ALAN-KIWIG-REVIEWER PDF

**ALAN** The **Tinguian tribe**, from the northern part of the country, was the first to encounter the ***alan*** and the first to learn how to defeat it. The huge wings of the creature allow to fly at incredible speed and great heights. The wingspan of the *alan* Teaches 7 feet, 2 to 3 feet longe...

**ALAN** The **Tinguian tribe**, from the northern part of the country, was the first to encounter the ***alan*** and the first to learn how to defeat it. The huge wings of the creature allow to fly at incredible speed and great heights. The wingspan of the *alan* Teaches 7 feet, 2 to 3 feet longer than that of a *manananggal*. It is suspected that the alan is capable of long-distance flight. When it is resting, it hangs from tree branches using its hands and feet, resembling a huge foxbat. The alan\'s grey akin is comparable to that of a carabao but has proven to be impervious to gunfire. The **hands and feet** of the alan are structured to point backwards - a strange trait to have, yet does not seem to hinder the alan from movement or attack. The alan\'s keen sense of smell allows it to track its victim even while flying. It prefers human flesh although in has been known to slaughter cows and pigs. When it does find human prey, it seems to prefer males over females. There was one report where an alan crashed through the bedroom window of a family. Seeing that they were all female in the room (because the father had left for business in another town), the alan screeched, licked the mother and the daughter-as if tasting them -and then flew away, not satisfied with what it had found. The **alan\'s lair** is a sight to behold for it is a mansion made out of gold. How it amasses the gold to construct its house remains a mystery. For some undetermined reason, the alan\'s lair is filled with jars, each of thein containing an item from the people it consumed. Another **disturbing trait** of the alan is its ability to create \"children,\" using menstrual blood, miscarried fetuses, or stillborn babies. As the children grow with the alan, their physical appearance takes on the unusual traits of the alan, eventually growing wings themselves. **ASWANG** The ***aswang*** is the local werebeast, a human by day, who can transform into a ravening animal at night, usually a large dog or a massive hog, and sometimes, a misshapen, shambling grotesquerie quite unlike any creature known to man. The most common manner in which **a normal human becomes an *aswang*** through the ingestion of a black chick (the \"itom nga piso\") which lodges in the stomach. This creature makes the human-turned-aswang crave human flesh and affords the ability of transformation. Though this is seen as a kind of perverse inheritance-the passing of the black chick from parent to child or relative to relative-it is also sometimes achieved by simply forcing the creature down an unwilling throat. In such an instance, the **black chick can be expelled in two ways**. The **first** is to make the individual extremely dizzy so he vomits the creature out. The **second** is to hang the individual by his feet and light pile of rice straw beneath him. The smoke will then nauseate him, until he vomits the black chick out. In both cases, the chick should then be thrown into a fire to prevent it from attempting to return to the unfortunate individual\'s stomach. One can also **become an aswang** if one is breathed upon by an aswang or cats from an aswang\'s food or drinks from its cup. As with the *manananggal*, saliva is also apparently a vector for infection with the aswang. (See Manananggal entry.) There are **numerous repellants** against the aswang, among them: lemon, kalamansi, and wild eggplant (it is recommended to carry slices of these on one\'s person when traveling by night); the smoke from burning garlic or from carabao horn shavings thrown upon hot coals; salt; cold iron; and bolos inserted into the floor slats (to prevent the aswang from lurking under the house). In addition, a **buntot pagi** (stingray tail) is an effective weapon against an aswang. Once one has wounded an aswang it is recommended to cut the aswang in half, down its spine. The black chick is to be likewise cut in hall (or thrown into a fire). The two halves of the aswang should then be placed on the opposite banks of a river, thus preventing the halves from reimiting and eventually killing the aswang. **BATIBAT** The ***batibat*** is an elemental that resides in certain trees. If the **tree is cut down and the wood is used as a post in a house or a bed frame**, the batibat will emerge from the wood and seek revenge on the person in that room, since it assumes that person was responsible for cutting down her home. The batibat manifests itself as a **large female**, probably 200 to 300 pounds heavy. It waits for the person to fall asleep and then it steps out of the wooden post and sits on top of the sleeper. If someone happens to enter the room, he would not see the batibat, but he would notice that the sleeper seems to be struggling in his lumber, as if trying to wake up. The death of a person who succumbs to a batibat is commonly attributed to the person **having a nightmare or bangungot.