The Manananggal ('one who separates') is a specific and well-documented form of aswang found primarily in the Visayan islands of the Philippines. It is distinguished by its ability to detach its upper body from its lower half, sprouting large bat wings to fly at night. The lower half stands in a safe spot while the upper half hunts. Finding and destroying the lower half with salt, garlic, or ash prevents the creature from reattaching and kills it.
By day an ordinary woman, sometimes beautiful. At night, the torso detaches at the waist with wings erupting from the back, trailing entrails below the ribcage. It flies with the dangling viscera and inserts its long tongue-proboscis into sleeping pregnant women's navels to feed.
Self-segmentation — severing the upper body from the lower half. Bat flight. Long tongue that could extract a fetus without waking the mother. Immune to most physical attacks while in flight.
Weaknesses
- substanceSalt, garlic, or ash rubbed on the lower half prevents reattachment — killing it at dawn
Wards
- substanceGarlic
- ritualHanging garlic and salt around the bed of pregnant women
- [1]The Aswang Complex. Ramos, Maximo. 1971. The Aswang Complex in Philippine Folklore. Phoenix Press.academic
- [2]Philippine Demonology. Eugenio, Damiana. 1993. Philippine Folk Literature: Myths. University of the Philippines Press.academic