Partners in Crime: Kikik and Aswang

       Did you ever encounter an event wherein late at night you heard an unusual sound. This sound is kikikikiki that keeps on repeating. If you think that it is a sound that you can just ignore, think again. That sound might come from The Kikik. It serves as a warning that an Aswang is nearby.

       Before you would squeeze your brain thinking if that an aswang had already visited you, stop first. For your convenience, let’s go to the getting-to-know-you part about these creatures.

 KIKIK

        The Kikik is a bird-like creature. The only difference between a bird and this one is their appearance. I should say that any bird would look cute compared to the Kikik. Let’s just say that the appearance of the Kikik is not so viewer friendly but it’s white in color. Its color is quite ironic for its impure work. The Kikik’s job, which is the familiar of the Aswang, is to patrol the night finding for delicious preys. A kikik is near in the vicinity if its sound is soft while it is far if the sound is loud.

Aswang

     The Aswang is the most feared among the mythical creatures in the Philippines. The aswang is a shape-shifter. It has no certain appearance but according to old people, it is usually sighted in the form of a dog, a boar, or a bat then it changes to it's hideous apperance. If you could already hear the kikik’s voice, then be wary of the area. Beware of suspicious creatures that might be lurking around.  During the day, the aswang could just blend in as a very quiet and shy villager and mind you the aswang is a very good actor.

     Its favourite food is fetuses, and the heart and liver of small children. Pertaining to their daytime appearance, the aswang could be very deceiving. The usual aswang is handsome or beautiful in their outer appearance. And also, the aswang could just blend in as a very quiet and shy villager and mind you the aswang is a very good actor. In short, the aswang is silent but deadly.

      I once had an experience wherein I actually heard a kikikikikikik sound. It was already 10 in the evening and I’m still outside. I was actually playing BINGO at that time with my aunts and cousins. We played near the big tree where the Lantay or long chair is. When I heard that sound I noticed that my other aunt said to the pregnant wife of my uncle to go home already.

      I asked my aunt why she made her go home. My aunt said that there was a kikik nearby since the sound is already very faint. That time she explained the whole situation to me. After she explained it to me, she accompanied me home and also said that kids must also be inside their homes at that time.

     That was the very first and last time I encountered that event until today. If ever I could encounter that again with my age today, then It would become clearer to me. It would become clearer to me that the Aswang and Kikik are actually real. I would love to hear your own experiences if you ever experienced a certain encounter with these celebrities.

Bewitching Beauties

    When I was a kid, I once watched the very famous Disney movie The Little Mermaid. As a kid, I was so amazed about the kingdom of mermaid because of how enchanting the atmosphere the kingdom has. It made me think how amazing mermaids are. I believed that mermaids exist. At present, I think that kind of belief became blurry.

   

     A lot of people who are exposed to media, especially with the internet media, will often encounter discussions about the possibility of mythical creatures existing. This includes the mermaids. Most of the people are actually giving positive feedbacks on mermaids actually existing. These opinions from the people may have been influences greatly about the mermaids’ image shaped by media.

       

One of the strongest influences would be the movies. A lot of movies or T.V series about mermaids have already been shown to the people. The more- famous movies showed a more positive image of mermaids. These movies/series include The Little Mermaid, Aquamarine, H2O. Also, here in the Philippines series about mermaids actually became famous. In those series they are still portrayed as beautiful creatures.

                  Usually in these famous movies/series they are in, people would see them as creatures with incomparable beauty. They are also portrayed as great singers enough to enchant and attract people’s attention. They are even seen as the ones who would help the ship-wrecked sailors to return to the shore. How much of these formulated ideas could be really true about them?

            In terms of being beautiful, mermaids would fit the bill. They are very beautiful that in fact they use their beauty to bewitch sailors. The unlucky sailors who would be tempted with their songs and enchanting beauty would be robbed of their ship’s treasures and be pulled down to the sea. According to the stories of the old, sailors like these were never to be found again. A similar movie portrayal of this was shown in the Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides

        Despite of the true nature of the mermaids, a lot of people would still continue their fandom over these creatures. There are people who would even wish to be like these mermaids. There is even a session, found in the island of Boracay, wherein a person could actually be mermaid-like. They wear mermaid tails and even taught to swim like mermaids. This is a luxury for people who are willing to splurge money for the experience.  

       The mermaid idea has already become very popular. People who are willing to prove that they actually exist had even shown videos on the internet. The videos showed evidences that mermaids might actually exist. But other people commented that these are doctored videos. As for me, believing that mermaids actually exist is an open option. If reliable and concrete evidence would be shown, then I would think that mermaids existing would be cool.

          

Star of the night

      It’s funny how old people’s tales could change your personal perspective, especially if it has been told to you since you were an innocent chump. These certain tales come from our grandmother and other old people who were once listeners of these tales too. Usually, these tales are used to scare naughty little children or just told out of the blue by grandparents.

          I keep on coining the word “tale” all this time. What do I really mean about these “tales”? These are stories passed on from our forefathers that could be or could not be true. These usually house supernatural beings beyond our common knowledge. Supernatural entities in these tales are commonly called mythical creatures.

        When I was still a young sprout, I dreamt of having supernatural powers. Together with my friends, I imagine that I have superpowers and often imitate superheroes. I usually pick the abilities to fly with wings and to get my strength from the moon. It so happens that my grandmother tells a story about a “mananangal” or “aswang”. Coincidence really strikes anytime, whether you benefit from it or not. And so my superpower fantasy went down the drain.

      Well what is in a “mananangal” that made me change my perspective? It is a ‘big shot’ in the list of the Philippine mythical creatures. It actually enjoys the popularity of being in almost all reference lists of mythical creatures in the Philippines. As described, this creature goes out during a full moon. On normal days it may be just your beautiful neighbor who sweeps its yard every morning, discreetly waiting for the right time to attack. Before ‘show time’ arrives, it exercises rituals just right before doing its purpose to ease its craving. According to the stories of the old, a mananangal keeps self-made oils in its house. It uses these oils, applying these to its whole body, to transform into its real appearance. When the moon is at its peak, it goes out of its house and finds a place to transform. Trees are its usual spots. From there, it will grow black wings and separate its body into two leaving the lower half behind. Moreover, its appearance is usually described having ‘bad hair days’ with unbrushed teeth and fairly disgusting intestines just hanging loose from its upper half when it’s doing its usual rounds in the wee hours. I am telling you that logic just doesn’t stand a chance on this one.

        Some old story tellers claim that they actually saw a mananangal. They add to their stories how brutally it kills the prey may it be animal or human. To counteract it, putting a fair amount of salt on top of its lower body does the trick. This would make it weak and unable to combine to its lower body. If it is not yet combined to its lower half when morning light comes, then it would burn to ashes.

        I’ve mentioned earlier that this creature is actually popular. Popular up to the point, that the film industry in the Philippines actually made a movie about it. The movie heightened the mananangal’s popularity and made some people believe that it actually exists. Having the advance technology and the internet in our generation made spreading and sharing of information, photos and other proofs about the mananangal over the internet , may it be reliable or not, a piece of cake. Other people even go the extent of editing pictures to make it look like a proof of the mananangal’s existence. This spreading of information creates fuss over people with different opinions about the mananangal’s existence. Personally, I don’t have a stand whether to believe in it or not. I just enjoy how such a tale could ignite people’s own stand about it.

     

    After reading about the mananangal, do you believe in it? Are you one of its fans or haters? I’ll leave that to your decision, let you play on your imagination and let you ride on your curiosity to find out whether it exists or not.

  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Manananggal.jpg