TIYANAK

TIYANAK

Tiyanak or impakto, another mythical creature in the Philippine Mythology, are babies who died before receiving baptism rites. After death, they go to a place known as Limbo, a chamber of Hell where unbaptized dead people fall into, and transformed into evil spirits. These phantasms return into the mortal realm in the form of goblins to eat living victims. The tiyanak can also be the offspring between a demon and a human.

The tiyanak can also be the offspring of a woman and a demon. It can also be the aborted fetus, which comes to life to take revenge on its mother. Tiyanak are very vengeful creatures. Most Tiyanaks are said to live in forests. If they see a human, they transform into what looks like a normal baby. When the person notices the Tiyanak and comes near to take a look at it, that's when the Tiyanak changes back to its true form and eats its prey.

Tiyanak Origin
While there are many versions about how a Tiyanak looks like, it's ability to cry like a baby is its most powerful camouflage to attract victims. Some popular versions also say that a Tiyanak is a spirit of an unborn child whose mother died before giving birth. This mythical creature are also sometimes related to a Malaysian folkloric creature called Pontianak which is, according to Malay folklore, a woman who died during delivery or childbirth.

Tiyanak Countermeasures
Though this legendary creature is deceitful in attacking its prey, one can bewilder the creature and break loose from the enchantment of its cries by turning his clothes inside out. The legend has it that Tiyanaks find this method laughable and would just leave the victim.

Tiyanaks are monster that look like babies. They disguise themselves as innocent and adorable looking babies and once someone comes in contact with them, they turn into monsters and attack their victim. These monsters are believed to be aborted babies or babies who were dead upon birth and were not blessed.

NUNO SA PUNSO

NUNO SA PUNSO

A Nuno or Nuno sa Punso (Duwende) is a dwarf-like creature in Philippine mythology. It is believed to live in an anthill or termite mound, hence its name, literally 'Ancestor/Grandparent of the anthill'.

They are invisible and quiet creatures. If they get bothered by too much noise or careless movements causing them harm, they get mad and punish the people who trespass on their home. Most of their victims are children whose innocent play usually destroys their homes. Their victims get very ill and the only way to cure it is asking the help of an Albularyo. So every time you pass by a punso, you need to say "Excuse Me".

There is a common belief that if modern medicine is unable to cure a particular illness, the ailment may be due to a Nuno's curse. The victim is brought to an albularyo, a Philippine practitioner of traditional medicine. The albularyo will perform a ceremony known as tawas. During this process, a piece of a candle is melted and the molten wax poured onto a disc or spoon. The molten wax is in turn poured into water. The image formed on the water will then be interpreted by the albularyo. The image aids in determining the cause of the patient's illness and where the curse actually happened.
In order to be cured, the victim's family may be asked to provide an offering to the Nuno such as fruits or other food, drinks, or a material object. If the victim is still not healed after the offering, it may be necessary to personally ask the Nuno's forgiveness, which is believed to be a wise measure, in order to prevent the permanent possession of the victim by an evil spirit, which could later cause the victim to become insane.
It is also possible to kill the Nuno by catching it and crushing its head between a person's fingers. This will remove any spell cast by the Nuno. But this method is not often recommended because it could evoke the wrath of a Nuno's friends and relatives.
Legends also state that placing an obese or festively plump female on the side of a road after midnight will attract the Nuno out of hiding, thus allowing those afflicted to seek their revenge on the goblin. The Nuno has an odd affinity for large bodied mammals of the opposite sex.

To avoid the wrath of a Nuno sa Punso, children are reminded not to play outside between noon and three o'clock in the afternoon. They are also asked by their parents to come home before six o'clock in the evening. Children are also instructed avoid being noisy at places where Nuno are believed to dwell. Children are also warned to ask permission or give fair notice before passing by such places inhabited by the Nuno, which is done by saying "tabi tabi po"(literally "please be on the side" or "please move aside", that is, you tell the nuno to stand aside), or "please let me pass by" or "I mean no harm as I pass through your territory, Old Man of the Mound".

MAMBABARANG

MAMBABARANG

Mambabarangs are ordinary human beings with black magic who torture and later kill their victims by infesting their bodies with insects. They are different from Mangkukulams - the latter only inflict pain or illness. Mambabarangs use a strand of hair from their chosen victim and tie it to the bugs or worms which they will use as a medium. When they prick the bug, the victim immediately experiences the intended effect.

Barang is a noun used to describe malign sorcery or familiar spirit. Other synonymous words used in the island of Siquijor in the Philippines include haplit, paktol and anyaw.

Mambabarang (noun) is a practitioner of this specific type of sorcery or witchcraft. Binarang (noun) is the target of the sorcery or witchcraft. Nabarang (adjective) means someone or something experiencing the effects of the curse or hex.

The Mambabarang is the Filipino version of a sorcerer; the witch is a Mamalarang. The name is derived from the word barang. Other synonymous terms include the Hiligaynon word manog hiwit, which is also synonymous to kulam. The verb barangon or hiwitan means "to place a hex"; a curse in Filipino is a sumpa.

The mambabarang keeps his beetles in a bottle or a section of bamboo, carefully feeding them ginger root. When the practitioner decides to employ his dark art, he performs a prayer ritual wherein he whispers instructions and identifies the victim to the beetles. The insects are then set free and to seek out the victim and gain entry into the body via any bodily orifice: the nose, mouth, ears, anus or dermal breaks such as open wounds. The victim will then feel the effects of the invasion through manifestations depending on the area of entry; hemorrhoids if through the anus, ear ache if through the ears and other similar cases. The resulting illness is resistant to conventional medical treatment and only reveals its true nature when the victim succumbs and flying insects issue forth from bodily cavities.

Superstitious folks still attribute certain illnesses or diseases to barang. This most often happens in the provinces, where an herbal doctor, albularyo or a faith healer, a mananambal or sorhuana (female) / sorhuano (male) treats such diseases. In some rural provincial areas, people completely rely on the albularyo and mananambal for treatment.