Elemental, Engkanto, Atbp.

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp.
Of Man and Myths
Of Man and Lower Myths
Elemental, Engkanto, Atbp.
Ruel Ruiz
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Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths
Philippine LOWER MYTHOLOGY
GHOULS AND CREATURES OF DARKNESS, ELEMENTALS AND DEMONS
For my Mom and my late Dad. Especially to my late Grandfather whose stories about the unseen world made me see.
INTRODUCTION
With
all the travels and research I did, since long ago and until now, I have encountered stories and myths of many said creatures of unknown world and realm. From lower myth to folk stories they have piled up worthy enough to be written. A list or should I say, a directory of said creatures is now presented to you. Some people or researcher would rely on someone elses research without analysis, but not this one. From generations of stories and first hand accounts to psychic archaeology and intensive search, we will try to shed light on the truth behind them. All stories, urban legends, whether folklore or myth has an origin. Maybe out of imagination or from a distant culture, we may never know. But there are clues and lessons
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we can get from these stories and learn from. From human relations or behavior to sociological interactions and ecological values, these stories have instilled fear and respect in the human psyche. Ghouls and elementals have been part of our childhood obedience. Remember when we used to be told of not to stay out of the house after 6pm because the elementals might play a trick on us? Or not to destroy the garden that our parents loved so much, because a lambana might get angry? A ghost or kapre will take us if we disobey our elders? These had become a weapon to keep us from doing what we thought was fun and exciting. Out of fear we followed, out of ignorance we obeyed, bringing with us subconscious implications on the realm of the unknown as we grow up. I am not saying that these creatures are not real or they dont exist at all.
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They have been part of our lives, our childhood and became a dark stain in the back of our imagination ready to unleash its wrath when we are emotionally vulnerable. They have been blamed and fingers where pointed at them when things go wrong or something went missing. Poor dear creatures, they must be writhing in pain, pleading for justice. Where are these creatures now? Are they still around? Or they have become remnants of undeveloped and ignorant minds of the past? These creatures are within us, in the deep recesses of our subconscious, playing its part in our society as scape-goats and victims. I have written this book for literary and educational purposes. I find it a waste to just let our lower myth fade away to oblivion without giving justice and understanding. Taking this issue
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in the light of Myth, not saying that myth are not real for there are people that will find a way to patch-up facts in the underlying symbolism of their stories. Where did these Myths come from, maybe it came out from the human mind like the hair grow from the human head. Myths were held to be nave explanation of the heavenly bodies, mysterious events and abnormal human behavior. As Man began embracing Science and Philosophy these myths started changing both in their characters and uses, but they are still here to stay and lingers in the back of our heads as odd and easy way out in thinking rationally. Ruel Ruiz
GHOULS AND CREATURES OF DARKNESS
GHOULS
Mandurugo
commonly known creature that transforms itself to a dog-like-bat at night and kills her spouse is a Mandurugo. MANDURUGOfrom the word DUGO/Blood. The prefix MAN signifies a person: DURUGO-to bleed. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Female Hairy (thick hairs) Doglike features of the face Salivate a lot
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Would not stand straight Unusual bleeding of fingernails Have a deep hole-like dent at the armpits. Weaknesses: Thorny plants, Roses, Garlic flowers or even scent, oiled bolo (sword). Dispose: When you get to decapitate its hands its easier now to dispose of this creature. Decapitate the head. Transform: They are normal human beings in the morning that change into this gruesome beast at night. Frequency: Seasonal; only transform on certain phase and sign of the moon. Aim: She eats human heart and liver. Classification: Ghoul/ Aswang
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Huwag mong kamutin ang sugat mo, dudugo/durugo yan. Dont scratch your wound, it will bleed. Ang napangasawa ni Berting ay isang Mandurugo. Natagpuan siyang patay at wakwak ang kanyang dibdib wala ang puso sa gabi pagkatapos ng kanilang kasal.Bigla rin na nawala ang kanyang katipan. Berting married a MANDURUGO. They found him dead with his chest open with the heart missing on the night after he got married. The wife is now also missing. Legend Says Legend tells us that mandurugo came to be when there was a young girl named Celia (said to be the prettiest in their barrio) took vengeance for the death of her older sister (Carmela),
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under the hands of her sisters husband. The husband (Carlito) was cruel after getting married to his wife. When Carlito was still courting Carmela he was so gentle and would always put his best foot forward. Carmela got her feet swept away by the charm of the guy. On the night of their wedding Carmela learned the real intention of her husband. She was treated like a dog and a slave in the house. This continued on until Carmela died of maltreatment. Upon learning of the tragic incident of her sister, Celia made a pact to a demon to avenge her sister. The Demon agreed. Camela went to the house of Carlito and offered herself as an exchange for her sister. Calito immediately agreed. On the night of their honeymoon as Carlito was about to sleep, the demon turned Celia into a ware-dog and Celia began tearing Carlitos flesh and chest eventually eating his heart. My POV
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I think this is a very simple case and anyone whos into their right logical mind can already know why this story was made or created. This is to safeguard women from men who after marriage would maltreat and just abuse their wives. I still go for the Lorena Bobbit1 way! Why kill them instantly when you can make them suffer. Mea culpa2.
She became popular for cutting her husbands penis after learning he was having an affair. 2 Latin for My fault
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Manananggal
It
is a viscera-sucking-creature that separates its lower body from its upper body. It flies at night to hunt for prey. MANANANGGAL-from the word tanggal/separate. A person that can separate/remove. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Male/Female Unusually thin Veers away from a direct eye contact Has wound marks along the navel Keeps a bottle of oil (traditionally would use a water buffalo horn to keep the oil)
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Weaknesses: Garlic, Salt, sulphur, mercury, sting rays tail Dispose: Dicapitation. Preventing the upper body to attach itself to the lower body by putting salt (to coagulate the blood), garlic, vinegar or ashes (bakit hindi na lang maglagay ng adobo kaya?) till sunrise or stabbing the heart with bamboo stake. Some say that you have to hurt them where their tongue cant reach it because the moment the aswang licks its wound, it heals instantly. Sunlight will kill in their aswang form. Transform: They are normal human being in day time but transform into monsters by night. Frequency: Seasonal; only transform on certain phase and sign of the moon.
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Aim: Devour internal organs specially the liver or fetus by lowering tits thread-like tongue atop the roof. Classification: Ghoul/Aswang Mag ingat kayo sa pag sampay ng inyong damit. Madaming mga loko dito at manananggal ng sampay. Be careful with your laundry. There are lots of thief here that removes hanged/laundry clothes. Tuwing gabi ay nawawala ang lola ni Teejay at pumupunta sa sagingan. Madaming tao ang nagsasabi na manananggal daw yun. Every night, Teejays grandmother disappears in the plantains. Many people are saying that she is a manananggal.
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A manananggal looks normal during daytime and would separate its upper-half to fly (with wings of bats) leaving its lower half somewhere hidden in plantains. A confession: Back in the early 90s a certain lady in her late 40s came to my office and asked if I can cure her. I asked her what seems to be wrong with her and she said that she is an aswang. The conversation goes like this. Aswang: Nag simula ito noon pumunta ako sa pista ng kaibigan ko sa probinsiya sa Aklan. Madaming handaan at pagkain. Isang beses ay may pinuntahan kaming bahay ng isa pa niyang kaibigan at pinaghanda ako ng parang adobong atay. Nagtataka ako dahil habang nasa kalagitnaan na ako ng pagkain ay may lumapit na matanda sakin at dinilaan ang aking tenga. Nagulat ako
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at sinaway nila ang matanda. Ang akala ko ay ulyanin na ang matanda at may diperensiya ito sa utak kaya binale wala ko na lamang at nagtawanan kaming magkakaibigan. Di naglaon at lumuwas na kami muli pabalik ng maynila. Noon ay nakatira ako sa San Juan. Lumipas ang ilang lingo ay nagsimula na akong sikmurain tuwing sasapit ang 6pm. Ruel: Madalas ka bang sikmurain dati? Aswang: Hindi. Di ko yun masyadong inintindi hanggang sa dumating ang panahon na hinihimatay na ako sa sakit ng aking sikmura. Isang araw paggising ko ay nakita ko na lamang na puno na ng dugo ang aking kamay at bibig. Akala ko ay nagsuka ako ng dugo ng ako ay himatayin, baka kako may tb ako. Ruel: Baka nga, nagpatingin ka bas a doctor?
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Aswang: Wala raw akong tb. Isang beses ay nagising ako ng pinagbabato ng kapit bahay ko ang aking bahay at sinasabing aswang daw ako. Lumipat ako ng maraming tirahan, hindi ko pa rin lubusang maisip kung totoo nga ang bintang sakin dahil wala naman akong malay kung magaganap ang yaon. Isang beses ay nagising ako ng banding alas 3 ng madaling araw at may maliit na laman loob ng di ko alam kung tao o hayup sa tabi ko at puno ng dugo ang aking kamay. Hindi naman ito nagaganap araw araw pero natatakot na ako at hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko. Ayoko maging aswang. Ruel: There are a few ways to detoxify such disease. For sure po youre infected by two things. One is by a suggestion which has a preconceived notion that you are
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infected and is turning or has turned to an aswang and another thing is youre infected by the virus of an aswang. Lets see what we can do about it. All of a sudden our secretary barged in the room with a large crucifix and asked the lady: Secretary: Takot ho kayo sa krus? Malapit na ho mag alas-sais ng gabi! Luckily the lady was not offended and said she is not afraid of crosses and she even go to church. The lady asked me where I live. Ruel:Ay malayo ho bahay ko at yari sa bato hindi niyo kayang wakwakin ng kamay niyo! Sometimes I get afflicted with LVM (Loose Verbal Movement).
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She came back to my office for about 3 more times and said that she is no longer having that pain in her stomach but she still gets dizzy. The lady even said to me that she think she is getting well. Good. My POV This is a great story for those who are pregnant or carrying a child. So as not to be alone at night and making sure their husbands are there to be with them. Also a great story if you happen to have miscarriage. Blame it to the manananggal!
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ASWANG
Some Viscera-sucking creatures are
known by its name as aswang. Two commonly known classes of these are Manlilipad and Manlulupa.
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Manlilipad- from the root word lipad meaning fly. Manlilipad means flyer. Manlulupa- from the root word lupa meaning soil. Manlulupa means a being of soil. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Manlilipad Male/Female Unusually thin Veers away from a direct eye contact Have deep hole under the armpits Dry tangled hair Reflection is reverse when you stare at the iris Tranformed: They can separate their upper body from the lower
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They catch their prey by swooping down to their victims They cant fly lower than the hips They start transforming from 6pm to 3am Some species dont grow bat-like wings Manlulupa Male/Female Veers away from a direct eye contact Reflection is reverse when you stare at the iris Have dark pigmentation on the hind arm and knees Tranformed: They can transform following animals: Dog Pig Goat/Sigbin to the
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These creatures dont actually transform into these animals but would vibrate and create an illusion depending on their familiar form. They would never appear as the same size of the animal, most of the time they are much bigger for the reason of their mass and volume should be equal to the illusion they would be creating. Transforming to such animals would render them camouflaged and easier to escape. I am often asked if they (these creatures) can transform into a mouse, cat, insects or even snakes. I dont think it is wise to be a cat as big as a man or even a mouse as big as goat. That would render the camouflage useless, much more an ant or any type of insect. Legend Says Aswangs are creatures infected and possessed by the devil. They are outcasts from heaven and now they
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took vengeance on Gods favorite creation, Man. They only appear during fullmoon and would feast on an unborn child. There are many ways of becoming an aswang. Here are a few. Making a pact with the devil. Inherited from parents or grandparents. Got infected through eating and ear transfer. Being cursed My POV The very first term aswang came by when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi3 came to the Philippines from Spain. He got reports that there are tribal savages in the South of the Philippines. These men and women with sharp teeth, wild animal look, long claws (talon like) which they have to drive away from the place
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Spanish conquizador after Ferdinand Magellan
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they need to occupy where coined as ASWANG (Suwang-savages). This savages would make noises at night and would eat mans flesh. Then the Spaniards started creating stories that these are demons and can only be driven away by God, Jesus, Cross in short by Christianity. The Spaniards even went far by saying that if they are not baptized or even their children are not baptized the locals will be vulnerable and be eaten by this creature of the devil. The tribal tactic (of the native savages) didnt work out that well. They wanted to drive away the foreigners by showing they are flesh eaters and savages who has mystical powers. But instead it back fired and they were forced to retreat in the mountains. There are still a few remnants of this maneatingman-flesh or cannibals. There is also a Bicol legend I heard of about Asuang4 and Gugurang5. Its a story of two Gods, one good
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deity guarding Mt. Malinao in Bicol deity guarding Mt. Mayon in Bicol
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(Gugurang) and the other one evil (Asuang). I dont know exactly which one came first, the Bicol legend or Miguel Lopez de Legaspis letter talking about aswang. I went to some provinces in the South of the Philippines where there are incidents of children being abducted and used as food. I wonder if they have heard of cornedbeef and instant noodles? See what poverty and ignorance can do to mankind! FYI: If you happen to be attacked by a manlilipad it will always swoop down to grab you by the feet but it cant fly lower than its waists height. You can lie flat facing the ground and spread your arms on the side forming a cross. I was told that you cant be harmed or grabbed by the creature when you do this. Who knows it might save you someday!
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If you think there is a manananggal in your vicinity you can make two things just to be sure. This is a long lost formula (Well it is not long and it is not lost) you can do. One is to know if its near and detect it while the other one is to seek and kill it. Here it goes; Aswang Detector: There are many formulations regarding this but most of the formulas I gathered would always have these primary ingredients in it. I made a few of this back then but sad to say there were no aswangs around that time (or maybe around my barangay) I wonder if it will work when I bring it to the congress or senate? Well you can just try. I include this because its such a lost if this kind of literature or belief would just die with our elders. This recipe is for educational and literary purposes only.
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Ingredients Coconut oil (lana, Made during holyweek) Dracanea Sanguis/dragons blood- (this is a plant by the way, under the family of PALMS. Please check my other book Potions, Gayuma, atbp.) You can use Kalipay instead. Acacia Bark Coconut Leaves Corales Batong Buhay Bunga ng Niyog (the small red thing) As per tradition and formulation, the ingredients has to be blessed by priests or saying Latin prayers over it. Some practitioners would include a small paper with prayer in it that goes like this: +++ Ecce Crusim Domine Fugite Partes Adverse Vicit Leo De Tribu Juda
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Radix David Aleluya Aleluya Jesus Jesus Jesus+++6 Or something like this +++Ab Omnia Boli et Malo Dia+++7 There are almost atleast more than 12 oraciones8 I have seen that they placed inside the bottled detector. If they do work with or without the prayer, I have the foggiest idea. Place all the dry ingredients together in a clear small bottle and fill it up with the coconut oil. Some people would place it near the window and door ways and when it boils it means that an aswang is nearby. So they say. Aswang Seeking Spear
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Behold the cross of the Lord; begone, you hostile powers! The stem of David, the lion of Juda's tribe has conquered Aleluya,Aleluya Jesus Jesus Jesus
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This is beyond all that is evil and bad. Short prayers usually in foreign or mystical language.
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Take a whole leaf of a banana. Remove both the side-leaf and making sure to retain the leaf at the tip of the whole stem. Make the base end is sharp or stake like. And when your detector is boiling just throw the spear out the window and it will seek the heart of the aswang, eventually killing it. Works well with a manlilipad. So they say. Base Tip
I dont know if you still have to chant or say any oraciones on the banana spear but according to an old manuscript you can say any 9 PANUDLA oracion on it before you released it upwards. Panudla: Mur Mulum+ Mur Murtum+
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Mystically speaking, a panudla is like a prayer that can be thrown and would pierce to anything..
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Mur Ciatum+ ---Hum!10 Or Atme Huiv Reseoc Or Procultis Bolhob For a Manlulupa that can change their appearance into an animal to camouflage themselves there are also a few tricks you can do. This technique has long been a practice by our elders without really knowing why it works. This is the first time it will be unveiled! Hold on to your thinking caps! What the manlulupa does is it projects vibration that will make you see them as animal instead of their
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From the Libretto Encanto de Dios
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real human form. It is an illusion that they do. For such a creature or human to perform such thing is quite a very remarkable feat. It takes so much brain power to do so. Maybe because of what they take (concoction of drugs perhaps accompanied with utmost faith?). As I said earlier they do this to hide and camouflaged. Without this defense mechanism they can be rendered helpless. Have you ever wondered why in some provinces they would place a broom stick at the doorway or knives above the window? And sometimes even a whip? What do these things have in common? The elders would say it is to drive away evil spirits and even ward off aswangs. Whats so special about them? Lets go back to these creatures creating illusions. If these creatures (aswangs and other creatures that hide themselves
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through illusions) are emitting vibration as to camouflage themselves, then all we have to do is to buffer the vibration. How? By static! The broom stick specially the used ones would emit a very high static energy after using. When two broom sticks are place upside down at the doorway or even at the landing of the main ladder would render enough static to buffer the illusion of the aswang or any creature that uses such tactic. Others when they would suspect an animal to be a manlulupa or aswang in disguise they would peek inbetween their legs to see the real image. Anything that passes through between the legs would remove or buffer the said vibration. It implores static, ionizing and grounding principles to suppress and remove the malady of the vibration emitted by
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the creature objects.
or
even
any
other
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BALBAL
type of ghoul that sucks its victims strength and life force is a Balbal. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Male/Female Salivate a lot Smells like decaying flesh Frequently yawns Has long tongue Transformed: They are humans by day but transforms to a hungry monster night when spotted a victim. Weaknesses: Spices, Acids, stingray tail, sunlight.
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Dispose: Decapitate the head. Frequency: They would come out when a person is dying and would wait either at the basement (silong11) exactly beneath the victims bed, or on top of the roof and slowly eats up its life force until the cadaver will be laid to rest and from there the Balbal will snatch the body and eat it. Aim: Slowly sucks the victims life force and when dead would snatch the body and eat its flesh. Classification: Ghoul/Aswang Legend Says Some say that the real reason why there was a need for wake is that the Balbal might snatch the body of their loved ones. If for some unknown reasons that the victim dies of a mysterious death the victim became
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Nipa huts or houses before especially in provinces have stilts and their houses are raised from the ground, having a space below the floor that serves as a stock area or cage for livestocks.
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a prey of such a ghoul they term as Balbal. They can be classified a ghoul or as a sorcerer and a vampire at the same time except they are not dead. They can pose as a regular being in the morning and when they would see a prey suitable to their appetite they will slowly suck his life till the prey dies. It is also considered as a soul eater. Some legend says that they can even create an illusion when a Balbal snatch the body and replaced it with a banana trunk. The banana trunk will look like the cadaver of the victim and will not cause any alarm to the relatives and would even give the Balbal time to consume the victim. My POV A great way to blame others for actually not letting go of a departed love one. To even include, that before, no embalming was given to people who died especially in remote areas. The Balbals are not only soul41
eater but also a grave-digger. Pitiful creature.
WAKWAK/Ek-ek
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giant bird-like-creature that shrieks at night when hunting for a prey. Physical Attributes General Characteristics: Giant bird-like creature Looks like giant crow. It has a long straw like tongue that is use to straw the fetus out of the womb. There is no actual account of what a wakwak12 really looks like because the witnesses would see it only when its flying. They would say that its like a giant crow-like-bird that shrieks WAAAAKWAAAK thus giving it the name Wakwak. No one knows if it has a human form or just a creature that hunts fetus for food.
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Theres a tagalog word wakwak which means to violently tearup or shred.
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Transformed: N/A, they say that an ek-ek is a human that transform into an aswang at night, growing wings under the arms and would glide like a kite. Weaknesses: sunlight Bamboo spear,
Dispose: A Bamboo spear through the heart. Decapitate the head. Frequency: They usually come out when a pregnant woman is around and would eat the baby out of the womb. Aim: The fetus inside a pregnant woman. Classification: Beast/Ghoul Legend Say There are many legends and folk stories about this mythical creature. One of them is that long ago a certain sorcerer that became a ghoul took
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vengeance on the guy that dumped her and swore that she would always come back to take and kill his offspring! The Man got married and when the sorcerer tried to kill the wife of the guy who dumped her she was caught and the guy cursed her to become an ugly bird. Another story says that the wakwak is a familiar of an evil aswang queen. The aswang queen instructs the Wakwak to suck the fetus of an unborn child and to bring it back to her lair to be fed to her. My POV I think a wakwak is a creature, a real a normal giant bird that is a maneating-bird that is nocturnal. Maybe its hiding in remote caves and jungle in the Philippines. There were stories that were told to me when I was young by my fathers friends who were into the military and they somehow have encountered an experience of seeing a giant black
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bird shrieking WAAAKKK WAAAAK, it suddenly went flying across the sky when they fired their guns. These creatures must be hidden away from the noise and pollution of the metropolis.
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Magpuputol MAGPUPUTOL is a type of ghoul that can dislocate or even dismembered its joints.
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Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Female, male Abnormally thin body with long hair Abnormally large darkened joints Big bulgy eyes Pale yellowish skin color Cant look straight in the eyes Slouching and stiffness of movements Red fiery eyes Tranformed: This ghoul is said to dislocate or even remove its major joints like the head, arms, wrists, etc. Weaknesses: Same as other forms and classification of aswang, the magpuputol dislikes the scent of garlic and spices, even vinegar.
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Dispose: I would like to say to decapitate its head but since it can decapitate its major joints then decapitating her would be useless. Drive a stake through her heart would do fine. Sunlight is their worst nightmare! Frequency: They come out on certain phase of the moon and planetary configuration. Seasonal. Aim: Its aim is to scare the victim first, suck its life force. I dont know if they actually eat flesh. Classification: Demon/Ghoul/Aswang Legend Say I remember my mom telling me a story about a magpuputol. She said that when she was young she uses a mosquito net when she sleeps at night. One night while she was sleeping she began fidgeting and be
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unsettled. She then noticed that theres something on top of her kulambo13 that looks like a hand. She didnt mind it at first and went back to sleep. As she was about to close her eyes to sleep again she noticed that the mosquito net began to dent more towards her and now the seeming hand seems to be a whole arm. She thought that her dad was there to wake her up. So as she was about to sit up and ask what her dad wants, only then she saw that the arm is decapitated and there was something else beside the arm, a decapitated head with its bloodshot eyes staring at her. She called her dad (more like screamed I think) and after telling him what she saw, my grandfather said that she should come with him somewhere outside. They went outside the house and my grandfather asked my mom to hold a lighted candle while he does his thing. Then after my grandfather did his some sort of ritual he told my mom to
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Mosquito net
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extinguish the candle and they went back inside the house and all will be okey. In the morning my grandfather asked my mom if she managed to sleep well. My mom said yes. My mom asked what it was, and my grandfather said its a family of demons that was buried alive. They are called Magpuputol. My POV I think with 2 accounts of stories I have encountered, the decapitated head that falls on the ground in one of the high school campus in Pangasinan and what my mom told me, a magpuputol is not a living person but a vengeance spirit turned into a demon. I havent heard of a story of magpuputol especially of a human being that can decapitate its own head and still live. So if there is a magpuputol, its a spirit that can materialized its body parts to scare
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people and send a message. Haay, bakit di na lang mag text kasi! Another thing is that this is a great way to dispose of people you cant get rid off your property! If you can implore the magpuputols services then I bet you that the ones you want away will immediately pack their things and go away as fast as they can and also as far as they can go.
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TIKTIK TIKTIK is a small black bird thats said to be aswangs enemy and reveal the aswangs whereabouts. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Small black bird As big as a swallow or maya14
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Rice bird
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May titik sa opisina na ito kaya magiingat kayo sa pagsasalita ninyo. Theres a spy in this office so you better be careful of what you say. Huwag kang matutulog muna dahil may tiktik pa sa bubungan natin baka nandiyan pa ang aswang. Better not sleep yet the tiktik is still on the roof, maybe the ghoul is still around. Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: Why dispose this handy fella when it can tell you if an aswang is around. Frequency: As long as an aswang is around searching for prey the tiktik will be there. Aim: To warn and expose whereabouts of the aswang. the
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Classification: Beast/Ghoul Legend Say Theres a very old story that says that long ago in a far away village theres a couple who has a new born child. The town hag learned about this and planned to get the new born kid as her priced feast for the night. The hag manage to trick the wife killed her and immediately bit the babys leg and ate some of its flesh. The Man went back and saw what she did to his family. He swore that he will be forever follow the hag anywhere it goes and reveal to the people where she is, to prevent her from victimizing. The man died afterwards but transferred his soul to a bird which we now know as a TIKTIK. My POV Contrary to some stories, a tiktik is not bad or a ghouls (aswang) familiar.
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Why do I say that? Lets take the use of the word tiktik. It has been a commonly and widely used word which means to spy without being spotted. Some people say that it is to trick man in believing that the aswang is far or near. Where is the common sense in that? Whether far or near there is still the aswang, and no person in their right mind would just relax when they hear the tiktiks sound loud (which means the aswang is far) Oh now we can relax kids, thank goodness the aswang is now 6 feet away according to the tiktik! If it is to trick people then it should have been called goyo, gantso, loko, mas maganda siguro ang name na denggoy! But the name is TIKTIK which is a word for spy! So I still hold on the belief of the original sane and wise people I have talked to before, where they say that the tiktik tells man where the aswang is. If the tiktik is on top of the roof then the aswang is at the basement or below, when the tiktik is below or at the basement,
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then the aswang is on the roof, when its at the door the aswang is at the back of the house but when the tiktik is at the window, the aswang is already inside your house, maybe he is your guest sitting infront of you! So be silent now and listen carefully. Gotcha!
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AMARANHIG Amaranhit/Amalanhig A human being that comes back to life after being dead for 3 days and haunts his enemies to get their life force is called an Amaranhit or Amaranhig. It is also the local version of a zombie or vampire. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Decaying body Rotten smell Living corpse Moves swiftly Hates water Cant bend its knees Cant bend its elbows Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Water, cant bend its joints.
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Dispose: Decapitate its head then throw it in the river. Frequency: N/A Aim: To take vengeance to those who maltreat him when he was still alive. But there are cases that they just attack randomly and suck the life force of the victim through the mouth or nose. When you suspect a person who just died being an amaranhit you can tie a red string on its toes to prevent it from coming back to life Classification: Zombie/Ghoul Legend Say Back in the early days when the Philippines was called Malaya, when Christianity havent touch our land, it was said that there are clans in the
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south of our island that was once governed by a wise datu15. It is said that this datu commissioned his high priestess to create soldiers that are immortal and cant be killed. The priestess then asked the spirits to help her find a way. She was granted her wish and found a way to create warriors that are immortal, but first they must be killed and afterwards revived to life by demon spirits. After 3 days of ritual by putting dark soot all over the dead bodies of the soldiers and sacrifices made, they came back to life but with no sanity at all, what they know is to attack and kill people. They cant be killed because literary they are already dead. After they have accomplished their mission the soldiers are said to die. My POV I dont know what happened somewhere or somehow, that from
15
Chieftain
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the said legend, we came about with amaranhit like creature we have today. Maybe some remnants of this soldier managed to survive or he failed to do his task and still lingers the earthly plane. They somewhat evolved into something so lowly and despicable. I heard stories that the suspected amaranhit while still human and when about to die it would transfer a white small pebble like pellet to its immediate kin to transfer the power of coming back to life. When the pebble is transferred the one who took it, he is she will become the next amaranhit. Bakit hindi na lang kasi itapon ang pebble na yan? I was told that the only way the handler of the pebble would die is to transfer it to someone else and when its not transferred to a living person it will always find its way to the original handler. To make sure that a suspected amaranhit would come back to life after dying for 3 days is to decapitate
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its head before even dying. How gruesome! Theres a better way to do it. It has been said that the demon spirit would enter from the toes of the corpse before the third day of wake is about to lapse, so by tying a red string to the toes the demon spirit would be prevented from entering because its afraid of the color and will loose its chance of possessing the said dead body. Only then you can bury the dead. Bakit kasi di na lang icremate pagkamatay eh, tapos ang usapan! Unlike zombies that eat brain, amaranhit suck out life force maybe because theres not much brain to eat to Filipinos anyway. Haha! But theres more life to them! Amen! During the Spanish era, the Padres or priests would tell everyone that in order that their love ones would not turn to demons after being dead is to have them blessed, even unborn
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children or else they will become demons! Go Padre! Galing mo talaga! An Amaranhit Experience In one of our travels and investigation we came upon an amaranhit case. We went to Montalban and found a lady asking if we could help her not become an amaranhit. Her father is suspected of being one. When she was young she remembered her father being an arbularyo. To some unknown reason her father was killed, but before dying her father told her that he will not die and suffer unless he transfer the mutya16 to her. Out of compassion she accepted the mutya and only then her father died. After the burial she went back to her fathers resting place and found it dug. Reports now began to spread around the village
16
Literally Mutya means jewel, but in this context it means a magical or mystical stone that can be gathered from natural means.
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that they have seen her fathers corpse lurking in the nearby forest. One night she saw her decaying father right outside the window but as soon as she was about to get up its gone. Things got worse when young children and even a few adults started dying of a mysterious ailment. Rumor has it that its because of the Amaranhit. The town folks now have their attention on her. We went there to investigate and find out. The team was composed of Eirik, John, Laiza and I, with the Segment producer, writer, researcher and a few crew. I made a plan wherein to find out really if the girl is a candidate for being an amaranhit. While doing our stuff I immediately sensed a presence and the smell of decaying flesh. The girl started to go wild and was about to attacked me. Having a super keen sense and reflex (ehem),
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when she was about to grab and attack me, I got hold of our segment producer beside me and quickly pulled him infront of me making him my shield (sorry Ryan)! Then I saw a corpse-like figure outside the window wearing a barong, which Eirik and John saw too. I quickly grab John and told him to come with me outside to battle the amaranhit. But as soon as we got outside the amaranhit was nowhere to be found (sayang naman, haaay). Would have thrown Phoenix Down or cast Life17 to the creature! I remembered John asking me. Kuya eh ano kaya gagawin ko kung nandun pa rin yun monster! Bigla mo na lang akong sinabihan na John come with me! Ako naman sumunod! Eh kung inattack tayo nun?! Sa laki ng katawan mo, eh matanda nay un at nabubulok pa, malamang
17
These are actions that can be performed in most RPG games. Phoenix Down is an item and Life is a spell. Bboth gives Life to a players character when dead. Deadly to Undead beings in RPG.
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malibing siya ng tamang oras! I Told John. Eventually, the case was solved and made sure the girl will not turn to an amaranhit when she dies. She asked me how can we be sure that she will not turn to an amaranhit, told her theres only one way to find out, we must kill her, and after 3 days, we will find out! She must die! Wakekeke! She lashes back by saying what if she turns to an amaranhit when we killed her, I told her that I will kill her again. Haaay..too much killing, what the world needs now is love, sweet love!
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EBWA/WIRWIR
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Ghouls that stalks the dead body during wake. Upon burying the dead, ebwa will dig it up and eat its flesh. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: They go in pairs or group Ghouls that stay away from many people They live in remote places in group or alone Very nocturnal Thin and Gollumlike creature They hate lights They smell like cadaver Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Flames or lights Dispose: Decapitate the head then pound it to dust. Place the lifeless68
chopped body in a meat mincer, grind as many times as you want! Then burn the minced ebwa. (Kapag di pa namatay yan ewan ko na lang!) Frequency: N/A, although some people say they come out at night and would stalk people who are about to die. Aim: To steal the dead body and feast on it. Classification: Ghoul Legend Say They say that one of the reasons why a deadbody has to have a wake and light candles around the cadaver is because of creatures like ebwa and other ghouls. People say that after 9 days of stalking at the deadbody during wake the ebwa looses interest at the cadaver and would leave it alone. Thats why only after 9 days they will bury the deadbody now safe
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from being exumed and consumed by the ebwa.
ELEMENTALS
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DUWENDE A midget-like-mytical-creature that is no higher than human knees. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Small, about knee high
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Childlike features but some are already bearded Same as human being except they are very small, very much smaller Some dwarfs wear fancy clothes while some are wearing common clothes. Some wear hats, some dont. They can mystically or magickally inflict disease or pain to man. They are said to be mischievous and playful. Some say they have one eye and one nostril. Tranformed: N/A Weakness: Salt Dispose: There are a few ways to dispose or render these creatures
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helpless, but most of them are afraid of salt. Salt stuns them. Frequency: N/A Aim: They are guardians of the mines and underworld that takes care of the soil or earth and all its treasure. Classification: Elemental Legend Say In the ancient days when the Bathala created the Universe he created the dwarfs to take care of the treasures of the deep earth including minerals and precious stones. There are many types and classification of duwende. Believed to be EARTH ELEMENTS like the Nuno sa Punso or typically known ay laman lupa, duwende or dwarfs are catergorized as following according to their features.
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Goblins/GNOMES- In the Philippines, these creatures are generally called LAMAN LUPA. With thick skin which is soil-like in color, big rounded ears, big pugged-nose and big round eyes, no higher than human knees, stocky in feature. They dwell in soft terrain part of the earth. I have encountered a gnome many years ago when we went to Nueva Viscaya. My friends and I have checked-in an apartelle and we have to spend the night there. I shared the room with our driver and my other 2 friends were in the other room. I didnt feel anything unusual in the place because we have been traveling for like 10 hours by land and I was so exhausted. As soon as I hit the bed, I went straight to sleep. It only takes me like 2 hours to recharge myself. After 2 hours of rest I was already up while our driver was still in the land of dreams. I went to the toilette and washed my face and
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did my usual thing in the john18. I decided to go back to bed because my 2 other friends are still asleep. I grabbed one of the books I brought with me and lay down in bed. After a few minutes of reading while lying down, I felt a heavy pressure on my chest going up to my neck. I cant breathe. I put down the book and closed my eyes to center myself. When I opened my eyes, staring back at me was an ugly looking gnome, with rounded ear, big full mouth, pugged nose and stocky hands on top of my chest. It talked to me and said that we will not leave that place alive, while smiling at me. I smiled back and told him that he just messed with the wrong guy! He quickly disappeared and suddenly we heard one of our friend screamed at the other room. We went there and asked her what happened. She told us that a small man was on top of her and was cupping her breast (Such a perverted gnome). I told them not to worry and
18
John- slang for Comfort Room
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to give me 5 minutes to fix it. I went back to my room, woke up our driver and told him to leave the room first and stay at the other room where the rest of my friends were. I got a chair and a mirror and sat. I summoned back the uncivilized-moronic-gnome. He appeared in-front of me and by this time he was so anxious and kept on talking and walking back and fort saying sorry for scaring us. I told him that it has been quite sometime since I have had a figurine dwarf and if he was willing to be my figurine which I can bring back home as a souvenir. He begged me not to turn him to a stone! I said that he should be careful next time, then he started saying that it was my fault for not saying who I was and what I can do. He apologized and he said that he wasnt able to sense anything from me. I told him to just go away, which he did. DUWENDE NA:
1. Puti (white)- these are typical
duwende that are said to be nice

