Philippine Mythological Creatures Introduction

I will be introducing some of the mythological creatures in the Philippine folklore and more information about them as the Philippines is rich in folk tales and folk tales which was webbed through centuries of tradition and culture. They include witches, monsters, beasts, fairies, ghouls, spirits, folkloric beings etc. so we will have some insights into some of the creatures that continue to amaze and astound us through all time. 

Philippine Mythical Creatures

If you want to learn more about many of the Philippine mythical creatures, you can visit the website link below to check the comprehensive list and information about the unusual creatures embedded in Philippine folk literature and passed down in generations through oral traditions and in written literary form.

A Compendium Of Creatures From Philippine Folklore & Mythology / List Of Philippine Mythical Creatures And Information

https://www.aswangproject.com/creatures-mythical-beings-philippine-folklore-mythology/

Photo Source:

https://www.AswangProject.com

The Confession Of The Ghost

An infamous criminal or bandit who could not have an eternal peace in another life after death because of the crimes committed in the world when he was alive is returning after his death. He appeared to the people and sometimes hitchhiking with the person riding a horse and sometimes revealing himself in the form of a coffin floating in the river until his meeting with a priest, his confession with the latter and the eventual pardon and forgiveness of the priest to him.

One night, a priest was awakened by a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he was shocked by what he saw. In the veranda is ghost peering through wearing a white dress. The priest asked guest what does he needs.  "I am Siam-Siam" (Nine-nine) he replied.

The priest made a sign of the cross and gather all his courage. He knows Siam-Siam.

"If so, why are you roaming around the land scaring people? Why don't you repent and confess for you and your neighbor and other people to find peace? "Father," answered Siam-Siam, "I am here to make a confession."

And Siam-Siam whose bones is spreading in the concrete floor knelt before the priest.

"This is what I want to confess."

When I was still alive, I killed 99 people and stolen 99 carabao or water buffalo and 99 cows, 99 pigs, 99 bananas and 99 guavas. Each sin was committed 99 times."

With this confession, every disturbance and horror brought by the ghost was stopped and since then, Siam-Siam was never seen again.

Siam Siam Ride On

A man riding a horse is going to the town that midnight. In his journey he needs to cross a river. He is currently crossing the river when a man greets him to ride on. He stopped by it and he allowed the man to get a ride with him. . They are in the middle of the river when the kindhearted man was shocked. He felt the hugging of a man he gets to ride with him, it is all bones and no flesh. His nervousness, terror, and fear became intense upon the mention of "Siam-siam" (Nine-nine). This is the name of the ghost known by everyone. The man scrambled so much in fear. He jumped from riding the horse and with all his quickness and fast traces the river in going to the town. He recounted his horrifying experience to the people and everyone were terrified. The people offered prayers and a holy mass was held for the eternal repose of the ghost.

Became the Dwarf Friends

This story took place several decades ago. There is a couple who just moved to their rented house.

In the few weeks of their living were strange events happening in the house. This was told by the woman to the nephew of the deceased owner of the house. He responded that it was also the same complaint of the former residents or boarders of the house. They believed that the ghosts of the dead caused the disturbing noise above the room. They thought that the ghost is probably seeking for their help.  What they did was to pray the novena for the soul. However every full moon the same thing is happening. Thus, they never pay attention to the bizarre events. The following month during the full moon some footsteps can be heard again along with thumping sound and noise of a ball that seems like a child is playing. In that room is where their young son's toys were kept and stored. 

One day, their son got sick. They brought him to the doctor to be cured. He was given a medicine but the fever never cools down. Someone told them to bring the child to an albularyo. They called for the albularyo in the house and checked out the condition of the sick child. He told them that the child stepped on the dwarf's feet while he was playing. He further added that these dwarves are dwelling in a mound which is found inside the very room of the child. They checked on it and they found out its true that there is a growing mass of earth or mound there. The siruhano (Hiligaynon term for albularyo or traditional folk healer) also said that those dwarves living there are not bad or evil but it was hurt so the dwarf took a revenge. The couple asked for an apology. The albularyo did something so the child got cured or healed. Since then, they treated the place as the house or dwellings of their friends and each time they eat, they also share their food with them. They put it in a plate and put it on top of the mound locally called bungyod or punso. Since then, the children never got sick and their business prospered. They believed that they were helped and assisted by their dwarf friends.

