Glaiza Ann Alon BA History III

Isac and the tianac Today

Folklore and belief in other world creatures have always
been popular in the Philippines. It was and is deeply embedded
in the lives of the Filipinos that it affects the lives of the
all the people within and outside the country even those who
does not believe in it. It influences the actions of the people,
be it mundanely walking around unfamiliar (or even familiar)
places to important work like farming, etc. And its impact is
not only felt by one generation but all.
Over time, the effect of the unearthly beings is not lost
to the citizens of the Philippines. Its influence is still very
much

evident

in

the

society

that

various

intellectuals

and

artists (film writers, comics authors, and film directors) have

used it as their subject of interest (at a time or most of their
intellectual or artistic life. Some of these artists are Peque
Gallaga (wrote and directed the films Shake, Rattle and Roll I,
II, III, IV, Sa Piling ng Aswang 1999, Halik ng Bampira 1997,
Aswang 1992, Tiyanak 1988) , Rodolfo Vera (play writer of Luna:
An Aswang Romance)
the

creatures

are

and some of those who authored a book about

Dr.

Maximo

Ramos

(authored

the

book

The

Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology) and Greg Bankoff who

wrote the article Devils, Familiars and Spaniards: Spheres of
Power and the Supernatural in the World of Seberina Candelaria
and her village in Early 19th Century Philippines. These artists
and intellectuals have used the concept of unearthly creatures
in their work, may it be a film, a play or a book, to show
and/or describe the beings itself or its impact to the people.
Greg

Bankoffs

article

about

the

trial

of

Seberina

Candelaria as a witch, though it took a historical and political

standpoint wherein Bankoff

tried to take Isacs description and

action as a representation of the oppressive colonial authority

in the Phillipines which is Spain during Candelarias time, is a
prime example of a work that defines the unearthly creature
itself and its influence to the people around it by describing
Seberina

Candelaria,

her

and

her

familiar

Isacs

action

and

their effect to the people of Obando. By reading the records

about the trial of Candelaria and using it as a basis of his
article, Bankoff described the condition of the society during
Candelarias time and the overwhelming power of the unearthly
beings

over

the

Filipinos

even

during

wide

spreading

of

Catholicism during the Spanish occupation of the country.

Though

Greg

Bankoffs

article

is

centered

on

Seberina

Candelaria and her familiar Isac as a symbol of the Spanish

superiority over the native Filipinos, what really caught my
attention is the term tianac and patianac. The first term
was used by Seberina Candelaria to refer to her familiar and the
latter used by Tomas Ortiz to refer to a creature similar to
Isacs characteristics.
In Bankoffs article, Seberina Candelaria described Isac, a
tianac, as a small figure which is not taller than a meter.
She and others accounted that it can talk using a variety of
voices and sometimes sing and dance. It was believed to have the
power

to

move

things.

And

Tomas

Ortizs

patianac

is

characterized as a goblin which is a genius and evil that can

control people who lose faith. It is alleged that it hides in
trees or in places near the houses of women who are close to
childbirth and sings like a wanderer to make the childbirth
unsuccessful.

This term, tianac is very much present in the Philippine

society today. It is still found in folk stories all over the
country

and

still

instill

fear

to

the

people;

though

the

descriptions are not quite the same.

The term tianac, also spelled as tiyanak or tianak,
that is used today is somehow different from Candelaria and
Ortizs tianac. It is usually described as a baby who lures
the passersby by crying out loud. When the passerby stops and
goes close to the baby, it changes its appearance and kills its
victim. This description is commonly use to describe the said
creature

that

even

some

non-Filipinos

who

have

studied

this

particular phenomenon, like Elise Easterbrook, have had the same

depiction.
Aborted or dead fetuses buried without being baptized.
Their bodies are inhabited and used by demonic spirits.
They have very sharp teeth, long fingernails and very black
skin. They lure their victims by imitating the cries of an
abandoned infant. They eat the inner organs and drink the
blood of their victims.
As we can see, the term tianac is a long used word that
still has a powerful effect to the Filipino people. But it is
clear that its portrayals vary. There are different stories and
accounts about the tianac that conveys a different tianac
from another, which is very curious.
One

reason

behind

these

differences

might

be

because

folklores are usually passed orally. As we know, stories were

usually memorized and were told by older folks to children but
not written during the pre-Spanish occupation and even during
the

Spanish

evidence

occupation

that

shows

of

that

the
a

Philippines.

native

during

There
this

was

time

no

have

initiated to write the stories that were being told about the
unearthly creatures. This particular practice might have caused
the

differences.

