Alleged Sighting of the Legendary ‘Manananggal’ within the Philippines Causes Public Nervousness

Police within the Philippines are working to ease the fears of residents in a metropolis the place reviews of a fearsome creature have been circulating. The unusual incident started final Thursday night locally of Talisay when two ladies reported seeing a weird creature perched on a home.

In keeping with the witnesses, the creature had bat-like wings and was in a position to detach its physique on the torso, which is a attribute function of the legendary creature generally known as a ‘ manananggal’ in Philippine folklore. The women had been shaken by the encounter and reported the sighting to the police.

Spreading Like Wildfire: A Sighting To not Behold

The information of the sighting shortly unfold, and shortly your entire group was abuzz with discuss of the manananggal. A number of days after the preliminary sighting, reviews emerged of one other creature seen in a close-by city. This creature was described as having a human physique however a head that resembled that of a pig. The reviews have added to the fears and issues of the group, and native authorities started to take the matter critically, reviews Coast to Coast .

In an effort to calm residents, the authorities held a press convention to deal with the problem. They promised to analyze the reviews and urged residents to report any uncommon sightings or incidents to the police. In addition they suggested residents to chorus from sharing rumors and rumour concerning the manananggal, as this might trigger pointless panic and worry.

In the meantime, the 2 witnesses who reported the sighting of the manananggal are stated to be receiving counseling to assist them take care of the trauma of the encounter. Native authorities have assured residents that they’re taking the matter critically and are doing the whole lot they will to make sure the protection and well-being of the group. Regardless of this, rumors of the manananggal proceed to flow into, and plenty of residents are nonetheless on edge, afraid of encountering the creature at nighttime.

An artist’s illustration of the Philippine legendary creature the manananggal. ( Mdv Edwards /Adobe Inventory)

Who’s the Manananggal?

The Manananggal is a mythological creature from Philippine folklore. It’s sometimes described as a feminine monster or witch that may detach her higher physique from her decrease physique and develop wings to fly at evening looking for prey, often pregnant ladies and their unborn youngsters.

The decrease half of the Manananggal is claimed to remain behind and is susceptible to assault throughout this time. To forestall the Manananggal from reattaching, salt or ash ought to be unfold on the decrease half of the physique, so the parable goes. The creature can be stated to have an aversion to garlic and to be susceptible to daylight, which might trigger it to show to ash. The legend of the Manananggal has been the topic of many Filipino horror movies and continues to be a well-liked a part of Philippine tradition.

Manananggals are a kind of aswang, that means ‘evil spirit’, with the identify deriving from ‘tangal,” which implies “to take away.” Related creatures exist in Southeast Asia, such because the penanggal in Malaysia and the krasue in Thailand, however they detach from their heads as a substitute of their decrease torsos.

In historical Philippine tradition, ladies held essential positions as shaman priestesses, healers, midwives, and mediums, and had some extent of sexual freedom.

A seminal work by Kathleen Nadeau titled ‘Aswang and Different Sorts of Witches: A Comparative Evaluation’ examines the roots of aswang folklore.

“The actual worry of the Europeans could also be based mostly on the worry of uncontrollable ladies. In distinction, the worry in regional Southeast Asia could also be of one thing or somebody who might symbolize a hazard to their youngsters,” Nadeau writes.

An instance of the chilling impact the manananggal has on native populations was witnessed within the 1992 elections. The Tondo district of Manila was consumed with rumors of a manananggal terrorizing the realm, as reported by the Associated Press . The Chicago Tribune talked about that many native ladies suffered miscarriages throughout this time and attributed them to the manananggal. “In my village, no pregnant girl goes out after darkish,” Elvira Militante instructed the Chicago Tribune .

Prime picture: Manananggal, legendary creature of the Philippines.  Supply: Public Domain

By Sahir Pandey