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{{short description|Philippine mythical creature}}
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{{Infobox mythical creature
| image       = Aswang, common form.jpg
| caption     = An artist's sketch depicting the ''aswang''
| name        = Aswang
| Grouping    = A vampiric werebeast or cannibalistic human-like shape-shifter
| Region      = [[Visayas]], southern parts of [[Luzon]] and parts of [[Mindanao]]
| Similar_entities = Tik-tik/[[Wakwak]]
}}
{{Philippine mythology sidebar}}

'''Aswang''' is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil and malevolent creatures in Filipino folklore, such as [[vampires]], [[ghouls]], [[witches]], viscera suckers, and transforming human-beast hybrids (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, stories, arts, and films, as it is well known throughout the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tan |first1=Michael |title=Aswang! Aswang! |url=http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20081026-168528/Aswang-Aswang |website=Sunday Inquirer Magazine |publisher=Inquirer |access-date=April 23, 2019}}</ref> Spanish colonists noted that the aswang was the most feared among the mythical creatures of the Philippines, even in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=W.H. |title=Barangay: Sixteenth-century Philippine Culture and Society. |date=July 18, 2018 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-971-550-135-4}}</ref> Although with no specific motive other than harming others, their behavior can be interpreted as an inversion of the traditional Filipino's values. The aswang is especially popular in southern parts of [[Luzon]], and some parts of [[Mindanao]] and [[Visayas]], especially the Visayan province of [[Capiz]].

== Historical accounts ==
"The sixth was called ''silagan'', whose office it was, if they saw anyone clothed in white, to tear out his liver and eat it, thus causing his death. This, like the preceding, was in the island of Catanduanes. Let no one, moreover, consider this a fable; because, in Calavan, they tore out in this way through the anus all the intestines of a Spanish notary, who was buried in Calilaya by father Fray Juan de Mérida.

The seventh was called ''[[manananggal]]'', and his purpose was to show himself at night to many persons, without his head or entrails. In such wise the devil walked about and carried, or pretended to carry, his head to different places; and, in the morning, returned it to his body remaining, as before, alive. This seems to be a fable, although the natives affirm that they have seen it, because the devil probably caused them so to believe. This occurred in Catanduanes.

The eighth they called ''osuang'', which is equivalent to 'sorcerer;' they say that they have seen him fly, and that he murdered men and ate their flesh. This was among the Visayas Islands; among the Tagalos these did not exist."

'''Fr. Juan de Plasencia, Customs of the Tagalogs (1589)'''<ref name="m004">{{Cite journal|date=1904|title=<italic>The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898</italic>. Edited by Emma Helen Blair and James A. Robertson. Vol. VII., 1588–1591; Vol. VIII., 1591–1593; Vol. IX., 1593–1597. (Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Company. 1903. Pp. 320, 320, 329.)|journal=The American Historical Review|doi=10.1086/ahr/9.3.554|issn=1937-5239}}</ref>



Asuang. It is the name of an elf, sorcerer or demon, known in almost the entire archipelago, particularly among the Tagalogs, Pampangos, Bicoles, Visayas and Mandayas. It is a nocturnal demon that takes the forms that it wants, like those of a dog, cat, bird or other animal. The Asuang preferably picks up abandoned children and lonely walkers. With his tongue, horribly dilated, black and flexible as silk, he removes fetuses from women who are on tape. The birth pains are attributed to him. Many very different and even contrary fables refer to the Asuang, because the civilized nations of the Archipelago confuse under the name of Asuang the memories of various demons other than their ancient and primitive religion; so that today Asuang is usually, for both Spaniards and Indians, the generic denomination of a series of goblins, or equivalent to the meaning of the Spanish voice sorcerer or goblin. It seems that in Tagalog it was Osuang or Usuang, the oldest name that that Malaysian demon also carries in the Dutch countries of Indonesia. The bird Tiktik, night bird, announces with its song the proximity of the Asuang.


