Halimaween! 2023: Spirits That Rule the Night 2
/Paranormal creatures are traditionally depicted as evil presences and predators. Modern theater and literature, however, strike a more down-to-earth perspective. In Rey E. de la Cruz’s Kombensiyon ng mga Halimaw (Monsters’ Convention; 1971), a satire on the Philippine Constitutional Convention, monsters act like humans with their foibles, corruption, and decadence. In Jules Pamisa’s play, Mga Halimaw Rin Kami (We’re Also Monsters; 2023), a manananggal and an aswang run short of victims because of competition from extrajudicial killings. Monsters are not creatures from the past but formidable influencers in our lives.
To know more about Philippine monsters, meet the following:
Manananggal
Manananggal (Illustration by Joncel Guevarra)
The prototypical manananggal is a beautiful woman at daytime but transforms into a winged predator with a detachable upper torso at night. In some tales, she feeds on the heart and liver of her victims. In others, she perches on the roofs of her victims, to prey on pregnant women, by sucking the blood out of the fetus with her tongue. In another instance, she marries her victim only to kill him, before fleeing to a village with lots of pregnant women to prey on. She can be defeated by sprinkling salt or ashes on the lower part of her body before she can reunite with it. If she fails to reattach her body before sunrise, she will die. She is also scared of knives, fire, fireflies, and other sources of light. In some areas, the term manananggal is synonymous with “flying aswang.”
Kataw
Kataw (Illustration by Leandro Geniston and Mykie Concepcion)
In the Visayas, mermaids are called kataw. A kataw is a beautiful woman from head to waist and a fish with shiny scales below. She has light skin and wavy, long hair. She lives in a beautiful house under the sea or beside a river, lake, or waterfall. She may sit on a rock, drying her long hair, where some passersby might see her. Singing a sweet, sad song, she typically lures a fisherman, sinks his boat and wraps him in a fatal embrace below the waves.
Daligmata
Daligmata (Illustration by Leandro Geniston)
The daligmata is an animal that is completely covered with eyes. It assists a medium’s personal spirit in locating the “abducted” soul of a severely sick person during a gudguden ritual, a nightlong seance where a possessed medium navigates the cosmos, singing the sick person’s personal history, and looking for the abducted human soul. The separation of the soul from their body is believed to be the cause of illness.
Bakunawa
Bakunawa (Illustration by Felix Pabalinski)
The bakunawa is a colossal serpent that tries to eat seven moons. It had swallowed six moons but was stopped by the god Bathala from eating the last one. It is responsible for causing eclipses by devouring the sun and the moon. It is said to be kept at bay by loud noise and music. In Cebu, pregnant women should not venture outside during an eclipse because the bakunawa might suck their fetuses. The ancient Bikolanos were nature worshippers who used loud noise and music during the halia, a feast dedicated to the full moon to prevent the bakunawa from devouring it and leaving them in perpetual darkness.
White Lady
White Lady (Illustration by Yanna Gemora)
A White Lady is a female spirit in flowing white dresses or gowns. She has long black hair that masks her face. In some cases, she is headless or decomposing. The most famous apparition is the White Lady of Balete Drive in Quezon City. The story goes that the White Lady was a student at the University of the Philippines who was on her way from classes when she was raped and killed by a taxi driver, her body discarded in the area. She appears to taxi drivers because she is seeking revenge.
These are just some of the beings that bring terror to the many islands of the Philippines. If you want to know more about Philippine monsters, go to Philippine Spirits (Phspirits.com) and participate in Halimaween!, a celebration of Philippine mythology and mythological creatures each Halloween.
For Part 1 of Halimaween: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/halimaween
Jean Karl Gaverza writes from the experiences he has lived in the Philippines. Ever since he was a child, he has always been fascinated by cryptids and things that thrive in the night. Having graduated with a linguistics degree from the University of the Philippines, he has since been using what he learned by conducting independent research into the myths, legends, and folk stories of the people of the Philippine archipelago, focusing on mythical creatures.
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