The spirits of Ībal, who live in Daem, are responsible for most sickness among children, but they are easily appeased with blood and rice. (Source: The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology and The Creatures of Midnight, Maximo Ramos, Phoenix Publishing, 1990) This list has been researched and compiled by THE ASWANG PROJECT ABAT – (Tingguian) Abat are numerous spirits who cause sore feet and headache.
They fly over nipa houses in which live pregnant women. The abats of a town can visit neighboring towns. She goes to bed early with her spouse, and one informant from Samar reported that the creature quietly gets out of bed at moonrise, opens an eastern window, and stares at the newly-risen moon until her lower body drops off. The creature is said to resemble a beautiful maiden by day and marries an unsuspecting man in order to live close to human communities. Big red bulging eyes, fingers long and bony, and dishevelled hair. (source: DICCIONARIO MITOLÓGICO DE FILIPINAS, Ferdinand Blumentritt, translated and republished by The Aswang Project, 2021) This list has been researched and compiled by THE ASWANG PROJECT ABAT – (Waray, Eastern Samar) A Waray aswang that sucks internal organs. First, there are just so many! With over 7000 islands, and the number of individual languages listed for the Philippines at 187 (according to ), it’s actually a surprise there aren’t more.ĪBAK – (Mandaya, Bagobo) A malevolent or demonic spirit of the Mandayas (Mindanao) b) the proper name given by the Bagobos to one of their deities. These creatures can be confusing to say the least. Source”.Ī | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z This list has been researched and compiled by THE ASWANG PROJECT “ CREATURE NAME – (Region) Short description. If you notice one is missing, please send us a message in the following format: *Please note that many of the links to the references on this page are Amazon Affiliate links. You may click on highlighted names to learn more about the religious beliefs structures that the described being is part of. While some were most certainly part of early religions around the archipelago, these beings have evolved to reflect the influences and environment up to the time of documentation. This list should not be considered as precolonial beliefs. I have tried to exclude beings that are regarded more as deities within their ethnolinguistic groups. I have included the “witches” who are thought to cause harm to people – because I have seen how this list has been used over the past several years. You will also find some mythical beasts from epics and folktales.
This list includes ‘creatures,’ ‘monsters,’ spirits, folkloric beings, ‘witches,’ and mythical beasts, who are generally thought to cause harm or illness to people if they are not properly respected or given offering. So, five years after initially launching this list I have finally spent the last week updating descriptions, adding entries, and most importantly, including sources – something I always encourage others to do. Over time, and with reader’s help, I realized there were some discrepancies, possibly incorrect regions, and many missing entries. Sadly, I didn’t have the time to keep up with it. A few years ago I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if a place existed where I could access the names of the documented creatures and the regions from which they come? I started this list and it quickly grew to well over 250 beings. I used to lament about what a pain in the butt it is to pull them all out every time I get curious about a mythical being.
I have dozens resources that I use when I am researching the mythical beings and folkloric beliefs of the Philippines. Over 370 Creatures & Mythical Beings from Philippine Folklore & Mythology