Book of Shadows (MYTHICAL CREATURES A-Z)

Aswang

Aswang

Mythology: Phillipine

A vampire-like witch ghoul. They are shape-shifters. Some stories say that they lived as regular townspeople. As regular townspeople, they are quiet, shy and elusive. At night, they transform into creatures such as a cat, bat, bird, boar or most often, a dog.

They enjoy eating unborn fetuses and small children, favoring livers and hearts. Some have long proboscises, which they use to suck the children out of their mothers' wombs when they are sleeping in their homes. Some are so thin that they can hide themselves behind a bamboo post. They are fast and silent. They replace their live victims or stolen cadavers with doppelgangers made from tree trunks or other plant materials. This facsimile 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.

They are physically like humans at daytime; they only change their appearance at night when they feel they are in need of food. It has been said that if one married a human, upon their wedding, his or her mate would become an aswang as well but rarely can they reproduce. The couple may hunt together at night but will go in separate directions, either to avoid detection or because they do not like to share their meal.

These creatures are not harmed by sunlight. They are daywalkers. They can also be befriended, they can talk to you like any normal human being: they laugh, cry, get mad, hurt, and feel envy. These creatures do not harm their neighbors. Neighbors were said to be exempted from their target victims for food, hence the Filipino saying, "Better an aswang than a thief." They search for food in far away places that it would not be too obvious for them. They are said to be vulnerable during daytime because during that time they do not have the excessive inhuman strength that they have in their nighttime prowl. When people know of their identity, they are hunted down and killed at the barong barong.

Like vampires, aswangs are repelled or killed by using garlic, salt, and religious artifacts. They are also killed using a whip made entirely of a stingray's tail, which may also be used to repel the creature. It is also said that they cannot step on holy consecrated ground. Decapitation is also a way to destroy an aswang.

Certain agimats and special prayers posted on doors may also repel aswangs. A good example of which is the orange and black bead bracelets worn by newborn babies.

It is said that to spot an aswang at daytime, look at their eyes. The person in front of you is an aswang if your reflection is upside-down. Another way of knowing is looking in a tuwad manner; that is, bending over and looking at the person from between your legs, upside-down. The person is an aswang if the image of the person is different. It is said that a person without a philtrum is an aswang. A kind of oil made by albularyos is used to detect if an aswang is near the premises. It is said that the oil will boil if an aswang is near.