'''Ferdinand Blumentritt''' '''1895'''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ferreiro Ardións |first=Manuel |last2=Lezaun Valdubieco |first2=Juan |date=2017 |title=Del archivo a la imprenta |url=https://doi.org/10.14198/cuid.2017.48.01 |journal=Cultura de los Cuidados Revista de Enfermería y Humanidades |issue=48 |doi=10.14198/cuid.2017.48.01 |issn=1138-1728|hdl=10045/69288 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

== Description and taxonomy ==
According to Maximo Ramos, the term "aswang" can be thought of as an aggregate term for a multitude of Filipino supernatural creatures. These creatures can be organized into five categories that parallel creatures from Western traditions. These categories are the vampire, the self-segmenting viscera sucker, the weredog, the witch, and the ghoul.<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Maximo |title=The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore |journal=Western Folklore |date=Oct 1969 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=238–248 |jstor=1499218 |doi=10.2307/1499218 }}</ref>

=== The vampire ===
The vampire aswang disguises itself as a beautiful woman. It shares a diet of blood with vampires from Western cultures; however, it differs in that it sucks blood using a proboscis-like tongue rather than sharpened teeth. Furthermore, aswang do not reside in tombs. Some live in forests far from human communities, but the aswang can infiltrate human society by marrying into a community, either slowly draining their husband of blood or using him strictly as a hideout and leaving at night to raid other villages, thereby maintaining their cover.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Maximo |title=The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore |journal=Western Folklore |date=Oct 1969 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=238–239 |jstor=1499218 |doi=10.2307/1499218 }}</ref> One example of a vampire aswang is the Tagalog ''[[mandurugo]]'', said to live in the region of Capiz.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bunson |first1=Matthew |title=The Vampire Encyclopedia |date=1993 |publisher=Gramercy Books |location=New York |page=169}}</ref>

=== The viscera sucker ===
The viscera sucker, also known as ''[[manananggal]]'', is said to have a diet of internal organs, or the phlegmatic discharge of the sick. Like the vampire aswang, it consumes its food with its tongue, narrow and tubular, but not pointed like the vampire. By day, it takes the shape of an attractive, light-skinned, and long-haired woman. By night, it grows wings and segments itself, leaving behind its body from the waist downwards. It takes great care to hide its lower half, then flies in searches for victims. It is particularly attracted to the fetuses growing inside pregnant women. Viscera suckers are said to live in domiciles deep in the jungle, if not the trees themselves. But like the vampire aswang, most infiltrate human communities via marriage.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Maximo |title=The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore |journal=Western Folklore |date=Oct 1969 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=239–242 |doi=10.2307/1499218 |jstor=1499218 }}</ref>

=== The weredog ===
Maximo Ramos refers to this category as the [[Cynanthropy|weredog]], though the creature does not necessarily transform into a dog. Ramos reasons that the werecreature of a given region is named after their most ferocious creature. As such, for example, Europe has [[Werewolf|werewolves]], India has [[Werecat|weretigers]], and Africa has wereleopards. The  Philippines has no indigenous wolf population, thus making weredog the more appropriate term.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Maximo |title=The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore |journal=Western Folklore |date=Oct 1969 |volume=28 |issue=4 |page=242 |doi=10.2307/1499218 |jstor=1499218 }}</ref> Like the previous aswang, the weredog infiltrates villages and turns into a creature by night, around midnight. The creature is most commonly a dog, but a cat or pig is also possible. The weredog then kills and eats people, particularly pregnant women on the road in the night, and do not let their long hair hang loose. (Doing so is said to protect against these aswang.) The weredog is said to develop a taste for human flesh by eating food spat on, or licked, by another weredog. (The same is said of the viscera sucker.) Unlike the previous aswang, the weredog does not infiltrate human communities through marriage, but as a traveler of some sort, such as a peddler or a construction labourer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Maximo |title=The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore |journal=Western Folklore |date=Oct 1969 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=242–244 |doi=10.2307/1499218 |jstor=1499218 }}</ref>

=== The witch ===
{{see also|Kulam}}
Witch aswangs are characterized by extreme vindictiveness; they curse those who have crossed them by causing objects such as rice, bones, or insects to emerge from their victims' bodily orifices. They possess eyes that reflect images upside down and have elongated irises, and they dwell on the outskirts of towns and villages. In the Philippines, these witches are feared, shunned, and hated. A woman can become an aswang only if she already possesses certain traits associated with aswangs. Upon transformation, her powers intensify, making her even more formidable than other witches. If an aswang is captured, she is executed immediately without question. Ordinary witches, by contrast, are simply avoided and regarded with fear; however, if an incident occurs near a witch's residence, the community may seek her out to blame and punish.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The story of the aswang|last=Brioso Jr.|first=Amador F.|isbn=9789719482581|location=Mandaluyong|oclc=969973375|year = 2015}}</ref>

