Definition of terms

Albularyo - in the PH these are sometimes known to be “herbal doctors”, a variety of magic
users also acts like a priest to counteract any suspected curse or illness from a witch’s
(mangkukulam) victim. People who uses rough tactics to break bad spells and apparently
violence is the only real way to accomplish their task. (Maberry and Bashman, 2010). They
believe that the sickness is brought by a bad spirit and imbalance casued by nature.
Merfolk - are a type of creatures who have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a
tail of large fish (Knudsen, 2010 ). According to Ramos (1990) are mythical creatures living in
streams ponds lakes and sea, they are almost solely represented by mermaids.

Witches - are believed to be similar with the ‘aswang’in terms of their disguises masquerading as
an ordinary person who can perform miraculous feats and can be a deadly menace to the
community. (Lieban, 1977). witches may also employ magical objects however not all witches
perform sorcery.

Vampires - Melton (2011) defines vampires as analogous with werewolves, ghouls, and witches,
who are simply attracted to the blood of human. These are people who seek out at night to search
for a victim. Similarly Ramos (1990) defines these are Mythological creatures who thrive on
human blood which they either suck at night or otherwise extract from human victims. In the
Philippines, the generic term aswang has often been made to refer to the vampire, but in
European folklore the vampire is strictly a revenant — a dead person who periodically returns
from the grave in order to drink the blood of living people and thus remain alive. It can look
either male or female but typically appears as an old woman with bloodshot eyes, long black
HAIR, and a long black tongue (Bane, 2010).

Viscera suckers - Ramos (1971) states viscera suckers are creatures who lunge by the victim’s
house (roofs), and with the use of their tongue, they force the blood out of their meal. Commonly,
a viscera sucker’s choice victim is an expectant mother with an objective being to suck her baby
dry, killing it. Sometimes their powers cease either with washing off their ointments or by the
end of dawn.
Ogres - defined by Ramos (1990) are monsters commonly represented as hideous giants, from
fairy tales and popular legends who supposed to live on human flesh. They bring home their
preys either beasts or men. Men ogres have wives who shield human intruders from their ogre
husbands. They are easily tricked by humans and even by domestic animals.
Ghouls - according to ramos (1990) are mythical creatures bound to the earth or able to fly, that
are said to eat dead human flesh. they typically resemble men or women with curved nails.
its nails are horny, curved, and sharp and its teeth pointed. Its smell and breath are foetid, and,
though generally invisible, the creature is said to look like a human being when it shows itself.
Some ghouls live in human communities. At night they congregate in large trees near a cemetery
and then descend and exhume the newly buried corpses. (Solidarity 1968)
dragons - Ramos (1990) cites the definition of dragons are mythical creatures in the lore of all
peoples of the old World and many in the New. All dragons have as an anatomical basis a snake
or a crocodile body covered with scales, the forelegs and with the head of a lion, eagle or hawk
and some has wings.

Werewolves - Ramos (1990) cites that were wolves are generally mistaken to be aswang or
viscera sucker. Philippine werewolves have human shape by day that lives in a human habitation.
Literatures often make no mention of the domicile of werewolf. Werewolves in Philippines are
enormous in shape unlike an ordinary domestic dog.

Elves - ramos (1990) defines elves as creatures who are good looking men and women and are
often diminutive in size, though some aretaller than the average filipino. They are light-
complexioned, their hair the color of straw. They are creatures who typically disguises their form.
Ramos (1973) states some elves grow hideous in appearance after they get people to marry them
and thus have them in thrall. They forbid people to climb or cut down their tree-homes, which
they ascend on the bagbagutot (Iloko — scientific name undetermined) shrub's vine-like stems.
People must get their permission to gather fruit. Some Philippine elves have families, and their
kitchens in trees beside country roads are said to emit the redolence of crushed leaves of the
kakawate boiling in elf pots……

Dwarf - according to Eugenio (2007) the world is divided into layers, the uppermost layer is the
place humans inhabit. The second layer is being inhabited by dwarfs. These creatures are short,
plump, and long haired - misshapen, runtish, ground-dwelling creatures (Ramos, 1990) - they are
said to possess magical powers and are usually visible to the human eye.

Amulet - Leiban (1977) states sacred amulets are used by ‘guilty ones’ to protect themselves
against sorceries; this secures safeguards the ‘guilty one’. One sacred amulet has its own great
protective strength, and he who wears it is invulnerable regardless of his mortal liability.

Havoc - Among other things, Filipinos believed in a certain demon known as the aswang. An
aswang is a person like anyone else during the day, but at night he shed his legs and sprouted
wings and gadded around like a vampire, settling old scores and wreaking general havoc upon
the land. In the country all around here, the nipa-and-bamboo dwellings were kept wide open and
well ventilated during the day, yet in the evenings the Filipinos always shuttered their windows
tight to keep these sealed from creature’s attacks. (Sides, 2002)

Sources:

Maberry, J. and Bashman, J. G. (2010). Wanted undead or alive: vampire hunters and other kick-
ass enemies or evil. Kensington publishing corp. New york city.
Knudsen Shannon (2010) mermaids and mermen. Lerner publishing group. Minneapolis USA

Lieban Richard warren (1977) Cebuano sorcery: malign magic in the Philippines. University of
California press. Los angeles, USA
Melton, J. G. (2011) the vampire book; the encyclopedia of the undead visible ink press. USA
Solidarity (1968). The aswang syncrasy. Retrieved from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=40UTAQAAMAAJ

Ramos maximo (1973) Filipino Cultural Patterns and Values and Their Mythological
Dimensions. Island publishers.

Ramos maximo (1990) creatures of Philippine lower mythology. Phoenix publishing house.
Quezon city Philippines.

Ramos maximo (1971) the aswang syncrasy in Philippine folklore. Philippine folklore society.

Eugenio damiana (2007) Philippine folk literature: an anthology. University of the Philippines
diliman press. Diliman quezon city.

Bane, Theresa. (2010). Encyclopedia of vampire mythology. McFarland and Company Inc. USA
Sides, Hampton. (2002). Ghost soldiers: the epic account of world war II’s greatest rescue
mission. Anchor Books. Toronto, Canada.