In Ilocano folklore, a giant old woman from a felled tree sits on a sleeper’s chest. In medicine, bangungot refers to sudden, unexplained deaths during sleep, often involving young, seemingly healthy Filipino men. Here’s how the legend differs from the medical explanation. Read more »
Long before telescopes could explain an eclipse, people across the Philippines believed a terrifying creature was devouring the moon. In the Visayas, that creature was known as the bakunawa, a giant serpent said to rise from the depths and swallow the glowing orb whole. Read more »
DreamWorks' "Forgotten Island" follows two childhood best friends facing a looming separation, but its ache resonates with the entire Filipino diaspora. Read more »
A dark giant in an old tree, the smell of tobacco, and a path that keeps looping back on itself. Here’s what Filipino folklore says about the kapre, where its name came from, and what old folks say to do when one takes an interest in you. Read more »
It makes you walk in circles, gets married in the rain, and 400 years ago, it had wings. Here’s what the tikbalang is, how old stories say to escape one, and how it came to have a horse’s face. Read more »
A privately owned hill along the Lucban–Sampaloc road draws psychics, mediums, and spiritual seekers who say it holds labyrinths, “breathing” boulders and even a landing pad for UFOs. Here’s what’s known about the mysterious place, what believers say happens there, and why you can’t simply drive in. Read more »
