#undead | bestiarium (2024)

The Aswang [Filipino mythology]

The Philippines has a particularly rich folklore, filled with all kinds of horrible monsters ranging from hidden villages of one-legged pygmies to witches that can detach their head and let it fly around. Possibly the most well-known monster from Filipino mythology is the Aswang, a creature which is usually described by outsiders as a vampire-like monster. However, this is not entirely correct. The word ‘Aswang’ is a general term for supernatural creatures and roughly translates to ‘monster’. While the name can refer to any supernatural monster, when native people talk about an ‘Aswang’ they usually refer to one of five creatures from local mythology.

The first one is a human being – or rather, used to be one – who contracted some sort of curse and transformed into a blood-sucking creature. The western Visayan people call these monsters ‘Amalanhig’ and outsiders usually call them vampires. They are usually female, and often particularly attractive girls. Unlike traditional European vampires, they do not pierce a victim’s neck with sharp fangs but rather have a long, proboscis-like tongue to suck blood with. This organ has a sharp tip and is used to puncture the victim’s jugular vein. Some Aswang marry a man and then suck a little bit of blood each night until he dies from anaemia. Others don’t harm their husband, but use his house as a base of operations: since these creatures are capable of flight, they can leave their home at night and fly long distances in search for new victims. In still other stories, Aswang don’t marry but instead prefer the solitude of deep forests, far away from human civilization. They only leave their woods in search of prey.

The second monster is a shapeshifter, someone who appears human during the day but turns into a large, monstrous dog at night. This is where the term ‘Aswang’ comes from, as ‘Aso’ means dog. Whereas the aforementioned vampires are usually women, the ‘weredog’ creatures are mostly men. Tradition has it that many of these Aswang are peddlers who travel between cities and settlements. In dog form, they attack and eat humans but are particularly fond of pregnant women. To protect themselves against the monsters, childbearing women are advised to have long hair since this works as a charm to ward off weredog Aswang.

The third form of Aswang was also once human. This is the monster that the Tagalog people call ‘Manananggal’. During the day, these creatures resemble regular human women, albeit somewhat pale. But at night, they sprout wings and disconnect their upper body from their lower half. The winged upper body then flies around at night, searching for pregnant women. When they find a suitable target, the Aswang distends its tongue which is a long, thin tube, much like the vampire I mentioned earlier. The creature then sucks the fluids out of the unborn baby. Unborn children are a delicacy for these monsters, but they attack other people, eating their organs instead. They do not need to enter the house of the victim, but instead perch on the roof and search for a tiny gap through which they stick their long tongue. Their weakness is their lower body, which they leave behind at night. Should you find it and sprinkle salt (or vinegar, that also works) on it, the Aswang cannot reconnect with its lower half and it will die when the sun comes up. In addition, they also fear stingray tails.

Several countries have a variant of this monster in their respective folklores, actually: there is the Malaysian Peenanggalan, the Indonesian Leyak and the Thai Krasue, all of which are similar.

The fourth monster is an undead creature, which the Tagbanua people call ‘Balbal’. They resemble decomposing corpses with long, sharp, monstrous claws and dangerous fangs. These Aswang are known to dig up graves in order to steal the corpses, which they take back to their lair and devour. These monsters are very stealthy, as they have the ability to turn invisible at will.

They possess an exceptionally powerful sense of hearing, and can hear the moans of dying people from very far away, not unlike how sharks can smell blood from long distances to locate prey. Talented climbers by nature, these Aswang usually hide in tall trees during the day, preferably ones near graveyards. Sometimes these monsters attack living humans as well, but you can defend yourself against these monsters with fire and loud noises. In addition, Aswang hate spicy food. Although the image of undead monsters digging up graves might make them look like mindless zombies, some Aswang are fiercely intelligent. In some cases, they can craft a substitute body that looks exactly like the deceased and place it in the coffin before it is buried. The stolen body is brought to the creature’s lair to devour, but sometimes they make meals from the rotting flesh and offer it to humans. Those who eat it will turn into a new Aswang. Presumably, this is how the species procreates, though this concept is also found in the Filipino myth of the Berbalang: winged creatures who also offer dishes to unsuspecting people. When they eat it, they find that they’ve been eating human flesh and will turn into a new Berbalang.

And finally, the term ‘Aswang’ is also commonly used to refer to witches. These people – usually women, but not always – live in secluded homes outside of human settlements. Tagalog people refer to these spellcasters as ‘Mangkukulam’. As with other Aswang monsters, the tail of a stingray is an effective weapon to defend against these creatures. Through some form of projection, these witches can magically enter a victim’s body and possess them. Stabbing the patient with a stingray tail will force the witch to leave, although it is not exactly pleasant for the victim. Witches do not like being offended, and they will gladly curse people with illness if they are impolite to them. Finally, it is said that Aswang witches have some degree of control over insects.

Sources:Ramos, M., 1969, The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore, Western Folklore, Vol. 28(4), pp. 238-248.Gould, R. T., 1929, Oddities: a book of unexplained facts.(Image source 1: razanesia.blogspot.com)(image source 2: Julia Wytrazek)