philippine lower mythology

In Tinguian folklore, Akop is an evil spirit who brings death to someone, especially a woman whose spouse just passed away. This spirit is said to have no body, only a head with long slimy arms and legs attached to it. Upon sensing that a man has died, Akop stalks the wake and when it gets the...

The buso 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 raid human...

Found in Iluko folklore, especially in Pangasinan, the ugaw are people only as big as the human thumb and are seldom seen because they move so fast. It is believed they are beings from another realm. They are notorious for s†éáling rice from granaries or human habitations with abundant supply of...

Distinct from ordinary cannibals, aswang refers to men and women who feed on the blood, flesh, and life force of people through 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 s†éál and eat corpses...

The blood-sucking mandurugo of Philippine folklore use their beauty to attract and prey on men. In the olden days a mandurugo would get married to a healthy, plump youth to ensure a constant supply of blood every night. The tip of her hollow tongue tapers to a needle point and pierces the...

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...

The original mangkukulam of Philippine folklore were sorcerers who inflicted harm in a rather disgusting way and did it only once or three times a month, especially during rainy nights. The procedure involved the mangkukulam creeping under the house of the intended victim at night and wallowing...