** It has been advised that, if one suddenly feels a great weight above them while sleeping, one should attempt to move the big toe or, if possible, bite one\'s thumb. This will supposedly break the spell of the batibat and allow the sleeper to awaken. **If hindi pa rin nag-work, sa lalaki hihilahin un gari at sa babae ay hihilahin ang nipple.** **Another example, if may bagong furniture made from wood kukuha ka ng piece tapos ibabalik mo sa forest para doon sumama ung batibat.** **BAKUNAWA** While the ***Bakunawa*** is only one among several **gargantuan beasts** that endanger the cosmic balance be threatening to swallow either the Sun or the Moon-some of the others include the **Bawa** and the **Minokawa**, and those are just the ones associated with the Philippine Islands-it is certainly among the most powerful and fearsome. It lives in the deepest part of the ocean, in the **Marianas** **Trench**, to the east of the archipelago. And much like its fellow Sun/Moon swallowers, it perennially threatens existence by rising from the depths, soaring up into the sky, and taking the celestial body (whether Sun or Moon) in its mouth, **causing an eclipse** in the process. At an early point in our race\'s history, it became a vital function of humanity to prevent the beast from completely swallowing its intended meal. Entire communities would **make as much noise** as they could -screaming, beating pots, pans, and drums, ringing bells, indiscriminately shooting assorted firearms into the sky-to scare the beast away. It was their belief that should the beast completely swallow the celestial body, it would then descend from the sky and feast upon humanity, so the Sun and Moon-saving was as much an act of self-preservation as anything else. Thwarted by the noisy efforts of the humans, the Bakunawa would once again retreat to its underwater lair, to patiently await its next opportunity. Its scales reflect light in an unusual manner, thus the sheen that seems to suggest & constellation filled night sky (effective camouflage for when t targets the Moon). While Pardo did not bother to date the entry on the opposite page the hardly ever did, as if he could not be bothered by the trivialities of when exactly something took place-it was not the when but the what that mattered to most), it is our best guess that he refers to the total solar eclipse that took her on March 4, 1821. The time of the Greatest Eclipse was 5:50 AM (thus taking place around sunrise), occurring above the Indian Ocean (from the original entry-shat appears here is an excerpted portion-Pardo seen the paste been in the comp of sailors and out at sea on some kind of boat at the time). **CALAG** These cadaver-eating ghouls resemble emaciated, pale-skinned humans, like walking skeletons. The ***calag*** has normally been spotted attending wakes, pretending to be a relative of the deceased. They usually stand out because of the ill-fitting clothes they wear, which they most probably stole from the last corpse they consumed. At the precise moment when no one is looking, they move with uncanny speed and quickly replace the cadaver with a banana- stalk, carved to resemble the deceased, in a manner identical to the modus operandi of the balbal. (See Balbal entry.) The calag then floats away with its prize, taking it to the nearby forest where it will feast. The sharp talons of the calag **can sculpt** the finest details when it crafts the human simulacri and can pierce through three-inch thick wooden doors. These calag are quite the artists. They use their sharp, skeletal fingers to carve those human simulacri using banana stalks. **Kaya kapag may pulubi or may darating na maulimos ang itsura, itinataboy.** **BALBAL** Due to lack of functional arms, the ***balbal*** quickly learns to use its tongue for a myriad of purposes. The ***balbal*** feed on the flesh of human corpses. With a [fang- ringed maw, avian talons, and a preternaturally long tongue, it flies upwards, alighting on the roof of a house for funeral home]) in which a wake is taking place. When an opportunity arises where the corpse is left unattended, the balbal will retrieve the body by wrapping its long tongue around it and taking it away. The balbal will then replace the corpse with a **manikin**, a **banana trunk** made to look like an exact duplicate of the deceased, the only imperfection being a lack of fingerprints. Should this flaw go by undetected, then the deception will succeed, and the relatives of the deceased will have absolutely no idea that what they will eventually be burying is not their loved one at all. If its [theft succeeds], the balbal will take the corpse to its home. There. the *balbal\'s family* will devour it as they please. Certain **precautions** may be taken in an attempt to stave off the attentions of the balbal. **One** such measure is to