Sigbin

Sources do not supply a detailed origin myth for the sigbin. In the popular folkloric framing it exists as one of the unseen nocturnal beings in Philippine tradition and is integrated into local cosmologies of harmful night creatures. Accounts link the creature to household-level knowledge: certain families called Sigbinan are said in legend to possess the power to command sigbin and to keep them contained in clay jars. The sigbin is also placed in relation to other malevolent beings — notably aswang — which some sources say keep sigbin as pets.

Descriptions vary across sources. Common elements portray the sigbin as a hornless-goat–like or dog-like creature with very large ears (reported to be used like hands), a long flexible tail able to act like a whip, and a red-brownish hue in some popular accounts (the latter noted as speculative variation). It is said to walk backwards with its head lowered between its hind legs. The creature is also described as capable of becoming invisible to humans and as emitting a nauseating odor.

Legend attributes several harmful behaviors to the sigbin: it comes out at night and is said to suck blood from victims via their shadows and to kill children for their hearts, which are reputedly fashioned into amulets. It is said to move by walking backwards with its head lowered and to use its long tail offensively as a whip; its large ears are described as manipulatory. Invisibility to humans and a foul smell are reported as stealth and sensory characteristics. Stories place its activity at night and specifically mention emergence during Holy Week in some accounts.