Kapre

The kapre is a tall, dark, hairy giant that people say lives in big trees, such as the balete. Tellers describe it as nocturnal and as a tobacco smoker. Many say it is not evil. However, it can turn angry if someone cuts down its tree.

Stories describe a few typical encounters. A kapre may make travelers lose their way in the woods, even in familiar ground. People who see rustling branches on a calm night, hear loud laughter from above, or notice thick smoke at a treetop may blame a kapre. Some say a swarm of fireflies is the glow of its cigar. A kapre may also fall for a woman and follow her for life. A person who befriends a kapre is said to see it, and sitting on the giant may let others see it too.

The word may come from Spanish cafre, a term for a non-believer. Colonial writers used it for dark-skinned Negrito groups, and agta is another name for the kapre. Some scholars think the figure grew partly from lowland prejudice. The explorer Antonio Pigafetta wrote a similar word, chapri, for dark-skinned people described to him in 1521.