Busaw

 

 

ORIGIN

They are found in Philippine folklore.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

The tales of this creature have been around in this region for a few hundred years. The Philippines is quite a superstitious place, so their belief systems where sure to carry on throughout time.

 

APPEARANCE

They can appear as human as anyone of us. A few things that may give them away however are their pointed teeth, long tongues and hooked nails. In their nightly form, they are a cross between a Ghoul and an Ogre. A grotesque looking creature with a slight hump back.

 

GENDER

They can appear as both male and female.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

N/A

 

REPELLED BY

To stop them from stealing corpses, the bodies are to be washed completely with vinegar and some very strong smelling herbs. They can also be repelled by salt.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

N/A

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

They are corpse eaters and thieves, often regarded as Ghouls but with some attributes of an Ogre. They are considered legendary creatures who resemble both the appearance and behaviours of a human, although, they are more popularised as evil spirits. Their favourite food is human. This usually results in scattered bones around their dwellings. They find their food by listening out for the sounds of death in the evening. They will also steal corpses from their coffins, replacing the bodies with banana tree trunks. Once they have the corpse, they will turn it into a pig so as to spirit it away.

 

CAN BE FOUND

In their human form, they will live in a house like normal humans do. In their more ghoulish form however, they will dwell in large trees found near cemeteries.

 

TALES

It is said that they will go around neighbours or their village and offer them some cooked meat (which happens to be that of another human), so as to turn them into one of them.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

There have been a few photos and some video footage, whether or not this is real is wholly dependant on the person watching it. As they appear as practically human, it is quite possible that they could in fact be real unbeknown to those in their community. Again, this depends on the opinion of others.

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Aswang, Amalanhig, Bal-Bal

 

Soucouyant

 

 

ORIGIN

They are found in Dominican, Trinidadian and Guadeloupean folklore.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

They where first recorded a couple of hundred years ago during the times of harsh slavery in the islands. Some believe that they were tales that were made up by the slaves to scare their captors, others swear by their life that the creature, as well as the tales, are true.

 

APPEARANCE

By day, they appear as a normal old woman, but by night, when they take off their skin, they are the shape of a woman but completely engulfed in flames. They have bright red eyes and very long nails. They may also have wings, sharp teeth and a long tongue.

 

GENDER

Female

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

The name is also spelt as Soucriant. They are also known as Ole-Higue and Loogaroo (elsewhere in the Caribbean). They were also sometimes referred to as Loup-Garou (a type of Werewolf). This was a common term used to describe it, more common in the culture of Mauritius.

 

REPELLED BY

You can be rid of them by throwing a heap of rice either around the house or at a village crossroads. They will have to pick up all of the grains, which will be almost impossible to do before dawn, hence them perishing. You can also place some course salt in the mortar along with their skin which will prevent her from putting it back on.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

They practise Witchcraft, Voodoo and Black Magic. They will sometimes trade in the blood of their victims in exchange for evil powers which they will gain from a demon called Bazil, who resides in the silk cotton tree.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

They are a cross between a Witch and a Vampire. By day, they live as an old woman who would usually live at the end of a village, and by night, she strips off her old skin, places it in a mortar and flies off as a fireball. She will enter her victims homes either through their keyhole or through a crack or crevice. When she seeks out her victim, she will suck out their blood through their arms, legs and any other soft part whilst they sleep. If she sucks all of their blood then the victim will either die and become like her or they will perish completely and leave their skin behind, which she will have to use. They are part of a class of spirit called Jumbees (Spirits or Demons). Some believe that the creatures herself was brought over from European countries as she had a lot in common with the French Vampire myths. Some beliefs are also intermingled with those of enslaved Africans.

 

CAN BE FOUND

In their human form, they are usually found on the outskirts of a village, usually in seclusion. In their Vampiric form they are easy to locate as they are covered in flames. You are more likely to see them when they are in the sky.

 

TALES

In the French Indies, especially the island of Guadeloupe, it was believed that the creature could actually be anybody and not just an older female (much to the protests of some of the more superstitious community). They were often called Soukougnan or Soukounian.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

Some Caribbean islands, such as St Lucia, Haiti, Dominica and Trinidad, still have some belief in the creature. It is even believed that her skin is valuable as it is used for black magic. As for sightings, there are no recorded ones as such but that could be because she is quite a taboo subject in these countries. It may even be led to believe that some old women are often accused of being one of these creatures due to strong superstition.

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Aswang, Langsuir