View source for Engkanto

{{short description|Philippine mythological figures}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox Philippine mythology
|type=Phillippine
| image       = Engkanto_falls.jpg
| name       = Engkanto
| gender      = Male/female
| region      = [[Philippines]]
}}
'''Engkanto''' (from Spanish ''[[wikt:en:encanto#Spanish|encanto]]'', {{lit|enchantment}}) are mythical environmental spirits that are said to have the ability to appear in human form.<ref name=":3">{{cite journal|last=Silliman University, James W. Chapman Research Foundation|year=1977|title=Silliman Journal|journal=Silliman Journal|publisher=Silliman University|pages=354|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60gZAAAAIAAJ&q=Engkanto|access-date=June 21, 2008}}</ref> They are often associated with the spirits of [[ancestor]]s and [[Soul|spirits]] of the dead called ''anito'' in the [[Philippines]].<ref name="Aguilar">{{cite book |last=Aguilar |first=Filomeno V. |url=https://archive.org/details/clashofspiritshi00agui |title=Clash of Spirits |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-8248-2082-7 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="VanRheenan">{{cite book |author=Gailyn Van Rheenen, Gailyn Van Rheenan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E84GB2f2a9QC&dq=Engkanto&pg=PA211 |title=Contextualization And Syncretism: Navigating Cultural Currents |publisher=William Carey Library |year=2006 |isbn=0-87808-387-1 |access-date=June 21, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Demetrio">* {{cite journal |last=Demetrio |first=Francisco |year=1969 |title=The Engkanto Belief: An Essay in Interpretation |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=77–90 |doi=10.2307/1177781 |jstor=1177781}}</ref> They are also characterized as spirit sorts like [[siren (mythology)|siren]]s, dark beings, [[elves]], and more.<ref name="ramos"/> Belief in their existence has likely existed for centuries,<ref name=Demetrio /> and continues to this day.<ref>*{{cite journal | year = 2003 | last = Borchgrevink | first = Axel | title = Ideas of Power in the Philippines | journal = Cultural Dynamics | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = 41–69 | url = http://cdy.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/15/1/41 | access-date = June 19, 2008 | doi = 10.1177/0921374003015001108| doi-broken-date = November 15, 2024 | url-access = subscription }}</ref>

It is a bracket term for enchanted human-like beings of the land which includes a variety of mythical races. The term itself was adopted from the Spanish, who were dumbfounded by the wide array of mythical races in the Philippines and just referred to many of the races as "enchanted".<ref>{{cite web |title=Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Engkanto: Kuwento-kuwento o totoo? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCA7P219NNY  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/SCA7P219NNY |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube |publisher=GMA Public Affairs |access-date=September 20, 2021 |language=tl |date=April 22, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Though at the same time the term does not differ at all from the archaic Spanish sense of the word as referring to a supernatural apparition, sometimes tied to a place.

Some types of engkanto are "unbound" spirits with an independent existence. They appear in animal (usually as birds) or human-like forms and have gender differentiation and personal names. They are most similar to the [[Elf|elves]] of European folklore. These are the most common types of spirits to become ''abyan'' (the [[spirit guide]]s of ''[[Filipino shamans|babaylan]]''), as they are the most "sociable" and can take interest in human activities.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fwlcsqc3Fo | title=Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Mga anak ng Abyan? | website=[[YouTube]] | date=July 13, 2020 }}</ref> These spirits are usually referred to as ''engkanto'' (from Spanish ''encanto'') in modern Filipino folklore. Unlike the "bound" spirits, these spirits can be invited into human households, and their rituals can take place both outdoors and indoors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buenconsejo |first=Jose S. |title=Songs and Gifts at the Frontier |date=2013 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |isbn=978-1-136-71980-6 |series=Current Research in Ethnomusicology: Outstanding Dissertations |location=Hoboken}}</ref>

