Manananggal

The Manananggal were called Penanggalan in Malay folklore is a mythical creature(Unidentified mysterious animal) of the Philippines. It resembles a Western vampire, in being an evil, human-devouring monster or witch. The myth of the manananggal is popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines, especially in the western provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, Antique. There are varying accounts of the features of a manananggal. Like vampires, Visayan folklore creatures, and aswangs, manananggals are also said to abhor garlic and salt.They were also known to avoid daggers, light, vinegar, spices and the tail of a sting ray which can be fashioned as a whip. Folklore of similar creatures can be found in the neighbouring nations of Indonesia and Malaysia.


A manananggal is described as being an older, beautiful woman (as opposed to an aswang), capable of severing its upper torso in order to fly into the night with huge bat-like wings to prey on unsuspecting, pregnant women in their homes; using an elongated proboscis-like tongue, it sucks the hearts of fetuses or blood of an unsuspecting, sleeping victim. The severed lower torso is left standing and it is said to be the more vulnerable of the two halves. Sprinkling salt or smearing crushed garlic or ash on top of the standing torso is fatal to the creature. The upper torso then would not be able to rejoin and will die at daybreak. The name of the creature originates from an expression used for a severed torso: manananggal comes from the Tagalog, tanggal (cognate of Malay tanggal) which means to remove or to separate. Manananggal then means the one who separates itself (in this case, separates itself from its lower body).
Superstitious folk in the Visayan provinces still hang cloves of garlic or onion around windows, doors, etc. with the purpose of repelling this creature as well as the aswang. They are a favorite theme for sensationalist tabloids. They may be a product of mass hysteria or intentionally propagated to keep children off the street, home at night and wary or careful of strangers, or simply to entertain them.

Manananggal is a mythical creature from Filipino folklore. It is a female vampire-like creature that is said to have the ability to detach its upper torso from its lower body and fly using its bat-like wings. It is said to be able to fly at night and feed on the blood of pregnant women and infants.

The Manananggal is typically depicted as a beautiful young woman who, at night, transforms into a hideous, winged monster. It is said to have a long, pointed tongue that it uses to suck the blood of its victims, and it is said to be able to detach its upper body from its lower body, leaving behind the lower body and legs, which it covers with banana leaves or a blanket to conceal its presence.

It is believed that Manananggal can be defeated by finding its lower body and smearing it with salt or ash, which will cause the creature to die. Some other ways to protect yourself from Manananggal is to put garlic on the windowsill, or to put a cross made of coconut or ginger plant, or to put a needle on the threshold of the door.

The Manananggal is a popular creature in Filipino folklore and is often featured in stories, films, and TV shows. It is considered as a symbol of evil and is associated with the darker aspects of Filipino culture.

It's worth noting that it's not a real creature, it's a mythical one, and it's part of the Philippines' culture and tradition. Its depiction varies from region to region and from storyteller to storyteller.