Unless you've been living under a rock, there's been a LOT of hype for the upcoming DreamWorks Animation movie, Forgotten Island coming out on September 25. The movie follows childhood best friends, Raissa and Jo, who have just graduated high school. As Raissa prepares for her big move to college, Jo tries to persuade her to stay. However, they're suddenly transported to a mythical world, Nakali, where their memories fade the longer they stay. There, they meet creatures they've only heard about in stories.
Here, we'll talk about them!
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Raww is a were-aspin or were-askal. Similar to that of a werewolf, Raww transforms from human to aspin / askal, a mixed-breed dog native to the Philippines. (The term "aspin" is shortened from "asong pinoy" meaning pinoy dog, and the term "askal" is shortened from "asong kalya" meaning street dog.)
There are actually no were-aspins/askals in the folklore, and many of us folklore enthusiasts originally suspected that Raww was going to be a sigbin. A sigbin is said to be a dog-like creature with front legs similar to a kangaroo. It walks backwards and has the ability to become invisible. They feed on human blood and are believed to be aswangs' pets.
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One of the most famous creatures of our folklore (and our shop!) is the manananggal. Coming from the Tagalog "tanggal" meaning "to remove," the manananggal's most unique trait is her ability to split in half at the torso! Doing so leaves her bottom half vulnerable, so the manananggal usually hides her bottom half somewhere safe like banana patches. When she splits, she sprouts bat-like wings to fly and find her victim, who she'll then feast on. Depending on the region, this could mean blood, different human entrails, and...fetuses. Because of this, the manananggal is one of the most feared creatures of Filipino folklore.
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Another pretty popular folkloric creature is the tiyanak. These deceptive creatures lure you by their cries at night (or in the movie's case, their cuteness). However, as spirits of unborn children or stillborn babies, they seek revenge for their stolen lives and transform into their "true" form with sharp teeth and claws while attacking.
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Tiny nature spirits called dwende (duwende, duende) are believed to live in anthills, trees, and gardens. They are protective of their land, requiring folks who dare step into their homes to show respect. For most, this means saying the term "Tabi tabi, po!" If one forgets to say this or disrespects them (like Raissa and Jo did to King Truffle Wuffle), dwende may play pranks on people or bring misfortune to them.
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The Sarimanok is a legendary bird from the Maranao people of Mindanao. It was popularized in the 90s by artist Abdulmari Asia Imao, being seen across the Philippines, even becoming ABS-CBN's mascot for some years. Coming from the word "sari" meaning "variety" or "assorted" and "manok" meaning "fowl" or "chicken," the sarimanok is stylized as a large, colorful bird.
The origin of the sarimanok comes from the Maranao's totem bird, the Itotoro. It is believed that the Itotoro has a twin spirit bird called the Inikadowa, and because of this, is a spirit medium to the spirit world.
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As an archipelago, sea creatures are not lacking. While the Western world has a handful of half-human, half-sea creatures like mermaids, selkies, melusines, and nixies, the Philippines has dozens of humanoid creatures spanning from freshwater to the ocean.
Many humanoid sea dwellers in the folklore are womanly, but there are two types that are described as manly: siyokoy and ugkoy. Siyokoy lurk in the depths of the waters to pull down fishermen and swimmers and drown them. Similarly, the ugkoy are seen in rivers during floods, often taking victims to the bottom of the river. The jury's still out on which one Prince Mermahn is.
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The batibat in Ilocano stories is described as a large, grotesque woman who resides in trees. If her home is cut down, she follows pieces of it (usually used to build human homes) and keeps humans from sleeping. If they do sleep, she causes sleep paralysis and nightmares. (The Tagalogs also have a similar creature they call a bangungot.)
In Forgotten Island, Batiba isn't quite as evil as this, and she serves as the connection between Nakali and the human world.
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The kapre are giant dark-skinned creatures that live in large trees. Similar to the dwende, they are known to play tricks or grant good fortune, depending on if they've been respected. Kapre are usually smoking cigars and smell like tobacco, though in the movie, they don't appear to smoke.