Engkanto are also believed to be able to mate with humans. People born with [[Congenital disorder|congenital disorders]] (like [[albinism]] or [[syndactyly]])<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title='KMJS': 3 magkakapatid na may albinism, bakit iniuugnay sa umano'y nilalang na 'Abyan'? |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/balitambayan/talakayan/746726/3-magkakapatid-na-may-albinism-bakit-iniuugnay-sa-umano-y-nilalang-na-abyan/story/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Balitambayan |language=en}}</ref> or display unusual beauty or behavior are commonly believed by local superstition to be the children of engkanto who seduced (or sometimes raped) their mothers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Santos |first=Josefina |date=2004-08-01 |title=Subersyon o Tradisyon?: Isang Pagsusuri sa mga Mensaheng Ipinahihiwatig ng Morning Girls at Sis. Television Review of Morning Girls (ABS-CBN) and Sis (GMA) |url=https://doi.org/10.52518/2004.1.2-07 |journal=Plaridel |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=155–163 |doi=10.52518/2004.1.2-07 |issn=1656-2534}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Bissett |first=John |title=What goes around comes around |date=2023-01-05 |work=It's Not Where You Live, It's How You Live |pages=64–74 |url=https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781447368212.003.0007 |access-date=2025-02-18 |publisher=Policy Press |doi=10.1332/policypress/9781447368212.003.0007 |isbn=978-1-4473-6821-2|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Francisco Demetrio made a study of 87 folk stories from [[Visayas]] and [[Mindanao]] relating to engkanto. He contended that the engkanto were based on early European [[friars]].<ref name=Aguilar/><ref name=Demetrio/>

==Appearance==
Engkanto have many similarities to humans in that they age, appear to have male and female sexes, can suffer from illness and even die. They are an object of mythology for many Filipinos, often told by adults as stories and shown on media. Some appear to be beautiful having blue eyes, fair complexion and golden hair,<ref name=Demetrio /> but may also have unusual features such as high-bridged noses and absent [[philtrum]]s. They have a wide range of appearances but give off a [[uncanny valley|different feeling or vibe from humans]].<ref name="ramos">{{cite book |last=Ramos |first=Maximo D. |pages=55–56 |title=Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology |year=1971 |publisher=University of the Philippines Press |location=Philippines |oclc=804797}} {{ISBN|971-06-0691-3}} (Quezon City Press, 1990)</ref> Other variants exhibit [[sexual dimorphism]] such as [[Bagobo]] spirits which are separated into the female ''tahamaling'' and the male ''mahomanay''. The female spirit is alleged to have a red complexion while males have a fair complexion.<ref name="ramos" /> Their dwellings will normally appear as natural features such as large rocks, trees, or shadows in human form, although they can appear as magnificent palaces to humans they have befriended.<ref name=Demetrio /> These creatures prefer large trees and natural features such as the [[Banyan|balete]], in which they also place their belongings.<ref name="ramos"/> An engkanto may choose to stay by a human's side as told by stories where characters are usually in either a sense of trance or a deep loss of energy. Engkanto may be good or bad. Some engkanto are called "itim na engkanto" (black engkanto) are depicted as malevolent, violent, dark-skinned figures that stalk and harass and inflict harm to humans they fancy and pursue romantically.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpClUjJGcvY | title=UKG: Engkantong itim, nanliligaw umano sa isang dalaga | website=[[YouTube]] | date=October 27, 2014 }}</ref>

==Capabilities==
Engkanto are most commonly known for either extreme malignant effects, or an overwhelming influence of luck. Those who the engkanto do not favor would become depressed, suffer from madness, or even disappear for days or months, possibly as a result of possession.<ref name=Demetrio /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Tremlett |first=Paul-François |title=The Ethics of Suspicion in the Study of Religions |year=2007 |journal=DISKUS |volume=8 |url=http://www.basr.ac.uk/diskus/diskus8/Tremlett.htm |access-date=June 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416193040/http://www.basr.ac.uk/diskus/diskus8/Tremlett.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2009 }}</ref>  They are also said to be capable of causing [[fever]]s and skin diseases such as [[boil]]s. These spirits also sometimes lead travelers astray in the forest, even kidnap them. This, however, is said to be avoidable by bringing an "''[[anting-anting]]''" or "''[[agimat]]''" a piece of magical [[Amulet|charm]] or [[amulet]] that wards away evil spirits and prevents them from harming the wielder.<ref name=VanRheenan /> However, if they do favor someone, they are generous and capable of bringing power and riches to that person.  [[Shamanism|Shaman]]s often try to commune with engkanto on holy days to obtain better healing powers from them, as well as to learn how to better deal with evil spirits.<ref name=Demetrio />

