
### **The Severed Woman: When Hunger Takes Flight**

In the rural **Philippines**, pregnant women **lock their doors**, **sprinkle salt on windowsills**, and **hang garlic** throughout the house when night falls. They know that in the darkness, something may be **listening**—something that can **smell** the life growing inside them, something with a **hunger** that drives it to horrifying extremes.

This is the **Manananggal** (ma-na-nang-GAL, from Tagalog *tanggal*, "to remove" or "to separate")—a type of **Aswang** (Filipino vampiric creatures) known for one of the most disturbing transformations in world folklore:

At night, her **torso separates from her lower body**, **sprouts large bat-like wings**, and **flies** through the darkness hunting for **pregnant women**. When she finds a victim, she **lands on the roof**, extends her impossibly **long, proboscis-like tongue** down through the **thatching or walls**, and **pierces the womb** to **suck the blood of the fetus**—or in the worst tales, **consume the fetus** entirely.

The Manananggal represents **every fear** of pregnancy and childbirth in a dangerous time: **miscarriage, stillbirth, infant mortality**—all given **horrifying physical form**.

### **What a Manananggal Looks Like**

The Manananggal has distinct day and night forms:

#### **Day Form (Human):**
- **Beautiful woman**, often **young to middle-aged**
- **No visible differences** from normal people
- **May be a neighbor**, **friend**, even **family member**
- Lives a **normal life** during the day
- **Quiet, reclusive** often
- **Avoids certain foods** (garlic, salt)
- Sometimes has **distinctive red eyes** when seen in certain light

#### **Night Form (The Transformation):**
**The Separation:**
- At night, usually in **privacy**
- Her torso **detaches** at the **waist**
- The split is **clean**—**organs hanging** from the upper body
- **Intestines, stomach, heart** dangle beneath
- **Large bat wings** (sometimes **feathered**, usually **membranous**) sprout from **back or shoulders**
- **Flies** into the night

#### **The Upper Body:**
- **Human woman's** torso, arms, head
- **Wings** attached
- **Organs trailing** beneath
- **Long tongue** (proboscis-like)—can extend **several feet**
- **Sharp teeth** or **fangs**
- **Red eyes** (glowing or blood-red)
- **Skin** may appear **graying or dead**

#### **The Lower Body (Left Behind):**
- **Legs and lower torso** remain where she separated
- **Hidden** in her home
- Appears **lifeless** but breathing
- **Vulnerable**—if destroyed, she dies

#### **The Proboscis Tongue:**
- **Long, thin, tube-like**
- **Extends through roof thatch**
- **Pierces flesh** (stomach, womb)
- **Sucks blood** like a straw
- Can **reach fetuses** inside wombs

### **The Powers of the Manananggal**

#### **1. Body Separation**
- **Splits at waist** voluntarily
- **Upper body flies**, lower stays
- **Organs don't die** (supernatural)
- **Must rejoin** before dawn

#### **2. Flight**
- **Bat wings** allow silent, fast flight
- **Swoops** over villages
- **Lands on roofs** without sound
- **Tracks prey** from above

#### **3. Proboscis Tongue**
- **Extends enormously**
- **Pierces roofs** (traditional bahay kubo/nipa huts)
- **Penetrates flesh**
- **Sucks blood, amniotic fluid, fetuses**

#### **4. Supernatural Senses**
- **Smells pregnancy** from great distances
- **Knows** which houses have pregnant women
- **Tracks** even hidden pregnancies

#### **5. Transformation**
- **Appears human** perfectly during day
- No one **suspects**
- Can **live among people** for years

#### **6. Tick-Tick Sound**
The distinctive **auditory** signature:
- Makes a **"tik-tik-tik"** sound while flying
- **Loudness inversely proportional** to distance
  - **Loud tik-tik** = she's FAR away
  - **Quiet or silent** = she's VERY CLOSE (right above you)
- **Deceptive sound** confuses victims

### **How Someone Becomes a Manananggal**

Different traditions offer variations:

#### **Version 1: Black Magic/Curse**
- Woman learns **dark magic**
- Uses **forbidden ritual**
- Becomes Manananggal **intentionally** (power, revenge)
- **Irreversible**

#### **Version 2: Transmission**
- **Infected** by another Manananggal
- Through **ritual**, **cursed food**, or **being attacked**
- **Becomes one** against will (initially)