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and would humans.

2. Pula
be
friendly
to
(red)-there are types of duwende that are said to be not bad nor not good, but usually would play tricks on man. duwende that have jagged teeth, dark complexion, pointy eyes, long fingernails, in short scary and evil!
3. Itim (black)- these are types of
Of all the said duwendes color like the puti, pula or itim, its mostly the itim I would encounter (birds with same feathers are the same bird). They usually dont wear anything on top and would have anahaw19 or any leaf around their waste which serves as their only clothing. Unlike others who are part of the community who wears colorful-silk-like clothes, the itims dont belong to any community at all. They have black-oily skin and would
19
Anahaw is the Philippines national leaf.
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hiss at people who can see them. Like other duwendes they dont reason or compromise until a person who knows how to subdue them can make them obey. They have small protruding horns in their forehead and most of the times thye have bloodshot eyes. They dislike crowds and people entering their territory. Encounters with Black Duwendes In the early 90s I was invited to a farm in Batangas. We went there in the morning and as we entered the farm I saw a black and small thing running away from the house. As we were about to enter the house a dark creature behind the post in the loft caught my attention. I pretended not to notice it and stayed there for awhile. I suddenly scared the small creature by shooing it, the creature was startled and started hissing at me then rushed away.
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Another encounter with an itim na duwende was when a patient came to me and the mother brought in to my room a small child looking like a kid from Somalia. The mother said that her son is actually 13 years old but since last year when they went to the province he became weak and started shrinking and eventually becoming like what he is now. I did what I have to do. Then a black duwende appeared and he said he caused the ailment. Knowing that they dont settle for reason, I place a small cut to the black dwarf and what I saw was disgusting. Out of the wound of the black dwarf came out maggots. It healed immediately but he was hurt. I continued doing it until he agreed to let go of the kid. The dwarf was so furious at me but he cant do anything. One secret is to outwit and debate with these creatures and when they cant answer your intelligent questions they will go making excuses which are ridiculous at this point you can make them
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agree to your command and when you get them thats the time you let them go. Encounters with Dwarf Parade When I was young I remember we went to Bulacan and it was already dark when we got there. While on the road the driver suddenly stopped, I look the front of the car but there was nothing there and no reason for us to halt. The driver said there is something wrong with the car and it stopped and wont start. He went down and popped up the hood. I stuck out my head at the window and look infront of us. There was nothing, I continued to look then I saw small colorful creatures crossing the street having a parade. They were holding torches and some small flags and pouches, chatting while they were crossing. When all of them have gone across the driver said that he will try to start the car again, and it did.
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Interview with a Duwende I managed to interview a dwarf one time and asked him things I wanted to know about them. Some of the details are here. Their community is just like ours but instead of mayors, they have a King. Sometimes they have both King and Queen. They dont copulate like humans do but instead if a dwarf couple decides to have an offspring they will asked permission from their King and the whole community. When they are granted they will gather soil and form it into a dwarf-like figure while each of them would breathe life to it turning it to a new citizen or their kid. They will then present their child to the King and the whole community, wherein the King would give the child obligation or responsibility for the community. Its the parents role to educate their child of the rules and laws of the dwarf community. Whenever anyone
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of the members of the community commits a crime of disobedience the King would grant punishment either exile or confinement. The royalties and the ones that live under the rule of a dwarf king would always have and wear colorful clothes like the ones we see in the movies. If you happen to encounter one, you will notice that their clothes are neither sewn nor hemmed; they are all in one piece. Their touch feels like frogs skin. When you befriend a dwarf and the dwarf trust you, he might give you anything of his possession such as a hat, pouch, spoon, clay pot, clothe, silk belt, shoe, etc. They say that it holds great powers that can help for treasures, mines, agriculture and luck. I once asked for a pouch but he refused to give it. Sayang naman kasi, told him that I am nice to them and he said they like me but it is forbidden for them to give away something for nothing. He said that
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they are grateful that I was nice to them, but he said that being nice shouldnt be rewarded at all, because it is natural! Even if it is a Dwarf King he must obey their laws! They may be stupid but not idiots! Sana ganyan din ang mga officials natin sa government! May duwende nga sa government natin kaso mukhang itim na duwende eh! Mea Culpa! My POV Dealing with duwendes Duen in Spanish means owner and Duen de means owner of. It has been said that they are the owners of earth kingdom (mayroon kayang ctc o titulo ng lupa mga ito?) I have heard many stories of people having a duwende as their friend and would even let them stay in their
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properties because its suwerte20. Some would even make alay or atang21, like food at their designated haven. The food usually consists of steamed sticky-rice, steamed or fried chicken, dimsum, but making sure that all the food doesnt have salt in it. Personally for me I find this practice absurd and plain ridiculous. Giving power to these creatures and adoration much more giving credit to things we are capable of doing on our own is absolutely a losers choice. We must not be accustomed to blame it to someone or something when things are doing well or not doing well in our lives! Take credit!
20 21
Lucky Sacrifices and offering
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Nuno sa PUNSO Caranget, Carango, Kama-kama A type of gnome thats old and sits and housed an anthill wearing a salakot22. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Same features of a common gnome Old
22
Native hat made of dried fibers woven together.
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Have long beard and goatee Wears a salakot Always have a rice stalk or stem in his mouth Sits on top of an anthill Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Salt and spices Dispose: Same as other gnomes. Some say that you cant actually kill these elementals but you can just transform them to something else or make them leave the place. Frequency: Can be seen after light shower or drizzle. Aim: To guard certain territory of gnome kingdom. I think they are retirees from the dwarf community! Classification: Elemental
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Legend Say The Nuno which literary means OLD or elder (ancestor) is said to housed anthills and mounds. They just stay there to make sure no one disturbs the dwarf kingdom. Somehow I see them as village securities. But not all of them live in the punso or anthill. I was said that they never leave their posts and just get transferred to another location if ever. One way to know that an anthill no longer has a Nuno o matanda guarding it is when the anthill or mound has grown bigger or taller than the knees. If the anthill is below the knees then chances are there is still a Nuno guarding its post there. They are said to be wise, which is so unlikely for any earth elements like gnomes. In the olden days and some accounts now say that when people destroy anthills which is suspected to be a house of a gnome the person or
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people involved in destroying it gets sick and would even die because they made the NUNO angry. I have heard a story when I was young that if you want a gnome or dwarf to find a new location aside from your property is to do the following. Demolition Gnome (Parang MMDA ng mga Elementals) Force Eviction Gather dried coconut shells approximately around 21 pcs., which has to be cut in half. Remember our bunot the ones we use to polish our wooden floors? Yes, thats it. Get 3 kilos of salt. The process is indeed very easy. I dont know if you have to get the demolition permit from any local gnome official, but anyway, early in the morning just when the sun is about to rise get the salt and place and encircle the mound with it (hefty amount of it) then place 7 bunot on top and around the mound.
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Pour a little kerosene on top of each bunot and light a flame to it. Leave the place immediately when you have set your 7 bunots on fire. You shouldnt get near it or let anyone near it while the process of eviction is going on. The next day at the same time, do this again. You have to do and perform it 3 times thats why you will need 21 pcs of bunot and plenty of salt. Dont remove your previous bunot that you placed and burnt before, if there are some left unburned just pour a little kerosene to it and set it a fire together with the new ones. After 3 days you can have someone destroy it. My POV In my opinion having an anthill is not good for the health. The nuno was created so that the children will not play around the anthills. Anthills have ANTS, and not just typical ants but termites! You cant just ignore the facts that it is dangerous to have our
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young ones play around somewhere that is that dangerous. So instead of telling our children that its not safe, we tell them that there is this OLD man living there and would kidnap them. Anthills exude certain gasses which when too much is contained and we get exposed to we get sick or poisoned. I think termites emit methane gas. Kikakain nila ng kahoy at kung anu-anong ewan and their by product becomes dangerous not to mention they bite like hell! If you cant afford to do the rite above, then better call a pest-controller.
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ANSIRIT Ansisit/ Kibaan A type of duwende that roam around with its feet pointing at the reverse direction. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Just like other gnomes these elementals are short Long nosed Old Chinito eyes Pointed ears Wears loose and tattered common clothes
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Always holding pouch or bag Have reverse feet Tranformed: N/A
Weaknesses: Same as all gnomes and dwarfs they dislike spices and salt, but distinct weakness this gnome has is that of pretty girls with long hair. They would even stop to stare at a picture of pretty girls for hours. Dispose: Show them ugly pictures of girls who look like men. Frequency: Sometimes can be seen walking at a busy street and also trekking hills. Aim: N/A Classification: Gnome/ Elemental Legend Say
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It has been said that ansisit and kibaans are nomads. They keep on walking and traveling searching for something. Some said that they like picking stuff such as buttons, coins, pins, pictures, rice and even clothes that you throw away and the ansisit or kibaan would place it inside its big pouch that they treasure so much. A version of the story I heard from an elder said that the ansisit and kibaan would go the mile to search for the person who threw that object and would curse that person to ailment for throwing such precious item. The reason why their feet are reverse is to confuse people who would follow them and would try to steal their precious pouch. She also told me that If I manage to find the pouch and hide it the Ansisit or Kibaan would do anything even tell me where to get treasures of gold and precious stones in exchange of the pouch filled with buttons, pins, pictures and pieces of raw rice.
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My POV I think this is another story that our ancestors made to more aware of the value of not just throwing things away eventually not to waste rice and value small objects we have. How I wish he would grab trash and garbage too! We need more ansisit and kibaan if that is the case! Not to mention that in the early days when a girl looks very pretty, she shouldnt flaunt it for fear that the dwarfs might get interested to court and marry her. There were lots of things that a girl cant do in public like combing their hair, wear make-up, sing while cooking, wear shorts and God knows what else. The above things I mentioned are subconsciously sexy and what they should be more afraid of are not dwarfs but the guys whose eyes go popping out (sana nga eyes lang ang popping out) when Mary does her poppins! Applause to our lolos and lolas of the olden days for
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creating such myth, who would want a dwarf for an in-law and who would want a short-weird-anthill-dwellerdwarf for a husband?
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LAMBANA An elf-like-creature no bigger than the fingers and said to play at night and dwells among plants and flowers. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Finger sized Some are winged Features of men only very, very, very, very tiny Pointed ears Pointed almond eyes Light chiffon like leafy clothing Some can fly or levitate Think tinkerbell Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A
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Dispose: N/A Frequency: Full moon and after light showers Aim: To take care of the trees and plant kingdom or FAUNS. Classification: Elemental Legend Say They are considered cross breeds of elf and fairies. These creatures dwell in plants and trees making sure that they get enough energy from the moon and keeping them alive. It has been said that the lambanas make sure of making tress and plants flower. Legends say that long ago the olden god from kalawakan created these creatures to gather nectar from the flowers to be given to him. These creatures were given time limit to spend on Earth to gather the nectar.
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One day some of them befriended humans and got so engrossed in being with them, without knowing that their time to spend on earth has already elapsed. The olden God got angry because his cup of nectar was not filled so he cursed the lambanas never to return to the heavens. Until now the Lambanas are doing their jobs in collecting nectars ang making sure that flowers bloom. My POV Personally, I havent seen a lambana upclose and personal. They dont actually have that much of affection on me or they dont catch my attention that much. I like flowers but I think lambanas where created so that we dont mess up with the flower garden not to mention to give origins of things like why the flowers blooms and have strong wonderful scent during fullmoon. Lets point our fingers at the lambanas!
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UNDINE
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This water elemental creature that guards the entrance of the hidden water kingdom. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Short, around 34ft tall Dark green, gray fish-like skin Big goggle eyes Fin-like ears Webbed fingers and toes Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Fire Dispose: They are afraid of torches Frequency: N/A, they usually appear during full moon at river banks and lakes.
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Aim: They guard certain body of water such as river, lake, streams, sea and even dams or water reservoirs. Classification: Water Elemental Legend Say These beings are usually guarding secret pathway to the hidden world of the water nymphs or kingdoms of water elementals. They dont like to be disturbed or seen by mortals. Whats more they dont like people hanging around their territories afraid that they may be sighted. A friends undine experience I met William when I was in high school. He was perhaps one of those people that dont believe in the unseen world. I like his attitude being ma-contra or epal23 to everything. HE would debate on smallest things
23
An ass-hole
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and would never accept defeat or failure. He knew of my abilities but would never dare to challenge me or question what I am capable of. Usually, if our friends would ask me to tell stories or experiences about the supernatural, he would just sit there with us pretending to read something and not be interested. One day, one of our common friend, invited me to spend the weekend to their place due to Williams request. Si William? Nagyayang magovernight at kailangan kasama ako? That was weird. All the while I thought William hates my company, because just like him, I am also a smart pig. I arrived at my friends place and everyone was there. I am always welcome in my friends house and even my friends parents would insist that I should visit them more often (maybe because I helped them solved a paranormal anomaly that occurred
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in their house before or they just simply like me) and spend more time there. I asked the reason why we are all gathered there that night. Usually we do this kind of pajama party when theres an occasion, like birthdays or whats. Na-impakto si William! Naniniwala na siya! Everybody was making fun of William for something he experienced during the week. I asked William to tell me what happened. Last weekend, nagpunta kami ng mga pinsan ko sa Laguna sa mga Lola ko. May parang ilog dun at naligo kami. Mababaw lang ang tubig noon at napag kasunduan naming mag pipinsan na mag-overnight dun sa maliit na kubo. Dumilim na and all of us went inside the kubo to eat dinner, then we went out again to make a bonfire. Di sila makapag start ng bonfire kasi medyo malakas ang hangin, kaya ako na lang ang nag gawa ng apoy muna malapit sa
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malaking bato dun para nahaharangan ang hangin. Nakapag paapoy ako dun na kami naupo malapit sa apoy at nagkuwentuhan. I went on top of the rock and rest there for awhile and play game and watch, didnt realized na naka idlip na ako dun. Ginising nila ako at pumasok na raw kami sa kubo to sleep kasi medyo malamok. We went inside the kubo. I realized na nawawala ang game and watch24 ko sa bulsa ko at baka nahulog sa baton a hinigaan ko. I told my cousins that I will go back to the river to look for my GNW. My Kuya (brother) said that he will go with me and I might encounter a mumu (kiddie term for ghost). Sabi ko huwag na at hindi ako takot o naniniwala sa mga ganyan. So I went by myself na may dalang flashlight. Malapit lang naman kasi mga 1 block away lang siguro. He suddenly stood up and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and
24
A prehistoric game consule. Katumbas ng PSP natin ngayon.
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went back to us in the living area. My moms friend was so concerned to William that she sat beside him to the couch. Everybody was making fun of him. I urged him to continue his story. Totoo ba ang duwende? Kasi when I got to the river I knew something was wrong, as if I am being watch. I even sang Faith ni George Michael dahil parang kinabahan ako bigla. I tried looking for my game and watch along the bottom of the big rock, tapos biglang ayun, I was using the flashlight then I noticed that there were small legs infront of me na parang grayish-green. Nakaluhod ako nun, tapos pagtingin ko at pag flashlight ko sa mukha eh parang si E.T. (George Lucas film about an alien, E.T., meaning Extra Terrestial) pero bilog mga mata na luwa at may mali-liit na ipin. Parang namanhid buo kong katawan and para akong lumapad, I dont know. Nagmumura na lang ako and rushed back to the kubo to my cousins. Luckily gising pa
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sila and umuwi agad kami sa lola ko kahit gabi na kasi ayaw na naming matulog dun malapit. Akala ko nga imagination ko lang and it seems like a dream till now. My lola said that we have to go back there in the morning to ask for forgiveness for disturbing whatever spirit was there. We did what my lola said and I went back to Manila together with my brother that same day. Hanggang ngayon natutulog ako ng bukas ang ilaw kasi baka sinundan ako nun. May alam ka ba to kill them? Resbak?25 What the heck he was thinking about, I thought to my self. Hindi yun duwende. I cant say that its a syokoy but the general term for water elementals are Undines. There are undines like that. Dont worry, I dont think they really mean anything harm to you. Baka nagtataka lang yun kung ano ginagawa mo dun. Eh
25
A slang term to retaliate
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asan na yun game and watch mo? Nakita mo pa ba? Kinuha na ng undine! everybody shouted. Hindi ah, andun pala sa loob ng kubo. William replied. That experience became a laughing stock and private joke among us ever since.
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ELF/FAIRIES/ENCANTO
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LEWENRI An entity with human-like form and would lure humans to accompany them. Most of them are said to be friendly to an extent. They have a glowing white light around them. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Male Meztizos Extremely handsome Always wearing white they can render themselves invisible soft spoken
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Tranformed: Some say they can transform to cats, but one thing they can do best is to be invisible. Weaknesses: Salt and spices Dispose: N/A Frequency: Seasonal Aim: To befriend humans and make them his company for eternity. Classification: Encanto Legend Say Lewenris are famous especially in the Panay region of the Visayas. In my search for supernatural beings I was directed to go to Iloilo. I have met a lot of people there and actually knew and still know a few till now. From Iloilo my friend took me to the remote towns just after Miagao. We
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came to a barangay near the sea and met few people who told me about the story of fairies and enchanters of long ago. I was privilege enough to have met an old lady about 95 years of age that told me a story about her younger days living in the area. She vividly recalls of her teenage years that her parents would tell her not to play around trees and keep away of the shore because the encantos might kidnapped her and make her one of them or worst into a slave. She recalls that there are times of the year that people would actually not come out of their houses because of the Encantos who will arrive. One day they all heard a loud noise like a large ship honking its horn. Her mother told her not to go out or even look at the window to know whats going on. Being curious (more like matigas ang ulo) she peeked at the window and this is what she saw:
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(She speaks carai-a26 luckily my friend is fluent in the dialect and translated it to me) I saw a large golden ship. I have never seen anything like it before. Everything was gold. The water in the beach seems so still and calm while the large vessel did not make waves as it docks on the shore. It went directly infront of the large tree just infront of our house. There where mist all around. It was only around 23pm then, so its impossible. I saw silhouette beings descending the large golden ship they are all wearing white. I got a glimpse of their faces iba iba ang hitsura nila some look like Japanese some are Caucasians. They all disappear as they all go near the village. Another interviewee whos a professor in the nearby university said that when he was small he saw his grandfather talking to one of the
26
A native visayan dialect
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Lewenries and the Lewenri hands his grandfather a box of silverwares. When the Lewenri left he asked his grandfather what does the Lewenri want? His grandfather replied that the Lewenri wants all the silverware etched with a symbol. He saw the symbol and he can recall what it looks like until now. His grandfather was paid in silver and gold coins. Another person told me that in the recent year there has been only a few sightings of the Lewenries, the last account was when they saw a truck of beer going near the village. They asked to whom they are delivering the beers to. The driver of the truck said that they had an order of a truck of beer for a fiesta of some sort and the address was the small nipa hut infront of a big tree near the shore. The owner of the nipa hut was not there at the time and the truck spent the night waiting for the owner. When it was about 4am the driver of the truck decided to just leave maybe
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having a mistake from the exact address of the delivery. When they checked the back of the truck they realized that all the bottles were empty and a piece of big leaf was left there for them to see, inside the leaf was the exact amount of money for all the said beer. They learned that the owner of the nipa hut did not place an order of a truck of beer. The amazing thing was none of the bottles where even opened or has no sign of being opened, but all were empty.
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ENCANTO Mystical beings which resides in forests, lakes, mountains, rivers and are said to lure humans by chanting and making the humans feel they are lost while inside their kingdom. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: beautiful features
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male/female regal fairy fluidic movement no philtrum Spirit beings
Tranformed: They can transform to humans but without a philtrum. Weaknesses: Holy or sacred objects. Dispose: N/A Frequency: Seasonal Aim: nature Ambassador/Guardians of
Encanto- Prefix EN (to put under or to) CANTAR (canta which means sing or chant) Enchanter- From the root word Chant : To Enchant meaning to put under hypnosis by using chants.
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Encantada-female encanto Encantador-male encanto Diwata-Fairy Theres still not much information regarding the world of the encantos. Some say that they are guardians of nature but some say that they are evil spirits which are earthbound. For me there are still many classifications of Encantos, but all of them has distinct character, they somewhat has a singing tone when they communicate to human beings (or should I say when they lure them). Many people whod come to me and tell me stories that they have an encounter with an encanto would always tell me that they got lost somewhere, somehow. I would asked them if they heard a singing voice and when they tell me they dont I would tell them its not an encanto but sheer lousy sense of direction. Why? Again, they are not called encanto for nothing. They enchant and not just