== Equivalents in non-Filipino traditions ==

=== Elves ===
{{main|Elf}}
The engkanto of Philippine mythology are highly similar to elves of [[European folklore]]. Elves are magical, human-like beings from [[Germanic folklore]] and are especially common in [[Norse mythology]]. In early stories, they were seen as beautiful and powerful—sometimes helpful, sometimes harmful. The word ''elf'' likely meant “white being,” and beliefs about them varied across time and cultures.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Jakobsson |first=Ármann |date=2015-05-04 |title=Beware of the Elf! A Note on the Evolving Meaning of Álfar |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0015587X.2015.1023511 |journal=Folklore |language=en |volume=126 |issue=2 |pages=215–223 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.2015.1023511 |issn=0015-587X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=A handbook of Germanic etymology |date=2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-12875-0 |editor-last=Orel |editor-first=Vladimir E. |location=Leiden Boston}}</ref> In medieval times, elves were linked to gods, magic, illness, and seduction. Later, the word fell out of use in some areas, replaced by terms like "[[Dwarf (folklore)|dwarf]]" or "[[fairy]]," but belief in elves lasted longer in places like [[Scotland]] and [[Scandinavia]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jolly |first=Karen Louise |title=Popular religion in late Saxon England: elf charms in context |date=1996 |publisher=Univ. of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-2262-3 |location=Chapel Hill}}</ref> In [[Central Europe]] and Scandinavia, as society modernized, belief in elves faded. However, they became popular in literature and art, evolving into small, playful creatures, especially in [[Shakespeare]]'s plays. [[Romantic era|Romantic-era]] writers revived the idea, which led to the elves in modern fantasy stories and [[Christmas]] tales.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Restad |first=Penne L. |title=Christmas in America: a history |date=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-510980-1 |location=New York}}</ref> Thanks to [[J. R. R. Tolkien|J.R.R. Tolkien]], modern fantasy often portrays elves as tall, graceful, and magical beings.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Comer |first=K. |date=2010-08-24 |title=Exceptionalism, Other Wests, Critical Regionalism |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/alh/ajq043 |journal=American Literary History |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=159–173 |doi=10.1093/alh/ajq043 |issn=0896-7148|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Bartholomew, John George, (22 March 1860–16 April 1920), geographer and cartographer to the King; head of the Edinburgh Geographical Institute |date=2007-12-01 |work=Who Was Who |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u193209 |access-date=2025-04-08 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u193209 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Jinn ===
{{main|Jinn}}
Jinn  are supernatural beings in [[Arabian mythology|Arabian]] and [[Islamic mythology]], made from smokeless fire. Jinn can be good or bad, invisible to humans, and are believed to have free will, like people.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zayn |first=Amīraẗ al- |title=Islam, Arabs, and the intelligent world of the Jinn |date=2009 |publisher=Syracuse university press |isbn=978-0-8156-3200-9 |series=Contemporary issues in the Middle East |location=Syracuse (N.Y.)}}</ref> They can influence human thoughts, actions, or even possess people. Highly similar to engkanto, they are mysterious spirit-beings known for their beauty, magical abilities, and their power to enchant, possess, or bring illness to humans. The jinn, elves, and engkanto share common traits: they exist in a realm beyond human perception, interact with the human world in unpredictable ways, and are both feared and revered.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=Alaric |date=2006-01-23 |title=Elves on the Brain: Chaucer, Old English, and elvish |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ANGL.2006.225/html |journal=Anglia: Zeitschrift für englische Philologie |volume=124 |issue=2 |doi=10.1515/ANGL.2006.225 |issn=0340-5222|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=de Bruyn |first=Theodore |date=September 2018 |title=Christianizing Egypt: Syncretism and Local Worlds in Late Antiquity. By David Frankfurter. Martin Classical Lectures. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018. xix + 314. $39.95 cloth. |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/s000964071800166x |journal=Church History |volume=87 |issue=3 |pages=827–830 |doi=10.1017/s000964071800166x |issn=0009-6407|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Orang bunian ===
{{main|Orang bunian}}
Orang bunian are supernatural beings from [[Malay folklore|Malaysian]], Bruneian, and [[Indonesian folklore]], often compared to elves. Their name means "hidden people" or "whistling people," and they are usually invisible to humans, except to those with spiritual sensitivity. They look almost exactly like humans, often dressed in traditional ancient Southeast Asian clothing.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hadler |first=Jeffrey |title=Muslims and matriarchs: cultural resilience in Indonesia through Jihad and colonialism |date=2008 |publisher=Cornell university press |isbn=978-0-8014-4697-9 |location=Ithaca (N.Y.)}}</ref> Like the engkanto in Philippine mythology, orang bunian live in a hidden realm parallel to ours and can interact with people in mysterious ways. Both are believed to be beautiful, powerful beings who can either help or harm, much like the elves of European folklore or the jinn of Arabian tradition.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Forth |first=Gregory |title=Images of the wildman in Southeast Asia: an anthropological perspective |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-88624-3 |series=Kegan Paul Library of Anthropology, Economics, and Society |location=London New York}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

