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The Filipino people have an extensive belief system that goes back to
pre-Spanish times and have been passed on from generation to generation
usually by oral transmission. They believe among others that a Supreme
Being called by names like Bathala, Diwata, Kabunian, Mansilatan,
Makaptan, Laon, Lumauig, Mamarsua, Tuhan, etc. has created a lower class
of deities to whom they could offer their supplications and offerings
for their daily needs and struggles.
The lower gods were known by names like diwa, diwata, tuhan and anito
who were either good or bad spirits. This sort of cosmic dualism has
ever since molded the daily living of early Filipinos who came to
believe in the existence of many preternatural creatures. Some of these
are presented here based on the book A Survey of Philippine Lower Gods
written by Maximo D. Ramos, regarded by many as the father of Philippine
demonology. They are collected from across the archipelago according to
their traits with the particular tribes which claim knowledge of the
creatures enclosed in parenthesis.
I. THE DEMONS
1. AGTA, BAWA and UNGO
* Physical Description - tall huge black men
* Domicile - large trees:
santol, balite, mangrove, etc.
* Activities - walks towards humans;
wanders alone at night; seen standing still and alone; orders fishermen
not to fish; abroad in the dark from 8:00 pm to 4:00 am
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - knocks down large trees to stop men; sits in
tree smoking large pipe or cigar; when offended, punishes folk, steals
clothes and firewood
* Animal Instincts - seen practically naked
*
Magical Character - size varies with tree or building it inhabits
2.BATIBAT (Iloko)
* Physical Description - huge fat woman
* Domicile -
hole in a post it lived in when post was still a tree
* Activities -
bestrides sleeping person and suffocates him, causes bangungot or
nightmares
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - lives inside house
of humans
* Animal Instincts - forbids folk to sleep near its domicile
*
Magical Character - is driven away by biting one's thumb or wriggling
one's big toe in a nightmare
3. KAPRE (Tagalog, etc.)
* Physical
Description - huge black man, legs large as acacia trunks, eyes big as
plates
* Domicile - balite and other large trees
* Activities - wanders
alone or sits in tree
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - smokes a
huge cigar while seated in a tree
* Animal Instincts - makes a birdlike
chirp; roars
* Magical Character - can change size and shape; fired at,
turns into a banana trunk
4. MANTAHUNGAL (Tagbanua)
* Physical
Description - cowlike in body and voice but hornless; shaggy coat of
hair; monstrous mouth with two pairs of huge tusklike incisors
*
Domicile - forest on a high mountain
* Animal Instincts - capable of
ripping a person to pieces with tusks
5. PUGOT, NUMPUTUL (Iloko, etc.)
*
Physical Description - black gigantic man; headless man, dog, hog,
chicken, etc.; self-beheading
* Domicile - dark places, deserted
buildings; the underworld; large trees, especially acacia, santol, duhat,
etc.
* Activities - travels from one tree to another in various shapes;
terrifying but not especially harmful; carries off wayfarers; neck-stump
bubbles with blood
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - dances and
eats as it walks along
* Animal Instincts - voracious, devours snakes,
centipedes, crunches them in mouth
* Magical Character - assumes various
shapes and sizes at a rapid pace; vanishes and reappears at will; in
animal-shape; is fiery-eyed, mouth emitting flames; causes insanity
6.
TIKBALANG (Tagalog), TULUNG, TUWUNG, BINANGUNAN (Negrito)
* Physical
Description - horselike man with long legs, clawed feet, long hair; tall
and hideous; large mouth, teeth and testicles
* Domicile - balite;
beside a hot spring; nipa grove; Sterculia foetida, or pitcher plant
*
Activities - brings down sickness, death and other misfortunes; knees
reach above its head when it sits; leads travelers astray
* Intellectual
and Spiritual Endowments - kidnaps and murders women; lets people pass
if they say "By your leave"; jails victim in little hut in
bamboo grove; takes rosaries from Christians
* Animal Instincts - calls
out: "Tik-tik"; leaps and prances to dislodge rider
* Magical
Character - inflicts fever on human victim; disappears in dusty cloud
and falling stones; able to assume any form and size it wishes;
bewilders, blinds and crazes people; yields magic jewel when forced to
do so by resolution and expert horsemanship
II. THE DRAGONS
1. BACONAUA
(Hiligaynon)
* Physical Description - basically big fish; from resembles
that of a shark; mouth the size of a lake; red tongue, bewhiskered;
large ash-gray wings, strong in flight; gills and small wires at sides
*
Domicile - in depths of sea
* Activities - causes eclipses by swallowing
moon and sun
* Animal Instincts - induced to relase its prey by being
intimidated by noises from earth
2. BAWA (Hiligaynon)
* Physical
Description - very large bird
* Domicile - large cave located
"above the sky"
