Sigbin

People in Bohol, Cebu, Negros and nearby places tell of the sigbin as a night creature that looks like a hornless goat or a dog. Tellers give it very large ears that clap like hands, a long tail that lashes like a whip, and a foul smell. It is said to walk backward with its head low between its hind legs, and it can turn invisible. One odd detail is its feeding: it is said to drink the blood of a person from the shadow, not from the body.

The belief links the sigbin to Holy Week. At that time, tellers say, it goes out to find children and take their hearts, which are made into charms. Some families are called Sigbinan, "those who know," and are said to control sigbin kept in clay jars. Some say aswang keep them as pets, and some say wealthy people hide them.

Some writers guess the story began with sightings of a rare animal, perhaps a kangaroo. This idea has little support. The natural barrier called the Wallace Line makes it very unlikely that such animals came to the islands. Treat the sigbin as a creature of belief.