=== Patupaiarehe ===
{{main|Patupaiarehe}}
In [[Māori culture]], [[Patupaiarehe]] are beings similar to Philippine engkanto and European elves and fairies.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gabbert |first=Lisa |title=Teaching Fairy Tales in Folklore Classes |date=2016 |work=New Approaches to Teaching Folk and Fairy Tales |pages=35–47 |url=https://doi.org/10.7330/9781607324812.c002 |access-date=2025-04-08 |publisher=Utah State University Press |doi=10.7330/9781607324812.c002 |isbn=978-1-60732-481-2|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Patupaiarehe are supernatural beings in [[Māori mythology]], often described as pale-skinned with red or blonde hair. They look human but live in misty forests or mountains, away from people. Sunlight harms them, so they are active mostly at night or on foggy days. They dislike fire and cooked food, and their music is said to be more beautiful than human music.<ref name=":5">{{Citation |last=Gabbert |first=Lisa |title=Teaching Fairy Tales in Folklore Classes |date=2016 |work=New Approaches to Teaching Folk and Fairy Tales |pages=35–47 |url=https://doi.org/10.7330/9781607324812.c002 |access-date=2025-04-08 |publisher=Utah State University Press |doi=10.7330/9781607324812.c002 |isbn=978-1-60732-481-2|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2004 |title=Contexts |url=https://doi.org/10.5040/9798400652011.ch-005 |journal=Folk and Fairy Tales |pages=151–178 |doi=10.5040/9798400652011.ch-005|isbn=979-8-4006-5201-1 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Like the pale-skinned engkanto of Philippine mythology, patupaiarehe are spirit-like beings who live in hidden places, can be seen by only a few, and may react negatively if disturbed.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />

=== Yaksha ===
{{main|Yaksha}}
Yakshas in [[Hinduism]] and engkantos in Philippine folklore are both nature spirits with complex, dual natures, sometimes benevolent, sometimes malevolent. Yakshas, found in Hindu, [[Buddhism|Buddhist]], and [[Jainism|Jain]] traditions, are associated with forests, rivers, and hidden treasures, and can be protectors or [[trickster]]s. Similarly, engkantos are spirits tied to nature, often living in trees or remote areas, and are believed to bless or curse humans depending on how they are treated. While yakshas have a more structured presence in religious texts, engkantos come from oral folk traditions.<ref name="SRQF88">Dated 100 BCE. {{cite book |last1=Quintanilla |first1=Sonya Rhie |title=History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE – 100 CE |date=2007 |page=368, fig. 88 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004155374 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7Cb8IkZVSMC&pg=PA368 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dalal |first1=Roshen |title=The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths |date=2010 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-341517-6 |page=398 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNmfdAKFpkQC&pg=PA398}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{see also|Category:Engkanto films}}
Engkanto have been portrayed in Philippine pop culture and media, particularly in films and television shows:
*''[[Spirit Warriors: The Shortcut]]'' (2003)<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7577922|title=title|description=Spirit Warriors the Shortcut}}</ref>
*The ''[[Shake, Rattle & Roll (film series)|Shake, Rattle & Roll]]'' film series: ''[[Shake, Rattle and Roll 9]]'' (2007),<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7462575|title=title|description=Shake, Rattle & Roll 9}}</ref> ''[[Shake, Rattle & Roll X]]'' (2008),<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7462582|title=title|description=Shake Rattle & Roll X}}</ref> and ''[[Shake, Rattle and Roll 12]]'' (2010)<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7462587|title=title|description=Shake Rattle and Roll 12}}</ref> 
* ''[[Luna Mystika]]'' (2008–2009)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Godinez |first=Bong |date=Nov 17, 2008 |title=Heart Evangelista gives life to "Luna Mystika" |url=https://www.pep.ph/news/local/2910/heart-evangelista-gives-life-to-luna-mystika?s=m3j2jf7gmo7bbptlertmnc9jut |archive-url=November 17, 2008 |archive-date=Nov 17, 2008 |access-date=Nov 17, 2008 |website=www.pep.ph}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Luna Mystika |date=2008-11-17 |type=Drama, Fantasy, Romance |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1301884/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |others=Heart Evangelista, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Dante Rivero |publisher=GMA}}</ref>
*''[[T2 (2009 film)|T2]]'' (2009)<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7669028|title=title|description=T2}}</ref>
* ''[[Ang Panday (2017 film)|Ang Panday]]'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite web |last=ccsediaren |date=2018-01-06 |title=Movie Review: Ang Panday (MMFF 2017) |url=https://ccsediaren.wordpress.com/2018/01/06/movie-review-ang-panday-mmff-2017/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=That's What CSed |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Philippine mythology]]
*[[Elf|Elves]]
*[[Orang bunian]]
*[[Mrenh kongveal]]
*[[Brownie (folklore)]]
*[[Biringan city]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Philippine mythology}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Philippine legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Nature spirits]]