Archive # 142 The Aswang

Show Notes 🔍 Episode Summary: Tonight, we unravel one of the most chilling figures in Filipino folklore, the Aswang. Equal parts myth and monster, the Aswang isn’t one creature: it’s many. A shapeshifter. A deceiver. A cultural phantom that hides in plain sight. From flying torsos with blood-sucking tongues to corpse-eating ghouls with backward feet, this episode exposes the layers of horror behind the Philippines’ most infamous supernatural entity—and how colonization, gender politics, and diaspora shaped its enduring legend. 📚 In This Episode: 👹 What Is the Aswang? A cultural shapeshifter that reflects colonial fear, gendered shame, and ancient animism. Learn how the Aswang evolved from a village terror into a global symbol of Filipino horror—and why its myth followed migrants across oceans. 🧛 The Five Types of Aswang: From seductive vampires to flying viscera-suckers, we break down the five major categories of Aswang found in regional folklore: Vampire Aswang – blood-drinkers hidden behind marital bliss Viscera Sucker Aswang – flying torsos with straw-like tongues Weredog Aswang – shapeshifters that hunt lone travelers Witch Aswang – vindictive sorcerers with cursed eyes Ghoul Aswang – corpse-eaters with a foul stench and skeletal faces 🦇 Deep Dive: The Manananggal One of the most iconic creatures in the Aswang pantheon. We explore her grotesque transformation, disturbing appetite, and surprising influence on modern pop culture, from rural Filipino villages to global horror media. 🕊️ The Tik-Tik A flying creature known for its deceptive tik-tik sound — the quieter it gets, the closer it is. By day, it appears human or animal. By night, it hunts pregnant women. A symbol of hidden threats. 🦅 The Wak-Wak Named after the sound of its wings (wak-wak), this Aswang rips victims apart with its claws and beak. It often lives a normal life by day, transforming into a brutal predator at night. 🧟 The Corpse-Eater Also known as Balbal or Ungo, this Aswang digs up graves and devours corpses. Some replace bodies with leaves to trick mourners. They are skeletal, foul-smelling, and hunt under the cover of night. 🐕 The Animal Shapeshifter Takes the form of pigs, dogs, or cats to move unnoticed. Strange behavior, like walking backward or having human eyes, may reveal them. Some create body doubles to hide their victims’ deaths. 🌑 The Transformation Ritual Becoming an Aswang involves a dark ritual: a black chick enters the body via a fertilized egg. The shell is buried with oil and dung. The person slowly becomes something… inhuman. 🐥 The Chick Transfer Before dying, an Aswang transfers the chick and its powers, mouth-to-mouth, to a chosen successor. A twisted inheritance that ensures the creature lives on. 🧙 Witches, Priestesses & the Babaylan Spanish colonizers redefined Babaylan—pre-colonial Filipina spiritual leaders—as witches. These women were demonized; their roles twisted into Aswang myths to discredit their influence and suppress native beliefs. 🥚 The Egg & the Chick The chick-transfer ritual reflects corrupted fertility symbolism. The egg, once a vessel of life, becomes a curse. Some even believe over-fertilized balut eggs can trigger transformation. Salt and vinegar, once just condiments, became protective tools. 🧬 Other Ways to Become an Asw