The Aswang Complex In Philippine Folklore

The Aswang Complex in Philippine Folklore: With Illustrative Accounts in Vernacular Texts and Translations.This book is a bold attempt to present to the reader and to students of Filipino society and culture one of the dominant Filipino beliefs, the aswang. For some strange reason the belief has never been explored for its usefulness in the field of literature or social studies. Even educators shy away from it, branding the belief as superstitious and therefore hot to be perpetuated. While this view is entertained, however, there is continued use in the schools-including the nursery schools-of Western tales like "Hansel and Gretel," 'Rapunzel," "Snow White," and so forth, dealing with witches, dwarfs, and other people of lower mythology. It is sad to note that while we accept these stories as entertaining to our children, we reject our own folktales about equivalent characters as superstitious and undesirable.It is about time that we changed our perspective, that we accepted our own literary heritage and used it if we are to make education meaningful to our children. Maximo D. Ramos has provided us with one way to achieve this. Of course the present volume is only one of his many works on Philippine folklore.While he presents the materials in this book as folklore, these can also be regarded as ethnographic data in that they deal with one of the dominant aspects of Filipino folk culture. The aswang belief may be viewed as socially functional in many communities. Our own field notes on the subject matter indicate that aswang tales are used by many people as a medium of social control. For example, when a child frets at night or becomes unruly during the day, adult members of the family or sibling caretakers generally use the aswang belief as a means of quieting the child or of disciplining him. When one wishes to protect his fields from unnecessary trespass by others, all he has to do is make it known that an aswang haunts the place and no one will dare enter the premises, especially at night. Deviant behavior is also handled through avoidance, and the aswang label is handy for this purpose. Once the label is set, deviants are either coerced into conformity to what is acceptable behavior or are effectively deprived of their legitimate status in the community.Thus seen, it is understandable that the aswang belief has persisted in our society over such a long period of time.

THE ASWANG is the most famous creature in Philippine Mythology and Folklore. Most of what we know regarding this amorphous folkloric being were studied and compiled in this 1949 paper by Francis X. Lynch S.J. This study went on to be used as the foundation for other famous work on the aswang, particularly "The Aswang Inquiry" by GCF Books and "The Aswang Complex in Philippine Folklore" by Maximo Ramos. Stories and beliefs about witches and witchcraft can be found in every part of the world. Almost every country can claim a generous share of them, and the Philippines is no exception. Here we possess our own traditional ideas on the subject, handed down through countless generations from our ancestors, and still very much alive today. In this paper the writer intends to set down beliefs of this sort which are current in one part of the Philippines, the Bicol region. It was by chance that the writer first heard of the asuwáng. Subsequent inquiries during two years in the Bicol region revealed the existence of a very interesting if somewhat complex group of beliefs and half-beliefs concerning this witchlike class of human beings which, in Bicol, are designated an mga asuwáng. In the Bicol region - as throughout most of the Philippine lowlands - belief in the asuwáng is a living belief. It is a belief kept alive by the stories told the children by their parents and grandparents; by the traditional explanations of a scratching on the roof by night, a shadow flitting across the near-full moon, or the cry of the bird of ill omen. Asuwáng stories are dismissed as nonsense by a few, doubted as unproved by many, accepted as true by most. Whether the belief is justified or not, it is there. In the following pages will be found an attempt to synthesize the content of that belief as it exists in the principal towns of the provinces of Camarines Sur and Albay. Contents Introduction Meaning of the generic term asuwáng Kinds of asuwáng Becoming an asuwáng Characteristics of asuwáng Restoration of asuwáng to normal human state Measures taken against asuwáng Functions of the asuwáng belief