The Dwarves In The Picture

A lot of people saw the dwarves in a place in Dingle. The dwarves had been seen singing and dancing.  One day, there are some guests and visitors who came to the place to get some pictures because the place is really beautiful and picturesque. After a few days, when the guests and vacationists see their pictures, they were surprised and amazed by what they saw because they were accompanied by dwarves in the picture. The dwarves in the picture seems like they were playfully teasing them.

The Tragedy In Makopa

In a Makopa tree (Syzygium samarangense) locally called tambis in Hiligaynon, there is a stream flowing down in a huge boulder of rock. During fiesta in the old days, it’s almost a tradition for the people receiving clothes from the tamawo. People were not surprised; they just get the clothes and never forgot to return them once they are done with their needs on it. If those clothes were not returned, the tamawos will be griping.

It happened that a child vanished. The child was just playing with its playmates but never returned anymore. The people imagined and assumed the tamawos hid the child in their dwellings. The father of the child took his hidden lantaka or cannon which was used during the Spanish colonial period.  He shot it near the shore of the streams in the hopes of gaining back his child. The next morning, the child was found dead.

The Hidden City Of Barotac Viejo

The hill of Angas and the mountain of Upao are two places in the town which were believed by the people as the site of the twin cities of the tamawo or fairies. According to the folklore, a very fortunate person can see flashy cars which were more beautiful than those seen in pictures and postcards in the big cities in Europe and America. People who were blessed to be friends with these creatures can have a glimpse of palace like mansion at the foothills of the mountain. These are seldom to happen so no one is certain when these sightings will happen again. The barrio of San Francisco which is the just near the shore is said to be the pier. On this fateful night of luck, which was told by the elders, it will be focused in the marveling eyes of the people the towering heights of the city which consists of thousands of skyscrapers, huge commercial and passenger vessels and cruise liner from different countries, and all of the luxurious attributes of a modern metropolis. Due to these beliefs in the cities of the fairies, the people were so careful in traveling or strolling around these cities.

Mystery In The Balete Tree

There is a young lady named Aida who is being wooed or pursued by the tamawo. This fairy is living in a balete tree near the water well. Everyday, the young woman washes clothes and takes a bath in this place.

One day, the fairy appeared to Aida. The young woman was so amazed because of his brawny body and his lavish costume. The fairy invited the young woman to stroll around and visit their house. They rode a car going to the house of the fairy. A palace like mansion fronting Negros Island is the place they visited. A beautiful scenery was sighted by the young lady. The man said that if the young woman likes they can visit Negros first before they eat. They rode an airplane and went around Negros Island. When they returned, delicious food is already served in the table. There is white and purple rice. The woman is wondering because the rice is moving. The woman was so scared she asked to leave without taking some food.

The Letter Of The Tamawo

There are lots of students who came from Dingle who are studying in Manila. Among those students were Juan and Pedro who were close friends. One day, Juan is going home to Dingle when Pedro requested him to bring letters to his family back home. When Juan arrived in his hometown, he immediately went to the place where Pedro instructed him to give the letters. Juan was surprised to see a very beautiful and big house Pedro told him about. This house was beside a very thick lush tree. Juan knocked on the door. An old woman opened the door. She read the letter and after that, gave Juan money to be given to Pedro. After the door was closed and in Juan's big surprise, the huge house disappeared. Juan's friend Pedro is actually a tamawo.

The Tamawo in Santa Barbara

In a village of Sta. Barbara, there is a young man named Pilo. It is a habit for Pilo to bring a guitar when visiting his lover. In the road is a lush balete tree which is widely reputed and known as the dwelling of the tamawo.