#### **Version 3: Inheritance**
- **Born with the curse** (mother was Manananggal)
- **Manifests at puberty** or adulthood
- **Bloodline curse**

#### **Version 4: The Black Chick**
A specific folk belief:
- A Manananggal can **pass her curse**
- She **vomits a black chick** (alive)
- If someone **swallows it** (hidden in food)
- They **become Manananggal**

### **What Manananggal Hunt**

Primary targets:

#### **1. Pregnant Women:**
- **Main prey**—fetuses in wombs
- **Sucks blood** and **amniotic fluid**
- **Eats fetus** (in extreme versions)
- Results in **miscarriage** or **stillbirth**

#### **2. Newborn Babies:**
- If can't reach womb, **attacks infants**
- **Drinks blood**
- **Sometimes eats** (rare, extreme versions)

#### **3. General Blood:**
- Some versions: can **feed on any blood**
- But **prefers** unborn/newborn

#### **4. Sick/Dying:**
- May **feed on** the ill
- **Drawn to** disease and death

### **How to Protect Against Manananggal**

Traditional Filipino protections:

#### **For Pregnant Women:**
1. **Garlic everywhere**:
   - **Hang** by windows, doors
   - **Crush and sprinkle** around house
   - **Wear** garlic bulbs

2. **Salt**:
   - **Spread** on windowsills
   - **Lines** at thresholds
   - **Blessed salt** (holy water)

3. **Ash**:
   - From **blessed** sources
   - Smeared on **belly** (pregnant women)
   - Around **house**

4. **Stay inside** at night
5. **Keep doors/windows closed**
6. **Light** (she avoids bright light)
7. **Noise/prayer** (drives her away)

#### **Killing a Manananggal:**
If you find her **lower body** while she's flying:

1. **Sprinkle salt** or **ash** on the exposed waist
   - Prevents **reattachment**
   - She **dies at dawn** (sunlight kills separated form)

2. **Garlic** in the waist cavity
   - Same effect

3. **Move the lower body** elsewhere
   - She **can't find it**
   - **Panics** at dawn
   - **Dies** when sun rises

4. **Destroy the lower body**
   - She **dies immediately**

#### **If She's Above Your House:**
- **Make noise** (bang pots, shout)
- **Shine lights upward**
- **Pray loudly**
- **Burn garlic or salt**
- She'll **leave** for quieter target

### **The Tik-Tik Sound: The Warning**

The Manananggal's **distinctive sound**:

#### **The Mechanics:**
- **Tik-tik-tik** rhythm
- Like **tongue clicking** or **insect** sound
- **Ventriloquism-like** (confusing)

#### **The Deception:**
- **LOUD** tik-tik = she's **far away**
- **Quiet** or **silent** = she's **right above you**
- This **tricks** people into false security
- When sound **fades**, that's when to **panic**

#### **Why:**
Evolutionary **predator strategy**—**confuses prey location**, makes **tracking difficult**.

### **Manananggal vs. Other Aswang**

The Manananggal is a **type of Aswang** (Filipino vampiric creatures):

| **Manananggal** | **Tik-Tik (regular Aswang)** | **Sigbin** |
|-----------------|------------------------------|------------|
| Torso separates | Stays whole | Animal-like |
| Bat wings | Shapeshifts | Walks backward |
| Proboscis tongue | Fangs/claws | Sucks shadow |
| Targets fetuses | Targets anyone | Steals hearts |
| Tik-tik sound | Tik-tik sound | Silent |

**Note:** "Tik-Tik" is sometimes used **interchangeably** with Manananggal or as separate Aswang type.

### **Cultural Significance**

#### **Why This Legend Exists:**
1. **Explaining infant/maternal mortality**:
   - Before modern medicine, **high death rates** during pregnancy/birth
   - **Supernatural explanation** for tragedy

2. **Pregnancy anxiety**:
   - **Fear** embodied
   - **Helplessness** given form

3. **Social control**:
   - Women staying **indoors** at night (safety)
   - **Community vigilance**

4. **Mistrust of outsiders**:
   - Anyone could be Manananggal
   - **Reinforces community bonds**

### **Symbolism: What the Manananggal Represents**

#### **1. Maternal Fear:**
- **Every pregnant woman's nightmare**
- **Loss of child**
- **Vulnerability** during pregnancy

#### **2. Hidden Evil:**
- **Beautiful by day, monster by night**
- **People aren't what they seem**
- **Trust is dangerous**

