Aswang

A Philippine Myth and Mystery

        Philippines is known for its prosperous culture and tradition. In every corner of the country even in its smallest island, countless customs and beliefs are being passed on generation to generation.

          Even in this age of modern technology, Filipinos are still fond of spreading and grasping on ideas of myths, that most people from across the globe find too naïve.

          One of the remains of folklores that Filipinos can’t seem to get enough of is the mystery behind the dark creatures called ‘Aswang.’

          The undying stories of aswang in the Philippines started during the Spanish era. People believed that these evil creatures live mostly in the rural areas in feed on people as their prey.

There are also five classifications of aswang in the country namely the werebeast, the witch, the vampire, the ghoul and the viscera sucker.

Here are the common characteristics of each classified creature:

1.     Werebeast

During the day, they are in a normal form of a person but shifts in a gigantic black dog or wild boar at midnight. They are called kiwig in Aklan and malakat in Cebu.

It bites on the neck of its victims which they prefer to be pregnant.

2.     Witch

They are capable of making their enemy physically sick. They are believed to act shyly and live in abandoned houses or in remote areas.

They cannot look straight into the eyes of people; and you’ll see your reflection in a reverse form in his/ her eyes. They are called mambabarang in Bicol, manggagamodsa in Iloko/ Pangasinan, mamumuyog in West Visayan and mangkukulam in Pampanga, Tagalog.

3.     Vampire

It originally came from the European and Lower Americann Mythology.

They are blood suckers and they use the tip of their long and sharp tongue to penetrate the neck of its victim. They are called amaranhig in West Visayan, danag in Isneg and mandurugo in Tagalog.

4.     Ghoul

They are said to be thieves of corpse. They have sharp teeth and nails.

They wait on tall trees near the cemetery to dig for the dead bodies that they eat at night. They have the ability to hear the breathing of dying people.

They replace the actual body of the dead with a banana tree which can deceive the family members that it really is their dead relative.

They are afraid of flames, metal and spicy food.

They are called balbal in Tagbanuas, busaw in Bagobos, segben in East and West Visayas and wirwir in Apayao.

5.     Viscera Sucker

They feed on the internal organs of their victims.

During the day, they are seen to be beautiful girls with long hair. At night, it divides itself into two, leaving its lower body part under her mattress or in a place with banana trees so that, people won’t notice it.

It goes to the roof of its victim and finds holes. Her elongated tongue reaches its victims. It attacks the heart, liver lungs and other internal organs of the victim. Most of her victims are pregnant women because they like to feed on the fetus inside the woman’s stomach.

To destroy it, they should find her lower body part and sprinkle it with salt or ashes.

          People can choose their own way on however they are going to react on these stories.  In the end, we are living a life in a country that needs advancement.

          Whether we continue to live in horror or face the real dangers ahead is up to us.