Manananggal

The manananggal is a creature that people say splits itself in two at night. The name comes from the Tagalog word tanggal, to remove. In the stories, it is usually a woman. She looks ordinary by day. At night she lets her upper body break from her lower half, grows bat-like wings and flies. The lower half stays still, so the creature has to return to it.

Visayan tellers in Capiz, Iloilo, Bohol and Antique tell of it most. They say it hunts sleeping pregnant women. It uses a long, thin tongue to take the unborn child or blood. People also mention newlyweds and newborns as targets. A sound said to come with its flight is tik-tik. Protections include salt, garlic, ash, vinegar and light. Tellers say that salt or ash on the lower half stops the two parts from joining. If they do not join before sunrise, the creature dies.

Fray Juan de Plasencia wrote about a being that detaches its head and entrails in 1589. Films and games have kept the manananggal in modern culture. In 1927, a film with its name was made.