* Activities - flies out and swallows moon
when food is scarce
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - is
placated by music and promises of food by men
3. BUWAYA (Tagalog, etc.)
* Physical Description - saurian; mottled skin; has coffinlike saddle on
its back
* Domicile - cave under deep water
* Activities - puts victim
in saddle on its back and takes him to its cave
* Intellectual and
Spiritual Endowments - venerated by various ancient Filipino groups; is
offered food by boatmen; prayed to, called "grandfather" by
folk
4. MAMELEU (Hiligaynon)
* Physical Description - large snake; body
and head size of those of carabao; two white horns; thirty fathoms long;
eyes torch-like, fire jets in them; long teeth; large resistant scales
*
Domicile - secluded depths of ocean
* Activities - ejects green spittle
when hungry
* Animal Instincts - makes series of bellowing sounds
5.
MARCUPO/MACUPO (Hiligaynon)
* Physical Description - large snake;
prominent red crest; long tongue with thornlike hairs; sharp tusks;
forked tail
* Domicile - mountain top
* Intellectual and Spiritual
Endowments - sings sonorously on quiet days
* Magical Character -
exhales very virulent poison
6. MIKONAWA (Bagobo)
* Physical Description
- large bird; island-size; steel beak and talons; eyes mirrors; feathers
sharp as swords
* Domicile - outside the eastern sky
* Activities -
waits for moon and tries to sieze her as she emerges from her hole in
the eastern horizon
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - after
engorging moon, peeps down to see what people on earth are making noise
for, opens mouth to hear sound better hear sound better
* Animal
Instinct - lies in wait while animals waiting for prey; monstrous
appetite; is startled by noise from earth and opens mouth
III. THE
DWARVES
1. CALANGET (Ifugao), CARANGET (Gaddang), CARANGO (Ibanag)
*
Physical Description - diminutive
* Domicile - in the ground; in a
mound; woods and fields
* Activities - makes whizzling sound when
responding to shaman's call
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments -
regarded as the "true owner of the land"
* Magical Character -
inflicts harm on persons who dig up its mound
2. LAKAY (Iloko), MATANDA
(Tagalog), NUNO (Tagalog, Hiligaynon), SAGAY (Surigao), DUENDE (Spanish)
* Physical Description - gray little old man; one-eyed, big-nosed, with
only one nostril
* Domicile - house under tree on familiar hillside;
house contains rows of jars; earth mound; termite hill; inside gold mine
* Activities - imposes secrecy about its friendship with a man;
disfigures face of child it kidnaps
* Intellectual and Spiritual
Endowments - plays parlor games with girls; it kidnaps; comes home with
groceries and asks man's help; kidnaps children of people who treat it
shabbily in town; abuses girl it kidnaps, eats rice, tubers, meat and
chicken offered to it; gives gold and jewels to friends
* Animal
Instincts - becomes very angry when stepped on; takes children's fresh
blood in exchange for gold; steals children at night
* Magical Character
- generally invisible; causes wry mouth, blindness, death; abhors salt
and spices; gifts turn to cinders and dung; gold gift must be quickly
spent or it vanishes; no known way to counteract dwarf
3. LAMPONG (Ilongot)
* Physical Description - one-eyed white deer when first seen, becomes
two feet tall later; wears tall, black, two-peaked cap; bright-eyed;
long-bearded
* Domicile - forest
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments
- shepherds wild beasts and risks its life to save them; beckons to man
who has shot it
* Magical Character - shot at five times without
success; when hit, it turns into a dwarf
4. LAMAN LUPA (Tagalog), OMAYAN
(Bagobo), TAWONG-LUPA (Mindoro, Marinduque)
* Physical Description -
invisible little people
* Domicile - earth; fields; hills
* Intellectual
and Spiritual Endowments - owns the land and it may be used by persons
only under certain conditions; lives in communities; follows human
trails out of hills; receives offerings before and after after planting
and harvest; partakes of proficiency gifts from humans
* Animal
Instincts - accepts offering of red rooster's blood sprinkled on rice