=== The ghoul ===
Ghoul aswang are described as humanoid but generally hidden. Their diet consists of human corpses, they are carrion-eaters. Their nails and teeth are sharp and strong to help with the theft and consumption of the corpses. Their diet makes them smell rank and pungent. They gather in trees near cemeteries to exhume and consume the fresh burials.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ramos |first1=Maximo |title=The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore |journal=Western Folklore |date=Oct 1969 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=245–248 |doi=10.2307/1499218 |jstor=1499218 }}</ref>

== Behaviour ==
Aswang commonly dwell at night in locations such as cemeteries and woods, as their powers are significantly, or sometimes totally, reduced during the daytime.<ref name="raul">{{cite journal |last1=Pertierra |first1=Raul |title=Viscera-Suckers and Female Sociality: The Philippine Asuang |journal=Philippine Studies |date=1983 |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=322 |jstor=42633556 }}</ref> However, despite being described as wild monsters that often live in the wilderness and outskirts of society, aswang are also described as creatures that are capable of living within close proximity of or even within the confines of a village, leading to several reports of aswang attacks within large, populated towns and cities. Their ability to adapt and live within the urban and rural environments populated by humans while still maintaining their feral, monstrous nature is cited as a feature that distinguishes aswang from most other monsters.<ref name="raul"/> Aswang also generally have a fear of light. Wakes were often brightly lit to ensure that aswang would not come to the funeral to steal and devour the corpse. They also have a disdain for noise, but rare occasions describe aswang attending noisy parties.<ref name="raul"/>

Aswang are traditionally described as one-dimensional monsters and inherently evil by nature with no explicable motives beyond harming and devouring other creatures. Their overtly evil behaviour may be described as an inversion of traditional Filipino values.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pertierra |first1=Raul |title=Viscera-Suckers and Female Sociality: The Philippine Asuang |journal=Philippine Studies |date=1983 |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=324 |jstor=42633556 }}</ref> Traditional aswang have no bias when selecting their prey and will not hesitate to target their own kin: an inversion of the traditional Filipino value of strong kinship and family closeness. Aswang are described to be unclean and favor raw human meat to the food found in traditional Filipino culture. The aswang are also often described to be lewd in behaviour, with female aswang often exposing their genitals to contrast values of traditional modesty.

=== Countermeasures ===
There are several remedies and countermeasures to drive away or slay aswang. The different countermeasures often vary  depending on the cultural and symbolic significance of each tool. Holy objects, spices, salt, ash, the tail of a sting-ray, large crustaceans, vinegar, betel nut chew, and urine are all listed as tools for protection against aswang. The reversal of a ladder leading to the house was also said to be a countermeasure against aswang.<ref name="raul"/>

Because aswang were believed to be the cause of miscarriages, countermeasures to drive aswang away and prevent them from prowling during childbirth were developed.  One method is for the husband of the child-bearing wife to remain under the house naked while furiously waving a sword.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pertierra |first1=Raul |title=Viscera-Suckers and Female Sociality: The Philippine Asuang |journal=Philippine Studies |date=1983 |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=323 |jstor=42633556 }}</ref> Sharp sticks or [[Bolo knife|bolo]]s should be inserted between the bamboos of the house floor to prevent aswang from lurking under the house.  Additionally, sick people should not stay in houses with holes and are told not to groan in order not to attract aswang.<ref name="Lynch">{{cite book |last=Lynch |first=Frank |date=1998 |title=The Aswang Inquiry |location=Quezon City |publisher=GCF Books |pages=1–31 }}</ref>

There is also a special anti-aswang oil that can be developed.<ref name="Lynch"/> To make this oil, select a particular coconut and watch it grow. Pick it at twilight during a full moon when it is wet and gloomy; the breeze should also be chilly. The coconut should be grated and its juice must be squeezed out. Boil the mixture until it becomes oil. Recite secret prayers and throw all the waste into the ocean so that aswang cannot trace whoever made the oil. Once complete, the oil should be hung at the door of the house; it will boil when an aswang is near.

