Hello Internet - and welcome to Top 5 Scary Videos - my name’s Jack Finch, and today
- I’ll be your host as we take a look at
5 Scary Mythical Creatures In The Philippines.
Before we dive on in, make sure to hit that subscribe button - and leave us a lovely message
in the comment box down below.
Now - the Philippines is a country that has no shortage of myths and legends.
In fact - an entire world of bizarre creatures and malevolent spirits plays a huge part of
everyday life in the rural parts of Filipino culture.
Take the amahanlig, for example.
Or the Malakat.
The sarangay.
Or the ragit-ragit.
Little bit lost?
Me too.
Let’s jump on in.
Kicking off at Number 5, we have the Naga.
Although there’s a city named after these ferocious fish-like creatures, the Filipino
Naga are far from hospitable.
Otherwise known as the marinaga - these bizarre beasts are a type of freshwater mermaid - but
instead of having the classic fishtail - they have the tail of an eel - or a water snake.
Like mermaids - they have the upper body of a human female - with beautiful, alluring
facial features and long, flowing hair.
The Naga are incredibly gentle and kind to children, and are considered protectors of
springs, wells and rivers by the local population.
They bring the rain - but they also bring pretty severe disasters, like floods and droughts.
Their true beef though - is with adult humans.
They are incredibly vicious and aggressive towards people when they’ve been mistreated
- and nothing grinds their gears more than mankind's disrespectful actions toward the
environment.
Yeah, sounds pretty reasonable to me.
Next up at Number 4 - we have the Tigbanua.
Known mainly within the Bagobo region - these guys are the worst of all Filipino dark spirits
- and many rural villages live in terror of potentially meeting one.
Bagobo myths describe the Tigbanua with pretty heavy detail - claiming that they have one
eye - tall, lean bodies and twisted long necks that they use to see what’s behind them.
Their one eye is either blood shot red - or sickly and yellow.
The Tigbanua’s hair is usually long and disheveled and their skin is covered in filth
and grime.
Their noses are flat - and their teeth are razor-sharp and pointed - used for gnawing
on the bones of wandering people.
Locals warn that the Tigbanua prefer to stay in deep jungles, caves and rocky areas - and
their are some stories where the Tigbanua hunt in packs to chase down their victim - often
dismembering them and tearing them apart with their claws.
There’s some good news though.
The Tigbanua are absolutely terrified of dogs.
I love doggos.
Bringing it in at Number 3 - you guessed it - Tikbalang.
I’ve just got to say, I’m so sorry for butchering these pronunciations.
I promise you, I’m trying my best.
The Tikbalang are arguably the creepiest creatures on this list.
A half-man and half-horse hybrid that exclusively terrorizes women.
Not good.
Not good at all.
It is believed that these centaur-like demons are actually summoned by shaman’s - or,
strangely enough - landlords to secure and protect their house.
It has a horse's head - the body of a human - and the feet of a horse.
And it travels at night to violate unsuspecting female mortals.
Then - they horrifically give birth to /more/ Tikbalang.
These guys are messed up.
The Tikbalang also enjoy messing with people’s heads - and they often cause travelers to
lose their way in mountain or forest areas by inducing hallucinations in an attempt to
drive them insane.
Yeah - I’ve had enough of these guys already, so let’s move on.
Coming in at Number 2 - we have the Manananggal.
Well - if you’ve ever seen Jeepers Creepers - this is pretty much the original Filipino
version.
It’s kinda messed up.
This creatures name comes from the Filipino word - tanggal - which means to seperate.
And - well, that’s exactly what it does.
Usually a sorceress that visit villages late at night - they carefully choose a place where
they will leave their lower torso while they hunt.
Yeah - you heard that right.
Then - it splits it’s body right in two - and gains the ability to fly with huge,
dark, bat like wings.
That’s not all though.
The vile creature then goes on the prowl, in search of pregnant women or men to seduce
- before eating them alive.
Usually - she eats either the heart, the stomach, or the liver - but not all three.
*That’s kind of her.*
It’s not all bad news though - the Manananggal has one critical weakness.
Sunlight.
If dawn comes while the two halves of this creature are still separate - then it will
burst into flames and be destroyed.
It is said that if you find the lower torso whilst the creature is hunting - then you
must salt the exposed flesh - preventing the monster from combining again.
Nice.
That’s one to remember.
Okay, and finally - at our Number 1 spot - we have - the infamous Aswang.
This guy is the big player in Filipino folklore - and in most cases, most creatures are just
some variation of this vile beast.
The Aswang have been striking fear amongst the Philippines since the 16th century, when
Spanish colonists noted that the locals were completely terrified by the tale.
Usually possessing some of the traits of a vampire, ghoul or witch - the Aswang is a
sort of werebeast that shapeshifts from human to horror.
Known throughout the country as a tik-tik or kling-kling, the Aswang are usually regular
townspeople who are quiet - shy - and elusive.
They then transform into a bat, a crow, a wild boar - or a big black dog.
The Aswang love to eat unborn fetuses, small children and - particularly - the hearts and
livers of their victims.
To sum it up - the Aswang are pretty messed up.
So make sure you keep your wits about you whenever you’re next in Manilla.
I hear it’s beautiful this time of year.
That’s all we’ve got time for today folks - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos.
Make sure to hit that subscribe button - leave us a comment in the box down below, you know
the drill.
I’ve been your host Jack Finch, and until next time - take it easy.