refrain from sweeping the floors of a house where a wake is being conducted, so as to avoid scattering dust that carries the scent of the dead and inadvertently attracting balbal. **Another** is to slash the neck of a chicken and throw it from the top of a ladder. This is done just before the coffin containing the corpse is taken to the cemetery. The fowl\'s death throes are meant to distract any nearby balbal from the corpse. **DALAKITNON** The ***dalakitnon*** is one of the many tribes of enkanto who dwell on the archipelago; this one specifically finds its residence in the **dalakit tree or the balete tree**. While most enkanto seem to be happy to dwell in the world found inside and under the tree, the dalakitnon is probably the only known enkanto that has taken to **exploring the skies.** They have been **known to construct flying ships** made out of the wood of the dalakit tree, where they usually anchor their crafts after a night\'s voyage. The lightweight bodies of the dalakitnon allow them to float alongside their flying ship. If a **tree** is filled with fireflies, that is usually the sign that a *dalakitnon ship* is docked at that tree. The fireflies are actually the stepladder that the dalakitnon use to get from the ship to the tree. Which is why, it is believed, if a dog barks at a tree that\'s lit by fireflies, it is because the dog has spotted the dalakitnon\'s floating ship. In **order to see** what the dog sees, you are supposed to use your finger to rub the eyes of the dog and then rub your eyes, turn your back to the tree, and look between your legs. You will be able to see the enkanto and their magical ship. **BUSAW** A **female\'s** visual field is wider than a male\'s, but her depth perception is severely inhibited. **(One eye ang babae kasi they are good sa observation.)** The most adept busaw warriors are known to make skillful use of their horn during battle. **(Male busaw have horn kasi sila ang warriors.)** The ***busaw*** is of particular interest to the sociologist as this species displays a tendency to congregate in communities-groups typically headed be a chieftain, whose large house is ally situated at the center of a vast, fertile plain. The structures are laid out in such a way that the smaller huts of the other members of the busaw community surround the chieftain\'s domicile. Though busaw are notorious for feasting on human meat (either freshly slaughtered or in the form of stolen corpses), their communities are agrarian in nature, raising crops as well as domestic stock, such as carabao and horses. Among the crops they seem to favor are bananas, papayas, yams, sugarcane, and taro, all noted for their prodigious size and impressive yields. Presumably, the fruit and vegetables are used to balance out their otherwise all-meat dict. Word of the curious gustatory sensations resulting from the busaw variation of ***sinigang***-in which the usual ingredients of pork and beef are replaced by human flesh, and which is not cooked, due to the innate fear of fire-has long swirled through the ranks of the more adventurous and fringe-minded of epicurean societies. (As an aside, it will be noted that busaw fear brass and iron, along with fire.) While a **male busaw** sports an ivory horn that juts from his forehead, a **female** has a single eye. Some busaw have also been reported to sprout wings to help facilitate their hunt for human prey. Whether this is a natural ability or one produced through magic is unknown. As with any community, shared traditions such as holidays are a vital cornerstone of the population\'s unity. The most important **busaw holiday** is known **[as The Culling]**, a nine-day saturnalia that begins on October 31 (the Gaelic Samhain, commonly referred to now as Halloween) and ends on November 8, the busaw! equivalent of All Souls\' Day, during which time, they believe that their dead walk amongst them. At each busaw community, **nine braves** assemble at the first minute of October 31 and set off to much revelr and fanfare to scour the surrounding countryside in search of the dire foe all busaw, the markupo (See Markup entry.) Any ***markupo*** found during [The Culling], whether adult or unhatched is summarily slaughtered by the busaw, lest these beasts damage their land and crops and terrorize the members of their communities. While the braves are away, the community celebrates the holiday through jubilant (and perhaps, to the non-busaw, unsettling) displays of ritual dance and song. At the **midpoint of the holiday**, **at noon on November 4, there is a markupo hunt**. In it, a chosen youth (who will be joining the next year\'s Culling as a brave) dresses in a crude costume of sticks and animal hide and is hounded by the busaw children, who throw pebbles at him to keep him away from the fields and herd him toward the center of the community, to the courtyard of the busaw chieftain\'s home. There, the markupo is finally **\"killed\"** by the children. The busaw youth then abandons the costume, and the markupo is