their craving for human flesh kicks in, they simply order these crocodiles to go kill a person and bring the corpse back to them so they may feast on the victim’s meat.

AGHOY (ᜀᜄ᜔ᜑᜓᜌ᜔)

Waray folklore describes them as attractive-looking men and women in their early twenties often seen barefoot; although it is said they are actually small in size. They have golden to blond hair, deep-set eyes of blue, green, or brown, and high bridged noses. The trees serve as their gateway to the human world. They come out after dark and call their human friends through whistles. They will only enter a friend’s house if they are invited. They are good at finding lost things belonging to friends but often use this skill to test their friends’ honesty. An aghoy will present to a friend an object of great value, pretending it has no idea what the missing object is. An honest friend is rewarded with a magic purse that never runs out of gold while a dishonest one is abandoned forever, never to see the aghoy again. Sometimes aghoy play pranks on their friends by changing their positions while they are asleep.

AGTA (ᜀᜄ᜔ᜆ)

A huge black being according to Waray lore. It’s active during dark hours between 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., wandering alone or standing still in a particular place or following people. In other times it’s seen smoking a tinostos (cigar). The agta sometimes plays pranks on people like toppling trees on the path of travelers or steal clothes and firewood. It lures women with a shower of petals to abduct them for its personal entertainment.

In Western Visayas, the agta are small man-like creatures with very dark complexion. They could only be seen by bending over and looking down backward between the open legs. The agta are fond of children and beautiful women. Sometimes, they help fishermen by revealing spots in the river or sea where fish are plenty.

ALALIA (ᜀᜎᜎ᜔ᜌ)

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.

They are also known as bambanig (ᜊᜋ᜔ᜊᜈᜒᜄ᜔) in other areas.

ALAN (ᜀᜎ᜔-ᜀᜈ᜔, ᜀᜎᜈ᜔)

The alan of Tinguian folklore are humanoid in appearance but have winged arms and skin as tough as carabao hide. They spend much of their time hanging upside-down from trees deep in the forest with their backward-pointing, clawed feet tightly holding onto a branch, waiting for a potential prey to pass below. Although known to prey on people, they sometimes keep and raise children who strayed into their domain or infants left in the forest. They are capable of creating a child out of blood from miscarriages or menstruation or discarded placenta. They collect items that belonged to their victims, which they store in jars.

ALASIP (ᜀᜎᜐᜒᜉ᜔)

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

ALED (ᜀᜎᜒᜇ᜔)

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’s in the nature of the aled to kill because their main source of food are human corpses.

AMALANHIG (ᜀᜋᜎᜈ᜔ᜑᜒᜄ᜔)

According to Waray and Western Visayan folklore, the amalanhig or maranhig (a.k.a. amamanhig/ amaranhit) are flightless aswang that came back to life after death. They rise from their grave after failing to pass their power to a relative. Upon rising from the grave, these amalanhig lurk in the woods and live as blood suckers. At night they go to nearby villages to prey on the residents using their sharp, pointed tongue.

Aside from the amalanhig of aswang origins, some deceased humans could also turn into amalanhig. These are people who died with an unfinished business or were murdered and came back for revenge. 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 can’t bend. The aswang amalanhig, however, are still fast and can’t 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 couldn’t 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 in Hiligaynon language and means “stiff one”.

AMBABOY (ᜀᜋ᜔ᜊᜊᜓᜌ᜔)

These pinading in Sagada assume the form of pythons on trees held sacred by the natives. They could kill by constriction anyone foolish enough to desecrate their abode.

AMOMONGGO (ᜀᜋᜓᜋᜓᜅ᜔ᜄᜓ)

According to Negros Occidental folks, these are large, monkey-like but tailless beasts with sharp claws. Some accounts allege these creatures raid villages, attack people and take away children to devour. One story tells of a white amomonggo spotted near a cave at the foot of Kanlaon volcano. Amomonggo means “old monkey”.

ANANANGGAL (ᜀᜈᜈᜅ᜔ᜄᜎ᜔)

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

ANDAGAW (ᜀᜈ᜔ᜇᜄᜏ᜔)

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 (ᜀᜈ᜔ᜇᜓᜇᜓᜈᜓ)

The anduduno of Bicol 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 his death. Sometimes it waits outside the house of a dying person. Once the person dies, it will replace the corpse with a banana trunk. Also, when it finds a woman in labor, it lies under the house directly under her or 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 a chance, it will suck the woman’s blood. In Camarines it is known as paraduno (ᜉᜇᜇᜓᜈᜓ). The anduduno's very long tongue is often mistaken as a separate entity called dila.

ANGAKOKANG (ᜀᜅᜃᜓᜃᜅ᜔)

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 (ᜀᜅ᜔ᜈᜒᜆᜌ᜔)

A creature with the upper body – torso, arms, hands, and head – of a woman while the lower half is the body and legs of a horse-like creature (like a centaur). Those who have allegedly seen it say the anggitay has a single horn on the forehead. She is only seen when it suddenly rains on a sunny day. Some speculate the anggitay is the female counterpart of the tikbalang.

