(Happy Birthday to Karen Laderas, btw)
As I was looking at the Boy Bawang wrapper, I suddenly realized that I do not have a clear-cut idea of what an aswang is. I was sure that vampires hate garlic, but vampires are bampiras not aswangs. So what is an aswang? For starters, what is the english term for it?
I consulted Ms. Ateneo Cum Laude and her answer was that the aswang is a creature that appears as human during the day. At dusk, the creature grows wings and splits its body into two. The top part goes around to eat children while the body from the waist down remains in the ground until dawn when the two halves of the body are once again joint and the wings shrink back into nothing.
When I inquired if this meant that the aswang and the manananggal are the same, she grew quite unsure of her answer.
I then talked to Ms. UP Cum Laude #1, I confirmed my theory. There is no american counterpart for aswang. It is our (the filipino's) very own. However, she was not able to answer my question. What is an aswang?
Ms. UP Cum Laude #2 was able to shed some light on the topic. She says that it does not refer to a specific creature. If is in fact, a collective noun, if you may, which refers to horrible monsters.
After a long discussion with Ms. UP Cumm Laude #2, we have established (for the meantime) that aswang is a "class" and manananggals, tik-tiks, werewolves, tikbalangs, etc are examples of the corresponding "orders" under the aswang class. Also, that the aswang class have somewhat human-like physical characteristics.
I looked up aswang online the first chance I had and sure enough, Ms. UP Cum Laude #2 was right on target, proving once again that she is a certified Wikipedian.
As I was looking at the Boy Bawang wrapper, I suddenly realized that I do not have a clear-cut idea of what an aswang is. I was sure that vampires hate garlic, but vampires are bampiras not aswangs. So what is an aswang? For starters, what is the english term for it?
I consulted Ms. Ateneo Cum Laude and her answer was that the aswang is a creature that appears as human during the day. At dusk, the creature grows wings and splits its body into two. The top part goes around to eat children while the body from the waist down remains in the ground until dawn when the two halves of the body are once again joint and the wings shrink back into nothing.
When I inquired if this meant that the aswang and the manananggal are the same, she grew quite unsure of her answer.
I then talked to Ms. UP Cum Laude #1, I confirmed my theory. There is no american counterpart for aswang. It is our (the filipino's) very own. However, she was not able to answer my question. What is an aswang?
Ms. UP Cum Laude #2 was able to shed some light on the topic. She says that it does not refer to a specific creature. If is in fact, a collective noun, if you may, which refers to horrible monsters.
After a long discussion with Ms. UP Cumm Laude #2, we have established (for the meantime) that aswang is a "class" and manananggals, tik-tiks, werewolves, tikbalangs, etc are examples of the corresponding "orders" under the aswang class. Also, that the aswang class have somewhat human-like physical characteristics.
I looked up aswang online the first chance I had and sure enough, Ms. UP Cum Laude #2 was right on target, proving once again that she is a certified Wikipedian.
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