#### **3. Female Power (Corrupted):**
- **Powerful female** figure
- But **destructive**, not nurturing
- **Inverts** motherhood (destroys instead of creating life)

#### **4. The Divided Self:**
- **Literal split** between human and monster
- **Duality** of nature
- **Cannot be whole** (must hide or hunt)

### **Modern Manananggal**

The creature remains **culturally relevant**:

#### **Filipino Media:**
- **Films**: Numerous Filipino horror films
- **TV**: Regular appearance in shows
- **Comics**: *Trese* (Filipino graphic novel/Netflix series) features Aswang
- **Still believed** in rural areas

#### **Reported Sightings:**
- **Rural Philippines**: occasional reports
- **Tik-tik** sounds heard
- **Pregnant women** still take precautions
- **Mix** of belief and tradition

### **Lessons from the Manananggal**

- **Protect the Vulnerable**: Pregnant women need community protection
- **Evil Hides in Plain Sight**: Monsters look like us
- **Vigilance**: Stay alert to danger
- **Traditional Wisdom**: Garlic, salt, ash—simple protections
- **Face Your Fears**: Find the lower body, end the threat
- **Community Matters**: Neighbors watch for each other

### **A Final Flight: She Still Hunts**

In the **barrios** of the Philippines, when night falls and pregnant women **feel uneasy**, when a **tik-tik** sound echoes in the darkness—

They **lock their doors**. **Close their windows**. **Light their garlic**. And **pray**.

Because the Manananggal **still flies**. Still hunts. Still **separates** and **feeds**.

> *"Tik-tik... Tik-tik... I am Manananggal, the severed one. By day I am your neighbor, your friend, your kin. By night I split, I fly, I hunt. I smell the life you carry. I hear the heartbeat of the unborn. And I hunger. My tongue extends. My wings beat silent. And the tik-tik warns you—but deceives. When I'm loud, I'm far. When I'm silent, I'm here. Above you. Waiting. Protect yourself with salt and garlic. Lock your doors. Pray. But know this: I am patient. I am hungry. And I will feed. Unless you find my legs. Destroy my lower half. Then I die with the dawn. But until then—listen. Tik-tik... Tik-tik... Am I close? Or far? You'll know. When my tongue touches you. Too late."*

May your pregnancy be safe. May your doors stay locked. And may the **tik-tik** stay **far away**.

The Manananggal is flying.

**Tik-tik.**

**Tik-tik.**

**...silence.**




Manananggal: The Filipino Vampire Whose Torso Flies to Hunt Fetuses


### **The Aswang: Your Silent Predator in the Night**

The darkness of the Philippine islands holds more than just the usual nocturnal creatures. **The Aswang** lurks there too—a shape-shifting terror whose presence is felt but rarely seen. If you wander too far from the safety of a village or travel under the cover of night, the Aswang might already be watching.

The Aswang is a predator of the night, hunting for its prey in secret. With its ability to blend into the darkness and adopt multiple forms, it is one of the most feared creatures in Filipino folklore. If you find yourself face-to-face with an Aswang, your survival depends on your knowledge and preparation.

### **Identification: Spotting the Aswang in the Wild**

Aswangs are known for their **shape-shifting abilities**, often taking the form of a **beautiful woman** by day to blend in with local villagers. But under the cover of night, they transform into something far more sinister: a **winged, monstrous creature**, or sometimes a **creature with a long, thin tongue** capable of sucking blood or organs from its prey.

Here are key signs that you might be in the presence of an Aswang:

- **Unusual Silence**: If you feel an unnatural stillness around you—where even the usual night sounds of insects and animals go silent—be alert. The Aswang thrives in the stillness of the night, often causing the environment around it to fall eerily quiet.
- **Shadowy Figures**: Aswangs tend to stalk their prey in the shadows. If you notice **a moving shadow** where no shadow should exist, or if it **seems to mimic your movements** as you move, stay alert.
- **Strange Flapping Sounds**: A **soft, irregular flapping** sound in the air is a warning sign. The Aswang may be in its winged form, following you or preparing to strike.

### **Common Encounters: Who Is Most at Risk?**

The Aswang is particularly active in rural areas, especially in **remote villages** where the natural world is wild and untamed. Those who travel alone or stray too far from safety are its prime targets.