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give you the misguided direction to wonderland. So what am I saying here?! Well its as simple as if you dont hear em singing, then encantos not flirting! They say that when you are being lost or being played around by an encanto is to reverse your clothing inside-out and then you will find your way back. They dont make any sense to me though, but they say that it really works. An explanation was given to me that when you wear your clothes inside-out the encantos will loose their concentration because they will find you ridiculously funny wearing a shirt inside-out, therefore letting you go. I dont get their sense of humor, whats funny with a person wearing clothes inside-out? Anyway, encantos are usually miserable and they want someone (humans are actually best preferred) to join them in their lousy and boring lifestyle.
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Theres a story of Maria Makiling27, Maria Sinukuan28 and many more roster of Marias who happened to be enchantress. The old story goes like they all fell in love with male human beings and got hurt or betrayed somehow. There was even a story of the fabled Maria Makiling of Mt. Makiling in Laguna who would mingle with townfolks during festivities and would give gifts to the villagers. Why is it that there is always a Maria in every mountain? I know that there are always mountains in every Maria (got that? Hehehe). One time we went to Sagada and the one incharge of tourism there told us not to go by the mountains alone without a local guide. Local guides would costs us around 100-500 each for showing us the different places in Sagada. They said that the spirits or anito of the place dont want strangers roaming around their territory. We went around (I was with
27 28
Legendary fairy that dwells in Mt. Makiling Legendary fairy that dwells in Mt.Arayat
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a cameraman then, now a cum writer, Philip King and John delos Santos the psychic) without hiring a guide, aside from lack of funds, I would love to dare myself of being lost in wonderland. We went to every nook and cranny and went back to where we were staying without any difficulties and without a local guide. Sometimes people will invent silly stories just to mug you with a few pesos but its ok, rather than mugging people in the dark and leaving them helpless not to mention shocked and bloody. For me Encantos are sad creatures that cry and search for attention and companions. It is obnoxious to think that just because you got lost there is an encanto trying to play a prank on you. Having a close-encounter of the encanto kind is very much surreal. I have listened to stories from abductees that when they were abducted they had no idea that they
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were already captives. All of them have distinct part in their stories. Here are some of the real life stories. First Encounter Eddie was abducted when he was a student in medicine. It happened when he went for a vacation in their province in Batangas. He said that since his childhood he would always be taken to the local arbularyo by his mom because he was sickly growing up in the province. The arbularyo would always tell them that he was picked by an unseen beings and thats the reason why he gets sick. When he got into high school he needs to stay in Manila and he begun to feel better. When he went back to Batangas for a summer vacation he went out with his childhood friends to the nearby river for a quick dip and do some catching up for the lost time. When he came back home he said he felt something odd. When his mother told to to get some rest after having
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dinner he stayed in his room and took a nap. He said that he woke up in the middle of the night and heard someone singing just outside his window. He went outside for a stick of ciggs and then all he can remember was he was walking in the forest and meeting a beautiful lady that invited him in her house. All the while he thought he was dreaming. He said that the house was so beautiful and there were others there but it was only the girl who entertained him. He was offered to drink and eat but he declined because he knows he cant have food at that time of the hour (luckily he was watching his weight). Suddenly he knew that he has to go back home for it was really getting late and weird for him because he knows every nook and cranny of their town yet he never met all these people there. He just knew he has to leave. When he said goodbye to his hostess the hostess said that its still early and the party is just beginning,
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he snuck out and his feet just went from walking to running back home. He said that he cant remember everything that happened inside the hostesses house, that theirs only one thing in his mind at the moment h was running back home, his moms angry face with the sermon that can cut an adobe block into two for being out that late. He said that he felt the running going back home was like an hour until he reached their house and he immediately went back to his room and sleep in his bed. When he woke up the next morning, he saw that the whole family is inside his room having a ruckus, his mother burst into tears as he sits up to find out whats going on. Everybody was asking him of where he was the whole time? San ka ba nagpunta? Nag alala baga kami sayo?! his mother asked him with her eyes filled with tears and worry.
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He was dumbfounded and he taught that they knew he snuck out last night to party somewhere. Eh, Lumabas lang ako baga sandali nagpahangin at nagsigarilyo kagabi tapos bumalik na agad ako! He said while he knew that time he was busted. Anak naman, 3 araw ka naming pinag hahanap at pagkagising ko kanina eh nandito ka na! San ka ba talaga galing?! His mom said. He never told his mom about the lady he heard singing or where he went to. He talked to one of his cousins and told him everything he can remember and they went to the local arbularyo. The arbularyo said that there are many young men before never had the chance to come back after being abducted by the encantada of the river and he was so lucky. The arbularyo gave him (sold him, to be
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exact) a pangontra that he brings with him whenever he goes back to the province. But he told me that it was his fear of his mom that really made him ran back home! He cant actually believe what happened to him for the 3 days that he was missing, for him it was only hours and everything was like a dream and surreal. He was told never to go back to the river again for maybe the next time he gets abducted he wont be as lucky like before. By the time he told me this story, he was planning to go back to Batangas and will try to visit the river again this coming sem break and asked me if I would like to come with him. I willingly accepted his offer and told him that this time we will be the one to host the party for the encantos! Parteee! Anak ng.encanto naman oh!
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One of the things that bother me most is when people will actually tell me that they are or they know someone whos an encanto offspring. I mean, how can that be possible? Did the encanto, somewhere or somehow made a pass and went all bases and got a homerun? A woman giving birth to half-human half-encanto is an old tale dating back to who knows when and who knows why. The angels did it and begotten Nephilims29, Queen Maya did it with Ganesha30 and begotten Siddhartha, Mary did it and begotten Jesus and maybe some more that I dont know of. The great onmyoji31 Abe No Semei was said to be a child of the fox goddess (ifune) during the 9th or 10th century of the Japanese Heian Period. But is it really possible for a spirit to impregnate humans or vise versa?
29 30
Hebrew-Giants, the great old ones. Child of angels and humans Hindu God with elephant head. 31 A person who practices Onmyodo (art of divination and sorcery)
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We dont have sophisticated equipments and medical gadgets before to really test their claims, but now its hard to assume and play hey-look-I-am-pregnant-its-amiracle-and-the-father-is-not-evenhuman-and-I-am-still-a-virgin-game! Man, you will be tested both DNA and hymenally speaking, so you better have a good alibi for being knocked down by your so called spirit lover and he better be responsible (much more at legal age). To physiologically perform the mitosis of the egg cell, it has to pricked and irritated (in the nice process and way) by the sperm cell. Then the magick begins, but some say there are cases of virgin births. Lets say for example that the egg cell performed its mitosis turning into zygote (and who knows to what) and starts the process of gestation. Was it really the working of a spirit who has gone weeeweeeweee all the way to your home and wanting to have a family
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and leaving a souvenir behind or the scientific working of the mind and brain of this future mom. Some say that those people whose upperlip has no dent are children of encantos. Oddly enough, most of them that dont have the upperlip dent (philtrum) I know of have fathers, real human fathers. So what happened there? Are you telling me that the mom is having an affair with an unseen guy when daddy is not around, and whats the use of having an affair when daddy is not around when youre lover cant be seen? The unseen spirit (in this case the encanto) can play hokey-pokey and you turn around anytime it wants, and thats what its all about! A beautiful young lady even told me that before, when she goes to sleep she would dream of a hot and delicious (not the kind of chocolate drink we usually have) guy having sex with her and she is afraid she might
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get pregnant because she once went to an arbularyo and the arbularyo told her that its an ugly encanto trying to seduce her and wants to have a child from her. The arbularyo also told her that the encanto can change its looks to someone she really desire so she will be tempted and give in. She was given an amulet and from then on the fun-wild-steamy-dreams stopped. She came to me asking me if there is a way to bring back the dreams and reverse whatever it is that the arbularyo did (this is a true account people, if you think paranormal or supernatural is weird, try the real world and you will be shock) to her. The romance between Gods and humans has been in myths and legends from long ago and until now it survived in our society. The story of the hey-I-am-just-a-simple-personwith-not-much-wealth-looksaccomplishments-and-education-tobrag-about-but-I-am-favored-by-apowerful-unseen-being is slowly
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changing its clothing to something else now. Same coffee in a different cup!
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AGHOY Unseen being that lives in the forest caves and groves. Friendly to humans and very sociable, would give gifts to its mortal friends and help them anyway it can. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: they look like humans handsome and pretty they wear common human clothing always barefoot
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appear to be young, around early 20s It can make itself visible only to its friends. friendly Tranformed: They can change their size, from as small as a thumb and as big as a tree. Galing naman adjustable! Weaknesses: Sharp objects hang on top of doors or doorways. Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A, di kaya tatakbong pulitiko dahil ma-PR? Classification: Elf/ Fairy Story has it that an aghoy are spirit beings that are good and help people
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in town in terms of medicine and livelihood. They appear human-like and would socialize to anyone with a good heart and honest disposition in life. Some say that Aghoy cant go inside the house uninvited. The moment it has been verbally invited, then the aghoy can come and go to that house anytime it pleases. During asleep, it is said to go inside the house of its considered human friends and would change their sleeping position and even transfer them rooms, just for kicks. The aghoy would know everything about anything in the household where it has an open invitation. It goes out mostly during night time and would go around the village and go near windows where it would wistle or make sit-sit32. Some
32
say
that
aghoy
are
very
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When you try to catch attention by making the sound Psssssst
cunning and is just posing to be a good spirit but underneath its goodness is an evil ploy. First it captures the trust and the heart of people, afterwards, it will lure them one by one, by making them fight each other. The aghoy feeds on doubt, anger, malice, jealousy and other negativity. It will pose as your friend and then will make you think that he/she is the only one you can trust and no one else. It will make you go against your family and closest friends, until you are filled with anger, hatred and malice which the aghoy loves so much. Interesting though, I know a few people who are like that in real life. I mean conniving, malicious, rumormonger; maybe they have aghoy blood in them.
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TAMAHALING Spirit beings that lives in trees and steward of domestic animals. They would sympathized on animals being treated cruelly and would hide them from the owners. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
Usually female They pale red to dark red skin Yellow eyes They are usually naked They bestow blessings to those who love animals and plants They have magickal powers
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that can render themselves invisible. Usually they have bracelets and anklets made out of bones Tranformed: N/A, although there are stories that a tamahaling can actually change into cats, pigs, goats or other animals. Weaknesses: They dislike the scent of the smoke coming from the burning of certain leaves like coconut. Dispose: N/A Frequency: They would usually some out when its full moon. Balete tree is one of their known abode. Aim: Takes care of domestic animals and cure them from ailment or save them from immediate danger.
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Classification: Fairy/Elf Tamahaling are said to be stewards of domestic animals. They would care for it and give it much attention and love. It has been said that when a cat or dog is sick, the tamahaling would get it and take care of it for 3 days hiding it away from mortals. If a man would cut down its abode, the person would be sick and no known medical cure can be use to make the person feel well. Only by sacrificing certain animal that the tamahaling would be appease and forgive the person. Tamahaling takes care of animals because for her it is food.
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MAGTITIMA
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(Mangmangkit/Palasekan) Spiritual beings that live in Balete trees or other trees, and unlike other beings, a Magtitima are far more dangerous. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Fairy like Usually they wear white They dont show their faces most of the times They act regal They dont like sharing their Balete tree to other creatures They like to be treated like deities
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Tranformed: Some say a Magtitima can transform into a white snake and knows secrets of any human being. Weaknesses: They usually hate pungent smell of burning sulfur. They like to be offered white chicken and basi. Dispose: One of the ways to get rid of the Magtitima is said to offer a white chicken as sacrifice to ask it to leave the tree to be cut. Frequency: N/A Aim: Wala nag mamaganda lamang at nag fi-feeling diyosa siguro. Classification: Fairy/Elf I had a first hand account with a Magtitima back in the late 90s. There happens to be a very big balete tree along the road of one famous province that needs to be cut down. Because the balete tree has grown very big and wide that it hinders
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motorists from passing through. Many stories from motorists that had accidents at that place said that they saw a ghosts either passing through the tree or just floating infront of it. The local government had to remove the tree but no one wants to cut it because they are afraid of the being residing in the tree. One time they have offered chicken to it and performeda ritual, but the shaman had an accident right after the ceremony and they decided to postpone the cutting down of the tree. We went to the said location by the invitation of the local government. That night we went to the location of the tree along the road and I tried to level33 what kind of entity of there is one that dwells in the tree. I was so unfamiliar with the vibration and frequency of the said entity of the tree. Gauging the vibration its a
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A process of tuning in and synhronozing with any anomalistic vibration, a very mental process.
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feminine spirit emitting a regal character. Locking in, it was a Magtitima. I havent encountered one before and it was my first time to meet one face to face. I thought handling it was like handling a white lady or other spirits but this one was tough. Negotiating with it was useless so I have to do something else. I manage to transfer the entity somewhere else by force eviction. After a few minutes I told them that it is already safe to cut the tree, but they have to plant more trees in return for cutting the one said housed by a Magtitima.
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ANNANI Annani is said to dwell in nearby forest and groves. It likes human company and would share with it secrets in healing, long life and secret arts. The most royal of all elf family
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and they guard not only trees, rivers or forests but even communities. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
This elf looks like the ones in Lord of the Rings (legolas) They have colorful clothes and headbands sometimes metal and sometimes made of leaves. They have pointed ears and almond eyes Some of them especially females would wear white but with flowers around its head. Some would have girdles or sash
Tranformed: N/A, some say they can transform to animals like white deer.
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Weaknesses: N/A, it likes eating human food. Loves cacao, mani, nganga, basi, panutsa, kakanin and tobacco.34 Dispose: N/A Frequency: They would come out on new moon and full moon on certain occasion. Aim: N/A Classification: Elf/ Fairy One of my favorite elf or fairy family is the Annani. I remember when I was doing my ascension activation when I was younger (not so long ago), I would sense presence of this beings attracted to me if I go to the mountains. They are playful and attracted to the human aura especially those that love and respect trees and nature.
34
Local cocoa, peanut, betel nut, rice wine, palm sugar, rice cakes and cigar.
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A true feast for them is a whole head of a cow, boiled and served with basi! There are times that they would run along coconut plantations and can be seen as a white light grazing. They are healers and would tell you secrets of nature and healing. Once you gain their trust they will be your friend. They never leave their territory or certain location for it is forbidden for them and they will slowly fade away (die) if they leave their area. An experiment If you happen to love hiking and camping in the woods or mountains and if you are daring or adventurous enough of wanting to possibly meet or experience an annani presence, you can try the following. Prepare the following before going overnight at the mountains.
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cup Palm sugar 1 cup Rice Wine 5pcs. Rice Cakes 1 bar Dark Chocolate Betel Nut (nga-nga) 5tbsps. Peanut butter 1 pack Ciggs (gudang garam, the red one) It would be wonderful if you can do this during full moon and make sure your other friends are already asleep. Place everything in a tray and go to the nearby largest tree. Sit there with the tray and while sitted you can take a few try of the things on the tray but make sure not to eat or finish all of them. With all your heart and mind try to focus on the beauty and peace of the nature and the moon. Make yourself acquainted with the plants or your environment. Then whisper these words to the tree and the wind: Faa-em Eomi Feo-Fa-eo Fili-iao Fi-liim Fa-AEO-UI
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Saalafah Heu-mi Aei-sis35 Repeat the chant until you get the feeling of the whole of the things around you become alive and watching at you. This can be scary sometime. If you cant take the pressure and the scary feeling I suggest you better get back to your tent immediately but if you can control yourself and not be afraid, start communing with nature around you until your visitor arrive to greet you. Remember dont take anything that it will give you or eat something that it touches. Just be friendly. When you desire to finish the visitation, just tell them to leave for you are already leaving. You may leave the rest of the stuff but bring your tray. Tell them that maybe you will call on them someday then bid them peace and love.
35
Sacred sounds and language of Fairies
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TAMAWO Elf like creatures that lives in giant trees called BUBOG. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Smaller than dwarfs about 7 inches to 5 inches tall. I am sorry
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guys I didnt measure them for real so this is just an estimate. Miniature humans, unlike dwarfs who are stocky. Pointy ears and eyes Tranformed: N/A, some say they can transform to human form except that they dont cast shadows. Weaknesses: Fire and Salt Dispose: N/A
Frequency: They say that they come out during full moon. Aim: Takes care of trees Classification: Elf/Encanto Legend Say Like other elementals these creatures where created to take care of nature presumably trees. Myth says that
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they inhabit the large trees and make it into their kingdom. Like the dwarf society they (the Tamawos) also have Kings and Queens that rule certain areas. They are very likable creatures and would mingle with humans most of the time. They would punish those who would hurt forests and trees that they govern. They are the best example of the axiom I am a good friend but the worst enemy. When a tamawo likes a person he will be lucky in all his undertakings but if the tamawo becomes an enemy of any human, the tamawo would take revenge not by only punishing the concerned party but also make sure that nature will not cooperate to the whole community. Long ago I was told that there was once a couple who lived in one of the fishing villages of Panay that longed to have a child. The couple has been married for 15 years and yet had no luck in producing a baby. One day the husband had gone out to go fishing
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and the wife had to dry their laundry just outside their hut, when she began to hear a small voice coming out of this huge Bubog tree growing beside their house. She approached the tree and looked, suddenly two tamawos appeared to her and told her that she will soon be pregnant but it will be their child. The small beings disappeared as quickly as she saw them appear. After a few days she found out that she is carrying a baby. It was the happiest moment of their lives. They where surprised to find a small baby basket with baby stuff and clothing infront of their house one day with a monogram O. She gave birth with ease after 9 months. The fishing folks were all happy and delighted to see that the couples wish had come true. The husband started working double time for he knows that it is not easy to bring up a child. After a long and happy 3 months the child disappeared. The only thing they had left from the baby was the baby basket and the cloth that goes with it
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along with that was the memory of a baby with a birthmark at the sole of her feet shaped like a star. The whole village helped the couple to look for the baby, but all in vain. One night as the couple was about to sleep they heard a strange ethereal music. They went outside to know where it was coming from. Suddenly they saw the bubog tree all lit up with millions of fireflies and the music was coming from the tree. They went closer to see and there appeared before them hundreds of Tamawos greeting them with joy. Heading the tamawos festivity were the King and Queen. They heard the King saying Maraming salamat sa pag-aalaga ninyo sa amin anak, bilang kapalit, mula ngayon ay mamumuhay na kayo ng marangya. The queen then said Magbabalik muli sa inyo si Olayra pagkalipas ng 1 taon, ngunit magbabalik siya amin pagdating ng tamang panahon.
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What the tamawos told them came to a reality. Their lives began to improve within 6 months that both of them need not go out to do errands and look for livelihood. The husband became the owner of tens of fishing boats and the wife small business became famous. One night they heard a cry of a baby outside their door, they went out to check and there in front of them is a child, they immediately picked up the child and looked at the soles of the childs feet, to their surprised its the same birthmark that their child has. Their life cant be more complete when Olay-ra came back. This story is very long for me to write here not to mention I will be making it into a film very soon. So, as not to pre-empt the whole thing, its better for me to end it here. My point in telling the story is that it is the one and only account that
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involves a tamawo. It took me 3 days to hear the whole story from an old lady and a couple of old guys. Whats interesting was that 3 of them know certain parts and portions of the story and when you put it all together it becomes a wonderful and meaningful myth. My POV Myths are there to tell us the story of how life was lived. It tells us the setting of their social life, how people interact, what values they hold. Hidden under all the symbols and fairytale like stories are wonderful values people adhere to in the olden days. We begin to understand the rise and fall of empires and civilizations just by listening to stories about myths and legends! Learning from their mistakes and pondering on their success.
