Aswang

The Aswang: The Philippines’ Shape-Shifting Night Creature

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Historic black-and-white photograph of Capiz town in the Philippines around 1917, with a bridge over a river — Capiz province is named most often as the home of the aswang

About 6 min readThe aswang is not one creature but a family of five — ghoul, vampire, viscera sucker, weredog and witch — written about in the Philippines since 1589, whose most famous form, the manananggal, is said to split at the waist by night and fly in search of pregnant women, with Capiz province still called its home.