An
Aswang is a
mythical creaturePhilippine folklore, unlike Greek or Roman mythologies, has not been organized into a formal pantheon, does not generally contain long epics, nor has it been relegated to history. To this day, Philippine myths still have an active role in the lives of rural Filipinos. The countless myths...
in Philippine folklore. The aswang is an inherently evil vampire-like creature and is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories, the details of which vary greatly. Spanish colonizers noted that the Aswang was the most feared among the mythical creatures of the Philippines, even in the 16th century.
The myth of the aswang is well known throughout the Philippines, except in the Ilocos region, which is the only region that does not have an equivalent myth. What they have is a creature called Irene E. It is especially popular in the Western
VisayanThe Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
regions such as
CapizCapiz is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Roxas City and is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan and Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north...
,
IloiloIloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
and Antique. Other regional names for the aswang include "tik-tik", "wak-wak" and "soc-soc".
Definition
"Aswangs" are often described as a combination of vampire and witch and are almost always female but some may seem male because of their features but are in fact female aswell. They are sometimes used as a generic term applied to all types of witches,
vampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s,
manananggalThe manananggal is a mythical creature of the Philippines. It resembles a Western vampire, in being an evil, man-eating monster or witch. The myth of the manananggal is popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines, especially in the western provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, and Antique...
s,
shapeshiftersShapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
,
therianthropeTherianthropy refers to the metamorphosis of humans into other animals. Therianthropes are said to change forms via shapeshifting. Therianthropes have long existed in mythology, appearing in ancient cave drawings such as the Sorcerer at Les Trois Frères....
s, and monsters in general. Aswang stories and definitions vary greatly from region to region and person to person, so no one particular set of characteristics can be ascribed to the term. However, the term is often used interchangeably with
manananggalThe manananggal is a mythical creature of the Philippines. It resembles a Western vampire, in being an evil, man-eating monster or witch. The myth of the manananggal is popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines, especially in the western provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, and Antique...
, which is a particular creature with a specific set of features. They are often portrayed as a monster with wings which flap loudly when she's far away and quietly when she's nearer. The most popular original definition however, is that it is a bal-bal (maninilong in
Catanauan, QuezonThe Municipality of Catanauan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 65,705.-Topography:...
), an
eater of the deadA ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
. After consumption, the bal-bal replaces the cadaver with banana trunks.
Superstitions
Before modern medicine and science, aswangs served to explain miscarriages and other maladies. Today, aside from entertainment value, Filipino mothers often tell their children aswang stories to keep them off the streets and keep them home at night.
Like UFO stories, aswang stories are one of the favorites of sensationalist tabloids, especially when there are grave robberies, child kidnappings, strange noises, people with eccentric or peculiar habits, and other incidents that can somehow be attributed to them.
Stories of the aswang are popular in the
Visayan regionThe Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
of the
PhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, especially in the western provinces of Capiz (a province on
Panay IslandPanay is an island in the Philippines located in the western part of the Visayas. Politically, it is divided into five provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo, all in the Western Visayas Region. It is located southeast of the island of Mindoro and northwest of Negros, separated by the...
), Iloilo and Antique. Capiz, in particular, is singled out by tabloids as an area of high supernatural activity: a home to aswangs, manananggals, giant half-horse men (
tikbalangTikbalang is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and forests of the Philippines. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down...
) and other mythological creatures. Many of those who live in Capiz are
superstitiousSuperstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
, and adorn their homes with garlic bulbs, holy water and other objects believed to repel aswang. Since the stories recount aswang eating unborn children, pregnancy is a time of great fear for superstitious Filipinos.
In Southern
LuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, the city of Antipolo is rumoured by locals to be a popular sightings of Aswangs especially during the Holy Week (Easter in the Philippines) where legend says that paranormal activities are at their peak during the 3 days that Christ was dead.
Aswang is also suspected of being the myth that lead to the creation of the chupacabra. It was adopted by the U.S. military during WW2 as a tactic meant to keep the Japanese out of the forests. The troops would drain the blood of those killed in war and spread rumors of Aswang sightings. This fable reached Puerto Rico by way of the U.S.'s military establishments there.
Appearance and activities
The wide variety of descriptions in the aswang stories make it difficult to settle upon a fixed definition of aswang appearances or activities. However, several common themes that differentiate aswangs from other mythological creatures do emerge: Aswangs are shapeshifters. Stories recount aswangs living as regular townspeople. As regular townspeople, they are quiet, shy and elusive. At night, they transform into creatures from cat, pig, bird and the most common a dog. They enjoy eating unborn fetuses and small children, favoring livers and hearts. Some have long
proboscisA proboscis is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In simpler terms, a proboscis is the straw-like mouth found in several varieties of species.-Etymology:...
es, which they use to suck the children out of their mothers' wombs or their homes. Some are so thin that they can hide themselves behind a bamboo post. They are fast and silent. Some also make noises, like the Tik-Tik(the name was derived from the sound it produces) which are louder the further away the aswang is, to confuse its potential victim and the Bubuu, an aggressive kind of aswang that makes a sound of a laying hen on midnight. They may also replace their live victims or stolen
cadaverA cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
s with facsimiles made from tree trunks or other plant materials. This facsimile will return to the victim's home, only to become sick and die. An aswang will also have bloodshot eyes, the result of staying up all night searching for houses where
wakesA funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
are held to steal the bodies.