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GIANTS/MYSTICAL BEASTS
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MERCUPO/MERKUPO A snake-like creature with hair and said to have a poisonous breath. The local version of a Basilisk36. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Gigantic snake Portions of the head and body have hairs A distinctive red palong on top of the head Thick and thorny mossed-green and grey scales Forked-tail Tranformed: N/A
36
Basilisk is a Western mythical creature which is a gigantic snake that has poisonous breath and can turn human beings into stone by staring at it straight to the eyes.
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Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: N/A, when you capture one it has been said that its flesh is very medicinal and would give vigor, rejuvenation and youth. Other parts are also use in different potions. Frequency: Seldom appear. But there are reports that during the WW2 a merkupo was spotted in the Visayas mountain. Aim: N/A Classification: Mythical Beast Legend Say Some say that these are remnants of the giant creatures of the olden days. That these creatures are extinct and have all died, but somehow some have managed to hide and lives in the deep caves. They would come out in the open and would release deadly or
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poisonous gas out of its mouth to paralyze or make town-folks sick and eventually the creature would snatch the body and eat it whole. My POV I think the Mercupo are real creatures that are hiding away in deep caves and would come out because it was disturbed by huge amount of explosions during the war. We have seen bizarre creatures in our lives, but I dont think we can attribute any mystical accounts for this said creature. Just like other vipers or serpent, the Mercupo has its paralyzing breath as a defense mechanism. There are spitting cobras that when you are hit by the venom would numb that portion of your body. What more could a giant snake like Mercupo can do to its prey?!
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BAKUNAWA
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A gigantic fish that lives under water and would jump up to the sky to devour the sun or the moon which causes the eclipse. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Gigantic Looks like a giant hito or dalag37 Large gigantic fins that serves as wing One of its fin is much larger than the other, lopped sided fin Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Noise Dispose: Loud noises and the sound of human voice screaming make it go back under the sea.
37
Catfish or mudfish
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Frequency: N/A Aim: It devours the sun and moon causing the eclipse. Classification: Mythical beast Legend Say According to the Hiligaynons38, bathala or the supreme God created not just one moon in the sky but seven. He also created many large beasts in the land and sea. One of the beasts is the bacunaoa or bakunawa. During full moon the bakunawa would jump out of the sea/lake and would eat one of the moons. When there was only 1 moon left, the people was so nervous that there will no longer be a source of light at night so they prayed to Bathala to give them an answer. Bathala told them that if ever the beasts would eat either the sun or the moon, they should make noises so that the bakunawa would be
38
Northern or people from the north
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frightened and spit out the sun or moon. From then on, every time the bakunawa would rise from the sea and eat the sun or moon, people would make loud noises to scare it away. Another version of the story was that before the bakunawa would not rise up from the sea and would just play with its sister a giant turtle. One time the giant turtle laid eggs in on of the islands of the Philippines and was killed by the villagers. This angered the bakunawa so much that in return he would rise out of the sea to eat the moon or the sun. Our ancestors before had no idea of what the eclipse is, that it is a solar or lunar phenomenon and not a bakunawa jumping out of the sea and eating the moon or sun. Some tribes from Panay would have hilts decorated with bakunawas head.
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These hangaway39 is said to have special strength being bestowed by the hilt.
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Sacred warriors or mandirigma
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MAMELEU Gigantic snake from the deep ocean. It is said to have caused many disasters from ancient days sinking many large vessels. Mameleu is also known as the sea dragon. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
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Very large snake, head as big as a carabaos body. Has 2 horns on its head Large fangs Yellow eyes that shoots fire Thick scales Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A (I wonder if snake charmers would work?) Dispose: N/A, you can try spraying bullets from an M16 or better yet a grenade launcher before it shoots fire from its eyes. Frequency: Usually stays underwater but some say it surfaces up to hunt for food like carabao, deer or even human. Aim: N/A, or siguro mambuwit ng mga seafarers!
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Classification: Mythical Beast Legend Say Long ago when Bathala created the land and sea he gave man the liberty for all his treasures. They would find different treasures everywhere. Slowly man began fighting for these and started war and killing each other. When Bathala knew about this war between men he gathered all his treasures and dried the water from the earth. He hid his treasures deep in the earth, mountains, river, lakes and oceans. Still men learned about these treasures and started looking for it. Learning about this, Bathala asked one of the giant serpents on the deep to safe-guard his treasures from men who will try to get them. From then on the Mameleu would appear and scare them if big vassals of ship would come near the place where Bathala hid some of his treasures.
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Much similar to the Japanese myth of Ryo-Wo (Sea Deity) and the belief of the Ryogu where the palace of the dragon king is being guarded by large serpents much like the Mameleu from normal human beings. I think these are just giant phytons. Although there were accounts of sea monsters like giant serpents attacking voyagers of ancient times, nowadays, these creatures must have died or hidden away from the pollution and nuclear waste being dumped in the ocean. Arise Cthulu!40
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Ancient god. Lord of the Deep. Said to be asleep under the hidden city Rlyeh.
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Segben /Sigbin A not so very common domestic animal. Sigben looks like a crossbreed of a goat and a pig, a dog and a kangaroo. Some say its a mythical creature and magickal. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: A bit larger than a goat Its hind portion higher than the front Big ears covering the face
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Looks like a crossbreed of a goat and kangaroo nocturnal Tranformed: N/A, some say they are invisible in daytime. Weaknesses: N/A, they love squash florets, the scent of a dying person. Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A Classification: Beasts The first time I heard about a sigbin was when I was in grade school when a friend of my mother came by to our house for a visit. She was telling about a story of how an infant was supposedly killed by a creature called a sigbin. She said that there was a
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fight between neighbors regarding a very small debt. The lender, having a sigbin supposedly instructed the sigbin to kill the neighbors only child as payment for not heeding on their agreement. Sigbin are animals, just like a dog, cat or goat. Mostly they are domesticated in the Visayas region as a guard animal. They have distinct foul odor, parang kambing na di naliligo at natuyuan ng ihi. Yuuuk! I have seen a sigbin in one of my travels in Samar. They are real, but I am not sure if they are actually mystical or magickal at all. I think people are right; they are guard animals, because they are usually awake at night. Some say that when a sigbin bites someone elses shadow on the ground, that person will fall ill and soon die.
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Mantahungal A mythical creature that lives in the mountain. It looks like a cow but has fur all-over it. Its mouth is wide and have tusks instead of incisors. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: looks like an ox or a yak it devours human beings very strong and fast can cut cows in half with just one bite would stay atop mountains Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A
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Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A Classification: Beasts
BANTAY
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A giant or large white rooster that guards bridges and rivers. It is said that a Bantay would monitor the human world and would report to its encanto lord every now and then. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: looks like a big white rooster would stay either end of the bridge can render itself invisible would cockle when danger is around Tranformed: N/A, althought it can become invisible. Weaknesses: Bright red colors Dispose: N/A, maybe just maybe poisoned-earthworms? Hehehe.
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Frequency: It comes out and shows itself early in the morning at high noon and also just before dusk. Aim: It monitors renegade spirits and encantos roaming and posing as humans. Classification: Mythical beast This creature reminds me of few things in the Philippines Myth and even in comparative religion. First, it reminds me of the Northern Myth of the Life of Lam-Ang. Biag ni Lamang41 is an epic of the Northern folks. Lam-ang has a white rooster said to be magickal. The story tells us that when he was courting a maiden he tried to impress her by letting his rooster cockle and the nipa hut collapsed and when his dog barked, the nipa hut went back to its original form. The story also tells us that when Lam-Ang was killed by the berkakan42, his mother had his bones gathered
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Life of Lam-Ang A type of shark or whale, basta a big fish.
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and placed inside a sako43 then the rooster cockle, the dog barked and Lam-ang came back to life. Well, we ofcourse have heard of Manok ni San Pedro, but I doubt it if San Pedro has anything to do with this or even his rooster. We also have the legendary Ibong Adarna44 and Sarimanok45
43 44
Sack Gonzalo de Cordobas metrical romance about 3 brothers vying for the crown of their father, the king. 45 The bird Magaul that pecked the Bamboo where the first Man (malakas) and woman (maganda) of earth came to be according to Philippine myth.
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MIKONAWA/Minokawa Bawa A gigantic bird much like an eagle but as big as a mountain. It flies to the sky to play with the moon, trying to catch it as it appears in the eastern sky. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: mountain size bird
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looks like an eagle steel-like beak and claws feathers are sharp and steel like eyes are like glass mirrors hindi kaya robot ito o nasobrahan sa growing feed? Tranformed: N/A, not unless nakikipag volt-in ito sa iba pang monsters, then pwedeng maging robot na nga ito at nagtra-transform. Weaknesses: loud noise Dispose: I have the foggiest idea on how you can kill a bird as big as a mountain! You may need a bolo as big as the Titanic and a turbo-broiler as big as 3 mountains? Frequency: N/A
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Aim: N/A Classification: Mythical Beasts Have you ever seen the film of Fernando Poe Jr. and Edna Luna entitled Anak ng Bulkan? I do believe Martin Marfil, Barbara Perez and Roderick Paulate were there too. Anyway, the story is about a boy who found an eagle in the woods and took care of it. The bird grew amazingly fast and had grown as big as a mountain. I believe the birds name was Goliath. Maybe there are similar creatures like this long ago hiding in the mountain regions. But now, man has conquered and has been to almost all nooks and crannies of our island. Maybe these creatures are just afraid of how savage-like man can be.
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LAMPONG (Mahomanay) It posed as a white deer in the forest that is said to be a pet of the mountain or forest spirit guardian. They have 2 distinct small white horns and would magickally protect other animals in the forest. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
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Said to have same features as a fairy elf, except that it has fair skin. Yellow glassy eyes Some say it has one eye but others say it has 2 but close to each other towards the middle.
Tranformed: It transforms itself to a white deer. Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A
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Aim: Serves as guardians and protector of wild animals in the forest. Classification: Mystical beast/animal Although I havent had a direct experience with a lampong yet I have had 2 great and wonderful stories to share to you about 2 different incidents regarding this creature. I was a very sickly kid while I was growing up. The hospital to me was like my second home. My first encounter with the story of a lampong happened when I was confined in the hospital. After 2 days of being bed ridden I would always go around the hospital hallways and would snoop around on other patients to look for spirits, and one time I found out about this person. Mang Igmo (not his real name) has been in the hospital for more than 1 month since I was admitted. He looks so frail and thin lying in his hospital
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bed. With him was just his wife hoping that he will recover soon. Mang Igmo cant anymore talk and has a tube in his throat. I told my dad he will be gone soon. His wife told me (and my late father) on how he got sick. Mang Igmo at ang Lampong It was summer vacation that time, Mang Igmo and his family visited his province somewhere in Iloilo. It has been quite some time that Mang Igmo last visited his province and it was the first time for his 2 sons and daughter to be in Iloilo. Mang Igmo met up with his childhood friends and kumpares and decided to celebrate the next day. Together with his nephew and brother in-law they went to the forest to hunt baboy damo for their pulutan the next day. After a while his nephew shouted that he just saw a deer. They were all excited. They now had their thoughts on hunting the deer rathan than a wild-boar.
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Suddenly his brother in-law said that they should stop the hunt for he has a bad feeling about it. When MAng Igmo asked him, his brother in-law said that its a white deer and they were advised not to hurt any white deer for it is an enchantment. Mang Igmo didnt listen at all. He continued to hunt until he said that he managed to shoot the said white deer. When they got to the place where the supposedly deer got shot and fell, they saw nothing but white tattered rags. Mang Igmo was so furious because he knew that he hit the deer. They went back to the house that noon and Mang Igmo was no longer feeling well. That night he was rushed to the hospital with his with bite marks all over his body. They asked a local arbularyo to see what happened to him. The arbularyo said that Mang Igmo managed to hurt a pet of a fairy queen in the woods and now seeking vengeance. The arbularyo said he will do what he can but they have to make atang in the woods where
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they did the hunting, but even with the ritual, he was not sure if it will suffice and work. They got back to Manila but Mang Igmos condition got worst until he has to be admitted to the hospital once more. He died 3 days after me and my dad saw him. The doctor attending to him said that Mang Igmos body turned white and even his hair hours before he died. Military Mishap I was browsing (more like lurking or haunting for spirits) along the ICU46 section of where my brother was confined, I saw a particular patient in one of the rooms. The patient looks like a mummy with protruding teeth with arms and legs clenched. I managed to asked his relatives what happened to him (well, in hospitals you cant stop relatives or bantay from sharing stories of one patient to
46
intensive care unit
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another just to kill time). I told them my brothers case of having a heat stroke during one of the military trainings in the mountains and had to be brought back to Manila packed in ice, in a helicopter, and thats it. The patients story goes like this; There were about six of them and Major Cruz (not his real name) was one of them. Together with a few lieutenants they were assigned to the south of the Philippines. One day the 6 of them went out for hunting. They saw monkeys and deer in the woods and started shooting at them. They managed to kill two monkeys and a white deer, but mysteriously the white deer disappeared and all they got were the two monkeys. One of them said that monkeys brain is a very potent dish when eaten raw. In short they ate the monkeys bain and even shared it with a few comrades in the camp. That night the 6 of them got ill. Thinking that it was food poisoning from the monkeys brain
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they were rushed to the nearby hospital. The doctors cant find anything wrong with them. The other soldiers who also ate the brain are normal though, so it cant be the monkeys brain. Only the six who went out to hunt got ill. They were brought back to Manila for a better hospital facility. One by one they started to change, looking like monkeys. The rest of the five soldiers passed away and it was only Major Cruz who is still alive that time but looking very serious (in a medical sense). They got an arbularyo to perform a ritual to get rid of whatever is causing the illness, but like the others, Major Cruzs suffering ended a few weeks after the last time I saw him in the hospital bed of the ICU.
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IKUGAN These are creatures covered with hair all over. They would usually hang on trees using their tails. They would not go to anywhere where humans would be in groups. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Looks like giant monkeys Have long tail
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Think of Bigfoot but with long hairy tails They would make noises like a baboon. They abduct or kidnap beautiful women with long hair. Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: They hate lights and fire. Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A Aim: They bully, kidnap, abduct women and play around with it. Classification: Giant Beast
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BURING CANTADA These giants dislike people. They would hide away their houses high in mountain areas sorrounded with trees where they think humans cant reach them. They find humans evil and after them for the kill. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Looks like normal humans except that they are giants They like to be left alone if possible They hunt for food in the woods.
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They would usually have families living with them. Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: They are so afraid of men, with mere noise and things of humans belongings like small clothes, flashlights, watches, would make them run to their houses and hide. Dispose: Find an axe as big as a Bunyan tree and find a person bigger than the Bunyan tree to hold the axe and use it against the Buring Cantada. Frequency: N/A Aim: Some say they would go down the mountains and make proper irrigation of the rivers flow and mountains, to prevent flooding and erosion.
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Classification: Giants
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GISURAB Guisurab/Guisorab They are giants that look like humans. They live in caves and forests near the human villages. Gisurabs are not usually man-eater but if really hungry they would mistake humans for pigs, eat it while alive, like sushi. They dont have much intelligence in them. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Think of the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. Somewhat dumb. They would mistake human for pigs, which they love to eat. Tranformed: N/A
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Weaknesses: conversations
Riddles
and
witty
Dispose: You can dare it to cut its head or anything deadly and it will. Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A Classification: Giant beast
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BUNGISNGIS Mahentoy Giant Cyclops that has big teeth and tusks. A very arrogant giant but pretty much stupid and an idiot. It
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would demand sacrifices of livestock and will be the one to get them. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: One-eyed Big front teeth, overbite Has tusks at the side of mouth Big drooping ears Unibrow Thick lips Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Man can always outwit such giants. Dispose: Tell it to drown itself and it will. Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A
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Classification: Giant
SORCERERS/HEALERS
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MANGBABARANG A kind of sorcerer that use insects (small fly-like bugs) and train them to cause illness and death to their victims. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: they are humans with knowledge of sorcery
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they use insects to cause disease and death Tranformed:N/A Weaknesses: N/A, (I would like to say baygon, tiger katol or any insecticide or pesticide? Hehehe! Mea Culpa!) Dispose: N/A, (Again, I would like to say baygon, tiger katol, clorox or any insecticide or pesticide? Hehehe! Baka pwede na Lysol! Mea Culpa ulit!) Frequency:N/A, many in the Visayas region. Aim: To cause illness or disease to their victim by using insects. Classification: Sorcerer
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Contrary to beliefs, Mangbabarangs are not witches but sorcerers. Technically, a witch is someone who is WISE (wiccacraeft-the craft of the wise). Our stereotype knowledge of a witch is somewhat distorted. I have written a separate book all about witches entitled Walang Tagalog ang Witch, pero mayroon tayong mangkukulam o sorcerers. Historically speaking, Mangbabarang did not originate in our country but through influenced and heritage of foreign invaders and merchants who shared knowledge from one person to another. The Philippines is a very young country compared to other civilizations. Looking and studying lower mythology from other civilization, I have gathered that the art of Barang has its bearing in the old Japanese and Chinese black arts of sorcery and Africans Houdon or Voodoo. Think of slaves that cant fight back from their
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owners and you will have an idea why this device/art was created. The ancient black sorcery of Japanese has a similar thing wherein the sorcerer would gather insects and placed them inside an earthen jar and bury it. Digging it up after 3 days and there should only be one insect left alive. This insect devoured the rest to keep on living. The sorcerer then would use the insect to cause harm to a living person. A barang is an insect smaller than a fly. Some say under a magnifying lens it has a face of an aswang, but sad to say its not true. The barang still looks like a fly under the magnifying lens. In short barang is an insect (or a fly) that eats flesh, a flesh-eating fly so to speak. Famous in the visayas region, this sorcerer can be hired to inflict disease to anyone. The mangbabarang would ask for a piece of hair or clothing that
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was owned by the victim and he would train and release his insect pets to hone for the said person. I have seen a mangbababrang that would use oraciones and chants so that evil spirits may possess the insects. For me, I dont think its even necessary to use oraciones or prayers on these insects. Just like in the ancient art of Kodoku, where the sorcerer would use an insect called Jikan (a type of worm) to kill and in return the Jikan will bestow great amount of wealth, power and fame to its master as long as it kills human. Sana ganayan din ang barang, kaso mo eh hindi! How to breed a barang According to a mambabarang the only way to breed a barang is to get a piece of flesh from a person that died or suffering from a barang. This piece of flesh must be place in a small jar with tissue paper as cover. When the
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flesh starts to decompose, pieces of pork flesh must be placed inside the jar. It would take around 2 weeks till a matured barang can be bred. It starts as a small black maggot then hatching into a small fly. Make sure you are careful not to let them escape. If there is a need to get a few barang, he would place small cotton with alcohol inside the jar to knockedout the barang and with the use of the tweezers he would gather or get at least 4 or 7 of the said insect. Transferring it to a another jar with the victims piece of clothing, hair or pinagyosi-an and he would leave it there for about 3 days. After 3 days he would release the insect near the victims house. What the barang does is it goes to the scent of the victim and from there would try to lay eggs from the victims flesh. The barang eggs will then hatch inside the victim and it would eat the flesh slowly until they themselves hatch and breed again on the victim.
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When this happen, open wounds would appear and different egg-laying insects can now feast at the poor victim. The victim dies of infection. My POV I have encountered one too many barang cases since I was a child. I have seen a person with wounds allover her body and insects crawling everywhere. Some cases were mild and some are really far more than worst. It is a tropical disease just like elephantiasis or the likes. There are two cures that I know of, one is eating or taking in the insects droppings mix with ashes and water and the other one is drinking a small portion of an anthills soil with a glass of water.
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MANGKUKULAM A Mangkukulam is a sorcerer that uses sympathetic magick or other