ANGONGOLOOD (ᜀᜅᜓᜅᜓᜎᜓᜂᜇ᜔)

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.

ANI-ANI (ᜀᜈᜒ-ᜀᜈᜒ)

A bearded giant eighteen or twenty feet tall, the ani-ani of Zambal lore can transform into a carabao, a goat, or a dog. Like the kapre it hangs out in trees and smokes a large cigar. The ani-ani is distinguished by its flat nose, thick lips, big clawed fingers, legs as thick as medium-sized tree trunks, and a smell described as goat stench. It likes to block paths in the forest.

ANIOAAS (ᜀᜈᜒᜌᜓᜀᜀᜐ᜔)

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 (ᜀᜈᜒᜆᜓ)

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 in the destruction of the idols. Despite this, worship and belief in the anito continues today with some incorporated into local festivities such as the Pahiyas Festival of Lucban, Quezon.

During ancient times in Visayas, anito originally referred to the various rituals performed for the diwata. The Walt Disney Company has introduced the "Anitos/Diwatas" as a pantheon of gods in the Philippines similar to the Asgardians and Olympians during Late Pleistocene by 20th Century Fox, Marvel Comics, and Ubisoft Film & Television. However, the Anito/Diwata did not originate from outer space, having resided on the Earth and evolved over time and preserved extinct animals to mythical creatures.

ANNANI / ENGKANTU (ᜀᜈ᜔ᜈᜈᜒ)

The annani are Ibanag elves that look like human 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 head. They eat human or animal food, and love to smoke, playing clams and crabs, and chew betel nut. Their favorite is the head of a carabao served with native wine. They have a 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 (ᜀᜈ᜔ᜐᜒᜐᜒᜆ᜔)

In Waray and Ilocano folklore, the ansisit is an old, big-bellied man the size of a three-year-old child. His head is big as well as his eyes, nose, mouth, and joints. He is often seen dozing off while seated on top of an anthill at noon. At sunset he wakes up and roams around. Fearful that his abode might be destroyed, he hates farmers tilling the land nearby. He also dislikes people sweeping the floor or yard because the scattered dust might get into his eyes. When disturbed or offended, he manifests his anger to a person through scabs, fever, chills, dark blue pinch marks on the skin, or swollen toes.

APADEL (ᜀᜉᜇᜒᜎ᜔)

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.

ARAN (ᜀᜇᜈ᜔)

In Cagayan, 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 (ᜀᜇᜒᜋᜂᜅ)

The Maranao used to blame the gigantic, four legged, and tiger-like arimaonga for eclipses. Whenever there was an eclipse, people thought the arimaonga was trying to eat the sun or the moon. The name arimaonga may have been derived from the Indonesian arimao meaning “tiger”.

ASWANG (ᜀᜐ᜔ᜏᜅ᜔)

Distinct from ordinary cannibals, the aswang are men and women who prey on people using supernatural means. Most appear as normal persons by day but at night they turn into terrifying creatures. Some don’t attack people but prefer to steal and eat corpses. Others can sever their upper bodies at the waist and leave the lower half, flying in the night sky to hunt for prey. There are those who don’t prey on people at all but use sorcery or witchcraft to harm their enemies. Most aswang possess superhuman strength, swiftness, and longevity. It is said that the word aswang is a combination of the words asin (salt) and bawang (garlic), items used to fend off the dreaded creatures. Others contest that aswang was derived from asu-asuhan or aso ang wangis which means “dog-like” as most have the ability to transform into dogs or dog-like creatures.

A myth in Bicol also suggests that aswang takes root from the god of evil Asuan or Asuang. Some accounts allege that an aswang, when in its human form has rotten middle toenails. The act of an aswang turning into an animal or other creatures is called balondo or dalin in Visayas. When an aswang takes the liver of a person, the act is called kabkab. When a flying aswang roosts somewhere to observe its victims, its called togpa. If an aswang flies into the air without wings, such act is called haway in old Visayan. Otapil refers to an aswang going to a secluded area either to perform a ritual or to prepare for its nocturnal activity. During ancient times the aswang were also known as alok in some parts of Visayas.

Through the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires, Indian influences would have reached the Philippines from the 10th through the early 14th centuries, based on the events in these two regions, and through direct migration from the Indian subcontinent to the Philippines. Artifacts and jewelleries of Indian orientation have been found in a lot of islands in the Philippines where Asuras settled and evolved into Asuang’s influences. A demonic character called "Aswang" is a member of the Anitos or Diwatas, the Filipino Deities of the Disney universe.

ASWANG NA GALA (wandering aswang/ᜀᜐ᜔ᜏᜅ᜔ ᜈ ᜄᜎ)

Being psychic vampires, the aswang na gala feed off the energy of sick, weary, stressed, and dying persons. They appear as normal people – some work in hospitals to prey on the patients. But 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 NA LIPAD (ᜀᜐ᜔ᜏᜅ᜔ ᜈ ᜎᜒᜉᜇ᜔)

Distinct from their other flying kin, the aswang na lipad keep their human form and don’t 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.

