44th Heartbeat

ASWANG

Do you believe in aswang?

This mythical creature gained so much popularity in Filipino folklore for it has been a subject of a wide variety of myths and stories, the details of which often vary greatly. Even Spanish colonizers claimed that the Aswang was the most feared among the mythical creatures of the Philippines, even in the 16th century.

The myth of the aswang is well known throughout the country. It is especially widely held in Capiz, Iloilo and Antique. It even assumed other regional names such as “tik-tik” and “wak-wak.” An aswang is often described as a combination of a vampire and a witch, but it also serves as a generic term applied to all types of witches and warlocks, mananangals, shape shifters and monsters. Aswang stories and definitions vary greatly from region to region and person to person, so no one particular set of characteristics are ascribed to the term. There are a lot of Filipinos who are very supersitious, and would adorn their homes with garlic bulbs, holy water and other objects believed to repel an aswang. Since the stories recount aswang eating unborn children, pregnancy is a time of great fear for those who are gullible to this lore. The wide variety of descriptions in the aswang stories make it difficult to settle upon a fixed definition of aswang appearances or activities. However, several common themes that differentiate aswangs from other mythological creatures do emerge: Aswangs are shape shifters. Aswangs would usually live as regular townspeople and they are oddly quiet, shy and elusive. At night, they transform into creatures that enjoy eating unborn fetuses and small children, devouring human livers and hearts. Some have long proboscises, which they use to suck the children out of their mothers’ wombs. Some also make noises, which are done to confuse its potential victim. They may also replace their live victims or stolen cadavers with surrogates made from tree trunks or other plant materials. This surrogate will return to the victim’s home, only to become sick and die. An aswang will also have bloodshot eyes, the result of staying up all night searching for houses where wakes are held to steal the bodies.[1]

When I was young, I have heard a lot of aswang stories from my folks. One of my relatives even told me that she and her companion had an encounter with an aswang on their way home from the wake. They saw a very huge and bizarre-looking pig that walked transversely along the road and this creature was trying to block their track. Scared of what might happen to them, they ran for their lives without minding the creeping darkness, and as soon as they reached their house, they were hysterical as they noticed a lot of bruises all over their bodies. What they have experienced during that spine-chilling night was the talk of the town the next day and they made a vow never to pass that route again. Hearing their story terrified me but I was quite sceptic then, as I conditioned myself that I will only believe if I will see one. Many years have passed and still there was no encounter on my part until I buried this possibility in my memory.

But I just encountered one this week. And mind you, it was a horrifying experience for me.

The aswang that I was referring to was not a creature that lurked in darkness, nor did it assume a beast-like appearance in order to frighten me. I didn’t come across this creature face to face but, having a detailed account of what he has done was enough reason for me to have chills down my spine. A mentally-ill man repeatedly hacked his mother and his father to death inside their residence in Pontevedra, Capiz. And to make things grosser, he decapitated his father with a bolo used in cutting sugarcane, placed the head inside a pot and boiled it. He even put some seasonings so as to come up with a concoction, and tasted the brew from time to time.

When I read this story of gore from the local newspaper, all I ever wanted to do was to puke. It was beyond madness because it showed how man has transformed itself into a monster, an unimaginable felony that can only be done by a vicious beast. The tales of aswang that used to fill me with fear and dread can now be hidden in my long forgotten desire and musing because I don’t have to see one in order to believe in something hideous and evil. Despite being considered as the highest form of creature, with the capacity of establishing a culture, technology and even civilization, man is still susceptible to savagery.

Oddly enough, humanity and monstrosity still subsist hand in hand, and this reality serves as a wakeup call for all of us.

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