One humid night, Pilo is returning home from strolling around when he thought of passing by and serenade alone in the balete tree. He is just starting to sing some lovely songs accompanied by the sounds of the guitar when Pilo felt the wind is blowing stronger. Pilo continued to sing without even fearing. In the middle of his singing the rain suddenly fell but Pilo noticed he never got wet. It was followed by a sudden appearance of a fire from the top of the balete tree and Pilo was petrified and attempted to run but it seems something is stopping him. In a blink of an eye, it came to the view of Pilo a very big house, a house he could not describe its beauty.

Pilo saw the opening of the door and in an instance he realized that he was at the porch of the house facing a very beautiful lady. They talked for a long while and the lady told him he should return the next day as long as he should avoid drinking tuba and smoking.

Pilo went home as if dreaming to what had happened to him. The next day Pilo bragged to his friends about what had happened and planned to return to the place together with his friends. They spent the whole night and early dawn serenading but what was expected did not happened. Most probably his companions were inebriated.

The Taken Wife

Long time ago when there were still fewer people, there is a couple who lives in a remote area of Santa Barbara. Their small house is located at the foothills of a mound which is far from its neighbors. Their water well is near the Balete tree which is not far from their house. The husband is working in the city and returns home early in the evening so his wife was left alone in their house.

One day, the woman thought of washing their dirty clothes.  When she was about to finish her work, she saw a very beautiful ring beside the well.  Instead of keeping it, the woman exposed it in the road so that if the owner returns and looks for it, he or she will immediately see it. After two days, the woman will be doing the laundry again. When she was about to go home and hang dry the clothes she saw the said ring inside her batya. The woman got nervous and hurriedly went to the well. She thought she will be accused wrongly by the owner of the ring.

However, when she was returning to the well she saw a man under the balete tree and smiling at her. Without any hesitation, the woman showed him the said ring and asked him if he was the owner. The man smilingly answered that he was the owner of the ring but he sincerely give it to the woman. The woman got scared and explained that she’s already married and has a husband. She was not forced to get the ring.

When the night falls and the husband returns home from the city. He caught and saw that she was so sick with stomachache. Since they are remotely living far away from their neighbors and town center, the woman died without giving cure or solution to her illness. In his deep resentment, the man left the place and continued with his work in the city as a garbage collector.

Many years had passed and the man continued with his work. One day when he was returning home in a narrow path he saw a small store which he had never seen before. He went to the said store and pretends to buy a cigarette. He was suddenly petrified when it was revealed to him the lady inside the store which really resembled his wife. He asked the woman in the hopes of her being a relative of his departed wife.

The woman confessed the truth that she has three child and a wife of a tamawo (fairy), who is the owner of the ring and formerly residing in the balete tree near the place where they live. When the man learned about it, he wanted to hug his wife only that cold steel bars gets in between them.

They talked intensively while the tamawo or fairy is busy trading in other countries. The woman said that if her former husband wants to be reunited with her, he should go home to the place where they used to live, gather and fill with hays the balete tree. At around 12 o'clock noon of Good Friday of Holy Week, he should light or ignite the hays with fire and the woman will jump out of it.

The man left his job and followed all the instructions of his wife. So when 12 o'clock noon of Good Friday arrived, the man lighted with fire the balete tree and suddenly his wife jumped out of it. Since then, they lived happily together. Several years had passed, however each time 12 o'clock noon of Good Friday comes they can hear three children screaming "Mommy... Mommy..."



Photo Source:

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/fellowshipofsaintsandsinners/2012/10/the-beautiful-wife-how-one-woman-is-crusading-to-save-christian-marriages.html

The Tamawo Suitor

The tamawos were the fairies of the Ilonggos. They were considered as someone who are like us. They went to the market, church and hear mass but goes out when the Holy Eucharist is raised. The only difference is that the tamawo has no balintataw (pupils) in their eyes.