ASWANG SA KALIBONAN (aswang of the forest/ᜀᜐ᜔ᜏᜅ᜔ ᜈ ᜃᜎᜒᜊᜓᜈᜈ᜔)

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.

ATROS (ᜀᜆ᜔ᜇᜓᜐ᜔)

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.

BAGAT (ᜊᜄᜆ᜔)

In Western Visayan folklore, the bagat are either aswang or other supernatural beings that turn into fantastic or terrifying creatures to scare or waylay travelers anytime they want. Some may even chase the terrified victim just for the fun of it. One way to discourage a bagat is to it one and bite its thumb hard until it begs to be freed.

Some bagat, who are aswang, are often encountered walking with disheveled hair which stood on end while their faces are contorted in a terrifying sight with eyes staring wildly ahead.

BAG-ONG YANGGAW (ᜊᜄ᜔-ᜂᜅ᜔ ᜌᜅ᜔ᜄᜏ᜔)

The bag-ong yanggaw are fledgling aswang. Having developed an insatiable appetite for human flesh for the first time, they are vicious but often careless which leads to foiled attacks. Some may even doubt their selves, desperately clinging to their humanity, and seek to be rid of their condition. In other parts of Visayas this condition is known as takud or salab. In Antique Province it’s called langgaw (literally “vinegar”), bag-o nalanggawan or ginlanggaw. In the olden days aswang saliva was said to smell like pungent vinegar. When an aswang wanted to turn or infect someone, it spat on a person’s food or into the mouth or ear of a sleeping individual.

BAKAYAUWAN (ᜊᜃᜌᜂᜏᜈ᜔)

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 (ᜊᜃᜓᜈᜏ)

The bakunawa is a gigantic, flying serpentine creature believed to cause the eclipse by swallowing either the sun or the moon. According to a legend, the world once had seven moons. One day a group of islanders slaughtered the bakunawa’s sister, a gigantic sea turtle, for fear that it might submerge their island one day because every time it went on land, huge tides followed. The bakunawa, who lived in the sea as a powerful mermaid, was furious with her sister’s death.

To exact revenge, she swallowed the people’s beacons in the night, the seven moons, one by one in the form of a huge serpent. When she was about to swallow the last moon, the masked goddess Haliya intervened, assisted by her human followers who made raucous sounds and played music which distracted and spooked the bakunawa. Frustrated, the bakunawa dived back into the ocean but was unable to assume her mermaid form as a punishment for consuming the other moons. It is said she will only return to her former shape if she behaved and did not attempt to swallow the last moon. Today, superstitious folks still associate the eclipse to the bakunawa. The word bakunawa may have been derived from banakaua which in turn originated from tambanakaua, a much older belief from the southern regions of the Philippines concerning the cause of eclipses.

BALBAL (ᜊᜎ᜔ᜊᜎ᜔)

The balbal is a corpse-eater in Tagbanua lore. I 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’s 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’s 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 were decorated with uar vines which the balbal feared because they always thought the vines were snakes.

BALBALAN (ᜊᜎ᜔ᜊᜎᜈ᜔)

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 (ᜊᜎᜒᜈ᜔ᜇᜒᜃ᜔)

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 to up a tree as offering to the creature saying: “This is for thee.” The balendik is possibly related to the tikbalang.

BALIKWAD (ᜊᜎᜒᜃ᜔ᜏᜈ᜔)

A creature that eats babies.

BALO (ᜊᜎᜓ)

According to Tagalog farmer lore in Tayabas, 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 (ᜊᜈᜄ᜔)

Ancient Visayans believed the banag were evil spirits that rampaged between 7 pm and 8 pm 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 (ᜊᜅ᜔ᜃᜒᜎᜈ᜔)

The bangkilan are powerful female aswang that can turn into big black pigs. They are so powerful that they can turn a normal person into an aswang by just kissing him/her. In Cuyonon, bangkilan means “fierce boar”.

BANIX (ᜊᜈᜒᜃ᜔/ᜊᜈᜒᜑ᜔)

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.

BANTAY (ᜊᜈ᜔ᜆᜌ᜔)

The bantay is a giant white rooster that appears early in the morning, at high noon, and before nightfall. Aside from frequenting bridges and rivers, it is also tasked by the lord of the encanto to observe the activities of his subjects in the human realm, especially of those disguised as humans.

