Introduction

 For centuries, our ancestors crafted together pieces and stories of folklores to drive away uncertainty of the future long before the arrival of colonization. From age-old beliefs kapre and duwendes to the mangkukulams in present times, these stories have kept the innocent minds of the children pre-occupied in an attempt to make them behave and stay at home. Now, get yourselves ready as you take a tour of Filipinos' most known mythical creatures.

Duwende

            According to Ramos (1990), duwendes are the spirit of the fields and hills and the people of the ground. They have large eyes, nose, mouth, hands, and feet. Duwendes are known to live in an anthill—and inside it, consists of gems and gold. They are also known to like hoarding things—so if you lost something, it might be the duwendes’ doing.

There are good and evil duwendes. If you respect a duwende or ask permission to pass by their place, they may give you good fortune. But if you disrespect them by trespassing or damaging their land or the duwende itself, the duwende will be angry. They can cause you to experience pain in any part of your body that only an albularyo or herbal doctor can cure. Aside from the pain they give, they may kidnap a child or female relative of yours—this kind of duwende is called the black duwende—one of the evilest duwende.

In the Philippines, many believe and are worried about the duwendes, while others do not think they are real. Still, the phrase 'tabi tabi po' is widely used by Filipinos to excuse themselves when they spit, pee, step, or pass by anthills or dirt mounds. In this way, it avoids offending the duwende and the harm they may do. Watch out! It is also believed that when things in your home go missing and reappear, it is caused by the duwendes. 

Kapre

           The kapre is a Philippine cryptid that rests in enormous trees like acacias, mangoes, bamboo,  banyan and smokes cigarettes. It is phenomenally tall, long-legged, dark-colored, hairy, muscular, and has a very strong body odor. The Kapre is claimed to wear the indigenous Northern Philippine loincloth known as bahag, as well as a belt that allows the kapre to be invisible to humans. 

In some stories, the kapre is said to be guarding a miraculous white stone the size of a quail egg. The kapre has the ability to grant wishes to anyone who obtains this stone. Kapres are nocturnal and omnivorous. They aren't always regarded as malicious. They may, however, become vindictive if the tree in which they live is cut down. And if one is a companion of the Kapre, that person will be able to see it, and if they sit on it, any other person will be able to see the massive entity.

 Kapres, also called agtà, are known to play pranks on people, making travelers become disoriented and lose their way in the mountains or in the woods. It is often seen waiting for people as they walk through a path. It scares away little children who play at night. If you're stuck in a place and you keep going around in circles, you're said to be played around by a kapre. To escape its control, you must remove your shirt/clothing, and wear it inside-out. Witnessing rustling tree branches, even when the wind is not severe, has been reported as a sign of Kapre enchantment. Hearing loud laughter from an unseen being, seeing a lot of smoke flowing from the top of a tree, seeing enormous red blazing eyes throughout the night from a tree, and actually seeing a Kapre wandering in forested areas are some other occurrences. It's also thought that the embers from the Kapre's lit cigars or tobacco pipe are responsible for the abundance of fireflies in wooded places.

Tikbalang

 

The tikbalang is a giant humanoid horse creature with a head of a horse and a body of a muscular man. They are tall beings, usually eight feet in height, covered in dark fluffy mane; they are bipedal creatures, meaning they walk on their two back feet instead of on fours. It is also believed that they can transform into an old man some would refer to as the "nuno sa punso." In extreme cases, they take the appearance of a close relative or a friend of a human they want to either haunt or befriend.

Tikbalangs are said to inhabit the quiet confines of deep forests, away from the ruckus of human living. They also smoke huge tobacco cigars—emanating smoke as thick as a chimney can eject—believed to block their territory and mislead travelers.

Like duwende and kapres, tikbalangs are tricksters. Their pastime involves disorienting travelers who pass by their dwellings without the proper incantation. In the Philippines, the phrase "tabi tabi po, nakikiraan lang po" has become a common gesture of pleasing these mystical creatures so as to avoid conflict. Other than that, turning their shirt inside out is another way of countering their enchantment. They are not known to hurt humans, unless well-enough provoked, and provoking usually involves some form of rampant disrespect to both their existence and their kingdom.

Diwata

 

Just because a creature does not appear to be menacing somehow doesn't mean it is not capable.

In Philippine mythology, a Diwata or also known as Encantada is a pleasant or neutral dryad who is invoked ritually for beneficial crop growth, health, and prosperity; yet, if not treated with respect, they may suffer illness or catastrophe. Large trees, such as acacia and balete, are reported to be home to diwata. It can be used to allude to a broad type of creatures, such as "elf" or "fairy" ; they are nature's guardians, bestowing blessings or cursings to individuals who bring good or bad fortune to the forests and mountains. A well-known Diwata is Maria Makiling, the guardian of Mount Makiling located in Laguna province.

The word Diwata comes from an Indonesian word Dewata which originates in the Hindu Devata. A male diwata is called engkanto (it can be sometimes spelled Encanto, Encantado, or Encantada)

Since its concept was assimilated into pre-colonial Filipino mythology, the name "diwata" has taken on numerous degrees of meaning. Whereas there are many and various tales of what they should look like, a common tendency can be seen in that they are generally human in aspect, beautiful, and ageless, with the exception of a few distinguishing features. They also have lighter complexion than the normal person, as pale skin has long been connected with the supernatural (for example, the "white lady" idea is widespread in East and Southeast Asia), yet the features of having nose bridges and blonde hair are curiously colonial in nature.

Mangkukulam

 

Unlike those mystical creatures mentioned with scary and unusual features, the mangkukulam is just an ordinary person in looks; however, do not let your guard down—after all, they succumb to evil and do evil things to people, usually out of vengeance. They employ the art of "kulam," which means to bewitch or place a hex. The mangkukulam, as with their western counterpart “the witches” or “sorcerers” can recite spells and mix potions. They are also known to use dolls and needles to remotely hex a victim. Until this day, they are known to exist and could be found in the rural areas of the Philippines.

           Kulam uses beetles, effigies, poppets, a boiling pot, or some other type of representation of the target victim. These are usually "linked" by including bodily exuviae like hair or nail clippings. And these are activated by chants, spells, or symbols (sometimes syncretized with Christian or Muslim rituals).

            The only way to stop the curse is to counter their spell with an alburalyo. An alburalyo is known to have the knowledge to help and cure the person who has been under a spell. They usually treat it with sumbalik (counter-spells or antidotes). They purportedly deflect the effects of the curse and return it to the caster. And in extreme cases, sumbalik can kill the caster.

            Mangkukulams keep themselves isolated from everyone. They often avoid people in the streets in the daytime. It is also believed that they could pass their powers to their family so long as they possess a strong belief in magic. However, when an old hag randomly touches your back in the middle of the night---be aware---for they could choose anyone who they want to inherit their powers, by just a tap. For Filipinos to avoid their inheritance, they make sure to tap them back---fastly.