DEMONS
Tall, dark, and usually male, demons actually look like a rough sketch of human beings. They are quite ugly, live in big trees and have amazing super powers: shift sizes, become an animal, and turn into balls of fire. Ironically, fire is what they fear. Sounds like Kapre? Well, that’s because kapre is a kind of demon. Below are some more examples:
Allawig (Ilocos), a.k.a. Silew-silew (Pangasinan)
This is possibly the most pointless aswang on earth. It’s a ball of fire that doesn’t set flame to anything. It can assume different colors, and is usually found in uninhabited areas like fields and swamps. What is does is it pretends to be that guiding star to a lone night traveler. It leads the traveler in circles, making the him lose his way until finally the allawig leads him to a place where bad fate may await.
What to do: Strip and wear your clothes inside out to find your way back home.
Bangungot (Tagalog), a.k.a Batibat (Ilocos)
This one we’ve all heard at one point or another: When a person dies in his sleep, he is usually said to be nabangungot. Which only means that the creature—fat, dark—has made a couch off that sleeping person’s chest, blocking passages. Calls for help become impossible, leaving him prone to death by choking.
What to do: Shouting will only make the demon happier. Instead, bite your thumb and wiggle your big toe.
Kapre (Bicol, Ilocos, Pampanga, Tagalog, Visayas), a.k.a. Kafir (Arab countries), Cafre (Spanish-speaking countries)
This is the spirit version of Tarzan. It resides in a tree, which he is of the same height. A kapre looks like a man but smells like a goat. It’s an ugly mofo that likes to smoke his cigars. When the moon is new or just after rainfall, he likes to trip on people by jumping off trees and scaring them away.
What to do: Run away, if you can. Should adrenaline kick in, tie a rope around its neck then tie it to a tree.