Love captures and conquers anyone. Just like the ocean, it is free, vast and knows no boundary. This was the description of the life of Aling Rosing. She became the center of affection of a tamawo. She was a twenty-two year old young lady then. Around eleven o’clock then while she was gathering and picking some nipa leaves she heard someone is calling her name and she saw a man sitting near a tree. He might probably be around thirty years old. The young lady was immovable or static from where she stands and she felt sleepy and passed out. It was already afternoon when she regained consciousness. She never saw anyone but after a short while, he saw the man again. He is just staring at her, speechless. Aling Rosing went home carrying the nipa leaves. The man followed her. He suddenly disappeared when they were nearing the house of Aling Rosing.

After two months, one night Aling Rosing accompanied her mother to the shores to fulfill some necessities. Aling Rosing saw a lot of people – men and women but her mother saw nothing. They pulled Aling Rosing towards the stairs of the palace like house in Roca Encantada. The tamawos were talking to each other but she could not understand their language. The man she saw before was also present here but he is not talking. The young man remained speechless at that point. Aling Rosing was followed by her mother in Roca Encantada and the tamawos instantly disappeared like bubbles.

Aling Rosing turns twenty-four years old at that time. The very round full moon is exploding with golden brilliance. She thought of going to the shores. All of a sudden, a mysterious young man came out of her sight that seems like keeping a feeling of affection to her. He holds her by the hands. Aling Rosing seems lost. Together they crossed the shores from Roca Encantada until Barrio Navalas. Then the tamawo or fairy disappeared again.

On this bizarre event, Aling Rosing’s father ordered her to drink some tuba or local palm wine to drive away the tamawo and abandon her.  The tuba or palm wine was believed to be the drink hated by the tamawos or fairies. Since Aling Rosing started to drink tuba or palm wine, the tamawo suitor never ever appeared to her again.

Lolo Jose and the Kapre

Lolo Jose is living in Barrio Tacay, a barrio of Buenavista. One night which was a full moon then, when he thought of strolling in the nearby river. In his strolling, he passed by a barn or warehouse which was filled by sacks of lime. When he was nearing it, he saw something like an ember or a pyre from the roof.  When he looked up at it, he saw a very tall and very dark man sitting on it smoking a tobacco. It has a huge head and very dark skinned. Due to extreme fear, Lolo Jose was petrified and cannot move from where he stand. He instantly had goosebumps and hair raising fearing he might get killed. He attempted to shout but no sound came out of his mouth. He passed out and when he regained his consciousness the kapre was gone. He went home hurriedly and told his wife and children his experience.


Photo Source:  

 https://www.bagoh2.deviantart.com

KAPRE

Is it true kapre exists?

In a barrio in Tigbauan there are still a lot of people who remembers Lolo (Grandpa) Tisyo to what happened to him when he was still a young man. This is what he told:

One evening, he arrived gasping for breath and his facial expression appears visibly shaken and terrified. He was asked why he was acting that way. Everyone were surprised when he said he saw a kapre. He was going home that night when he saw that the sampaloc tree seems like a smoldering ember. He came closer a little bit and was surprised when all of a sudden an object he thought was an ember fell. Due to his surprise and wonder, he enlightened it with his flashlight. He was surprised to see a very big foot of a human and when he looked up he realized a giant man was in front of him sitting while smoking a tobacco under the Sampaloc tree.  “Kapreeee,” he shouted and he scampered away. Since then he never wanders around at night.



Photo Source:

http://warriorsofmyth.wikia.com/wiki/File:Kapre-g5f3d-9j6.jpg

The Mantiw and the Manghaharana

Mantiw has a resemblance with the Kapre.

Long time ago, there is a young man a musician or guitarist who likes to serenade while playing the guitar even if it’s in the depth of the night or midnight. He was told by his parents not to spend the midnight or deepest nights serenading (from the root word “harana”) because he might encounter the wandering mantiw and bring him to the farthest. But these pieces of advice of his parents was received with cold shoulders.