BANUANHON (ᜊᜈᜓᜀᜈ᜔ᜑᜓᜈ᜔)

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 a 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 (ᜊᜇᜅᜈ᜔)

Widespread throughout Visayas and some parts of Luzon, the barangan or mambabarang are sorcerers who inflict harm through insects. They use tiny flesh-eating and parasitic, fly-like insects called barang which are kept in small containers. When a barangan wants to harm someone, he takes four or seven of these insects and exposes them to the hair or a piece of the intended victim’s clothing. After three days they are released near the target’s house. The insects attack while the victim is asleep, burrowing into his skin in hard to reach areas of the body and laying eggs there. When the eggs hatch the larvae spread under the victim’s skin while eating his flesh, making him suffer. Later, fully grown barang will emerge from open wounds. These also lay eggs in his flesh. Aside from barang, other small insects like flies will start to infest his body. The victim, if untreated, could die of infection.

Barangan means witch in Waray and called Mambabarang or Bruha in Tagalog.

BARAS (ᜊᜇᜐ᜔/ᜃᜒᜇ᜔ᜊᜐ᜔)

Known as kirbas among the Ilocano, the baras is a tall, dark skinned, and hideous male creature in Pangasinan fond of beautiful women. It abducts sleeping girls and brings them to its abode deep in the forest. There the abducted is locked up like a prized possession and forced to entertain the baras.

BATANGUON (ᜊᜆᜅᜓᜂᜈ᜔)

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 (ᜊᜆᜒᜊᜆ᜔)

According to Ilocano belief, the batibat is a huge, excessively obese woman who sits on top of sleeping men, suffocating them to death. In other cases, it enters a man’s dream and causes nightmares which results to the victim’s death. Aside from being obese, this creature has stocky, goat-like legs with hoof-like toes. A batibat lives within a tree and continues to reside there even after the tree has been cut down and used as part of a house’s frame or foundation. Some batibat are known to transfer from tree to tree and infest houses near their abode. Their attack is called bangungot (ᜊᜅᜓᜅᜓᜆ᜔) by Tagalog folk.

Bangungot in Modern Tagalog for "nightmare".

BATO-BATO (ᜊᜆᜓ-ᜊᜆᜓ)

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. Bato-bato is literally golem in Philippine mythology, as opposed to Israeli Golem.

BAWA (ᜊᜏ)

A creature living in a sky cave from Western Visayas. It flies out and swallows the moon when the food is scarce. Also known as Baua / Calulundan.

BAWO (ᜊᜏᜓ)

In Cebuano lore, the bawo are tall, muscular men who inhabit large trees. Dressed only in lioncloths, they are sometimes seen smoking huge pipes while seated on a tree branch.

BEKAT (ᜊᜒᜃᜆ᜔)

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.

BENTOHANGIN (ᜊᜒᜈ᜔ᜆᜓᜑᜅᜒᜈ᜔)

According to the Sulod tribe in Panay Island the bentohangin are half-human, half-horse-like creatures similar to the centaurs of Greek mythology. But unlike their Greek counterparts, these creatures have horse-like heads and can fly.

BERBALANG (ᜊᜒᜇ᜔ᜊᜎᜅ᜔)

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) keep the berbalang at bay.

BERBEROKA (ᜊᜒᜇ᜔ᜊᜒᜇᜓᜃ)

The natives of Apayao, Abra and Ilocos Norte fear the big and amphibious berberoka that lurks in ponds. It lures victims by exposing a multitude of fish in the shallows after sucking the water in. When someone wades in to catch the fish the berberoka releases the water back into the pond to overwhelm the person. The victim either drowns to death and then eaten or is devoured alive.

BINALIW (ᜊᜒᜈᜎᜒᜏ᜔)

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”.

BINANGENAN (ᜊᜒᜈᜅᜒᜈ)

The Dumagat Negritos of Baler, Quezon say the binangenan or binangunan is a being somewhat similar to the tikbalang but has a flaming mane which runs from its head all the way down its back, and tail.

BINANGUNAN (ᜊᜒᜈᜅᜓᜈᜈ᜔)

The Kapampangan vampire binangunan targets children. It can suck a child’s blood without even having physical contact with the victim. This vampire doesn’t kill its victim at once but feeds off him for several days or weeks until the victim finally succumbs to a severe condition. With the victim near death, the vampire moves on to another child to prey on.

BINGIL (ᜊᜒᜅᜒᜎ᜔)

As believed by the Kalinga and the Gaddang, the bingil are misshapen man-like beings with bodies riddled with pus-filled, rotting, and putrid wounds. Their large eyes reflect light and glow in the dark. Any person they touch will become ill and die in two days.

The bingil will plague a village unless a sangasang (offering shrine) is put up or a blood sacrifice is held.

BINOBAAN (ᜊᜒᜈᜓᜊᜀᜈ᜔)

The binobaan or inobaan is a man-eating creature in Ifugao folklore. Disguised as a hospitable person, it welcomes people who strayed in its domain and gives them excellent native wine until they get drunk. The intoxicated victims are butchered and cooked in a pot.

BOLAWAN DATOMANONG (ᜊᜓᜎᜏᜈ᜔ ᜇᜆᜓᜋᜈᜓᜅ᜔)

This creature from Marano 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 a 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 a period of 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 (ᜊᜓᜅᜓ/ᜊᜓᜅ᜔ᜄᜓ)

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 (ᜊᜓᜇᜓᜃ)

The boroka is a self-segmenter in Ilocos said to retain her beauty even after transforming into an eagle-winged manananggal-like creature at night. But do not be fooled by her beauty because she’s as vicious as her cousins, often attacking lone travelers and carrying off children.

