4. is a mythical creature in Filipino folklore. The
Aswang is an inherently evil vampire-like creature and is
the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories.
Spanish colonists noted that the Aswang was the most
feared among the mythical creatures of the Philippines,
even in the 16th century .

5. The myth of the Aswang is well known
throughout the Philippines, except in the Ilocos region,
which is the only region that does not have an
equivalent myth. It is especially popular in the Western
Visayan regions such as Capiz, Iloilo, Negros, Bohol,
Masbate, Aklan, Antique. Other regional names for the
aswang include "tik-tik" and "wak-wak".

6. "Aswang" is a generic term applied to
all types of witches, vampires,
manananggals, shape shifters, were
beasts and monsters. The original
definition referred specifically to a
ghoulish were-dog, which is where the
word comes from- "Aso ang" ("The
dog" in Tagalog).

7. This type of creature was an eater of the dead,
also called the bal-bal (maninilong in Catanauan,
Quezon), which replaces the cadaver with banana
trunks after consumption. Aswang stories and
definitions vary greatly from region to region and
person to person, and no particular set of
characteristics can be ascribed to the term.
However, the term is mostly used interchangeably
with manananggal and are also usually depicted as
female.

8. •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. Stories recount aswangs living
as regular townspeople.

9. •As regular townspeople, they are quiet, shy and elusive. At
night, they transform into creatures such as a cat, pig, bird,
or most often, a dog. They enjoy eating unborn fetuses and
small children, favoring livers and hearts.

10. •Some have long proboscises, which they use to suck the
children out of their mothers' wombs or their homes.
•Some are so thin that they can hide themselves behind
a bamboo post. They are fast and silent. Some also
make noises, like the Tik-Tik, (the name was derived
from the sound it produces) which are louder the
further away the aswang is, to confuse its potential
victim; and the Bubuu, an aggressive kind of aswang that
makes a sound of a laying hen at midnight.

11. •They may also 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

12. The Kikik orWakwakThe Kikik orWakwakThe Kikik orWakwakThe Kikik orWakwakThe Kikik orWakwak
•One type of Aswang is the kikik, which transforms
into a huge bird/bat at night and prowls. The kikik
looks for a sleeping pregnant woman. When it has
found one, it extends a very long proboscis into the
womb and kills the fetus by draining its blood. It is
said that while this is taking place, a 'kik-kik-kik'
sound is often heard.

13. • In some stories, the
kikik is an Aswang's
familiar, said to confuse
people by its 'kikik'
sound. If the Aswang is
near, the sound would be
faint so that people
hearing it would think
that the Aswang is still
far away.

14. • The term wak-wak or wuk-wuk is frequently used
for the same creature in the Cebu region. The
legends of the wak-wak and kikik are much the
same, but the wak-wak is specifically supposed to
change into its birdlike form by leaving behind its
lower body, much like the Manananggal, another
Philippine vampire.
The cry of a night bird which
makes a "wuk-wuk-wuk" sound is
believed to be the call of this
monster and is feared by
superstitious villagers. As with
the call of the kikik, the wak-
wak is believed able to make its
cry sound distant when the
creature is near.

15. •In Panitan(Panit'an) Capiz, there is a myth of
the Dangga or Agitot. This type of aswang is
said to take the form of a handsome gay man
that hunts women during the night and drinks
blood like a vampire.
• One of the most popular legends in the
visayas region is the infamous Aswang
Tiniente Gimo(lieutenant Gimo) of the town
of Dueñas, Iloilo.

16. • Another familiar is the sigbin or Zegben Some say
that this is another form that the Aswang
transforms into and yet some say it is the companion
of the kikik. Its appearance is said to be similar to
the chupacabra and Tasmanian devil in appearance,
although with spotty fur. It supposedly has a wide
mouth with large fangs.

17. •Shamans
-to heal and to save lives.
-are referred to locally as the mananambal. They are local healers
who use their magic to heal diseases and illnesses that are caused
by supernatural causes. All the mananambals claim that their
powers also come from supernatural sources like saints or the
spirits of dead people.

18. •Sorcerers
-to destroy or inflict harm.
-locally called the mambabarang. They use their powers
to inflict pain, disease or even death to their clients’
enemies.