burned in effigy. This ritual is both a **symbol of the markupo\'s death and a rite of passage** for the busaw youth, who now understands what it is like to be the beast, so that he may hunt it more effectively in the following year\'s Culling. The holiday **culminates on the 8th of November**, during which time the finest fruits of the previous harvest are offered to the busaw dead. As midnight (**and the 9th of November**) approaches, the entire Community waits for the return of the busaw braves from their markupo hunt, even as the specters leave for another long year in the land of the dead. This **nine-day festival** is also noteworthy as being the ***only time in the year*** when the entire busaw community engages in a rigid fast, abstaining from eating human flesh. Additionally, it should be noted that not all busaw choose to live in agran communities. There are reported instances of what Pardo terms **\"wild\" busaw**, who live in trees in jungles or near cemeteries. Those that reside near cemeteries ar known to dig up the dead for then meals and have developed a strange and curious relationship with the ***buso*** who also feed on corpses. Occasionally, they have been observed commingling with the buso, feasting in cemeteries in the dead of night (perhaps the reason why busar at sometimes confused with busol, Oth times though, violent clashes between these wild busaw and buso have broken out, presumably over thes common food source. **EBWA** At a distance, one might think the ***ebwa*** is a hairless gorilla that has somehow lost its way and ended up in one of the forests of the Philippines. This huge ghoul tends hide amongst the branches of large trees, sniffing the air and looking for its next meal. The ebwa belong to that classification of ghouls known as **\"cadaver eaters",** those that [favor eating the dead], and they are [attracted to the scent of the dying or the dead], which supposedly carries the scent of ripe jackfruit. There used to be a time when wakes were held outdoors, near the house of the deceased, but that made it easy for the ebwa to steal the corpses. Henceforth, the ritual of wake became an occasion where the location must be brightly lit, especially the area near the coffin. People were allowed to sing and play music. The chwa are easily frightened by the glaring lights and the deafening din of humans singing. This might be due to the development of their ocular and auditory faculties; to be able to hunt in the dark, their eyesight and hearing have become hypersensitive. The ebwa have exhibited great strength. One was seen carrying three or four dead bodies at the same time. Their sharp nails allow them to easily rip open the cadaver\'s rib cage, so as to quickly dine on the innards of the deceased. **BUWAYA** While the Filipino word \"***buwaya***\" has come to be used to refer to regular **crocodiles** the term is used to refer **alligators** as well, it is actually the name of a crocodilian species, quite possibly with prehistoric roots. From the descriptions and eyewitness accounts of the buwaya, it is, in all likelihood, a species **resembling the Deinosuchus** (Greek for bettible crocodile),\" which reached approximate sizes of 33 feet in length, and weighed anywhere from 5 to 10 tons). Ancient tribal Filipinos treated the buwaya with extreme reverence, referring to it as **\"nuno\"** (grandfather) and offering it tributes of food. Such was their veneration for the buwaya that any man who killed or harmed a buwaya was executed without trial. Eventually, this law was expanded to melude any mischief done to regular crocodiles, who were believed to be the sons and daughters of the buwaya. ***Buwaya*** are reported to carry an ornately carved box on their backs, some eyewitnesses have **likened the box to a coffin**. The box appears to be made from **mangkono** (Philippine ironwood) and clay. Close examination has shown that the osteoderms on the buwaya\'s dorsal side seem to have grown around the base of the box, holding it firmly in place. In fact, several growths seem to serve to hold the box\'s lid shut, suggesting that the buwava have evolved in this very specific manner to serve this very specific function. Buwaya have been observed to take a chosen individual and place him in the box (the box \"unlocking\" with a subtle shift of the buwaya\'s musculature, shifting the growths on its dorsal side so that they release the lid), and then swim away. It is believed that the individual is then brought to the buwaya\'s lair; for what purpose is unknown. Though the fact that the box could indeed be a coffin has led some to conjecture that the buwaya is, in actuality, a psychopomp, ferrying the dead to the underworld. The patterns are very nearly identical to those found on the Manunggul Jar, could Tabon Man have based the Jar\'s patterns on buwaya sightings? **IKUGAN** The common tale about the ***ikugan*** that they are giant monkey-like creatures who stalk their victims from the tallest branches and utilize their prehensile