In other stories she is described as having the four legs of a dog, a woman’s face, and eagle’s wings. Her name is derived from the Spanish bruja which means “witch”.

BRUKA (ᜊ᜔ᜇᜓᜃ) - 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 (ᜊᜓᜊᜓᜂ)

An aggressive kind of aswang, the bubuu deceives people of its presence by making a sound similar to that of a hen laying eggs. The clueless victim is tackled and overpowered. Before taking the hapless person to its home, the bubuu will create an exact likeness of its victim from a banana trunk or other plant materials and send it to the victim’s home. Upon arriving home, the victim’s copy gets sick and dies later while the bubuu will butcher and eat the real victim.

BULALU TALUN (ᜊᜓᜎᜎᜓ ᜆᜎᜓᜈ᜔)

According to Tiruray belief, the bulalu talun is an evil spirit that lurks in the forest and feeds on human flesh.

BUNGISNGIS (ᜊᜓᜅᜒᜐ᜔ᜅᜒᜐ᜔)

In Tagalog folklore, the bungisngis is a grinning one-eyed giant with large teeth and two tusks that protrude from the sides of its mouth. It has loose lips – the lower lip dangles while the upper lip tends to cover its eyes when it laughs. Its thighs are extremely long that when it squats the knees are two spans higher than its shoulders. It dwells in the forest and loves to eat carabao. In most stories the bungisngis is portrayed as a dumb creature. In northern Davao, it is known as mahentoy while in Tayabas, Quezon it was known as bulislis in the olden days.

BUNOG (ᜊᜓᜈᜓᜄ᜔)

As believed by ancient folks or Hiligaynon 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.

BURINGKANTADA (ᜊᜓᜇᜒᜅ᜔ᜃᜈ᜔ᜆᜇ)

The buringkantada or buringkantadas are hairy human-like giants in Bicolandia. Making contact with their black, spiny hair will result to unbearable itch. On moonlit nights some of them leave their lair in the swamp or in the mountains to hunt for food – mainly animals. The buringkantada have their own spoken language. They usually avoid humans whom they believe are a violent race.

BURULAKAW (ᜊᜓᜇᜓᜎᜃᜂ)

The burulakaw, according to old folks in central Panay, are women barely three feet tall with long flaming hair. When they fly they appear like meteors. 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 some diwata.

BUSALIAN (ᜊᜓᜐᜎᜒᜀᜈ᜔)

According to the Sulod tribe in Panay Island, the busalian are mighty human 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.

BUSO (ᜊᜓᜐᜓ/ᜊᜓᜐᜂ)

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 in order for a person to see the being’s true form is to dampen his eyes with dog tears.

BUYAGAN (ᜊᜓᜌᜄᜈ᜔)

The buyagan of Eastern Visayas are believed to have been born at sunrise. Possessing an ability called “evil tongue”, their mere remarks to a person spells doom. For example, when a buyagan praises a woman’s good looks she will be stricken with skin diseases like warts, acne, or scabies. The buyagan in ancient times had the ability to blight fields, making them barren or dry.

CAMANA  (ᜃᜋᜈ)

According to local lore in some parts of Zambales, the camana or khamana is a malign spirit that inhabits gloomy places. It 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.

CARANGAT (ᜃᜇᜅᜆ᜔)

The malign carangat or caranget (or in Filipino orthography: karanget/karangat) are 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 demand 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 Province, the chief of all carangat is called Dumadaga (ᜇᜓᜋᜇᜄ) whose name signifies increase or bounty. He has two wives, Siloit (ᜐᜒᜎᜓᜁᜆ᜔) whose name is derived from the whizzing noise reeds make when moved to and fro (Siloit is known to make whizzing noise as response to a shaman’s invocation) and Alucasianan (ᜀᜎᜓᜃᜐᜒᜌᜈᜈ᜔) whose name means “provided with narrow loins”. Dumadaga’s minister, Adayag (ᜀᜇᜌᜄ᜔) 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 (ᜃᜎᜅᜒᜆ᜔), while the Ibanag call them carango.

DALAGANGAN (ᜇᜎᜄᜅᜈ᜔)

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 (ᜇᜎᜃᜒᜆ᜔ᜈᜓᜈ᜔)

The dalaketnon are Waray engkanto that appear as tall, handsome and beautiful mestizos with some having blond hair and blue eyes. Their hidden abode can only be reached through a portal in the dalaket tree. They dress up like ordinary people, some displaying the latest fashion trend, and ride in brand new looking automobiles. The dalaketnon are notorious human abductors. They lure a person to their abode where they hold a feast for him. If he eats the black rice that they offered he will behold their true form – inhuman (not necessarily hideous) beings with white hair, grayish skin, and eyes without pupils (all white). The rice bewitches the victim to stay with them forever as their amusement. When they get tired of him, he becomes a slave or worse turned into a tree. They can manifest tangible illusions of themselves which they use to confuse or disorient people.

