Tikbalang

The tikbalang is a creature of Tagalog stories. People describe it as a tall, bony being with a horse's head and hooves, and with very long limbs. When it squats, its knees rise above its head. It is said to live in mountains and forests, under bridges, in bamboo clumps and banana groves, and on top of kalumpang or balete trees. Many people see it as a guardian of trees.

Its best known trick is to mislead travelers. Walkers keep coming back to the same path, however far they go. Some stories say it can take human form or become invisible. The usual counter is to wear your shirt inside out. Other safeguards are to ask aloud for permission to pass, and to avoid loud noise in the woods. People also say that rain from a clear sky means a tikbalang is getting married.

Old Spanish and Tagalog dictionaries gave tigbalang as "phantom of the mountains". Today it appears in films, books and the Netflix series Trese.