Appearances in other media
The short-lived
FoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
science-fiction television program
Freaky Links featured an episode in which the protagonists had to deal with an aswang. Unwittingly released from a mystical box, this incarnation was a creature that lacked any shape and chose to remain in the shadows. Instead of stealing dead bodies, the creature instead chose to steal a person's shadow and eventually, their life essence.
The 1994 Horror film Aswang (aka The Unearthing) features the mythical vampire-like creature.
Lynda BarryLynda Barry is an American cartoonist and author. One of the most successful non-mainstream American cartoonists, Barry is perhaps best known for her weekly comic strip Ernie Pook's Comeek. Barry's cartoons often view family life from the perspective of pre-teen girls from the wrong side of the...
's book
One! Hundred! Demons! and her spoken-word CD
The Lynda Barry Experience feature stories of the aswang. In her (her grandmother's) version, the aswang is a dog during the day whose hind legs are longer than the front. During the night, she becomes a woman, sheds her legs and flies around looking for prey.
The
SyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
series
Destination TruthDestination Truth is a weekly American paranormal reality television series that premiered on June 6, 2007 on Syfy. Produced by Mandt Bros. Productions and Ping Pong Productions, the program follows paranormal researcher Josh Gates around the world to investigate claims of the supernatural, mainly...
aired an episode concerning a search for proof of the aswang's existence on October 1, 2008.
In the reboot of the
World of Darkness"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
, Aswang are a unique variety of pseudo-vampire that resemble normal (if beautiful) Filipino women during the day, hideous hags at night. They require blood to survive, leading them into regular conflict with both mortal hunters and actual vampires as their activities draw attention.
In Episode 6, "Food for Thought" of
Lost GirlLost Girl is a Canadian supernatural crime drama television series that premiered on the Showcase Television network in September 2010. The series is developed and produced by Prodigy Pictures. The series follows the life of a succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her...
, aswang was a type of carrion eating Fae.
In 2008 a film was made in Durban, South Africa called
Surviving EvilSurviving Evil is a horror film directed by Terence Daw and stars Billy Zane, Christina Cole and Natalie Mendoza.-Plot:A team of documentary film makers arrive at a remote Philippine island to shoot a survival special, but the island they have chosen is inhabited by the Aswang, a shape-shifting...
. Starring
Billy ZaneWilliam George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
,
Natalie MendozaNatalie Jackson Mendoza is a Hong Kong-born Australian-British-Filipina classical theatre-trained actress and musician. She is best known for her role as one of the main characters, Jackie Clunes in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon and as tough girl Juno in the acclaimed horror thriller The...
,
Christina ColeChristina Cole is an English actress known for portraying Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series Hex.-Background:...
, Joel Torre, Colin Moss and Louis Barnes. it is about a TV crew travel to a remote island in the Philippines to shoot a survival documentary,
Surviving The Wilderness. Only to discover that the island is inhabited by fiercesome, blood-thirsty Aswangs.
Aswang Festival and ‘Aswang: A Journey Into Myth’
On October 29 to 30, 2004,
CapizCapiz is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Roxas City and is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan and Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north...
inaugurated the Aswang Festival, organized by a nongovernmental group Dugo Capiznon, Incorporated. It was a
HalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
-like
FiestaA festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
as a prelude to
All Souls DayAll Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. In Western Christianity, this day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes several All Souls' Days during the...
and All Saints Day festivals. It was, however, condemned by the Catholic hierarchy and some local officials, as an act of adoring the devil. When former Capiz Gov. Vicente Bermejo assumed as mayor of
Roxas CityRoxas City is a medium-sized city in the province of Capiz, Philippines. It is the provincial capital and a component city. , the city mayor is former city vice mayor Angel Alan Celino who was elected during the 2010 election....
in July 2007, the controversial festival was stopped.
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's High Banks Entertainment Ltd.’s filmmaker Jordan Clark, 36, traveled to Capiz to film a documentary entitled ‘Aswang: A Journey Into Myth.’ (shot entirely in
Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
’s downtown). The Docu-Movie/suspense film stars Filipina-Canadian stage actress Janice Santos Valdez, with a special appearance of
Maricel SorianoMaricel Soriano , is a critically acclaimed Filipina film and television actress.-Biography:...
. The documentary's proceeds will help raise funds to help restore power in Olotayan Island,
Roxas CityRoxas City is a medium-sized city in the province of Capiz, Philippines. It is the provincial capital and a component city. , the city mayor is former city vice mayor Angel Alan Celino who was elected during the 2010 election....
and support patients of
dystoniaDystonia is a neurological movement disorder, in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The disorder may be hereditary or caused by other factors such as birth-related or other physical trauma, infection, poisoning or reaction to...
parkinsonismParkinsonism is a neurological syndrome characterized by tremor, hypokinesia, rigidity, and postural instability. The underlying causes of parkinsonism are numerous, and diagnosis can be complex...
in Capiz. Capiz has the highest prevalence at 21.94/100,000 cases, which translates to one for every 4,000 men. Aklan has the next highest rate at 7.72/100,000. The figures suggest that XDP is endemic in
PanayPanay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
, particularly in Capiz. Some believe that dystonia was the origin of the belief in the existence of aswang. Especially during the times in the past when disorders like dystonia were yet to be diagnosed and understood in the Philippines, some people assumed that individuals afflicted with dystonia were aswang. Some physical manifestations of dystonia resemble the typical characteristics of an aswang, thus the association.