Aswangs

The mythology of the Aswang is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture– even today, 80% of the Philippines wholeheartedly believes in the existence of Aswangs, which they hold alongside their catholic beliefs. But what exactly is an Aswang? Where does the legend come from? And how did that myth evolve and change with the Philippines itself?

The heart of what an aswang is, is widely agreed upon: a demon-like creature that seeks to harm other people, usually through bloodsucking tendencies, and usually targeting children. The specificities of the mythos however, changes by region. Pioneer of Philippine Myth Studies Maximo Ramos has broken Aswangs down into five subcategories:

• The Bloodsucking Vampire

1. 1. • Disguised as a beautiful maiden

• The Self Segmenting Viscera Sucker

1. 1. • Splits itself into multiple parts to devour victims

• The Man Eating Weredog

• The Vindictive or Evil Eye Witch

1. 1. • Causes sickness

• The Carrion-eating Ghoul

1. • Said to steal and devour corpses

It seems that the Aswangs in Alvarez’ work are a combination of the Vampiric Aswang, and the Witch Aswang. The way in which the categories blur together in his work, mirrors the many perspectives on the mythology, especially as the playwright mentioned that Bloodletting itself is based on the long held Filipino tradition of chisme, or gossip (shout out to the aunties):

“A lot of the play is imagined and based on gossip, a very popular Filipino pastime. […] There was an aswang who lived across the road from my grandmother. My relatives took me to meet her as a gesture of respect so that she wouldn’t curse me or what not. She seemed like a normal woman – just another person in the village.” (Alvarez)