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supernatural means to make her/his victim ill or in pain. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: human beings possess supernatural powers in inflicting pain uses sympathetic magick Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: N/A, 2 ways to stop the curse, 1 is to find the doll or the object the mangkukulam used to curse or when the mangkukulam decided to lift the curse. Frequency: N/A Aim: To inflict pain and suffering to a victim.
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Classification: Sorcerer Again, for the nth time, contrary to the popular belief a Mangkukulam is not a witch but a sorcerer. Using her ability and technique in sympathetic magick, she inflick pain to any victim. There are many types and classification of a mangkukulam depending on the style she or he uses in her magick. There are those that use dolls, paper dolls, herbs, animal parts. The most popular one is the use of a straw doll. The same as the ones in Onmiyodos Enmi, where they use straw dolls and strike a nail to it, nailing it to a tree. Another one is the art of Hitogata47, using a wooden doll it represents the victim by just knowing the full name (even birthdays) and performing certain ritual, the victim will experience what the sorcerer would do to the wooden flat doll.
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Onmyojitsu style of either causing a curse or lifting a curse, because it can be used either way.
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Again, the straw doll sorcery may have originated from somewhere else (Japanese, Chinese, Egyptian, African, Hebrews, etc.) other than the Philippines. The mangkukulam would prick and stick pins on the doll symbolizing the person being inflicted. Whatever the mangkukulam do to the doll sympathetically would happen to the real person. Manika De Brujera I have been fortunate enough to have come across a mangkukulam who shared her technique regarding the straw doll. Before only a few people knows whats inside the doll and how it works, but now I will share to you on what I have gathered from this person. Black clothe (preferably from a dead body or used in wake) Black river sand Ipa or rice straws
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Black mongo seed Black rice 3 batong buhay Wood chips from a coffin 7 Pins Stingray needle During a full moon and with only a black candle serving as light, the black clothe is cut into a form of a human being about 6 inches tall and sewn all around except the top head portion. The rest of the ingredients are placed inside while saying an oracion (which I will not add here, hehehe) from 2-3am in the morning. Make sure that the top head portion should be stacked with rice straw tightly so that the rest wont spill out. It has to be kept in a black, violet or brown clothe and place inside a box together with 7 pins. The pins I saw were weird pins because its 3 inches long with black heads made of ebony. NO one should touch it except the mangkukulam.
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When a victim has been decided, the mangkukulam would ask hair, clothing, nail clippings, personal objects or even picture of the one to be kulam. The mangkukulam would then prepare an earthen pot atop a small fire with boiling water into it, putting the following inside the boiling water handful of salt in a cross manner and young is-is leaves. After a few minute of prayers in a supplicating position the mangkukulam then gets the personal object of the victim and dip it in the boiling water (picture, nail clippings, hair, etc.) and if its hair she gets a portion of the hair and place it inside the open portion (head) of the doll and make a few circular passes of the doll on top of the boiling pot. The mangkukulam then gets her pins or needles inside the box and places it on top of her tongue inside her mouth while chanting and holding the doll on top of the boiling earthen pot.
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After her oracion, she then gets one needle at a time and sticks it to the doll. The place she sticks the pin will be the place where the victim will feel pain, tremendous pain. I asked her if it is enough to use just one pin instead of seven. She said that it doesnt matter at all because before she would just use 1 pin but it made her ritual easier by using 7 of them. I also asked what the stingray needle is for and she said that she uses it to directly stab the doll in the heart. It would usually take 3 days to put the victim to death using the needles. And when she knows that the person goes to an arbularyo that is powerful she would go ahead and stick the stingray needle to heart and kill the victim, so that she wont be caught by the arbularyo.
Hand Hand
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Eye Eye Genitals
Feet Feet
Alarming as it may seem but I have seen the mangkukulam do her work. The dedication and artistry is surely superb. Sad to say after 4 months of my visit to her I learned the news that she was killed by her own grandson because of money. Luckily she shared me all she knew about her craft. I dont use it to hurt someone because its no fun at all, I learned it for the sake of literary and educational purposes only. My POV What the mangkukulam and many others dont know is that sympathetic
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magick comes from ones faith and belief. The use of Mind (Mental Malpractice)48 to cause harm to others is actually the use of Mental and Emotional connection to all beings. This same energy is very much neutral which can be used both ways, either helping or killing. A mangkukulam would usually have a very focus and strong mental prowess that makes the rite of kulam very effective. There should always be a reason why (most of the time emotional) the mangkukulam would perform such ritual, the more emotional the ritual the more effective it becomes. Her tools and gadgets serves as a medium for the direct mental influence towards the victim, again there should be a connection. Without the connection the ritual will be rendered useless and waste of time. The connection would be symbolized by the personal property of the victim (absence of
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Religious Scientists or SOM (Science of Mind) practitioners call this the destructive or negative use of the Mind to inflict harm to others.
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presence) and the ritual itself symbolizes the desired result upon the victim. It is all about symbols and what the ritual signifies thats why it is sympathetic.
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MANGGUGUYAM A sorcerer that uses hex or spells as form of curse to cause illness or pain to his/her victims. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: typical human usually hides her/his face cant look directly in another persons eyes some have splittongues Tranformed: N/A
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Weaknesses: Black Salt, Bloody-red objects, tangkil (onmyodous omamori), sharp objects. Dispose: You dont just run and actually kill a mangguguyam (its called murder) when you think youre being guyam. The best way is to render her/him powerless against you by using things to make her weak or null her/his guyam. Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A (nagmamaganda lang sila at nag fi-feeling na may powers) A mangguguyam is an offshoot of a mangkukulam. A mangguguyam are experts in oraciones and evil eye. They would usually chant a prayer and can cast a spell towards a victim (evil-tongue). Most of the time they make their victim crazy, dumb and catatonic by chanting an evil palipad hangin49 or even make them sick
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A type of curse that a sorcerer perform by blowing the ill-prayer to the wind directed to the victim, the victim becomes catatonic or dumb.
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without having no medical explanation. In tagalong term its like usog or balis. This art is so common everywhere in the Philippines (even outside, like the kahunas50 of Hawaii) and we can still see the belief of putting a red dot on infants forehead and wearing of small red-clothe with an amulet or prayer inside it (tangkil) so as not to be affected by a mangguguyam. There are instances that a person is not even aware that she/he has the ability to guyam. For me they are psychic vampires, anybody she/he renders a guyam would get sick and eventually the mangguguyam gets the energy of that person. Theres one superstitious belief among us, that, if an infant has a balis/usog, its customary for anyone who greets the baby to let the suspected person lick his or her own
50
A person that practices Huna, an ancient supernatural art in Hawaii.
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the finger and rub it to the babies navel (yuuuk). Some say to remove the infants clothes and boil it in some water, salt and vinegar to remove the potency of the balis/usog. Another belief is to have the suspected person that caused the balis/usog to have her/him bathe the child or the victim. I kinda like this one, especially if the mangguguyam happens to be yummy, performing Turkish bath on someone. Sana may mangguguyam na hottie at magpapa guyam ako! Mea Culpa! Contra Mangguguyam Here are some tangkil or omamori you can make to deflect a mangguguyams curse or hex. The paper to be used here should be rice paper or blessed paper. I refrain from using parchment paper here because this is not for summoning (real parchment paper comes from the lining of either a goat or sheep) but for warding of negativity.
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Some people would use safety-pin but I recommend that you use a thin red thread and have it sewn in the dress so as not to be in danger of having the safety pin cause any harm if it happens to be unsafety-pin.
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AEMAE AOEYE AEOOC
ECCE HOMO SALPIA
SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS
Sample of an Ofuda and tangkil
If you are using the ofuda, you have to fold it in small triangular fold and wrap it in thin plastic then place it inside a small red pouch. If you are
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going to use either one of the tangkil, fold it twice (or as small as you want) then wrap it in thin plastic and put it inside the small red pouch. If you know someone who can perform a blessing to it then go ahead and have it blessed or you can dip one corner of the folded tangkil to a holy water before wrapping it in plastic (if youre catholic). Some people would even place sacred wood or objects inside the pouch together with the tangkil or ofuda. For me, nothing beats a positive mental attitude in deflecting negative vibrations from this so called manggagaway or manggkukulam.
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ARBULARYO/Herbolaryo A witch doctor that uses herbs and plants to cure patients said to be inflicted by sorcery. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: normal human being
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would stock and store different herbs, plants, stones, roots for healing knowledgeable in use of Medicinal plants Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A, they are all over the country Aim: To cure victims of sorcery or common illnesses by the use of herbs, roots, plants. Classification : Healers Before, in the early days an arbularyo would be typical in certain areas as local healers. Everybody is familiar with the character Mang Kepweng (starred by the late comedian
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Chiquito in the film with the same title) as the typical or stereotype arbularyo. Traditionally, an arbularyo (came from the word Herbolaryo) is someone who has the ability to distinguish certain plants, herbs, trees and its medicinal value. Not only do they use this plants or herbs in healing natural common illnesses but they also believe in the supernatural ability of the plants, herbs or trees in curing supernatural illnesses caused by a sorcerer. An arbularyo would concoct oils and potions and make talismans or amulets out of different plants or trees. They believe in the mystical powers and attributes of nature herself and by imploring this knowledge they can somehow fight evil. Arbularyo are healers, both supernatural and common ailment.
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They would mix their craft with a little oracion (to activate the plants mystical power) and viola, you get a result. I have seen far too many different types of arbularyo already. No one is the same. Each one has their own unique style of healing. Sometimes the tools and materials or ingredients are the same but how they use it and execute the process differ from one to another. I will no longer include here the medicinal values of certain plants and herbs because there are already lots of books about it and are now readily available. Before, only the arbularyos know about this, but when science and medicine started studying the way of natural medicine and the medicinal value of herbs and plants they were amazed that an arbularyo (most are not even educated in grade school or high school) would know this. Some arbularyos where taught
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by their parents, mentors or some say by a certain good spirit guide. Nowadays, arbularyos have integrated their craft with the medicos and manggagamot in supernatural healing. If you go and look for an arbularyo it is seldom you will find a pure arbularyo practicing herbs for supernatural healing. Some arbularyos would write a few oraciones on leaves and put some lana (coconut oil) to it, passed it through fire and place it on the patients head, throat or wherever it is necessary (pangtapal). They would cure simple fever, cough, insomnia, boils and many more using age old technique of imploring the potency and mystical power of the plants. The following objects are rendered to have special mystical powers against evil spirits and malevolent sorcerer according to the arbujitsu (the way of
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the arbularyo, gawa-gawa ko lang ito, hehehe, abularyo and jitsu). Dignum its dark fossilized wood that can be found in Banahaw in one or two of the 7 rivers that it shared with Laguna and Quezon. Mt. Banahaw being a Bulkan de Agua51 would spew out this fossilized debris after so many years. The rarest is the Dignum Bakal which actually sinks in water because it has been fossilized and pressurized for too long that it is almost like metal. You can find this now almost everywhere in forms of rosary, trespico52, bracelets, necklace being sold near churches and a few vendors in Mt. Banahaw, but I doubt the authenticity or the quality of the dignum they sell. Here are some other lists of items that is said to have mystical attributes. Sinukuan, Sinag araw,
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Water volcano Triangular amulet usually with eye in the middle.
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Buhok ng Birhen, Sacred Hand and a lot of mutya or anting-anting that can be derived from plants, herbs and many more. Watch out for my book Agimat, Anting-Anting, Atbp. where I have written about all types, forms, style and classification of amulets, mystical libretto, talismans and such.
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MANGGAGAMOT/ Mananambal/ MEDICO A witchdoctor that use spells, charms and incantation to cure patients said to be inflicted by sorcery. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Human beings Expert in oraciones and hermetic healing They use certain prayers in combating
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sorcerers or malevolent spirits Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: Who would want to dispose them? You can kill them but its called murder! Frequency: N/A, they are scattered all over the country. Aim: To render services in healing those afflicted with sorcery and other supernatural ailment. Classification: Healers Manggamot are the same as the arbularyos and nowadays there is almost no difference between the two. A manggagamots forte is battling sorcery. Those people who are
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suspected of being hexed, kulam, sapi or possessed would go to a manggagamot to know who is inflicting the illness or what is causing it. They are also experts in divining through wax (tawas, not the aluminum chloride tawas that we use for body odor but tawas as an act of divining). Some manggagamot would be powerful enough to let the sorcerer or malevolent spirit possess the person who is ill (pinapasanib) and through it they get to talk to the one causing the illness. Sometimes a manggagamot would have an inhouse medium to which the manggagamot can transfer the spirit of the sorcerer or the spirit of the one causing all the ruckuss. Using prayers and oracion, a few rituals here and there, the process of healing sometimes could be a fantastic scene of a battle between forces of good and evil (I am not saying who-is-who here, okey?).
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Let me share with you two techniques in tawas. This is the first time a secret art like this will be shared to the masses. Warning! Dont try this at home, parental guidance is advice! The Art of Tawas There are many forms of pagtatawas. I will be including a few here for educational purposes. If a person is suspected of having an illness of supernatural cause such as sorcery, balis, usog, napapaglaruan, nakakatuwaan, napapagtripan or whatever, here is what you can do. Tawas 1 Materials needed 1 white candle (6 inch sperma) 1 box of match (preferably with red head)
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1 bowl (basin na maliit) filled half-way with water 1 handful of salt 1. All the above materials should be infront of you and on the other side is the patient. Get the candle and using its base gently touch the patients forehead (signing a cross) and chest, then let the patient touch the candle with his/her right hand then left hand. After doing this, get a handful of salt and trace a sign of the cross over the water while putting some of the salt (the salt then will somewhat form a cross at the bottom of the basin). 2. Place the candle in the middle of the cross into the water and using the matchstick, light the candle. At this point an oracion or prayer is muttered. One time I asked a manggagamot what the oracion is but he told me that it is very hard and a secret that only a few knows. So I listened very carefully, and what seems to be Latin is just The Lords
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Prayer, well thats not hard I said to myself, the Pater Noster a secret? Cmon!? 3. Anyway, after the what seems to be a secret prayer (which happens to be just Pater Noster), you have to trace the candle through the water in a form of the cross. Lift the candle out of the water and then you get 3 matchsticks and ignite it using the candles flame. You then place the 3 lighted matchsticks under the candle to help it melt more wax and let the dripping drop into the water. When the matchsticks have burnout just drop it in the water and let the candle continue to drip. After a few moments, you can blow the candle off or set it aside. Let the wax dripping harden before you take it one-by-one and try to come up with what you see in it. Sometimes it forms like a person, a dwarf, a dog or whatever (it depends on your creativity and keen sense of observation).
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5. After doing so, dip your fingers in the water and touch the patients forehead, chest, both hands and leaving a trace of water to it. Gather all the wax dripping and place it inside a paper and let the patient sleep on it under his/her head overnight and upon waking up he/she should burn them. Some would place few of the drippings inside a clear plastic and use it as a tangkil for 3 days, I rather burn them. This process will remove the said affliction. Tawas 2 Just do the part 1 of the above process, then get the candle and cut it into 3 portions. Place the 3rd portion in a tablespoon and ignite the other top portion of the candle. Place the tablespoon on top of the ignited candle thereby melting the wax. When all the wax inside the tablespoon has been melted, drop it in the water and wait for it to harden.
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Then just repeat No.5 of the above process. There is another process wherein the manggagamot would use a porcelain plate and soot it with a candle flame. This one is messy and you have to break the plate afterwards (there goes my China or Wedgewood). If the patient would be possessed the manggagamot has his/her way in dealing with it. Using oracion or prayers the manggagamot can inflict harm and cause pain to the one possessing the patient. Long ago, some manggagamot would pour boiling water on the possess patient therefore scalding the skin of the sorcerer. I myself prohibits this act because if the manggagamot is not powerful or experienced enough the patient is the one that suffers the skin burn and not the sorcerer. The manggagamot would make the sorcerer or malevolent spirit suffer in pain while still inside the patient, until
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he/she succumbs and promise to release the patient from the hex or curse. Sometimes, the sorcerer would have a valid reason why he/she did it to the patient while most of the time a sorcerer was hired by someone to perform the curse. Whatever the reason is, whether its valid or not, sorcery is never an answer to validate vengeance. It is an act of cowardice and back-stabbing. There are certain manggagamot who would return the curse to the sorcerer and much worst kill the sorcerer through sorcery. This is the rule, if a person knows how to heal through mystical or supernatural means then that person knows how to inflict it also. Inshort, kung marunong kang mangkulam, marunong kang manggamot at kung marunong kang manggamot ay marunong ka rin mangkulam!
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MANG A-AWOG (Calag) A person that use sorcery together with poison and prayers. The victims stomach will slowly get larger as the moon comes to fullness. Then would invoke the service of what is called a calag to finish off their victims by making the stomach explode. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Mang-aawog is a human being with knowledge of sorcery and poison making. Calag are familiar demon that works for a mang-aawog.
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Tranformed: N/A, calag are shadow demons said to have small horns and big belly. Weaknesses: N/A, although there has been a few formulation that can counter an awog. Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A Aim: A mang-aawog would usually put an awog to his coconut plantation or farm to scare away coconut thiefs. It also works as plain poison even without the farm. Classification: Sorcerer First hand Mang-Aawog experience I have seen victims of an awog when I was in my late teens, but havent met anyone who claims to have the knowledge of how to do it, until we went to Samar. The Nginiiig team
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decided to go to Samar for a few episodes. We had Gelly: Ang bangkay na di nabubulok, Saob Cave Mystery and the MangAawog. I was so excited about the awog case, because for the first time I will get to meet one face-to-face. Together with the staff, crew, Mon Consul and John delos Santos joined me in the quest. We took the plane going to Tacloban Leyte airport and from there we had a landtrip going to Samar. I thought going around Samar would be a piece of cake, but boy I was wrong. We made our stop at Cerbalor where the staff and crews base will be. It was just beside the small port. Me, John and Mon decided to stay at Leyte Park Hotel. We took boat rides after boat rides and trekked mountains after mountains just to get where the mang-aawog was. The river seems to be okey at first but as we go along we noticed that its getting
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river-rapid-like and the river flow becoming stronger. We got the the designated place after hours of screaming while in the boat. About an hour of walk from where we docked is the house of Ka Apuy. I thought its Ka Apuys place but it was the barangay captains house and we will wait for Ka Apuy there. It so happen, that he lives farther from where we were. We had no choice but to rest and mingle with some townsfolks. I noticed that most of the coconut farm there has this hoolahoop like thing hanging on its trunk. They told us that Ka Apuy will explain later. He arrived around lunchtime and we started interviewing him. Luckily two of our staff can speak fluent Waray (our researcher, the infamous Joric Roquiza and my very good and wonderful friend, whos our writer then, Zoilo Barrel) so they translated what Ka Apuy was telling us.