There are other methods of detecting aswang without the use of the special oil. Scratching noises heard from the ceiling of a house is often a sign of a nearby aswang. Aswang in disguise can be detected by seeing if your reflection in the creature's eye is inverted.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Leach |first1=Maria |title=God Had a Dog: Folklore of the Dog |date=1961 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |page=169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XpkiAAAAMAAJ |access-date=April 25, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, dogs, cats, and pigs with no tails are said to be aswang in disguise. During holy masses, aswang will also attempt to dodge the blessings.<ref name="Lynch"/>

To kill a witch aswang, a bolo knife can be used to strike the middle of the witch's back; if that area is not struck, the witch can lick its wounds to heal its injuries. After slaying an aswang with a bolo, the bolo must be planted under the ground. Firearms are not advised for killing aswang and it is useless to stab and slash at an aswang while it is in the form of an animal. Magic prayers can be used to make the aswang vulnerable; while it is in this helpless state, its body must be cut into pieces. If the aswang is cut into two pieces, each piece must be separated and taken to opposite river banks.<ref name="Lynch"/>

== Origins and influences ==
Because of the archipelagic geography of the Philippines, and the primarily oral mode of inheriting and imparting narratives from the past for preservation or didactic purposes, stories about the aswang have evolved and adapted according to the locality in question.<ref name=":4" />

The aswang was born out of Philippine folklore, with stories of this terrifying creature dating back to at least the 16th century, when Spanish colonizers created the first written record of the monster. The Spanish noted that of all the monsters in their folklore, the aswang was the most feared by native people.<ref>{{Cite web|website=Mythology.net|title=Aswang|date=October 21, 2016|url=https://mythology.net/monsters/aswang/|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref> 
One of the most famous origins of the term aswang came from the aswang tradition in the Bicol region during the sixteenth century.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lynch |first1=Frank |title=Ang Mga Aswang: A Bicol Belief |journal=Religious Belief and Behavior Series |date=1963 |volume=1 |page=55.84–88 }}</ref> The Bicolanos believed in the God named Gugurang, who was the good God that acted as the beneficent of their region, the defender and guardian of their homes, and their protector against the evil of the God Asuang. The God Asuang, however, was the evil God and rival, who attempted to always cause harm to Gugurang and found pleasure in doing so. Gugurang was always praised by the Bicolanos, and Asuang shunned and cursed.

However, in another story, Gugurang is portrayed as a fire-wielding God who, if displeased with the humans, would cause [[Mt. Mayon]] to erupt.<ref>{{cite web |title=Asuang & Gugurang |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHtYHrSef6Q  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/nHtYHrSef6Q |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|website=The Aswang Project |publisher=High Banks Entertainment Ltd. |access-date=April 22, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The aswang had no control over the people and became jealous of Gugurang's power. As the aswang begged for Gugurang's fire, Gugurang felt that the aswang was only trying to have fire to win the favor of the people, and the two began to argue for centuries. But the aswang was able to [[Theft of fire|steal fire]] by turning himself invisible and hiding the fire in a coconut shell. However, the aswang was unable to control the power and caused the entire world to catch flames. Gugurang followed the flames which led him to the aswang and took the fire back. He called the Gods to help him put out the fire with rain and take revenge on the aswang by making thunder and lightning to strike the mountains. The act brought upon all the evils and destruction in the land, which the people had never forgotten the aswang for.