DALONGDONGAN (ᜇᜎᜓᜅ᜔ᜇᜓᜅᜈ᜔)

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 (ᜇᜋ᜔ᜊᜓᜑᜎ)

The dambuhala are 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. In Modern Tagalog and Filipino word either higante or dambuhala, for "giant", "behemoth", or "huge" depending on favor of the British/American, Indigenous, or Spanish.

DANAG (ᜇᜈᜄ᜔)

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 (ᜇᜅ᜔ᜄ/ᜀᜄᜒᜆᜓᜆ᜔)

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 (ᜇᜅ᜔ᜄᜊ᜔)

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 (ᜇᜇᜓᜀᜈᜃ᜔)

In Bicolano myth, the daruanak is a gigantic and hairy, turtle-like sea monster or giant tortoise. Once it lived on land but because of its gradual growth to immense proportions it took to the sea in order to move freely.

DAYAMDAM (ᜇᜌᜋ᜔ᜇᜋ᜔)

The dayamdam are tiny insect-like humanoids that reside in the forest. One has to first ask for their permission before picking fruits or cutting down trees in an area believed to be part of their domain.

DIGKUSANON (ᜇᜒᜄ᜔ᜃᜓᜐᜈᜓᜈ᜔)

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 are said to have an enchanted city in Samar popularly known as the hidden city of Biringan or Araw City.

DIWATA (ᜇᜒᜏᜆ)

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 diwata 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 English word borrowed from Cebuano diwata, from Proto-Visayan *diwata, from Old Malay dewata, from Sanskrit देवता (devatā, “god, deity”). In Modern Tagalog and Filipino word for "fairy". In Spanish-based orthography was diuata, divata; was obsolete.

DUMADAY-O (ᜇᜓᜋᜇᜁᜂ)

According to a folklore in Antique Province, the dumaday-o (means “visitors” or “strangers”) are human-looking beings that come from the sea. They bring with them illness and pestilence as they set foot on the beach. They are also known as lawodnon (of the sea) and puro-anon.

DUWENDE/DWENDE (ᜇᜓᜏᜒᜈ᜔ᜇᜒ)

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 vary 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 soil. Black duwende look 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 (ᜁᜊ᜔ᜏ)

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 loose 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 (ᜁᜃᜒᜃ᜔)

The ekek or ek-ek are persons who grow bird-like wings, beaks, and sharp talons at night. They fly off in search of persons to snatch and eat, or pregnant women to feed on the unborn child.

ENCANTO (ᜁᜅ᜔ᜃᜈ᜔ᜆᜓ)

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 abhor salt, the mere mention of it offends them.

FAGAD (ᜉᜓᜀᜄᜇ᜔)

The Tiruray 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 (ᜉᜓᜁᜌᜒᜈ᜔ ᜀᜏᜐ᜔)

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 have 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 (ᜄᜊᜓᜈᜈ᜔)

The gabunan are the most experienced, strongest, and most cunning aswang. They usually don’t shape-shift into animals and remain strong and powerful during the day. They can attack a person even before sunset, pouncing on the victim, strangling him or breaking his neck. Most gabunan are so swift you won’t see them coming. They fly without wings. They can steal a baby unnoticed, replacing it with a piglet or large fish made to look like the infant.

Some gabunan have the ability to make an illusion of themselves out of their patadyong (traditional loose skirt) which they will throw in front of a victim. The disguised patadyong tackles the victim while the real gabunan observes the spectacle. The victim has no idea that the supposed gabunan he is wrestling for dear life with is just a patadyong which keeps on slipping and gliding off his hands every time he tries to get a hold of it. When the victim is finally weak, exhausted, or incapacitated, the real gabunan unceremoniously carries him off to be butchered.

The oldest of the gabunan 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 (ᜄᜁᜂᜃ᜔)

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 (ᜄᜃᜒ)

The gaki is a gigantic crab believed by the Igorot 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.

GATU (ᜄᜆᜓ)

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 (ᜄᜏᜒᜄᜏᜒᜈ᜔)

Gawigawen is a Tinguian mythical giant with six heads. It wields a spear and a head-axe the size of half the sky.

GISURAB (ᜄᜒᜐᜓᜇᜊ᜔)

In Isneg folklore, Gisurab is a rather dim-witted giant. It willingly cut off its own head when challenged to do so. It lived in a cave in the forest. When very hungry it mistook a person for a pig and ate him on the spot.

GUBAN-ON (ᜄᜓᜊᜈ᜔-ᜂᜈ᜔)

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.

HARIMODON (ᜑᜇᜒᜋᜓᜇᜓᜈ᜔)

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.

HIGANTENG BITIN (ᜑᜒᜄᜈ᜔ᜆᜒᜅ᜔ ᜊᜒᜆᜒᜈ᜔)

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 which 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 which cannot crawl anymore because of its size.