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He told us that the ritual was taught to him by his grandfather and father. Many people from their town would steal coconuts and produce from neighbors. Thats why they put awog in the farm, to protect the farm from thieves. What happens is that when a thief would steal coconuts and eat it, the awog will take effect. The victims stomach will slowly enlarge every hightide and usually on the third full moon his stomach will be as big as a 9-month-old preganant woman having twins, or even bigger. The victim wont be able to take a crap53 nor eat, and foul smelling water would gush out from the victims orifice and anus. On the third full moon the victims will die and during wake his stomach will explode. We managed to let him show us how he does the awog. He took out 4 bamboo container covered with dark cloth and a piece of paper. He showed us that this is all he needs. Inside the small bamboo container is the poison
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Move his bowels
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composed of about 13 ingredients (I wont mention it here anymore, mahirap na!) and the prayer written in a piece of paper. The prayer is a combination of Waray, Latin and Hebrew. One thing caught my attention, in his prayer he mentions 4 Dark Angels, and one of them was Satanas. He said that after doing this oracion over the awog poison, he would sense the presence of a calag (the awog demon) and he will go out and placed the four bamboo containers at the four cardinal points of the farm high atop the tree. This will render all the coconut within the perimeter to be having the effect of the awog. The thing that I saw that looks like a hoolahoop was also sprayed with awog. Without the owners permission no one can eat or get a coconut from there. He led us outside the coconut farm and showed us where he placed the awog.
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Ka Apuy left around 4pm. I made pitik54 to 2 coconuts earlier before Ka Apuy arrived and asked someone to open it for me. I asked John and Mon to join me in eating the Coconut with an awog. I drank the juice and ate the coconut meat, hoping to be awog-ed. John and Mon refused at first but then they found out that the owner had our permission so it is safe to have it. Sayang, I thought I will have the experience of being awog and find ways to counter it. We decided to spend the night there and had tons of lambanog55 drinking frenzy. Zoilo and I was the last to sleep because we had a drinking contest with the barangay captains son and nephew and we were the last to be tipsy. Getting back in Manila, after some thought and seeing the formula of the poison, I managed to find ways on
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Cute way of stealing Palm or coconut wine
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how to counter the poison. Tried it to a suspected awog victim, it did work!
DEMONS
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BANGUNGOT/Batibat
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A stout creature that lives in dead woods placed inside the house as foundation. They cause instant death while sleeping. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: obese dark shadow creatures Stout (I did mention obese right?) Some say its a female demon and some say its male Transformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: Dispose of the wood where he lives and you dispose of the tenant! Frequency: N/A, or some say that if you sleep with full stomach.
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Aim: To kill someone while sleeping Classification: Demon Legend Say I heard one myth regarding bangungots legend. It has been said that bangungot is actually a vengeance demon that attacks man during sleep for being to greedy in lots of things including food, that whomever becomes a victim will eventually become a bangungot himself. Their spirits are trapped in dead trunks of trees and when someone use the trunk as a house post that person will eventually be killed by a bangungot. My POV As I said and wrote in the introduction, myths are nave explanation of things unknown in the olden days. As we have not much of the sophisticated equiptments to
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really find out the caused of death of a person before they would tell tales like this. A Bangungot is when someone die in sleep. Unlike nightmares, when we have bad dreams we dont actually die but the ickiness of the nightmare serves as a wake up call. Now, medical science calls bangungot Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis and sometimes aneurism too can be a cause of dying in sleep. Sleeping when you are tired and full to the stomach is not a healthy habit. Some people would experience what we call REM56 Sleep Paralysis during asleep. You can read more about it in the book Multo, Thoughforms, Atbp., also written by me. Sleep paralysis is when you happen to feel like you cant move in bed even though you are already awake. This happen when the brain wakes up while the body is yet adjusting to being conscious and there are some nerves that really needs to wake up. This REM Sleep
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Rapid Eye Movement is a signal that a person is having a dream.
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Paralysis happen as a protection for the person who moves and even sleep walks (somnambulism), the brain prevents the body from any movements and when the person becomes conscious or goes out of the hypnopompic stage his heart rate speeds up, will have a sense of fear and all sorts of delusions both visual and auditory. This is also when there will be traces of dimethyltryptamine from the pineal coursing in the brain that gives us both auditory and visual hallucinations during sleep. Theres an old technique that we have to move a digit of either our hand or feet for the whole body to become alive or to get out of the temporary paralysis. Key note is dont panic, just close your eyes and do deep breaths then simply relax, then focus on your toes. By focusing on the toes and fingers the brain will send signals to these parts of the body and actually completing the circuit back to the normal waking stage.
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The reason why there is a massive acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis is because of the adrenaline pump, nervous attack and more complication due to the abnormal process of the brain together with the DMT sending signals to the parts of the body thinking that the dream is really happening.
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KAPRE/Agta/Ungo Kapres are giant-like creature that lives in tress (Acacia trees) and smokes tobacco. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
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Gigantic Hairy all over but not Bigfoot hairy Shiny oily skin Puffs tobacco They never show themselves in full body, its either just from waist up or waist down They only wear loincloth They can be seen sitting on large branches of trees Tranformed: Although I have heard stories that they can change their size like, from normal, medium to large, that I have the foggiest idea. Weaknesses: Virgin Hem, Stingray whip Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A
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Aim: They are just like hobos of the tree they hangout and puff or huff then chill. Parang tambay lang sa puno at nag aantay ng pag tri-tripan. Classification: Demon Legend Say One of the most popular (aside from encanto, laman lupa, duwende, tiyanak, aswang) beings in the Philippines lore is the Kapre. Legend says that they are outcasts and renegade beings of the supernatural world. They dont have any hierarchy or community like that of the duwendes. Although there are certain accounts that there can be more than 1 kapre in a tree, I have no idea because in all my experiences there is only 1 kapre in every kapretree-pad and I have not encountered a Kapre-infested-tree yet.
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Kapre are genie-gone-wild-and-dirty. Story says that if you capture a kapre and tie it around the tree where it dwells then it will give you a pot of treasure or 3 wishes. Diting My mom told me to a story about a certain lady called diting. She has been a notorious girl and was brought to prison. She has tremendous strength that even 10 large men cant pin her down. There are moments that she is lucid and normal but when she starts to scream that a big large ugly man is there for her, she would change character and become hysterical. She was brought to the mental ward and from there no one knows what happened to her. Peeping Kapre During my younger years I have seen a family friend of ours bringing a girl who looks so frail and sick that she
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cant even walk. She has teethmarks all over her body and she would just stare blankly at anything. When they began the healing session I certainly recall that I saw a big dark shadow coming from the open window. It was like when someone casts a shadow on the wall yet this time nothing was there to produce it. The shadow looks like legs that took a big leap from the outside window to the girl. I saw the girl changed personality, from a weakling to now posing like a macho man with hands akimbo, chest-out, proud and angry look on the face, standing with dignity. She was asked of her identity and she replied. Sino kayo para magtanong! Bakit nyo ako ini-istorbo sa aking pahinga!? Her tone has gone from her original Karen Walker of the NBC sitcom Will and Grace to the actor John Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader
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and Mufasa of Lion King). I felt the proud presence around the room. To make this story short, the Kapre whose name is Mapengok or Mapengo lives in the tree beside their house and would peep and see the girl while she takes a bath at the batalya. The makeshift shower room has no roof and beside it is the tree where Mapengo lives. It was an old acacia tree that has its branches on top of the outdoor cr. He said that he began to have a liking at the girl and would take her to be his wife. The healing was done and the girl soon began to be normal the last time I saw her. Fee Fi Fo Fum! I smell a pee from a wee-wee man! One time I was walking along the village of my high school friend to go to his place I made a wrong turn and took a different route instead. It was
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only around 10pm and there were light posts allover. I have never been afraid to walk alone even in the dark. As I was strolling, I suddenly felt the air being heavy or humid. As I was approaching a big Acacia tree something caught my attention just amidst its branches. It was something like a shiny torso of a large man so I slowed down and went staring at the branches, what appeared to be torso now becomes large thighs and legs. Suddenly it struck me and I went saying with excitement Ohhh a Kapre! I rushed to get near the tree but by the time I got there the kapre was gone. I ran back to the place where I saw it, thinking that it might just be periodolia57 or just an illusion from the lights. I stood to where I first saw it, but theres nothing there now. I went back and forth to check if its still there and when I got tired I just gave up. I went passed the tree and stood there for a while taunting the kapre to chat with me and to show
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See Multo, Thoughtforms, Atbp. glossary
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itself, then suddenly I heared a deeplow- manly-voice saying Hoy! It scared the hell out of me, but still I kept looking up to look where the kapre is then I saw the security guard of the house looking from inside the gate. I knew that it was he who shouted at me when he told me bawal umihi diyan so I pretended to finished my peeing and ran as fast as I can. There are some accounts that they saw a kapre in Mango trees, Balete, Sampaloc, aratilis and there was even a story about a kapre that lives in a small-twig-like-tree of an aratilis. Some people would tell me that Kapres are supernatural beings and they can actually live even in small trees and can fit into it. Personally I havent seen any kapre in twigs yet, am not saying that those people who say they have seen kapres in twigs are silly or they are just seeing things, but I am definitely sure that I would sense a kapre if there is one. It takes
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a hobo-genie-gone-wild to know one! Also, I havent seen a girl kapre, well it doesnt mean that if I havent seen one it doesnt exist, but again, I havent. The following signs can be notice if a person is being molested by a kapre. Weakening of the lower limbs Cant walk or turning to a sloth Supernatural appearance of teeth marks all over the body Dark patches on the skin Darkening of the skin Falling hair Staring blankly in oblivion Being possessed and has a deep low voice. Hmmm, I can name a few natural diseases which have these symptoms. Its better to really consult a trusted medical doctor first to find out what is medically wrong rather than going to the local arbularyo at once. If by any chance the third opinion of the
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doctors still murky then it wont hurt to consult someone who knows how to handle supernatural events such as Kapre Molestation. If by any chance your local arbularyo cant do anything about it then you can just send me an email! Maybe, just maybe, youre barking at the wrong twig oh I mean tree! My POV Supernatural creatures like these are not just localized in the Philippines. There are many other cultures that have the same kind of beings living in trees. Believe it or not but we dont have stories of kapre in the early days when our country was still called Malaya rather than Philippines. Just like we dont have horses before in our country and the Spanish/Portuguese brought them here. Tobacco-smoking-invisiblesupernatural-beings which I believe
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have their roots in Arabian tales about the Geniuses or Geniis (well you can also find it in Lewis Carrols Alice in Wonderland) Through the Looking Glass where you will find a caterpillar on top of a mushroom puffing a sisha, and not a gory giant atop an acacia tree! There are other puffer-creatures too but all of them you will find in a country where there is puffering going on. What do I mean by this, tobacco using country would definitely be a prime suspect in creating the myth of kapre. In the Arab world Kafr, Kafir is synonymous with satan, non-believer of the Supreme God, therefore an outcast.
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TAONG TUOD These are creatures that resemble dead trees or old trees and would fool their prey by loosing them in the woods. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Old trees with humanlike forms Few leaves sprouting Hallowed trunks at the buttom or the middle
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Can move and are mobile Tranformed: Humans with slender and big bones. Weaknesses: Fire Dispose: Burning them would be enough Frequency: N/A, some say they would come to life just before rainy season. Aim: N/A Classification: Demon Legend Say I havent heard of any known legends regarding taong-tuod, but I remember my mother telling me a story about them when I was little.
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My mother told me that according to my grandfather these creatures are actually encantos posing as trees. They used to be humans captured by the encantos and from then on they would never or will never face mortal death and only when they lured enough humans that they will be granted peace. Another story that my mom handed down to me was long ago when not so many humans inhabit the world there are souls and spirits roaming around in forms of shadows. These shadows would enter different animals and even trees. If ever this shadow would enter the womb of a pregnant woman, the child will be immortal and would possessed remarkable intelligence. When this humanshadow reaches a point of very, very old age they become to trees and would stay on guard in the forest awaiting its prey. The victim is said to be entangled by its twigs, vines and branches then holding it close to the
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tuods trunk and coat the victim with bark-like camouflage eventually killing it. They would move and change their location. Its like when you happen to walk in a forest and would make a tree as a marker so that you wont get lost, the next time you go to that same route you will find out that your marker is gone, making you think you are already lost. My POV The very first known public story of the taong tuod was through Mars Ravellos taong-tuod in Holiday Komics in the early 60s. But according to my mom even before the said taong-tuod of Mars Ravelo came to scene, there where already stories regarding the said mythical being. I think when a taong-tuod is too old already and turned to lumber, then sold as a wooden posts then it becomes a bangungot (heheheh
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malay natin). But of all the stories about supernatural beings and mythos taong-tuod no longer has its limelight nowadays. The closest I can compare them with are the Elks (guardians of forests in J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings Twin Tower.) They are good stories to tell when your child keeps on going to the forest to play or who-knows-what he does during daytime. Wala nga naman kasing aswang sa umaga at hindi nakakatakot pag maliwanag. So they have to come up with stories like these to prevent people from lurking in the forest and illegally cut trees! Paging taong-tuod, illegal loggers on the loose, please take them! Wakekeke!
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TIYANAK A tiyanak is a creature of the night that mimics an infant to lure its prey. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Goblin like features Long talon-like claws Wrinkled skin Big red bulging eyes One leg shorter than the other They can leap, hop and throttle Fangs instead of teeth
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Tranformed: They can transform to a cute infant. Weaknesses: Salt, (buntot pagi), bolo. Dispose: stingrays tail
Decapitate the head
Frequency: N/A Aim: To lure humans in thinking that they are harmless and cute babies, then turn into its natural form to eat its victim. Classification: Demon, Imp, Ghoul There are other species of tiyanak like PonTiayanak and Patiyanak. Some say that the real tiyanak looks like a white-lady and would have an infant as a decoy to lure humans. When the victim would pick-up the baby then it would leap and feast on the victim. Others say that it doesnt transform to a cute baby but would just mimic
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the childs cry and when the victim is near enough then it would leap and get its dinner. Legend Say There are many legends concerning the origin of the tiyanaks. Some say they are fetuses of unborn child or when the mother dies before giving or while giving birth. When the baby dies it becomes a tiyanak. They come back to life and seek vengeance by luring prey and eating it. This story is similar to the list of demons or malevolent spirits in Onmyodou, the Ubume, wherein when the mother died while giving birth and the child lives, the spirit of the mother will take a form of a Yuurei (spectre ghosts) and would haunt the child. If ever the child is denied to her she will disguise herself as a child and would kill anybody who would pick her up, thinking that the person is the one that denied her of her baby.
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I have only heard one story of tiyanak when I was a kid from my fathers friend and it goes like this. Just after the war my fathers friend was assigned to Mindanao. Being in military he was never afraid of the supernatural or the unseen world because he has an anting-anting (amulet) to protect him. One night as he was not accustomed to sleep early he decided to walk around with a fellow military friend hoping to find an encanto or whats. They went to a nearby forest and after a few minutes they heard a soft cry of an infant. They went to where the cry was coming from. They saw a lady lying on the ground and what seems to be a child wrapped in brown cloth. He said that as they come nearer they saw the lady drenched in blood. Something came to his mind, that a killer raped then murdered this poor lady leaving the child behind. The childs cry became softer and softer as they slowly approached looking
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around to see if they can still catch the murderer. He saw the wrappings of the baby but cant actually see the infant inside it. His friend went to the lifeless body of the girl to check and he went to check on what seems to be an infant. It stopped crying as he was standing beside it and he noticed that the wrapping is no ordinary clothe but looks like a dried skin. He stooped down and opened the wrapping and saw the most hideous thing he ever saw in his life. A balding old man with bloodshot eyes and bloody sharp teeth staring right at him, all his military training just went haywire. He was thrown aback and grabbed his bolo. His friend was startled of what happened. They saw the tiyanak moved and leaped as far as it can away from them. It never occurred to them to follow where it went. They ran back to the based and report the incident of a girl that was murdered in the woods. They only told a few friends of the incident about seeing a tiyanak.
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My POV If ever there was or is a real tiyanak these days one thing is for sure, the early Spaniards made used of it to make local people have their babies baptized. Converting as Catholics, even when they have miscarriage or babies being born dead, they have to be baptized so as not to turn their infants into tiyanaks. I think they are like aswangs but with a different strategy (the tiyanaks not the Spaniards, but who knows) to lure their prey. Personally, I have no experience with tiyanaks yet. Maybe because they know that I dont have a big affinity with infants, I like them when they are around 8 yrs old or above. At least by then I can talk and understand what they want. Babies just keep on crying. If ever I would find a tiyanak infested area, I will devise a plan to lure them in luring
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their prey and capture them! One is to be stuffed, one to be kept alive for experiment and one for the Museum of Creatures beside the Aswang cage! Am I worst than a tiyanak or what? Hehehehe!
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SIRENA/Kataw A mythical creature of water said to have a human upper body and fishlike lower body. They lure their victim and drown them. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Female upper torso and fish like tail from hips to fin (feet) Long haired Lives underwater Just think of Ariel in Little Mermaid or Dyesebel Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: Some say they can be physically hurt or killed.
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Frequency:N/A Aim: To lure humans to the sea and drown them. Classification: Demon/Elemental Legend Say There are many legends and stories about mermaids or sirena (actually a Maltese word). One of the oldest known story (1000 bc) was of the Assyrian Queen Goddess who committed suicide by drowning in the sea. She did not die but her lower body became of that of a fish or dolphin. Back in the early civilization, beings of the underwater has filled the pages of story books and folklore. You can find them in one of my favorite story book Arabian Nights. The Japanese calls it Ningyo, and when a fisherman would ever catch a ningyo and would eat its flesh, the person will be immortal.
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The most celebrated story of a mermaid is that of Hans Christian Andersons Little Mermaid. The Filipinos of course created their own version of it in the personality of Dyesebel. Mars Ravelos Dyesebel started in the 50s serialized in Pilipino Komiks and immortalized through film. The first actress to portray the role was Edna Luna. Then a series of Dyesebel films were created after that, from Vilma Santos, Alma Moreno, Alice Dixon to Charlene Gonzalez. Some say that sirenas are good creatures and some say they are evil. One thing is for certain that they all vain and would sing to lure fisherman to their doom. I remember one of my moms stories about a sirena. She said that when she was just a child she would go with her father to provinces and out of town trips. One time she accompanied her dad to go to Quezon
