What is Aswang?

Aswang is the creation of the Philippine Myth. Sometimes it is called tik-tik or wak-wak because of the sound that can approach, Aswang is typically a terianthrop with a shy, elusive person during the day and monstrous, slightly anthropomorphic bird or bat at night. In some legends, Aswang is also able to turn into other animal forms such as a pig, cat or dog. In human form, most Aswangs can be found as butcher, matrix or grave. The beast hunts at night and prey to most people who go through their way if they seem to be particularly vulnerable. It is said that Aswang is said to be inbred men and women, lonely commuters and small children. His favorite victims are far from pregnant women. Some of the stories about Aswang describe winged monster-tuks set on the roof, under which a woman with a child can stay. When there is a chance of her brand, it will expand the unusually long proboscis into the abdomen of a woman and draw an unborn baby from her mother's womb.

It is said that Aswangs lead incredibly long lives and are attributed to various forces. These forces come from a special type of stone that is transmitted from generation to generation. Aswangs usually come from witch families and siblings can share one stone with each other. The effects of the stone on a normal human being are unspecified.

To find out Aswang in our human form, we have to look at the eyes of man. Due to the night hunting activities of Aswang, the eyes of Aswang will be a bloodshed. The eyes of Aswang is also said to reflect the images upside down.

To fight Aswang, we have to arm ourselves with Buntot ng pagi , or the tail of stingrays, holy water and salt. These "weapons" are the only things that can effectively cause wounds on Aswang.