Aswang

The aswang is a creature of Philippine lower mythology. This being is usually female but can be of either gender. It has human origins and comes into its supernature through one of four means: ritual, communication, contamination, or heredity.

The ritual varies from region to region, but common elements include a fertilized chicken egg, an ointment made of coconut oil, chicken dung and human blood, an arcane prayer or recitation, and its performance during the night, often on Good Friday or during a full moon. The petitioner rubs the ointment all over her body, holds the egg to her stomach or armpit, and recites the prayer several times. The egg will then disappear or the chick inside will pass into her body, either of which is a sign the ritual was successful.

Once an aswang, this being can now transfer his power to a willing participant. The aswang bridges her tongue to that of the other, then either a black egg or a black chick crosses over and is taken in by the recipient.

The aswang can also choose not to surrender its power when bestowing it on another. This is achieved through contamination, whereby the aswang’s saliva is mixed in with food or drink consumed by an unwitting person. Once contaminated, that person begins to develop a black chick within her stomach.

The last means by which an aswang is created involves heredity. Legend has it that this power can be passed on seven times or for seven generations in aswang families.

A person who becomes an aswang then begins to develop uneasiness during the day and alertness at night. She will experience stomach pains for a month then develop an appetite for raw chicken, the sight of which causes her to salivate. Then she is approached by an elder aswang who leads her to their favorite prey -- sick or elderly people, pregnant women, and the newly dead.

The aswang can be cured of this condition, but this becomes more difficult the longer a person has been one. The black egg or chick needs to be expunged from the aswang’s body and destroyed in fire. The most common ways to achieve this include hanging the aswang upside down, spinning or beating it continuously, or building a fire beneath it. Once the egg or chick is coughed up, it will try to make its way back to the aswang’s mouth.

The creature maintains human form during the day and transforms at night. Its skin becomes dark, its hair becomes long and wiry, its nails become claws, and its eyes become fiery red. It then acquires the power of flight through another ritual it must perform every night. It makes it way to a banana grove or a secluded portion of its home, takes the same ointment used in the transformation ritual, dips its right hand in it and traces a line from the tip of its left pinky down its left side to the tip of its little toe. Then it repeats this on his right side, all the while repeating arcane verses, such as:

Siri, siri Diyos kung banggi;
Labaw sa kakahoyan, lagbas sa kasirongan

(There is no God at night;
Over the trees, under the houses)

This verse is a pact with evil spirits and an entreaty for the power of flight. After the incantation, an oily membrane develops along the lines traced with the ointment on either side of the body. The membranous wings allow the aswang to lift off from the ground. As the aswang flies overhead, it can be heard making the sound ‘ik-ik’, the same sound a particular bird makes as a herald of bad omens.

An aswang can hunt either walking or flying. At dusk everyday, it determines its target through one of several methods. Often, it will put its ear to a large wooden rice mortar, common to the Philippine countryside, and listen for the sound of mourners or of the moaning of the sick. Its hearing is such that these sounds reach it from kilometers away. It can also listen for such through a water well or a shallow hole it has dug into the ground for this purpose. It will either put its ear to the hole or drop into the well to listen for the telltale sounds. Or, it may walk among townsfolk during the day. Though usually reticent, it is often unable to contain itself upon coming close to a pregnant woman. Even should the pregnancy not be discernible, the aswang can always tell when a woman is with child.

Should it go without the benefit of flight, it will walk to the house from which the mourning sounds emanate. Houses in the Philippine countryside are often raised from the ground by large posts. As such, the walking aswang will most commonly position itself underneath houses, often right beneath the straw sleeping mat of its intended victim. It does this by hanging upside-down like a bat to a wooden beam along the floor or by attaching itself to one of the posts supporting the house.

Once positioned, it uses either its claw-like nails or its sharp tubular tongue to incise a wound. Then it uses its tongue like the proboscis of a mosquito to suck out internal organs or the voided phlegm of the infirm, or to suck out the liquids from an unborn child.

If the intended victim is the newly dead, it will often make its way to the place of mourning, then snatch the corpse with supernatural speed and in its place leave a banana trunk, which by magic it causes to have the appearance of the deceased. It is said to do this also of newly born babies, snatching them from the cradle. If the wake is well guarded against it, it might wait until after the burial to dig up the buried corpse. Later, it brings the corpse to a secluded area where it feeds on its flesh. It will also eat the flesh of babies, and is particularly fond of the liver.