tails to snatch and strangle their prey. In reality, they are **ape-like**, covered with black hair that makes them blend with the night sky. Given their gargantuan size, their ability to support themselves on the flimsiest branch and swing from tree 10 tree is truly bewildering and a sight to see. Their **eyes** have an **eerie green glow**, making one think there were fireflies in the treetops. Only when one steps too close to view the pretty glowing fights will he realize his mistake, by which time the dark, rope-like tail of the ikugan would have already wrapped around the neck of the foolish trespasser. The ikugan are very protective of their territory. They have been known to attack humans that come near their trees. They would incapacitate them and leave the intruders on the jungle floor, not even bothering to eat them, as if to serve as a warning to all those who dare enter their protected spare, Hence, hunters have learned to stay away from the ikugan\'s land. Could there be a connection between the ikugan and the Yeti of the Himalayas or the Sasquatch of the American Pacific Northwestor (even closer to home) the amomonge of Negros? **DUWENDE** Some ***duwende*** are said to carry branches of trees noted for their medicinal properties, such as the **batino** and the **dita**. While some physical aspects of dewende differ slightly (some counts describe them as having green hair and skin, with blue eyes), the common thread is their height; duwende are **short**, approximately **two feet tall**. They dwell underground, the entryway to their homes situated in termite mounds; thus the term **nuno sa punso** (\"old man/ grandfather of the termite mound\") is used to refer to some duwende. Usually invisible to the human eye, duwende have a penchant for lying or sitting upon their termite mound, where, unseen, they are sometimes stepped on or stumbled over by unsuspecting passersby. Thus, it is an ancient Filipino tradition to verbally-and humbly-ask for permission from the invisible duwende that could very well be in the area, when passing by an earthen mound particularly those with clean surroundings, clear of grass or weeds) or crossing an open field not normally trod upon. **(Ang sinasabi ay Tabi-tabi po, Nuno.)** Respect for the duwende cannot be overstated, as they can be vengeful if they feel slighted, Unfortunate individuals who have caused **insult to the duwende** have been afflicted with chills and fever, rashes, or swollen extremities. More serious cases can involve paralysis and catatonia. Occasionally, sudden deaths have also been attributed to the retaliation of a slighted duwende. Thus, it is also said to be wise to avoid sweeping floors or yards at noon or sunset, as these are the times when duwende visit human households. And since they are invisible, it is always possible that dirt will be inadvertently swept into their eyes, another cause for a duwende\'s wrath. Tossing water or rubbish out at these times is also discouraged; at the very least, one must give a verbal warning to alert the duwende to take cover. ***Duwende*** have terrible eyesight but excellent hearing, and their visits to a human household are carried out so that they may eavesdrop on a family\'s conversation. Duwende are prone to be powerfully attracted to humans with beautiful voices or names. Thus, young girls are warned against singing, and parents were once known to christen their daughters with plain, unflattering names. (Despite the focus on young females, it should be noted that duwende have also shown a propensity toward young human males.) Once the duwende has chosen his intended, he sets about seducing her, so as to eventually spirit her away to his underground home. Alternately, some duwende have been known to take possession of the body of their chosen beloved. In cases such as these, an **albularyo** is recommended to drive the duwende away. **KIWIG** It is quite easy to distinguish a ***kiwig*** from a typical wild boar. The kiwig\'s tail is longer than a boar\'s, arching down and then pointing straight hack up to the night sky. The kiwig also displays flames bursting out of as eyes. That would be the most obvious clue that one is about to be attacked by a kiwig and not by a wild boar. The **people of Aklan** have also reported kiwig attacks, and yet they have described the creature as looking like a dog, cat, or pig; all of which have the oddly shaped tail and fiery eyes. **During the day**, the kiwig assumes the shape of a man and has been known to easily blend in with the rest of the community. Some kiwig have actually become prominent members of society, running well-respected businesses, and some have even become government officials. Yet their craving for human flesh still needs to be satisfied, which is when they transform back into their boar- like form and go on a hunt. The **eyes of the kiwig** allow it to hunt its prey in pitch black environments. The **bright, white tusks of the kiwig** are also strong enough to tear through the hull of a ship.