plants
* Magical Character - generally invisible; destroys crops unless
propitiated; abhors salt and spices
IV. THE ELVES
1. AGHOY (Waray)
*
Physical Description - fair-haired, handsome, male or female resembling
20-year-old person; barefoot, dressed like a villager
* Domicile -
forests and distant farms; grove near village
* Activities - comes to
village after dark; reverses relative positions of people in bed;
whistles to mortal friends
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments -
friendly to humans visiting them, eating their food; knocks at doors;
gives friends medicinal herbs, roots and oils
* Animal Instincts -
refuses to sleep with humans
* Magical Character - seen and heard only
by its friends; guides people to locate lost articles; dire consequences
follow acceptance of gifts from it
2. ANNANI (Ibanag)
* Intellectual and
Spiritual Endowments - eats human food; propitiated with pig, rice
cakes, coconut milk, sugar, basi (rice wine), cigar, betel chew
* Animal
Instincts - eats uncooked head of carabao 3. ENCANTO, ENCANTADA (Agusan,
Masbate, Waray)
* Physical Description - blond, good-looking, taller
than ordinary humans; has high-bridge nose and no philtrum
* Domicile -
large trees, especially balete, where it has "belongings"
*
Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - makes known its presence by
exuding fragrance * Magical Character - attractive when luring mortals,
grows ugly when back in its realm
4. KIBAAN (Iloko)
* Physical
Description - fair-skinned; mouth gleams with gold teeth; heels point
forward and toes behind; long hair reaches feet; small as a two year-old
child
* Domicile - bangar tree; bushes and small trees frequented by
fireflies at night
* Activities - is kept off yard of a mortal by
frustration
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - keeps ground under
tree-home well swept; has kitchen in trees from which spicy odor
emanates after sunset; sings in small groups on vines in groves; strums
tiny guitars; steals yams from fire; is fooled by stones roasted in
place of tubers
* Magical Character - gives mortal friends a magic pot,
purse, hat, net chain, goat, whip and/or drum
5. MAHOMANAY (Bagobo)
*
Physical Description - fair-skinned
* Domicile - mountain trees
*
Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - guardians of animals; wholly
beneficient spirit; accepts offering of betel chew and leglets placed at
the base of tree-home
6. MAGTITIMA (Bukidnon)
* Physical Description -
invisible being
* Domicile - balete tree woods
* Intellectual and
Spiritual Endowments - gives offering of white chicken; gives mortals
permission to cut wood
* Magical Character - gives people sickness when
it is displeased
7. MANGMANGKIT (Iloko)
* Physical Description - spirit
* Domicile - trees, forest
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments -
tree-house must not be cut without its permission
8. PALASEKAN (Ilongot)
* Physical Description - invisible
* Domicile - trees
* Activities -
whistles to convey its message to people; stays close to human homes in
the evening and early in the morning
* Intellectual and Spiritual
Endowments - offended when tree-home is felled; plays music box;
appeased by wine in cups placed on benches; shrewd bargainer
* Magical
Character - knows intimate secrets of humans; can foretell events;
guides mortals' daily lives; warns people against danger
9. TAHAMALING (Bagobo)
* Physical Description - female with red complexion * Domicile - balite tree
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - the keeper of animals; half-beneficient
* Animal Instincts - half-maleficient
10. "SPIRITS OF THE
TREES/WOODS"
* Physical Description - invisible
* Domicile - shrubs
and trees, big and small bamboo clump
* Intellectual and Spiritual
Endowments - must be warned in advance before forest is cleared; give
magic pots, purses, drums and whips ; follow human trails; give fish to
kindly woman, deny it to cross one
V. THE GHOULS
1. ASWANG - ghoulish
aspects (Many ethnolinguistic groups)
* Physical Description - has human
shape
* Domicile - human dwelling
* Activities - listens for sounds of
death at 6 pm and leaves for his operations at 8 pm.
