Aswang – Filipino Folklore

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I was introduced to the Filipino folk stories about the “aswang” when my cousins emigrated from the Philippines in the late 1980’s. They told of a creature that resembled a woman with bat wings who revealed her true self only at night. During the day, she could only “scoot” along edges of sidewalks to get around. When a woman lost a child, the townspeople would attributed it to an aswang who had a proboscis-like tongue to suck out the fetus.
The following and very informative documentary goes into detail about the history and gathers information about this paranormal folk creature of the Philippines.
Things I’ve learned:
  • There is no consensus about the facts regarding the aswang.
  • The aswang is a shape-shifter, so unexpected large animals (e.g. dogs, pigs, cats) can be aswangs in disguise.
  • Some of the “facts” about the aswang have been shaped by historical events.

 

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