=== Home of the aswang ===
Aswang are most commonly associated with the province of [[Capiz]], which lies on the island of [[Panay]] at the [[Western Visayas]] region,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kyotoreview.org/issue-12/in-search-of-aswang-a-ghost-story-monster-and-sorcerer-in-philippine-society/|title=In Search of Aswang: A Ghost Story, Monster and Sorcerer in Philippine Society|website=Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia|date=October 3, 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref> so much so that Capiz has come to be dubbed as the creature's "hometown".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://mythology.net/monsters/aswang/|title=Aswang - Mythical Creature from Philippine|last=Geller|first=Prof|date=October 8, 2016|website=Mythology.net|language=en-US|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref> In an April 29, 2019, documentary of ''[[Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho]]'' (KMJS), aswang are also allegedly sighted in [[Himamaylan]], [[Negros Occidental]], which also lies at Western Visayas, where several residents have been reportedly terrorized by the appearance of the aswang at night.<ref name=kmjs>{{cite news |title=Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Pagala-galang 'Yanggaw' sa Himamaylan, totoo nga ba? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0zKoAFyHVQ  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/d0zKoAFyHVQ |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=[[GMA News and Public Affairs]]|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}} (10:29) Ang maaaring pinanggagalingan daw ng kababalaghan ang punong ito. Ipinakita namin ang video kay Dr. Jose Pamparos, city veterinarian, ayon sa kanya ang posibleng nakuhanan ng video hindi aswang kundi isang uri ng paniki o fruit bat. Madalas daw talaga mapagkamalang ng mga ito na aswang.</ref> The KMJS team tried to substantiate the resident's claim by installing cameras to capture the alleged creature, but to no avail.<ref name=kmjs/>

From the lens of social anthropology, what inspired the legends of the aswang can be traced back to two possible sources: the behaviour of the wildlife within the region, and the prominence of [[X-linked dystonia parkinsonism]] within the region.<ref name=":0" />

==== Wildlife behaviour ====
Sounds attributed to the aswang's hunting calls ("tiktik" and "wakwak") are similar to the sounds of nocturnal forest wildlife such as bats  and [[Philippine flying lemur]]s (which is locally called ''kagwang'').<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Citation|title=Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Aswang o Kagwang|date=July 4, 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6mprgxjrA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/ne6mprgxjrA |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=April 19, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The sounds they make have resulted in them being hunted, under the suspicions that these creatures are aswang in disguise.<ref name=":0" />

==== Prominence of X-linked dystonia parkinsonism ====
[[X-linked dystonia parkinsonism]] (XDP) is a genetic form of dystonia found almost entirely among males of Filipino descent (XDP Canada). It is also known as the Dystonia of Panay, due to the fact that most current cases today can be traced back to a common ancestor in Panay.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.aswangproject.com/aswang-in-capiz/|title=The truth about the ASWANG in Capiz|website=THE ASWANG PROJECT|language=en-US|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref> According to most recent studies, 93% of current cases today are located on Panay Island, with 63% of those being located in Capiz.<ref name=":1" />

Individuals diagnosed with this disease exhibit debilitating symptoms that put them in a "transforming state", which results in their "bod[ies] twisting, tongue[s] protruding from their mouth[s], [and] salivating."<ref name=":1" /> With the disorder being endemic to the region for generations, the visible symptoms have been interpreted as a major contribution to the prevalence of narratives surrounding Capiz as the home of the aswang.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|title=The Aswang Phenomenon - Full Documentary on the Filipino Vampire|date=October 4, 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePhqoyLpXQ|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref> Individuals afflicted with this disease are branded as aswang and are socially ostracized, which prevent their families from seeking effective medical treatment and forcing them to isolate themselves from the larger community.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

=== Influences in contemporary society ===
The folklore of the aswang has been interpreted as having influenced certain idiosyncrasies of the Filipino people. Maximo Ramos, focusing on the ghoul-aspect and viscera-sucker aspect of the aswang, proposes that certain behaviours of modern-day Filipinos can be traced back to older traditions and customs that were geared towards protecting themselves from the aswang.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Ramos|first=Maximo|date=July 1968|title=Belief in Ghouls in Contemporary Philippine Society|journal=Western Folklore|volume=27|issue=3|pages=184–190|doi=10.2307/1498104|jstor=1498104|doi-access=free}}</ref> Some of the contemporary behaviours he mentions include:

