TIKBALANG

            In Greek mythology, centaurs are one of my favorite creatures. It has a reverse counterpart here in our lands, the Tikabalang. Reverse in a way that instead of a body of a horse and a human torso, it has a horse’s torso and a man’s legs. I would never want to see one of those, they’re hideous. But, like the other creatures in our mythology, these creatures help in giving us a rich culture and beliefs.

            Tikbalang or Tigbalang (demon horse) is a half-man and half-horse creature. It has a horse’s head, the body of a human but with the feet of the horse. They are considered as the benevolent guardians of the elemental kingdoms. Actually, these creatures are summoned by the native’s shamans and landlords to secure and protect their lands. These humanoids are shapeshifters, they could transform into a human. They could also turn invisible.

            Tikbalang are generally associated with dark, sparsely populated, foliage-overgrown areas, with legends variously identifying their abode as being beneath bridges, in bamboo clumps or banana groves, and atop Kalumpang or Balete trees. They also dwell in swamps or in the deep woods.

            Other legends depict the Tikbalang as a monster of the night, with eyes that glow red. This version of the Tikbalang casts it as a fearsome creature, a real danger to people. It is believed that when it is angered - and it is easily angered - it stomps on people with its hooves until they die. In these tales, the Tikbalang is always accompanied by the stench of burning hair and smokes great big cigars. It is said that they take a bath only during full moons.

            Since horses only arrived in the Philippine archipelago during the Spanish colonization, there is a theory that the image of a half-horse, half-man creature was propagated by the conquistadors to keep the natives afraid of the night.

            There are stories claiming that the Tikbalang are actually half-bird, half-man creatures, much like the Japanese tengu.

            It travels at night to rape female mortals. The raped women will then give birth to more tikbalang. They are also believed to cause travelers to lose their way particularly in mountainous or forest areas. Tikbalangs are very playful with people, and they usually make a person imagine things that aren’t real. Sometimes a Tikbalang will drive a person crazy. When targeting a person, it mimics the appearance, voice and mannerisms of someone close to the person, such as a friend or relative. Thus the victim is tricked into follow the tikbalang to nowhere until they are lost, sometimes never to be seen again.

             Legends say that when rain falls while the sun is shining, a pair of tikbalangs is being wed.

            When experiencing these creature’s tricks, some countermeasures could be done. Typical trick of them is when travelers keep on returning to an arbitrary path no matter how far he goes or where he turns. Supposedly this is counteracted by wearing one's shirt inside out. Another countermeasure is to ask permission out loud to pass by or, not to produce too much noise while in the woods in order not to offend or disturb the tikbalang.

            By one account a tikbalang has a mane of sharp spines, with the three thickest of these being of particular importance. A person who obtains one of these spines can use them as an anting-anting (talisman) in order to keep the tikbalang as his servant. The tikbalang must first be subdued, however, by leaping onto it and tying it with a specially-prepared cord. The would-be-tamer must then hang on while the creature flies through the air, fighting madly to dislodge its unwelcome rider, until it is exhausted and acknowledges its defeat or you can look on his mane and you will see 3 golden hairs and if you pluck 3 of them before he/she eats you, they will serve you until you die. There are also stories where a tikbalang asks its intended prey a riddle. Someone who manages to answer correctly will be rewarded with a pot of gold.

            Meeting one spells out only two things, the creature's submission to you or the creature making you lost. Fail on making the tikbalang succumb, insanity or death will strike.