Here in the Philippines, there's a lot of stories about mythical creatures, especially in the provincial area, specifically on the Capiz which where I live. Some people say they've encounter one but I, personally haven't seen one and I wish that it would stay that way because they are so scary and creepy, there are also tons of movies about them and believe me, they are so scary. Anyways, if you're interested in mythical creatures and scary stuff like me, I suggest that you should keep reading.

SIGBIN

Sigben or Sigbin is a mythical creature here in the Philippines, it comes out at night to suck the blood of victims from their shadows. It is said that it walks backward with its head lowered between its hind legs, and it has the ability to become invisible to other creatures especially humans.

I haven't seen Sigbin since I was born but back when I was 6 years old when we still lived in the countryside there are rumors that one of our neighbors saw a Sigbin late at night when he was walking home. I don't exactly remember the details but I can clearly remember that when I heard those rumors I started to fear going outside or staying outside late at night. Also, back in 2014(?) there's a picture going around the internet that the people in Cebu caught a Sigbin and here's what it looks like.

People say that it's not Sigbin but I don't actually know.

ANI-ANI

This is actually my first time hearing the word Ani-Ani but according to some people, Ani-Ani is a very terrifying creature because they are half aswang and half kapre, since Kapre is a giant means that Ani-Ani is also one and it possesses the power of shape-shifting. Some say they usually pretend to be a carabao, cow, goats, and pigs.

BUNGISNGIS

The word "Bungisngis" literally means "to laugh" or "giggle". This mythical creature is a giant one-eyed monster who is described to have teeth that are always showing. This monster also has a loud and terrifying laugh.

You can say that Bungisngis is like an Ogre 2.0 and just like the Ani-Ani I've never heard or seen one of this creature and I'm not planning to see one.

PASATSAT

The word "satsat" means "to stab" in English, these are the ghosts that are believed to have died during the Japanese Colonization in the Philippines and these ghosts are mostly soldiers who are tortured. The bodies of these soldiers are put in a "banig" or rolled mat instead of a coffin.

I think I've heard about this in the past but I don't exactly remember if it's Pasatsat but they that Pasatsat usually stays in the parks and churches.

TIYANAK

There's actually a lot of definition on this mythical creature, some people say that these creatures are monsters that pretend to be a baby. Others believe that Tiyanak is a baby that died without baptized. Some say that these monsters are offspring of "aswang". But the most famous one is that these creatures are unborn babies that were aborted.

There are tons of horror movies about Tiyanak and all of them are really good movies.

GAWIGAWEN

Gawingawen is a huge creature with six heads that possesses various weapons of war. It is an excellent warrior and has powerful weapons such as a spear, a wide head ax, and a shield so wide people estimate it to be almost half of the sky.

I've never heard about this mythical creature but when I first saw the name Gawingwen I literally sang it like the song "The Tokens" and now it keeps playing inside my mind.

BAL BAL

Bal-bal is an undead monster that steals corpses whether it is in a funeral or grave and feeds on them. It has a strong sense of smell for dead bodies, it also has claws and teeth sharp enough to rip the clothing of the dead and since it eats nothing but corpses, it has a foul breath.

Here in my home town when corpses in the commentary are missing people would joke that the "bal-bal" took and eat it. To be honest, though, I thought that bal-bal eats babies, that they took the babies using their long tongue so when you hear a baby crying during late at night the bal-bal is there and it's trying to take it.

BAKUNAWA

Bakunawa is a giant sea serpent with a mouth the size of a lake, a red tongue, whiskers, gills, small wires at its sides, and two sets of wings, one is large and ash-grey while the other is small and is found further down to its body. It is believed to be the cause of earthquakes, rains, and winds.

Okay, on this one, I don't really believe that Bakunawa exists. Especially when it mentioned that Bakunawa is the cause of earthquakes, rains, and wind. But I know though, maybe some people believe that Bakunawa exists especially for the elderly.

BATIBAT

This creature is called "Bangungot" and it takes the form of an ancient grotesquely obese tree-dwelling female spirit. The batibat is a vengeful demon found in Ilocano folklore, and Tagalog folklore.

I didn't know that there's a mythical creature named Batibat until today so if you ask me, it looks pretty scary and it looks like it can eat you in one go.

Now for the last one, it's actually pretty famous and I know a lot of people already know about it but I just want to include it here since it is also a mythical creature.

ASWANG

The Aswang is a flesh-eating, shape-shifting monster. During the day, Aswang appears as regular townspeople, though they may be observed by others to have reclusive habits or magical abilities. Aswang shift into eerie predatory forms and go hunting for human prey. Preferring to feast on children and pregnant women above all else. Also called "tiktik" or "wake wak".

here in capiz Aswang is really famous, a lot of people say that they've seen one crawling on the top of a roof. There's actually one time when my mother felt sharp claws touch her arm, it was late at night and my mother is feeling sick. I was about to close my eyes when I heard her whisper my name so I asking her what is it? and she said that she felt something touch her arm. That time I was really creeped out because the window is just right above our head and it was wide open so that the wind can enter, it was also pitch black outside. I was really scared that time but despite that, I still looked outside the window but I see nothing.

Anyways, that's pretty much all. I hope that you enjoyed reading and a little reminder, watch out for aswang cause we don't actually know, maybe they're just walking among us and looking for their next prey.

Lead image source: Pinterest