* Intellectual and
Spiritual Endowments - plans nocturnal itenerary; takes food home to
feed family
* Animal Instincts - man-eating corpse thief; eats liver of
chicken and guts of old persons
* Magical Character - is able to hear
sounds of death from great distance by special devices; is able to
change corpse into pig carcass
2. BALBAL (Tigbanua)
* Physical
Description - human shape with curved nails and long tongue
* Domicile -
Muslim country
* Activities - sails through air like flying squirrel;
tears up thatch with nails and reaches down for prey with its tongue
*
Animal Instincts - "licks up" corpse with long tongue
*
Magical Character - replaces corpse with banana stalk that resembles
deceased
3. BUSO (Bagobo)
* Physical Description - a shadow
* Domicile -
big branches of trees in graveyards
* Activities - makes plenty of noise
in cemetery at night, sitting in groups with other buso while their
children play around them
* Animal Instincts - digs up corpse the night
after burial and eats everything but bones
* Magical Character - can be
seen at night if certain ritual is followed and if one can bear the
terror involved; pulls at chip off coffin
4. CALAG (Hiligaynon)
* Animal
Instincts - scared off by noise
* Magical Character - bursts corpse's
belly open by touching coffin
5. EBWA (Tingguian)
* Physical Description
- "evil spirit"
* Animal Instincts - is kept at a distance
from corpse for nine days and nights by a constant fire
6. SEGBEN (Waray)
* Physical Description - resembles hornless goat with big, wide ears
that clap like hands; has glowing eyes, perked-up ears; body has pungent
nauseating odor; white, bleats and looks like goat
* Activities -
appears only at night; eats squash blossoms
* Intellectual and Spiritual
Endowments - feeds in human backyards
* Animal Instincts - lingers near
corpse of dying person like carrion bird or beast
* Magical Character -
hasten people's death by biting them or their shadow; invisible by day;
vanishes at great speed
7. WIRWIR (Apayao)
* Activities - goes
"everywhere looking for the dead"
* Animal Instincts - lives
on corpses it exhumes from graves; tireless hunter
8. CERTAIN UNNAMED
"Evil Spirits" (Various ethnolinguistic groups)
* Physical
Description - invisible
* Domicile - large trees near cemeteries
*
Magical Character - steals corpse by replacing it with banana trunk;
scared of by sobosob
VI. THE GIANTS
1. BUNGISNGIS (Tagalog)
* Physical
Description - human shape; large teeth always showing; upper lip covers
face when it is thrown back; one-eyed, two long tusks projecting from
sides of mouth
* Domicile - forest
* Activities - lifts carabao and
throws it knee deep into ground
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments
- demands meat from carabao; easily outwitted, quickly panics
* Animal
Instincts - acute hearing; seizes meat from carabao
2. BURINGCANTADA (Bikol)
* Domicile - big house with apartment, dining room, ceiling
*
Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - house is decorated with leaves
and flowers; dines at home with friends; is bluffed by rope, axe-headed
and rumble of drum into thinking they are hair, tooth, chest-thump of
human enemy
3. GAWIGAWEN (Tingguian)
* Physical Description - six-headed
human; spear and head-axe size of half the sky
* Intellectual and
Spiritual Endowments - has man's war implements
4. GISURAB/GUISURAB (Isneg),
GUISORAB (Apayao)
* Physical Description - huge, human shape
* Domicile
- cave or hill; house in forest or near town
* Activities - when
man-eating, kills and eats all men in village * Intellectual and
Spiritual Endowments - at times, neighborly to humans; inhabits house
with ladder to it; has clearing and granaries to store food in; has fire
at home to give fishermen who come for it; speaks Isneg, like natives;
engages humans in diving contest; owns cooking pot; says he smells a
man; has an axe; easily tricked by humans in diving contest and in
division of spoils
* Animal Instincts - at times, man-eating; carries
both deer and man he grabs to cave and eats both; keen scent; often goes
about naked
* Magical Character - hits own leg and beheads self when
children wishes he does so
5. IKUGAN (Manobo)
* Physical Description -
huge, fierce man with tail; skin covered with soft hair, hands and feet,
large, long tail
* Domicile - forest trees
* Activities - monkey-like
behavior
* Intellectual and Spiritual Endowments - lies in wait for
human foes
* Animal Instincts - hangs by tail
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The Philippine Lower Gods
