ASWANG

               In Philippines, Filipino people are really fond of invoking the supernatural to interpret natural events without any relationship in science or empirical reasoning. Philippines have a wide range of stories and folk beliefs. Such superstitious beliefs is commonly mythical creatures and magical entities. Some of this creatures is use by the eldest in order to fear children and to explain diseases.

 Below are the list of some Philippine mythical creatures collected:   

• Aswang ( Vampire)
• Kapre ( A tree-residing giant)
• Manananggal (Self-segmenter)
• Tikbalang (Demon-horses)
• Sigbin (Shadow sucker)
• Tiyanak (Demon child) 

                As to this, there is a lot of mythological creatures in the Philippines but the list above was the commonly known by the people. Different places has it's different terms. But if they will going to define the characteristics  of those mythical creatures, just like the others they were just the same. Among those creatures "Aswang" is the popular one.

• BELIEFS ON ASWANG
• We believe that the antidotes for Aswang was that we have to peppered ashes on the inlets of the houses or  the Aswang cannot rejoin with her half body if it is peppered with ashes          (Quezon City).
• A pregnant woman ties a belt with the so called "habak", a kind of oil kept in a bottle, to drive evil spirits or the balbal or sigbin (Cagayan de oro City)
• An aswang is afraid of a piece of wood (Davao City)
• Pregnant women should draw sign of crosses on their tummies as protection against vampires or aswang ( Cagayan).
• Aswang transforms their shapes, usually rich, beautiful and intelligent when they appear to you as normal person, but when they are in their natural habitat, they revert to their ugly, frightening selves (Davao City).
• Aswang cannot look directly at you in the eyes (Davao City).
• Aswang have deadly pets like black cat whose eyes glow in the dark, werewolf, a big pig, and a small black bird call that sounds "kek-kek-kek-kek" or "wak-wak-wak-wak".
• They can smell pregnant women from afar (Cagayan).
• They can hear things spoken about from the distance (Romblon).
• The figure in the pupil of the eyes of the aswang are inverted (Zamboanga).
• Other names of aswang are ungo, abat, manananggal, hamok and wakwak (Cagayan). 
• When an aswang bite you, you become an aswang too.
• When you married to an aswang, you become one of them and when you resist becoming one of them, you will be seriously sick and you may die (Davao).
• Anybody can  become an aswang by acquiring the power from somebody else.

                Those characteristics of Philippine aswang that varies greatly  from region to region to person to person. This aswang also called a eater of the dead. 

               Now, let us explore the superstitious belief of the other country and do analyse the similarities and the differences." Aswang" in the Philippines but globally known as "Vampire". In Europe, a vampire corpse that rises from the grave and sucks blood from the living similar to the aswang also who suck bloods and leave the victim until the moment that they will become one of them. Both country believe that vampires are demons or evil spirits, a persons whose beliefs are contrary to church doctrine. Their body does not decay but instead, they remains active as long as it can obtain blood for a long period of time. Legends of bloodsucking creatures are found in many cultures throughout history. The vampires, along with the others mythical creatures, are also popular literary subject with numerous descriptions of the origin, nature, power, of vampires.

• VARIOUS VAMPIRES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
• Origin: Australia
• Name: Pink Vampire
• A species of vampires which lives in the modern age. It has cold skin and fangs and when angered their eyes go a very bloodshot red color. It can go out into normal daylight.

• Origin: Borneo
•  Name: Buo
• Becomes  a vampire by being a warrior slain in the battle.

• Origin: Brazil
• Name: Lobishomen
• This vampire is small in stature, stumpy and hunch-backed, resembling a monkey, but with a yellow face, bloodless lips, black teeth, bushy beard and plush-covered feet. It makes it's victims nymphomaniacs. Kill it by letting it get drunk on blood in order to catch it more easily, then crucify it on a tree while stabbing it.

• Origin: Bulgaria
• Name: Krvopijac
• The physical appearance varies but it most commonly known to have only one nostril. Becomes a vampire by drinking wine. Prevent the corpse by becoming a vampire by chaining it to the coffin with a garland of wild roses.

• Origin: China
• Name: Ch'ing Shih
• This vampire has red staring eyes, pointed nails curved like claws and long hair. They are greenish-white in color, and it can fly very fast by being given strength from the moon light. When burnt it emits a piercing shriek.

• Origin:  Philippines
• Name: Manananggal
• Takes the form of an older, very beautiful woman. Every night she seperates her torso from her lower body and leaving her lower body behind, flies off on big-like wings looking for her next prey, which is usually pregnant.

• Origin: Russia
• Name: Mjertovjec
• Becomes a vampire by being a son of a werewolf or witch. To kill this type of vampire you will need to nail the body to the coffin or burn the body.

               As listed above. It was presented that like us Filipino people, they have also rich in mythical creatures that seems to be amazing. As they say, "Different folks, Different strokes".

Based on the information above. Here in the Philippines they decided to choose manananggal. Because same as the other country  it has also wide classifications of vampires and they had just picked the common one. Here we particularly called it aswang where in, it has kinds and the popular one was the mananaggal.

               I  want to share one of my favorites. As an anime fanatic, mostly, I have watched anime's created by Japanese people. Since we have tackled about vampires. In anime characters usually the antagonist looks like a monster and an evil possesses horrible power as well as horrible faces. Likewise, there was also vampire who played as the protagonist in the animated series entitled "The Vampire Knight". He possesses power with good characteristics. He was also a vampire who cannot live longer without drinking blood but instead of a human blood, he prefers to drink animal blood. This animated series was as the same as the popular movie of this generation, "Twilight".