One night at around 11 o’clock he sat down at the stairs of the house of his suitor while plucking the strings of his guitar. A very tall man (seems like a giant) came close to him, carried him and put him sitting on his broad shoulders. In the great shock of the young man he hold his guitar tight and with all strength he played the guitar until his fear and nervousness is gone. The guitar which is near the ear of the mantiw (giant) created much noise. The mantiw thought what kind of man he is carrying. The mantiw got scared and put the one he carried on his shoulder at the top of a buri. When the morning comes, the parents of the young man were surprised and looked for him because he never returned home. A lot of people were looking for him.

When the fear of the young man is gone, he asked for help. Two long stairs were used for him to go down. He learned his lessons well. Since then he doesn’t went out and return home late at night in serenading.


*Mantiw is an ogre

Photo Source:

http://flashfictionworld.blogspot.com/

A Piece of Liver

It was a full moon then, the siblings Lourdes, Sinang, Miting and Dadong were happily playing at the porch of their house when all of a sudden, a tiktik passed by. Since Lourdes is the youngest and the naughtiest among the siblings suddenly shouts, “Give us some pieces of something for skewers!” After that, they run inside the house. Lourdes was reprimanded by their mother. After sometime, the tiktik came back and dropped something in the porch. The mother went out to check what the dropped object is. Her eyes went bigger in surprise when it appeared to her a piece of liver of a human!

The Aswang Bird

According to the stories of the elders, there is a woman living in the town. One day, while the woman is planting some vegetables a big bird came close to her suddenly. She whacked the big bird with a bolo or a sharp bladed weapon but unfortunately, it was not hit and unharmed. After this, she was wrestled by the big bird. The powerless woman can’t do anything because the big bird is so strong and powerful that she could not even move or shout. After a few days, the woman was found dead. Her stomach was cut open wrecked and her liver is gone. The big bird was actually an aswang.




Photo Source:

https://www.anthonyfrancisco.com

Saved Thread-Thin by the Last Minute

In a town lived Gimo who is rumored by the people as the aswang. One night in a gathering, a teacher was invited by the daughter of Gimo to spend the night in their house. The teacher agreed because there were no transportation to ride home. They were already lying in bed when the teacher overheard someone having a conversation. It was almost dawn then. She had doubts about what they are talking about and arguments and tried to understand it. She was never wrong with her intuition. A man ordered another person that when the water boils they will go upstairs in the house. To distinguish it from his daughters, they will look for the distinguishing marks of the teacher which is the earrings and the ring. The teacher was overwhelmed with extreme shock but she tried to compose herself and tried to find ways in this tough situation. She slowly and silently returns back to her bedroom, remove her jewelries and put carefully to one of the daughters of Gimo. She gets a patadyong to cover her face and went downstairs. She felt more shock and surprise when she saw a cauldron full of boiling water. She became more tense and have more goosebumps when she was sighted by Gimo and asked why she was downstairs. Fortunately, she was able to reason out immediately.  When she was able to shelter or hid away from the men, she run as fast she could away from that place. Meanwhile, Gimo went upstairs and chosen his victim.  He hacked the one he touches with jewelry and brought it down. In his clumsiness he realized that the one he hit was his daughter. They immediately chased and went after the escaped teacher who already reached the house of a judge.  The lady is narrating her ordeal when Gimo arrived. Gimo accused the teacher of stabbing her daughter but the judge never believed it. The daughter of Gimo was not dead. There are some statements claiming that the daughter of Gimo is putting a bandana on her neck to hide the scar caused by the wound on her neck.

Awakened by Asphyxiation

A thirty-year old man was almost killed by asphyxiation by an aswang. Fortunately, he was able to grasp the long hair of the aswang and pulled it so the aswang abandoned him. By grabbing and holding the arms of the aswang he felt it was slipping away.

It felts like a nightmare that had happened to him.