IMAGINARY CREATURES depicted in a people's lower mythology are one of the most important phenomena in their belief systems. This is because the common folk in particular must strive to maintain harmonious relations with these creatures, a continuous process that permeates many aspects of their everyday lives and requires the intercession of a special person in the community who acts as the medium of communication between them.The subject of Maximo D. Ramos's work is the creatures of Philippine lower mythology, as this level of folklore is called. In undertaking this study, Dr. Ramos directed his efforts to two principal tasks: (1) making a taxonomic classification of all the beings which in his opinion fall within the framework of the problem as found in Philippine folk beliefs, and (2) correlating the implications of these beliefs, in terms of these classifications, to education, particularly on the elementary level.The taxonomic classification is intended to help clear up the confusion that attended earlier studies of these creatures. This is indeed the first attempt to systematize the identities of these Philippine mythological beings for the benefit of folklore scholarship. More specifically, Ramos writes: "Where names, traits, and functions appear to have become confused ... through the process of transfer that constantly occurs in traditional lore, it was thought fruitful to point these out and then attempt to account for them".In spite of the very extensive Christianization of the Filipinos-particularly the lowlanders-these mythical entities still persist in their traditional belief systems, hence the student of folk traditions cannot ignore them if he is to achieve greater relevance in his studies. Little by little the perspective from which these creatures have been traditionally viewed is bound to change until they are accepted as part of our cultural heritage. This change is bringing about an understanding of these creatures' function in our society.The present work is primarily taxonomic in nature but it sheds light into many of the dark corners of Philippine folklore studies and brings to the reader a fuller understanding of the most maligned inhabitants of the Philippine other- world. Herein lies the major contribution of Dr. Ramos-a basic recognition and a deeper insight into the cultural heritage of the Filipino.

This book tells about 85 creatures of legend from Philippine Folklore. Many people believe that they exist and are afraid of them. The people of the ancient Philippines believed many things about the unseen creatures of the Philippine storyland. If you have met a good storyteller, he may have told you interesting legends about these creatures. And you may have asked a lot of questions about them which he could not answer. If you want to know more about these beings, turn the pages of this book, look at the pictures, and enjoy what is said about them. We call them creatures of midnight because it is said that they show themselves to people about the middle of the night.

Spine-tingling tales of supernatural encounters and hauntings. Ghost stories are commonplace in traditional Filipino culture. Whether they take place at a relative's funeral or a hacienda located deep in a remote province, virtually all families have their own personal accounts of their encounters with the supernatural. Passed on from generation to generation, these tales act as a bridge to the past, to a time lost or nearly forgotten. To write this book of ghostly encounters with all manner of things eerie and terrifying in the Philippines, the author collected creepy tales that have been told in his family for generations. Covering ghostly encounters in bustling cities and in remote towns—and even a short section of hauntings on American soil—Filipino Ghost Stories offers good, old-fashioned scary stories perfect to share around the campfire or under the blankets with a flashlight. Like secret food recipes, traditional ghost stories in the Philippines are valuable personal heirlooms, something to be passed forward to future generations. This book delivers terrific entertainment—and some good spine tingling chills—for those interested in the Philippines and aficionados of the supernatural alike. Filipino ghost stories include: Great Balls of Fire Caught in the Wake Family Ties that Bind Just Outside the Door Pitch Black Only the Wind A Brush with the Unknown Hide and Shriek

A collection of 31 Myths, Legends, and Folktales from around the Philippines that showcase the rich and diverse cultural identity throughout the archipelago. The book includes some illustrations, making it a wonderful collection to share with children of Filipino ancestry, or anyone interested in learning about different cultures from around the globe. WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG: How People Were Created Why the Sun Is Brighter than the Moon The Coleto and the Crow The Legend of Mount Kanlaon Why Dogs Bare Their Teeth The Origin of Bananas IN THE PHILIPPINE ELFLAND: The Two Woodcutters and the Elf The Wee Folk The Frog Princess The Bridge of the Angels Two Boys and a Tianak The Elf's Gifts TALES OF LAUGHTER: The Tale of Pakungo-adipen The Man and the Lizard The Man Who Played Dead The Two Foolish Peddlers ANIMALS AND PEOPLE: The Monkeys and the Butterflies Three Friends Seek a Home The Monkey Prince Tale of the Kind-hearted Manobo The Monkey Who Became a Servant ADVENTURE TALES:Death and Datu Omar The Man Who Reached the Sky-World The Buried Treasure The Tale of Magbaloto Tale of the 101 Brothers and Their Sister The Tale of Sog-sogot The Enchanted Snail The Man Who Tried to Cheat Death The Tale of Diwata