HIMAGAN (ᜑᜒᜋᜄᜈ᜔)

In 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 (ᜑᜓᜀᜈᜅᜈ᜔)

In Tinguian belief, the huanangan is a spirit that roams at night on horseback and kills the children it encounters.

HUBOT (ᜑᜓᜊᜓᜆ᜔)

The hubot in Western Visayas are aswang variants that fly at night with large and very wide, bat-like wings.

HUKLOBAN (ᜑᜓᜃ᜔ᜎᜓᜊᜈ᜔)

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 (reminds me of Tata Lino from the comedy show Bubblegang). 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 (ᜁᜊᜏᜈᜒᜈ᜔)

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 (ᜁᜊᜒᜅᜈ᜔)

The ibingan is a huge and venomous, many-horned red serpent with a prominent crest on its head and a dorsal fin. In Bicolano myth, it guards a cave occupied by water spirits and sea maids. It lies in wait at the mouth of the cave and crushes intruders with its powerful tail.

IKKI (ᜁᜃ᜔ᜃᜒ)

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 raid 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.

IKUGAN (ᜁᜃᜓᜄᜈ᜔)

The ikugan of Manobo folklore are ape-like men with large, long tails which they use to hang from trees, lying in wait for prey below. These fierce beasts are said to abduct women and children who strayed in their territory.

INIKADUWA (ᜁᜈᜒᜃᜇᜓᜏ)

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 from a mysterious illness, he can communicate with it through a pendarpaan, a shaman, who will serve as medium for the inikaduwa to possess.

INLABLABBUOT (ᜁᜈ᜔ᜎᜊ᜔ᜎᜊ᜔ᜊᜓᜂᜆ᜔)

The inlablabbuot is a humanoid monster in Pampanga much larger than a man, has long hair, ape-like teeth, long claws, and thick tough skin. Its home is in the mountain and there it makes iron tools. It lures a person into the forest by transforming into the victim’s relative, friend, or acquaintance. When it finds the chance it mauls the victim and devours him/her.

INONGOK (ᜁᜈᜓᜅᜓᜃ᜔)

Inongok is a man-like creature in 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 (ᜁᜈ᜔ᜆᜓᜋ᜔ᜊᜅᜓᜎ᜔)

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 (ᜁᜆᜒᜇᜓᜅ᜔)

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.

KABAYO DE BENTO / KUDA BENTO (ᜃᜊᜌᜓ ᜇᜒ ᜊᜒᜈ᜔ᜆᜓ/ᜃᜓᜇ ᜊᜒᜈ᜔ᜆᜓ)

According to Waray folklore, the kabayo de bento (Modern Waray) or kuda bento (Old Waray) is a winged horse like Pegasus of Greek mythology. In other parts of Visayas it is called kabayong bento and pakpakan kabayo in Inabaknon.

KAGKAG (ᜃᜄ᜔ᜃᜄ᜔)

The kagkag are corpse-eaters in Romblon. They live in the woods far away from villages. They seek corpses in other places to avoid competition with other ghouls. At night they listen for the groans of the dying or the wails of the dead’s relative by placing their ears at the mouth of a mortar. Some crouch down on the ground to listen for death. They set out in groups to hunt for cadavers. Upon finding a fresh corpse they steal it and the ghouls converge and celebrate in a festive manner (some whoop while others beat bones and skulls like drums) in a secluded place, after which they consume their quarry laid on a banana leaf.

KAKAP (ᜃᜃᜉ᜔)

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 (ᜃᜎᜄ᜔)

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.

KAMANAN-DAPLAK (ᜃᜋᜈᜈ᜔-ᜇᜉ᜔ᜎᜃ᜔)

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 (ᜃᜈ᜔ᜆᜈᜓᜇ᜔)

A kantanod is an aswang that appears and acts like an ordinary person but 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 is also gone which results to 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 (ᜃᜈ᜔ᜆᜐ᜔ᜋ)

According to some stories in 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 (ᜃᜉᜉᜓᜀᜈ᜔)

The kapapuan are the roaming spirits of deceased ancestors in Panay Island.

KAPEROSA (ᜃᜉᜒᜇᜓᜐ)

The kaperosa of Visayas are female spirits/ghosts often seen wearing flowing, white dress, gowns, or robes. Their long black hair cover their faces. Some may be seen without heads or with rotting flesh. Popularly known as “white ladies” in the Philippines, the most famous is the white lady of Balete Drive.

KAPRE or CAFRE (ᜃᜉ᜔ᜇᜒ)

In Tagalog folklore, a kapre is a tall creature with pitch-black skin. It lives in huge trees and smokes tobacco that do not burn out. It can take on various shapes and disappears at will. Although regarded as an evil entity which plays harmful pranks and abducts or rapes women, the kapre can also be friendly towards humans especially those with mental disability. It is said the kapre hate salt. Some say the kapre might have been based on 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”.