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(I forgot where) and they stayed in a fishing village to one of her fathers friend. Theres a lake nearby and trees are everywhere. She recalled eating santol and also guyabano. Her father told her to stay nearby as they went to the shore together with a few townsfolks. They continued walking and my mom saw the beautiful sea and its surroundings. They went straight to a big boulder resting at the bank of the sea and stayed there for sometime. Afterwards they all went back inside the cottage where they are going to stay for the night. My mom said that she vividly recalls the time she was awakened by a beautiful voice coming from the outside. Her father noticed that she was up and told her to go back to sleep. While laying down she asked my grandfather who was making those humming sounds, my grandfather then said its the sirena. My grandfather continued to tell her that the sirena is now sitting on top of the big rock combing her hair and no one
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is allowed to go out. After a few minutes my mom said that there was a loud shriek and the smell of rotten fish that they can smell even inside the cottage. Then my grandfather told my mom that the sirena will no long come back to that place anymore. Early in the morning, the fishing people were back in business and they went back to Manila with kaingkaing58 of fruits and balde-balde59 of fish. My mother told me that if ever I am not sure of the sea or lake that I am supposed to swim at or if sense any mysterious energy around, its better that I throw something to the ocean or lake first, like coins, before I have a dip. She said that its a symbol of exchange for not taking you or bringing you to their kingdom. I used to do this when I was young (and would even do it in swimming pools), but when I got to the age wherein I
58 59
Baskets of baskets Buckets of buckets
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want to experience being abducted by the sirena, alas, no sirena would even grab me while swimming in the middle of the water in the middle of the night for a chit-chat. I love making myself float on the middle of the water in the darkness of the night, looking at the sky above you and hearing the deep ocean. Maybe with all the coins I have thrown since I was a kid, may sukli pa ako until now! According to my grandfather he said that all sirena are evil and would seduce or lure fishermen then take them to their world, in the process they drown (wala po kasing hasang ang tao) and when they are dead the sirena will no longer hold interests to them. They would warn fisherman about certain dangers ahead of them, where in fact they are the danger they are talking about!
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Haaay sirena nga! Ever heard of the saying Utak biya?!
TIKBALANG
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It is a mythical creature that says to have a head of the horse and body of man that spews sulfuric gas. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Has a head of a horse and a body of a human Hooves instead of feet Talon like claws Naked, showing its very hugebody. Common color is Black, but there are sightings of white and red which is rare. Yellowish gas comes out of its nostrils and mouth Stands upright but when sits its knees are higher than its head. Blazing red-yellow eyes.
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Tranformed: According to accounts, when a tikbalang transforms to a human being it is tall, slim, wear a salakot and a tampipi60 at its back. Most sighting say that it has a bamboo twig in its mouth (like a toothpick) and a goatee. Weaknesses: It seldom stays on ground. It hates water and has craving for native rice and basi (rice wine). Dispose: There is no known way to dispose of this creature but it can be trapped or overpowered. Frequency: N/A, although some accounts say that they are active around 5am to 8am, 12NN to 3pm, 6pm to 8pm, 11pm to 3am. Some say that when the sun is shining yet theres a light shower a tikbalang is being married.
60
Native bag, usually made of woven dried leaf
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Aim: N/A, although when you happen to trespass its territory it will abduct you and return you either crazy or dead. Classification: Fire/Air Demon There are many stories about tikbalang in the Philippines. Oddly enough, we dont have horses here and it was the Spanish/Portuguese people who brought them in the early times. Tikbalang would stay in bamboo (grass) and would protect it as its habitat. If a person would go ahead and gather bamboo in the woods without the tikbalangs permission, the person might be in grave danger of being abducted or being killed. There are no known nice or good tikbalangs, except maybe in the films (Dolphys Wansapanataym where he played as a good white tikbalang).
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Stories like Bamboo being their natural habitat came to being because of the sound that a bamboo makes when its trunk would touch (making the sound of horses hooves while strutting). False Tikbalang My service was once commissioned to investigate a house in Laguna, allegedly being haunted by a tikbalang. The household are being bothered and most of them were scared of being abducted or that something bad might happen to them. A local psychic cum arbularyo told them it was a tikbalang that haunts them. I asked them what on earth made them think it was a tikbalang aside from the arbularyo telling them that it was, they gave me a few incidents. They would here a horse galloping at the backyard during
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the afternoon and at night even when theres no horse around. They would here a soft slow strut of a horse inside their house during noon and just about 5-6pm. They would here a low-deep voice that sounds like a horse when they are all about to sleep. I asked them when did this anomaly started happening? They said that it started just after a strong storm struck their town. After my investigation, I asked the lady of the house to call the arbularyo and both of them come with me together with the households and I will show them the tikbalang thats haunting them. When the arbularyo arrived, I gathered all of them in the living area and told them that there are approximately 3 tikbalangs, 1 at the backyard and 2 inside their house. Everybody was scared even
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the arbularyo. I saw the arbularyo nodding his head and told the households Sabi ko na sa inyo eh. Magaling talaga itong si Sir Ruel at alam niya yun nakita ko! I asked all of them to come with me to the backyard and meet the tikbalang in the flesh. The arbularyo instructed them not to be afraid because he has a pangontra with him and the tikbalangs are afraid of him. Upon reaching the backyard, I led them to the bamboo grove. I asked them if they can turn their back at me and to face the house first. I went inside the bamboo grove and started pushing the trunks to make them hit each other making the sound of a horse galloping. I told them that they can now face me and meet the first tikbalang whose name is Kawayan61! Ito ho ba ang naririnig ninyo madalas? I asked them. Everybody nodded, except for the arbularyo.
61
Bamboo
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I told them to come with me inside the house to meet the other 2 tikbalangs. By this time the arbularyo was no longer smiling. I led them to the big stairway made out of wood. I let them see how the gap and the loose bolts make the sound of tiktak. When everything is quiet (especially at night) this sound reverberates all over the house making the sound of a horse feet strutting. Woods would expand and contract in different humidity and temperature making low squeaky noise. Ayan ho ang pangalawang tikbalang ninyo si HAGDANAN!62 Then I led them to the water tank inside their kitchen and asked them to close the main valve of the water line and instructed them to empty the tank first. When the tank was emptied I told them to quickly open the main
62
Stairs or ladder
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valve! Viola! It made a deepresonating sound just like a horse making brrrrr! As soon as the tank was filled the sound stopped. Ito ho ang ikatlong tikbalang, si Water pressure! At night when the whole town is asleep the water pressure becomes strong because no one is using it. Due to the excavation to repair the waterline just after the storm (bumaha kasi na malamin at inabot ang loob ng bahay nila kaya nabasa rin and wood panels ng hagdanan nila) that was near their house along the main road, their pipeline loosened and cant hold the pressure. It was a relief for the households to learn that it was not a tikbalang. I was about to talk to the arbularyo but he disappeared and no longer with us, he ran away with his tikbalang! Takbo Niyok Takbo!
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This story is part of Nginiiigs season 1 where we came across the story of Niyok. Together with Shugo Praico (our head writer then) and Jovert Mayuga (researcher) we met Niyok. He was the alleged abductees of a tikbalang. The story goes like this. One day Niyok was told to gather bamboo trunks near the mountains where they live (near Mt. Kempis in Batangas). The bamboo will be use for a certain occasion 2 days before to make makeshifts for the visitors. Being naturally obedient, he went and gathered. As he was about to finish chopping some bamboo and head home, a man with a salakot got in his way and wont let him passed without saying a word. He was frightened and tried to quickly bypass the man. When he got home, everything was normal and their lives continued the way it was. That night he heard a voice calling him, as if hypnotized, he went out and went back to the woods
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where he got the bamboos. In the morning he didnt come back and from then on he was reported missing. Almost 30 days had passed, some townsfolks would see him in the woods but he could not be caught because they said he was supernaturally fast (hindi po siya mabilis, baka kayo lang ang mabagal, wakekeke!) After 30 days of missing, Niyoks family was notified that Niyok was found in a far away town. They immediately fetched Niyok, but he was no longer normal. They brought him back home and he kept saying that he was running and running in the woods as per what the tikbalang told him to do. There are moments that Niyok was normal and can be talked to, but most of the time he was just plain out of wits. During full moon Niyok would hear the tikbalang calling to him and would find himself back in the woods, but
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this time instead of running around, he was digging for something. The Nginiigs psychic gathered to help and try to find a stop to this tikbalang. There were other cases of tikbalang harassment around Mt. Kempis area. I have devised a plan to capture the said demon, together with the team we went to the mountain. Finding a good spot we prepared the trap. Here is the list: 3 garapa (large glass-bottle/jars) each one with a small amount of basi. 1 can containing brown rice, rice straw and husks, young bamboo twigs. 1 bamboo stick 7 meters virgin hem (abaca rope) 3 small strands of virgin hem (abaca sting) Placing the 3 garapa in the middle of the abaca rope leaving a small
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opening as to not complete the circle around the garapa jars, at the opposite side of the opening just outside the rope is the can filled with brown rice, etc., one of the psychics started hitting the can and shaking it (it lasted for about 30mins. or an hour) until John suddenly went running down the mountain looking for me wanting to talk to me. He said he doesnt want to join the quest anymore because he heard a voice taunting him saying that he will be the next victim of the tikbalang. I told him not to worry, just do what I say and follow every instruction and no harm will befall us. We continued with the process and after a few moments the wind direction changed and a slight mist could be seen around the trap. I signaled Laiza to continue hitting and shaking the can. A few more minutes we saw one of the jars being filled with yellow mist. I told John to quickly close the abaca rope to form a
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complete circle around the garapas. Just before he close and unite the rope, Eirik and I quickly jumped inside the circle and grabbed the jars closing it (topping) with the cap made of virgin hem. I instructed John to dig a hole, enough to bury the jar which he did. The jar was buried. The rest of the garapa has no changes at all. This time its our turn to abduct! The said tikbalang is under custody, serving his sentence for meddling with humans and drinking while haunting. I believe he got paroled after a few months. Wakekeke!
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WHITE LADY A vengeance spirit usually in whitetattered clothing, floating about hiphigh, with protruding arms, trying to capture a prey. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
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Female (kaya nga white LADY eh, alangan man lang male) Long hair covering the face Bloodshot eyes Blood trickling from orifice No feet, seems to be floating in mid-air
Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: rivers Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A Aim: To scare people Classification: Demon Legend Say
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Mirrors, crossing of
White ladies are maybe one of the youngest creatures created by a myth. It started out as an urban legend and now it crawls its way up of being a mythological being. Unlike ordinary ghost, a white lady has her own distinct style and trademark. Perhaps the Filipino psyche invented her to mimic what was once a legendary ghost of Europe, Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary would show herself as a ghost wearing a white gown and drenched in blood. In the Philippine setting, the story of the white lady started in Balete Drive in Quezon City. The street itself is arrayed with Balete Trees which is popular for being a haven of unseen beings. In the early days the street itself was dark and gloomy. Most of the houses there (part of New Manila) are big and have a huge lot area where the rich people live. One of the stories goes like this.
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One day, a cab driver happen to passed by Balete Drive and saw a lady wearing white signaling him to stop. He said that the lady was standing behind a big Balete tree and the area then was so dark. The driver thinking that the lady is a passenger did stop and let the lady take the back sit. He asked the lady to where should he take her but she replied diyan lang. After a few blocks the Lady asked the driver to pullover. He did as he was told thinking that she just left something behind. He never thought that the lady is actually going out of the cab because its far too dark for anyone to do so, besides that, there was no gate anywhere around that area except for the huge wall-fence. Suddenly the lady opened the car door and went out behind another large Balete tree. The driver looked at the back-sit and saw that the lady left her white scarf. He went down and tried to see where she went but she was nowhere to be found. He threw the white scarf and hurried
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back to his cab then drove away, leaving the hell out of him! After that incident, it was all over the tabloid. Different sightings of the white lady along the infamous Balete Drive became an urban legend. Many theories arose from a lady that was once raped and killed at that particular street to a girl murdered and the almost dead body was just left there to die. Some sightings involved rice fields and forests. Witnesses claim that they saw a white figure (usually a girl with long hair wearing a white gown) floating over the field with no feet. I think the White Lady in Balete drive is just a hoax. A prank made and an urban legend is now a myth. Now Balete Drive is a busy lighted street where no muggers or hobos can scare people away. The incidents of mugging and crime lessened because of the light posts every few meters
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away. Thanks to the people behind the prank! But now the collective consciousness created a much bigger hoax and the white lady can be seen not just in Balete Drive but almost anywhere! I remember Mon Consul (one of the Nginiiig psychics before) during one of our quest regarding a certain White Lady. Some witnesses would see the white lady during the night but sometimes they would see a lady wearing in black during the morning. Mon had a very interesting theory behind it. He said that it is the same Lady ghost. It wears white at night so that she can easily be seen and would wear black at daytime so that its a contrast and can be easily noticed. Hi Mon! At least now we can have a White and Black Lady! Whats next after this, neon orange lady? Why not?!
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PASATSAT From Pangasinense word satsat, meaning to stab. This type of ghost (turned demon) would show themselves wrap in banig or coffins, floating and crossing roads during the night. Sometimes, accompanied by floating candles and sounds of moaning. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
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Seen as floating coffins or rolled floating mats. Crossing the streets at night. Accompanied by dog wailing and sound of moaning. Candles would float along with the coffin or rolled mat. Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Dispose: N/A Frequency: They say it would appear during new moon or full moon. Aim: To scare people Classification: Ghost/ Demon
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Legend Say During (and right after) World War 2, the villagers in the North would just wrap their dead love ones in native mats and bury them in the fields. Due to lack of money and resources, they cant get coffins, and if you do have coffins it will only for display and be re-used by others after you bury your dead. They believe that by making the wrapped dead body cross the street it will help the soul of the departed to cross over to the next life. But the reverse happened. Without proper burial and rites the souls of the dead wont rest and still would haunt villagers. Stories say that upon crossing the street the pasatsat would fall on the ground and would keep on rolling making an eerie sound and if you dont catch it the pasatsat will keep on haunting you. The only way to stop
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it is to catch the rolled mat and stab it, thus the term pasatsat. A Pasatsat Story One time in my early teens a friend of my dad came to our house to visit. He was telling a story about something he encountered in the province. My father and his friend are both from the North (literally, Laoag, Ilocos Norte so they were Ilocanos). I love to sit with the adults and hear them tell stories of all sorts. He said that he happen to encounter a pasatsat. Back then I had no idea what pasatsat is all about. We called my dads friend Mang Augusto. He said that he went to one of the provinces in the North (I cant remember, but I think it was somewhere in Pangasinan) for a fiesta. After the merriment he was invited by the older guys to another place near the fields, to the house of one of their kumpare for an inuman.
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They went to the said house just after the rice field. When they got there, their friend said that he needs to get more ice, pulutan and beer because his in-laws and nephews will be joining them. Mang Augusto offered to go along with him and to just use his car (a humpback Volkswagen) so that it will be faster. Their friend agreed. So they went to get the food and drinks. Going back, Mang Augusto and his companions had to park before the rice-field and have to cross a small pathway going back to the hut by walking. He told the rest of the guys to go ahead and bring all the stuff back and not to wait for him. He thought to himself to make sure the car was parked well and safe and he also has to attend to the call of nature. After passing some water, he hurried back the hut. The moon was bright then and he could clearly see the pathway. Then it happened. Mang Augusto said that he first heard sobbing and crying coming from both sides of the narrow road, then infront
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of him he saw 2 candles floating right across his path which was like 3-4 meters away from him. He said that every hair in his body just stood-up and he was thinking that its impossible that he could be drunk because they havent started drinking yet. He said his body became numb when he saw an open coffin floating just after the first pair of candles followed by two more candles. He told my dad that it was the first time that he wanted to shout but he cant. He began praying and calling all the saints he knew and a few oraciones he was keeping with him. He said that he was thinking of closing his eyes but he was afraid of doing so. Just when the last pair of the candles got across his path he quickly ran as fast as he can. When he got back to the hut he told everybody what he saw. All of the locals there just said that its a common thing around the area and its called Pasatsat.
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I heard my dad saying to his friend that he should have approached the coffin, and if he did, he will see that it was himself in the coffin holding a knife. My dad continued to tell Mang Augusto that its even better to have gotten hold of the knife and stabbed the looked-alike on its chest. In that way it will put a stop to the ghosts that turned to a demon, from scaring and disturbing such a wonderful occasion called inuman! 63 From then on I knew where I got my talent in sarcasm and verbal weaponry!
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Drinking marathon with the use of liquor, beer or any alcohol together with friends.
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KUMAKATOK Three spirits that would usually knock at peoples door during night time. They are bringer of ill fortune and bad news. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Spirits Some say they look like hags but
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some say they are compose of an old lady, a child and a middle age woman. Reports said that they are 3 shadows which represents death, illness and misfortune. Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: N/A, some say that by putting sacred objects infront of the door will make them go away. Dispose: N/A, put a doorbell, para hindi na sila kumakatok (magdodoorbell na lang.) Frequency: N/A Aim: To scare and inflict misfortune.
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Classification: Demons There is no known history where and when this story started. People from the provinces would tell me stories about it and after a few days something bad would happen to them. One account said that he was standing just behind the door when he heard 3 knocks and he quickly opened it (thinking it was the person he was waiting for) and he saw 3 shadowy like figures that quickly disappeared. Thinking that it was just his imagination, he dismissed the incident. When his friend arrived they quickly left riding a motorbike. On the road, they had an accident. His friend died and one of his legs has to be amputated. I think this story started so that people will not just open their doors to anybody. Children would usually get excited opening doors when someone goes knocking. To prevent
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thieves or other evil-human-element to just barge in their houses they advised their households not to open the door without first asking who it was and if there is no answer then they should not open the door. I had an experience like this when I was like 7 years old. I was in the living room alone playing the piano when I heared 3 knocks at our door. I rushed and looked at the window to see who it was, but there was no one there. A friend of my mom once told me that they are demon messengers that whoever would open the door will meet ill fate (lalo na kapag magnanakaw yun, good luck sa ill fate mo!) She said that there are variations in the knock, if its slow its death knocking, if its fast and consecutive knocks then its an accident but if its 2 fast consecutive knocks followed by a single one then its illness. Wether its fast, slow or
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whatever, who the heck wants any of those 3 options?
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BUSO They are shadow creatures that lives in cemeteries. They would make noises and things move at the night of the burial as signs that they will have a feast on the dead body after it was buried. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics:
They are shadows with eyes, ears and mouth.

