tikbalang

Tikbalang


Tikbalang (also written as Tigbalang, Tigbalan, or Tikbalan) is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and forests of the Philippines. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down.
t has the head and feet of an animal, most commonly a horse. It is sometimes believed to be a transformation of an aborted fetus which has been sent to earth from limbo.

The Tikbalang creature is demi-human, half-horse, half human. Its lower torso is part horse and the upper is human, its like a centaur, but more scary type as its eyes are red, and is said to carry an axe(palakol in local dialect) everywhere it goes.

Tikbalang nests in the forests of the Philippines, and is said that it would astray a traveler's way, making it go back to the same place over and over again. The Tikbalang's spell can be undone by turning your shirt inside-out or saying "padaan po or tabi po" meaning excuse me may I pass.

This being is said to live in tree groves and hot springs. If you meet one, don't follow him. That's the advice that many a grandparent would tell the little tykes sprawled at their ankles. I don't think they need to worry. What wide-eyed child would follow a man with spider-like legs into a forest, let along one with chicken feet? But most of the creatures of the Philippine dark are shape shifters, and the tikbalang is not an exception. He can take the form of a horse, a man, or another animal.

Tikbalangs are said to scare travelers and lead them astray. Tikbalangs play tricks on travelers such that they 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.
A superstition popular with the Tagalog of Rizal Province is that Tikbalangs are benevolent guardians of elemental kingdoms. They are usually found standing at the foot of large trees looking around for anyone who dare to bestow malignancy on their kingdom's territory.

A common saying has it that rain from a clear sky means "may kinakasal na tikbalang."(Filipino, "a tikbalang is getting married".)This was potentially connected with a similar Spanish proverb that claimed a witch was getting married when there was rain on a sunny day[citation needed], although many cultures have such sayings in which a trickster figure gets married ( fox's wedding, bear's wedding, monkey's birthday).
According to traditional folklore, the tikbalang can also transform itself into human form or turn invisible to humans. They like to lead travelers astray.

Tikbalang are generally associated with dark, sparsely populated, foliage-overgrown areas, with legends variously identifying their abode as being beneath bridges, in Bamboo or Banana groves, and atop Kalumpang (Sterculia foetida)or Balite (Ficus indica) trees.

Taming a 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.