* The vociferous nature of Filipino gatherings, as compared to the solemn and subdued natures of other ethnic groups. This is most obvious when Filipinos meet with each other in non-Philippine settings.<ref name=":5" />
* The floors are not swept while the dead is lying in state for sweeping the floor would spread the scent of death around the area, which would attract ghouls.<ref name=":5" />
* A chicken whose jugular vein is cut is tossed down the steps and is allowed to flutter away and die while the dead is carried out of the house. The chicken would serve as a distraction for the ghouls.<ref name=":5" />
* In some parts of Luzon, orphans wear red strips of cloth around their wrists, necks, and waists, since red represents fire, a common countermeasure against ghouls. This can explain why "peasant Filipinos" prefer the red clothing which is seen in their dances and in their costumes. (The ghouls have acute hearing but blurred vision.)<ref name=":5" />
* Widows and widowers do not marry for at least a year after the spouse's death, for the new spouse may be mistaken for the old one. This fact explains the unpopularity of the recently widowed in tradition-bound communities.<ref name=":5" />
* Phrases meant to identify that the speaker is not an aswang, and to announce ones presence to spirits, are still common in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/puwera-usog-meaning-and-history-a00293-20200211 |title=Puwera Usog, Tao Po, and Tabi Po: The Curious History of Three Filipino Phrases |last=Limos |first=Mario Alvaro |work=Esquire |date=February 11, 2020 |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref>
*In the Philippines in the 1950s the [[CIA]] was fighting the [[Huks]], they spread rumours that evil men would be attacked by a local aswang or 'vampire'. They then punctured holes in the corpse of a Huk and drained all the blood from his body before leaving the body to be discovered on a road.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Evan |title=The Very Best Men Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA |date=1996 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=57}}</ref> Colonel [[Edward Lansdale]] was likely among those who encouraged and spread word of the practice as part of psy-ops against the Huks.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Scott |title=The Quiet Americans |date=2020 |publisher=Signal |isbn=978-0-593-29520-5 |pages=275–276 |edition=1st}}</ref>

== Portrayals in media ==
{{in popular culture|date=September 2019}}

=== In film ===
The aswang have been the focus of Philippine [[horror film|horror]] and [[thriller films]]:

* Some of these films include ''Aswang'' (1992), ''Sa Piling ng Aswang'' (1999), ''[[Aswang (2011 film)|Aswang]]'' (2011), ''[[Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang]]'' (2012), and ''[[Maria Labo]]'' (2015).
* They are also featured in the [[Shake, Rattle & Roll (film series)|''Shake, Rattle & Roll'']] film series: particularly in ''[[Shake, Rattle & Roll II]]'' (1990), ''[[Shake, Rattle & Roll 2k5]]'' (2005), ''[[Shake, Rattle and Roll 8]]'' (2006), ''[[Shake, Rattle & Roll X]]'' (2008), ''[[Shake, Rattle and Roll 12]]'' (2010), ''[[Shake, Rattle and Roll Fourteen: The Invasion]]'' (2012), and ''[[Shake, Rattle & Roll Evil Origins]]'' (2025).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/shake-rattle-roll-movies-ranking-a00203-20171031-lfrm|title=The Only 6 'Shake, Rattle & Roll' Movies You Need to See|date=October 31, 2017|website=Esquiremag.ph|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Erik Matti]]'s ''The Aswang Chronicles'' films: ''[[Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles|Tiktik]]'' (2012) and ''[[Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2|Kubot]]'' (2014)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles |url=https://www.fareastfilm.com/eng/archive/2013/tiktik-the-aswang-chronicles/?IDLYT=15535 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.fareastfilm.com |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2 {{!}} Festival International du Film de Fribourg |url=https://www.fiff.ch/en/kubot-aswang-chronicles-2 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.fiff.ch |language=en}}</ref> 

The aswang are also featured in the following Western films:

* ''[[Aswang (1994 film)|Aswang]]'' (1994) is an American horror film directed and written by Wrye Martin and Barry Poltermann. It is based on the mythical creature that feeds on the unborn in Philippine folklore, though unusually the aswangs in the film are of white American ethnicity, instead of being traditionally Filipino.
* ''[[Surviving Evil]]'' (2009) is a British horror film directed and written by Terence Daw. It follows documentary filmmakers who travel to a Philippine island, only to discover that a colony of shape shifting, cannibalistic aswang inhabit the island.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barton |first1=Steve |title=Surviving Evil (2010) |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/16253/surviving-evil-2010/ |website=Dread Central |access-date=13 March 2024 |date=15 March 2010}}</ref>
* ''An Aswang Halloween'' (2023) is an American [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] [[horror film]] that follows a group of campers trying to survive being pursued by an aswang on [[Halloween]] night.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Aswang Halloween |website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28601869/ |access-date=October 12, 2023}}</ref>