KARKARMA (ᜃᜇ᜔ᜃᜇ᜔ᜋ)

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.

KATAO (ᜃᜆᜂ/ᜃᜆᜏ᜔)

The katao or kataw are the Western Visayan version of the European merfolk. They are benevolent and sometimes go to land disguised as humans, mingle with the populace, and help those who are in need. When offended, they cause the offender to walk into the sea or jump off a boat and drown. Unlike the sirena, the katao have feet instead of tails but they have gills. They are considered as the ruling class among the tubignon (water elementals and supernatural creatures/beings) because they have the ability to control the sea and related elements.

KATATAOAN (ᜃᜆ᜔ᜆᜂᜀᜈ᜔)

These are anito that take the form of humans and sometimes giants. The katataoan 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.

KATAWTAW-AN (ᜃᜆᜆᜏ᜔-ᜀᜈ᜔)

Ilocanos believe the katataw-an are spirits of deceased unbaptized infants. They are notorious for assaulting newborns.

KEDU (ᜃᜒᜇᜓ)

The Maguindanao people once believed that the monstrous kedu caused an eclipse when it tried to devour the sun or the moon. Kedu is derived from the Sanskrit: केतु (Ketu).

KIBAAN (ᜃᜒᜊᜀᜈ᜔/ᜃᜁᜊᜀᜈ᜔)

The kibaan or kaibaan of Ilocano folklore are only as big as a two-year-old child. Their teeth have gold fillings. They have fair skin, long nose, slant eyes, long hair that reaches down their feet – the toes of which point backward, the ankle forward. At night they hangout certain places specially groves frequented by fireflies where they sing while playing tiny guitars. The area around their dwellings (in trees or weeds) is always swept clean. Spicy odors can be smelled from their domain after sunset. One of their favorites is roasted or boiled yam which they steal from humans if they don’t have one.

They like picking up things (buttons, pins, etc.) discarded or dropped by humans, collecting these inside a big pouch or sack which they carry around when on the hunt for such objects in busy streets. A kibaan whose pouch was stolen or found by a human will give anything or reveal the location of a treasure in exchange for its precious pouch. Some have a pot called kiraod which produces rice, however, the rice must be eaten directly from the said pot because it will disappear if transferred to another container.

Male kibaan have a thing for good-looking human women. Some will spend hours staring at the picture of a beautiful woman. They can impregnate female humans.

KIKIK (ᜃᜒᜃᜒᜃ᜔)

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 (ᜃᜒᜎ᜔ᜃᜒᜎᜈ᜔)

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

KIMAT (ᜃᜒᜋᜆ᜔)

According to Tinguian myth, the kimat is a lightning demon and servant of the gods. It appears as a big white dog. When the gods are want to punish people who have violated taboos, the kimat is sent crashing down on the offenders’ house, setting fire on it.

KIWIG (ᜃᜒᜏᜒᜄ᜔)

The kiwig of Aklan are aswang variants that transform into large dogs with sloping backs and crooked tails at night. When in human form, most kiwig have stooped posture because of their habit of prowling under elevated houses, especially in rural areas to lick sick or dying persons.

KORO-KORO

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

In Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao, the korokoto is an aswang that can turn into a dog or a cat. When it walks in its human form its feet don’t touch the ground. It hides behind bushes or trees in the woods and ambushes unsuspecting victims. It tackles the victim, drags him home, and cooks him. Its name is derived from the sound it makes “koto-koto”.

KOROKOY

In Bicol, this hearth cricket’s eerie sound presage 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.

KUBOT

An aswang with very long, disheveled hair which it uses to kill a victim. A kubot’s hair act like tentacles, grabbing or wrapping around the victim (in some cases the hair enters the victim’s orifices) and strangling him/her to death, constricting, or sucking the life force. Its name means “to cling” or “to wrap”. In Bantayan, Cebu it is known as hamok.

KULARIUT

In Pampanga, the kulariut or kalariut is an elusive being with big eyes, white beard, and a black furred body. He lives in bamboo groves or in the forest. If a house is located near his home, he quietly observes the household members while they sleep. When he is attracted to a maiden, he will take her to his home against her will.

KUMAKATOK

Before World War 2, three tall persons (two old folks and a young woman) dressed in black, flowing hooded 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.

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 is speculated that most of the houses were destroyed in the war that the trio couldn’t find a proper door to knock on.

In Visayas they were called manoktok while in some areas of the Tagalog Region, Pampanga, and Bicol they were called salut or pestilence and were believed to be spirits of death. The Kumakatok populations probably wiped out by the war.

KUMAO

The kumao or kumaw of Zambales were hideous, man-like child abductors. They bled the children to death by pulling out the victims’ fingernails. The kumao would also drag people at night to eat them.

In Ilocos, among the Tinguian, a kumao or kumau 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 people lose their way in the forest.

KURARET

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

The kuripap are creatures similar to the tiyanak but don’t disguise themselves as ordinary babies. 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.