Here are some common groups who’ve reported disturbing encounters:

- **Farmers and Villagers**: Those who work the land in the evening often report a sense of being watched, followed by an unsettling feeling of being near something **dangerous yet unseen**.
- **Midwives and Healers**: Women who travel by night to care for the sick or help with childbirth have long been warned about traveling alone. Many midwives have reported feeling stalked, hearing flapping wings or sensing a presence nearby, only to look and see nothing.

- **Hunters and Fishermen**: Those who venture into the forests or out to sea may be the first to feel the brush of the Aswang’s deadly presence. Stories from hunters tell of **unseen eyes watching them**, followed by an inexplicable sensation of danger in the woods.

### **How the Aswang Hunts: Tracking Its Movements**

Unlike other predators, the Aswang is **patient** and **methodical**. It doesn’t rush to kill but instead uses **psychological tactics** to induce fear in its prey, allowing the creature to grow closer.

#### Common Signs of Aswang Behavior:

- **Approaching with Stealth**: If you ever feel as though you’re being followed but can’t see anyone, it’s likely an Aswang stalking its prey from the shadows.
- **Sensing a Sudden Drop in Temperature**: The Aswang brings an unnatural chill, and if the air around you becomes **cold and still**, the creature could be nearby.
- **Feeding Techniques**: When an Aswang feeds, it often does so through its **tongue**, which can stretch long distances, or it may transform into a bat-like creature to suck blood. If you find **bloodless animals** or unexplained marks on human bodies, it’s often a sign of an Aswang’s feeding habits.

### **Surviving an Aswang Encounter: Field Guide for the Brave**

If you find yourself in an Aswang’s territory, there are specific steps you must take to avoid falling prey to its grasp.

#### **1. Remain Calm:**

- **Panic makes you an easy target.** The Aswang is drawn to fear, so remaining calm and steady will help you avoid becoming its next victim.

#### **2. Avoid Isolation:**

- **Travel in groups** whenever possible. The Aswang is less likely to attack a group of people and prefers to stalk lone travelers.

#### **3. Carry Garlic and Holy Objects:**

- **Garlic**, especially when worn around the neck or placed near the home, is believed to repel the Aswang. Holy relics or talismans, such as a **cross** or **holy water**, can also provide protection.

#### **4. Stay in Well-Lit Areas:**

- Aswangs avoid well-lit areas, as they are **night creatures**. Stick to **well-lit paths** and avoid traveling through forests or dense foliage at night.

#### **5. Never Let the Aswang Touch You:**

- If you are face-to-face with an Aswang and feel its presence drawing closer, **do not allow it to touch you**. It is believed that the Aswang’s touch is deadly and will lead to possession or death.

#### **6. If You Hear Flapping Wings:**

- If you hear **the sound of wings** flapping in the air, do not run. Stay still and avoid drawing attention to yourself. In some accounts, making yourself appear larger by raising your arms or making loud noises can scare the creature off.

### **What to Do If You’re Attacked**

In the event of an attack, you must act fast. The Aswang is fast, capable of attacking before you even realize it’s near.

- **Defend Yourself**: If you have a **knife** or another weapon, use it immediately. Striking at the Aswang’s **eyes** or **wings** is often your best chance of survival.
- **Use Fire**: Fire is believed to keep the Aswang at bay, so try to create a fire or carry **a burning torch** if you’re traveling at night.

### **Signs You’re in Aswang Territory**

If you’re venturing through rural Philippine villages or isolated forests, here’s what to watch for:

- **Silence**: The usual sounds of animals and insects will suddenly stop, giving way to an eerie silence.
- **Shifting Shadows**: Be cautious of **shadows that move unnaturally**, or of figures that seem to be watching you from afar.
- **Bloodless Livestock**: If you find that **livestock** have been drained of blood or appear strangely sick, it may be a sign that an Aswang is feeding in the area.

### **Conclusion: Stay Safe, Stay Vigilant**

The Aswang is not a creature to be taken lightly. Its presence is a threat, and it only hunts when the darkness is at its peak. By staying prepared, remaining vigilant, and respecting the signs of danger, you can increase your chances of surviving an encounter with this terrifying night predator.

But remember: **the Aswang is always watching.** Never let your guard down, especially when night falls, and always stay close to others when traveling in remote areas.


aswang

Manananggal: The Filipino Vampire Whose Torso Flies to Hunt Fetuses

Aswang: The Night Stalker of the Philippines