The

passing

of

stories

orally

is

never

accurate; over time, some part of the stories might be changed

by the storyteller. It is usually evident in legends about the
names of places in the country. The names of places in the
Philippines are usually derived from one or more words that are
significant

to

the

place

and

changes

overtime

because

some

letters are added or omitted and some words are combined to

create a new name. This can also be applied to the changes in
the folk stories, in the case, however, of the tianac is that
it is not only the name or the title

that is changed but the

stories about it also. This might be because so many stories or

accounts were told about it that confusion arises and different
descriptions

and

characteristics

have

come

up

about

the

creature.
Another reason that might have cause the alteration is that
the word tianac is used by people from one place and also used
by

another

people

from

meanings, or in this

another

place

case, imageries.

but

with

different

The Philippines is an

archipelago; its people do not meet each other in a daily basis.

One might have conveyed the story to a person from another place
or the idea about tianac have sprouted from different areas
independently. It seems

that many areas in the country have

their own stories about the tianac. For example, in Davao

City, they have the Mantianak. It is a witch that looks like a
beautiful lady when facing you but is a skeleton at the back. It
sometimes takes up the appearance of a small child and possess a
voice like that of a cat and said to be afraid of water and
women and; loves to eat men testicles (Demetrio, p.246).

In

Mindanao, the tianac is known as patianac in Mandaya and

muntianac in Bagobo.
Or,
changed

it
to

could

be

accommodate

case

the

where,

area

where

the
it

stories
is

about

being

were

told

and

circulated. Stories being told in the rural differ from that in

the urban areas. The main antagonist might still be the same but
the settings differ to suit the area and make it more plausible.
Lastly, the variation in the naming and accounts about the
tianac might have been because it is a term used to refer to a
completely new idea concocted by a person or persons to whatever
cause

they

wanted

it

to

sustain.

Tianacs

might

have

been

forgotten and was resurrected only to serve a purpose in the

present: to instill fear and to represent evil. People need a
scapegoat for something that is not tangible and mysterious and
to

be

able

to

do

that

they

have

to

create

something

that

embodies that idea, thus, the tianac and same with the other
unearthly creatures.
Of the three reasons, the third might have the weakest
claim.

The Filipino people love to tell stories and folklore is

one of the favorite subject.

Folklores and the tianac could

have never been forgotten; though it is logical to say that

folklores

were

created

to

embody

something

that

cannot

be

explained. The first and second reason are both plausible. It is

possible that stories about the tianac change because it was
transmitted

orally.

Stories

that

are

orally

transmitted

were

much more like gossips; the final receiver of the gossip never
gets the words of the first speaker. But, it is also safe to say
that stories about the tianac varied because it was change to
blend to the area where it is told. The stories become credible

when the ones who hear it can situate themselves with the story.
Or it could also be the combination of the first two reasons.
Whatever the real cause of variation may be, the idea of
tianac is still around. It is a part of the Filipino culture
that is deeply imbedded in our lives and is simply an idea that
is too much fun to let go of.

Bankoff, Greg .Devils, Familiars and Spaniards: Spheres of Power

and the Supernatural in the World of Seberina Candelaria and her
village in Early 19th Century Philippines, 1999.
Clark,Jordan. The Aswang Phenomenon, 2012.
Easterbrook, Elise.

Mythical Creatures of the Philippines.

Evasco, Eugene. Sa Pusod ng Lungsod: Mga Alamat, Mga

Kababalaghan Bilang Mitolohiyang Urban.
Ichioka, Cynthia. Stories from Around the World: An Annotated
Bibliography of Folk Literature,1992.
Ramos, Maximo. Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology, 1971.