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They only appear during night time. They would always come in groups. They make things move to cause fear. They are very swift Tranformed: N/A, some say they can mimic the lloks of those it consumed. Weaknesses: Fire burnt from oil. Dispose: N/A Frequency: N/A, although some say that they appear during full moon. Aim: Desicrate the bodies of the dead.
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The buso would always be in pairs or groups. It has been said that they differ in sizes. Some buso are small and some are as tall or big as an 8footer person. I have no idea how they eat the flesh of the dead if they are shadows, but putting that aside, I think they can render themselves shadow like and that is not their real forms or they are shadow spirits that materialize. Busos are grave diggers and would only leave bones after they have feasted on the dead body. They say that the soul of the dead body becomes a Buso if it has been eaten by the creature and that is how they multiply. Some animals can actually see a buso. Dogs would wail in the presence of a buso and it means that a nearby person will be dying soon. Buso can smell death, dogs can smell the Buso so it continues that way. There are legends on how to see and capture them, but one method is very
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unsanitary. It involves tears of dogs being damped in ones eye. Who wants to see them much more catch them? Filthy shadows!
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LAGTAW Giant shadow like creatures that lives in big trees. They would always have the urge to pick up humans and drop them from the top of the tree to the ground. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Shadow like giants They have a cats head.
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Some say they are about 15 ft. tall. They can render themselves invisible and only certain parts of their body can be seen. Very mischievous Would moan when it wants to play tricks on someone. Tranformed: N/A Weaknesses: Fire Dispose: They say that placing a jar fiiled with salt under a tree that is suspected to have a lagtaw would make the lagtaw leave the place. Frequency: N/A Aim: N/A
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Classification: Demon I remember my father telling me a story regarding a lagtaw. They went to a trip in one of the nearby provinces. They took the van with them and traveled during the night. When they reached a certain province my father made a wrong turn somewhere (looking for a shorter road or a shortcut) and they got lost in the woods. They went going on circles. They managed to pass by a huge tree for 4 times, the same huge tree. Then knew then that something weird is happening, then all of a sudden they felt the the van was being lifted up. They looked at the windows and saw that they were floating in mid-air. Then they felt a big drop. My father stepped on the gas and hurried driving. They found their selves back on the main road where my father took a wrong turn.
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After that they reached destination in no time.
their
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THE AUTHOR
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Ruel Ruiz Also known as Razuli (Raziel Rachxumabaill) as his Aquarian name. A celestial being now on Earth, endowed with good looks, immense intelligence and unquestionable charm. A paranormal, supernatural and occult science genius. Physical Attributes/General Characteristics: Good looks Charming to those he likes Malevolent to those he despise 57 medium built loves to party, chitchat, lecture humorous
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can talk for many hours and days afflicted with LVM (loose verbal movement) Tranformed: He can transform to a party animal. Dansuer Know it all lecturer Gourmet (kitchen god) Evil sorcerer Loving, altruistic person (rare) Drunken master A good witch Obsessivecompulsive writer Concert master Weaknesses: Some say that one of his weaknesses is flying roaches. To appease him are good wine, good food, fabulous clothes, good
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conversation, cigarettes.
almond
rocha
and
Dispose: No known way how to dispose him. Frequency: N/A, probably eternal. Aim: To educate and uplift mans consciousness. Classification: Deity Legend Say He was born March 12 in Manila, Philippines. Being the youngest in 5 siblings he grew up seemingly normal. At a very young age he is already well verse in hermetics, healing and the occult. He has been a paranormal personality since the late 80s. Studying metaphysics and occult science at a very young age, he began his search and formal training everywhere he
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can. Began his professional counseling at the age of 19, he now trains both young and adult on how to handle and nourish their Mind Potential. As a consultant for both metaphysics and paranormal, he concentrates his abilities in training people on how to handle and make use of their abilities practically. He now anchors IAMI, IAMU, Religious Science International Seed Group, Science of Mind Philippines, Magick Grove Center, T.O.A., RSOM Center, 1LOVE, and Integrated YOGA here in the Philippines. He has done countless TV, radio, and print appearances nationwide advocating human potential. With his TV debut as a professional paranormal expert in Teysi ng Tahanan and Verum Est, ABS-CBN's Nginiiiig and Studio 23's Hidden Files, he guides and trains the old and young ones in developing their abilities on how to use of their Mind Faculty.
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Together with senior instructors, he heads the training of those who want to develop their skill both in New Thought Thinking, Occult Sciences and Paranormal/Psychic Investigation.
Email razuli88@yahoo.com Other books by the author Atbp. Series Multo, Thoughtforms, Atpb. Sapi, Possesion, Atbp. Gayuma, Potions, Atbp. New Thought Sa Likod ng Salamin Psychism Psychic Ka Ba?
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Of Man and Myths

Of Man and Lower Myths

Elemental, Engkanto, Atbp.

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Philippine LOWER MYTHOLOGY

GHOULS AND CREATURES OF DARKNESS, ELEMENTALS AND DEMONS

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

GHOULS AND CREATURES OF DARKNESS

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Some Viscera-sucking creatures are

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Spanish conquizador after Ferdinand Magellan

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

From the Libretto Encanto de Dios

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

the creature objects.

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

eater but also a grave-digger. Pitiful creature.

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Theres a tagalog word wakwak which means to violently tearup or shred.

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths

Elemental, Enkanto, Atbp. Of Man and Myths