=== In television ===
* "[[Mommy Dearest (Grimm)|Mommy Dearest]]", an episode of the supernatural drama television series ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'', features an aswang attacking Sergeant Wu's pregnant childhood friend from the Philippines. It features an aswang as a form of wesen that sucks the amniotic fluid out of a pregnant woman's stomach.<ref>Inquirer (March 7, 2014). {{Cite web|url= https://entertainment.inquirer.net/136773/us-tv-series-grimm-features-scariest-monster-yet-the-aswang/|title=US TV series 'Grimm' features scariest monster yet–the 'Aswang'|date=March 7, 2014 }}</ref>
* The aswang are the main villains of ''[[Trese (TV series)|Trese]]'', acting as a gang of sorts opposing protagonist Alexandra Trese.
* The anime ''[[Blade Anime|Blade]]'' features the [[manananggal]] (self-segmeneting) and [[mandurugo]] ([[harpy]]-like), two flying variants of aswangs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ブレイド {{!}} ソニー・ピクチャーズ公式 |url=https://www.sonypictures.jp/he/951518 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=ブレイド {{!}} ソニー・ピクチャーズ公式 |language=ja}}</ref>

=== In literature ===
* An aswang character appears in the fourth issue of comedy-horror webcomic ''Fantastic Crap Comics''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fantasticcrapcomics.com/?page_id=1212|title=Fantastic Crap Comics, Issue 4, cover!!! {{!}} Fantastic Crap Comics|language=en-US|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref>
*''Tikbalang, Aswang, Atbp. B1 Gang Series'' is a fictional series that follows four children on their supernatural investigations.
*''Juan and the Asuangs: A Tale of Philippine Ghosts and Spirits'' is a children's picture book by [[José Aruego]] about a young boy that encounters many Aswang in the forest while on a journey to confront the [[manananggal]] that has been attacking his village's dogs and chickens.
*''The Aswang Inquiry'' compiles the supernatural researches of Frank Lynch, S.J., and Richard Arend, S.V.D.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/aswang-inquiry-Frank-Lynch/dp/B0006FD402|title=The Aswang Inquiry|via=www.amazon.com|date=January 1998 |publisher=Distributed exclusively by Anvil Pub |access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref>
* An aswang is the primary antagonist in the Supernatural spin-off novel ''Supernatural: Fresh Meat.''
* "The Aswang Complex in Philippine Folklore" is an academic paper turned book written by Dr. Maximo Rosales. It is a compilation of the various aswang qualities in different regions of the Philippines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aswangproject.com/the-aswang-complex/|title=The Aswang Complex in Philippine Folklore|website=THE ASWANG PROJECT|date=July 19, 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref>
* ''Aswang (Monsters) and Supernaturalisms: Nocturnal Deities'' talks of aswang myths, beliefs, and folktales through the lens of the Atimonan townsfolk.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Aswang (Monsters) and Supernaturalisms: Nocturnal Deities|isbn = 978-9712360879|last1 = De Gracia|first1 = Alta Grace Q.|year = 2011| publisher=Published & distributed by Rex Book Store }}</ref>
* Aswang are the main subjects in Filipino-American author, Jason Tanamor's novel ''Vampires of Portlandia''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tanamor.com/p/vampires-of-portlandia.html|title=Vampires of Portlandia|website=Jason Tanamor - Author of "Vampires of Portlandia"|language=en-US|access-date=May 9, 2020|archive-date=April 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410041918/http://www.tanamor.com/p/vampires-of-portlandia.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* An aswang is described terrorising a remote village in the Philippines in [[Denis Johnson]]'s National Book Award-winning novel ''[[Tree of Smoke]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Johnson|first=Denis|title=Tree of Smoke|publisher=FSG|year=2007|isbn=9780330449205|pages=42}}</ref>
* A demonic character called "Aswang" is a member of the Diwatas, the Filipino gods of the [[Marvel Comics]] universe.<ref name="encyclopaediamythologica">{{cite comic|Writer=[[Anthony Flamini]], [[Greg Pak]], [[Fred Van Lente]] & [[Paul Cornell]]|Penciller=Kevin Sharpe|Inker=Kevin Sharpe|Story=|Title=Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica|Issue=1|Date=July 2009|Publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]|}}</ref>
* A murdered young woman with a lineage of unfulfilled ancestors is transformed by death into an aswang who seeks justice in Melissa Chadburn's debut novel, ''A Tiny Upward Shove''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Tiny Upward Shove |url=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374716509/atinyupwardshove |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=Macmillan |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The aswang are the primary antagonists in the 2018 horror novel ''[[100 Fathoms Below]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=a book review by Toni V. Sweeney: 100 Fathoms Below |url=https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/100-fathoms-below |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=www.nyjournalofbooks.com}}</ref>
* The central character in Andrew Jalbuena Pasaporte's middle-grade novel, ''Gimo Jr. and the Aswang Clan'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=TDT |date=2023-12-03 |title=The return of Gimo |url=https://tribune.net.ph/2023/12/02/the-return-of-gimo |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Daily Tribune |language=en}}</ref> is the son of the most famous aswang chieftain.

