Manananggal

One of the most popular monsters in Philippine folklore and a staple of Pinoy horror movies is the manananggal. Almost every Filipino knows what a manananggal is but to those who don’t, well, a manananggal is a variant of the aswang. By day, is just a normal person, usually a woman, but come sundown she…

Ungga-Ungga: The bloodsucking floating head

The ungga-ungga or ongga-ongga from Visayan and Mindanaoan folklore in the Philippines (also known as bog-bog, oka-oka, ug-ug, wowog, wuwug or wugwug, and yog-yog) is an aswang variant and a manananggal relative which appears similar to the penanggal or penanggalan of Malay folklore, the kuyang, balan-balan, leyak and palasik of Indonesian folklore, and the krasue…

Another manananggal cousin

The abat or awok is the Eastern Visayan variant of the manananggal in Philippine folklore. Like the latter, an abat detaches from its lower half of the body at the waist but instead of growing wings on its back, its arms are the ones that transform into bat-like wings. It has bloodshot eyes which almost…

Manananggal’s wingless cousin

The anananggal are self-segmenting aswang in the Eastern Visayan folklore of the Philippines. Unlike their cousins, the manananggal of Luzon, anananggal are wingless like the Indonesian penanggal, and can render themselves invisible – an ability which gives them freedom to enter any house unnoticed. Aside from preying on pregnant women and attacking children or those…

Monsters & other supernatural beings from Filipino folklore & myths

This list aims to reintroduce Philippine folklore and mythology’s myriad creatures and other beings that were obscured by centuries of colonialism and modernity.