Should it be surprised in the middle of a hunt, it has the ability to disguise itself as a house post, or it can change form into either a dog, a pig, or a cat to escape. If cornered, however, it will fight back. It is often attributed the strength of ten able-bodied men when it is about at night.

The flying aswang differs in that it alights on the roof of its intended victim. It locates an opening through the thatch and through it lowers its long hollow tongue towards its target. It is for this reason that country folk often sleep with blades under their pillows, to cut off the aswang’s tongue if such is discovered. It is also for this reason that pre-Spanish Philippine architecture featured conical roofs, as aswang are thought to have more difficulty balancing on these as opposed to flat ones.

The flying aswang also preys on solitary nighttime travelers. Its method is to swoop down between the legs of it victim to carry him or her aloft. It will later often drown the victim in a carabao mud hole before consuming it. Often, when travelers hear the ‘ik-ik’ uttered by the aswang, they will lie prone on the ground to avoid having it go through their legs.

Aswang have been known to marry normal human beings. Every night, the aswang sucks a bit of blood from its spouse until he or she weakens and dies from anemia. Because of this practice, stigma is often attached to people widowed so soon after a wedding. If a potential mate rejects the aswang, it will gain retribution by attacking him or her the way it does travelers.

After feasting, it will look like a heavily pregnant woman. It is also said to have enlarged teats and will breastfeed its children upon returning home.

There are several ways to detect the creature. When abroad during the day, try to look into the eyes of a suspected aswang. Images on its pupils are inverted, and it will look away to hide this. Also, it will not have a philtrum on its upper lip. The ‘ik-ik’ sound also gives away its presence; the sound is also said to be ‘kak-kak’ or ‘wak-wak’. The most telling sign is the sight of a stranger lurking around a house where there is a wake, a pregnant women, a sick person, or a newborn child. The aswang will often appear as a black dog, or pig, or cat of enormous size, sniffing around the property.

Some people also use special oils or charms both to detect the aswang and to protect against it. One type of oil is made from a coconut that the preparer has watched as it grew. The nut is picked at midnight during a full moon, then the meat of it is grated and squeezed of its moisture. This is then boiled using firewood gathered from the mountains until the liquid becomes oil. Arcane prayers are recited over the oil, then all waste products discarded into the sea to hide the origin of the oil, as aswang are repelled by salt and as such do not venture near the shore. The oil is placed in a bottle, and anyone carrying this will cause any aswang in his or her vicinity to become uneasy. The aswang will not be able to harm the bearer. And if the bottle is hung by the doorway, the oil will boil when an aswang approaches.

Some say that bottling prickly items such as thorny plants, dry bark, sack cloth, rough leaves, et cetera, in oil will have the same effect.

The creature is also repelled by certain fruits, spices and other flora. The most notable of these is garlic, which people put around their homes as protection against visitations. A local citrus called kalamansi (calamondin, citrofortunella mitis) also has the same effect, and travelers will often carry a slice of this or rub the body down with its juice. The seed of the trumpet plant are also useful deterrents, scattered beneath and around houses. Families also hang certain marine ornaments on the eaves of their homes as protective ornaments. These include sawfish snouts, stingray tails, carapaces of sea crabs, lobsters or prawns, and stuffed sea fish. These serve as a reminder to aswang of the sea and are thought to invoke their fear of salt. Sharpened bamboo and metal bolos (a long, heavy single-edged knife) are common countermeasures, placed beneath homes or used to weigh down rooftrees.

Killing an aswang requires a precise strike most commonly with a bolo or a sharpened bamboo staff. The creature has to be hit in the middle of the back where it cannot reach the wound with its arms. Otherwise, it will be able to apply its saliva to the wound to heal it very quickly. Upon striking the creature down, a magic prayer, often called an oracion, may be recited to render the creature helpless, after which it is cut in twain. A wounded aswang will most likely try to make its way home. Often, a suspected aswang will be found in human form dead in its home, bearing the same wounds inflicted on it in its demonic form.