=== Other ===

* ''LUNA: An Aswang Romance'' is a Filipino play about the creature.<ref>{{Citation|title=Luna, An Aswang Romance - Tagalog|date=February 23, 2014|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p0xPAUCNcM&t=406s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/5p0xPAUCNcM |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=April 19, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*''Ang Unang Aswang'' is a stage play that dramatizes the concept of the first aswang came to be.<ref>{{Citation|title=Ang Unang Aswang|date=February 20, 2014|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIFcvU8N-Ac |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/SIFcvU8N-Ac |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=April 19, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* Professional wrestler [[T. J. Perkins]] adopted the Aswang as part of his persona at [[Wrestle Kingdom 18]]. As the Aswang, he wears a monstrous mask, a ragged skirt, and red contact lenses. More recently he has used the Aswang persona in the Best of Super Juniors 31 tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NJPW |title=Aswang TJP helps Catch 2/2 to tag gold 【WK18】 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING |url=https://www.njpw1972.com/167278 |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=NJPW |language=en}}</ref>

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite news
  | last = Cruz
  | first = Neal
  | author-link = Neal Cruz
  | title = As I See It: Philippine mythological monsters
  | newspaper = Philippine Daily Inquirer
  | date = October 31, 2008
  | url =http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081031-169390/Philippine-mythological-monsters
  }}
*{{cite book
  | last = Eugenio
  | first = Damiana
  | author-link = Damiana L. Eugenio
  | title = Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends
  | publisher = University of the Philippines Press
  | year = 2002
  | location =Matt Asombrado Paculba City
  | pages =490
  | isbn = 978-971-542-357-1 }}
*{{Cite journal|date=1904|title=''The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898''. Edited by Emma Helen Blair and James A. Robertson. Vol. VII., 1588–1591; Vol. VIII., 1591–1593; Vol. IX., 1593–1597. (Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Company. 1903. Pp. 320, 320, 329.)|journal=The American Historical Review|doi=10.1086/ahr/9.3.554|issn=1937-5239}}
*{{cite book
  | last = Ramos
  | first = Maximo D.
  | author-link = Maximo Ramos
  | title = Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology
  | publisher = University of the Philippines Press
  | year = 1971
  | location = Quezon City
  | isbn = 978-971-06-0691-7  }}
*{{Cite news
 |last=Ocampo
 |first=Ambeth
 |author-link=Ambeth Ocampo
 |title=Looking Back: 'Aswang' and counter-insurgency
 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer
 |date=February 16, 2010
 |url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100216-253598/Aswang-and-counter-insurgency
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220054947/http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100216-253598/Aswang-and-counter-insurgency
 |archive-date=February 20, 2010
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commonscatinline|Aswang}}

{{Philippine mythology}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ghouls]]
[[Category:Mythological anthropophages]]
[[Category:Philippine demons]]
[[Category:Philippine legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Legendary shapeshifters]]
[[Category:Supernatural legends]]
[[Category:Vampires]]