Filipino Folklore: Sigbin
- halohalohq
- 11 minutes ago
- 1 min read
By Katie Manuel
Prevalent in tales throughout the central and southern regions of the Philippines, the sigbin is a vampiric creature commonly known to shape-shift into the form of a hound or goat, similar to the aswang. However, it is also supposedly capable of transforming into more amphibian or avian forms to hunt their prey, setting it apart from other vampiric creatur
es found throughout Filipino stories. Much like Western iterations of the chimera, the sigbin has also been said to possess the ability to combine the features of multiple animals into one form, making it a lethal hunter to come across. However, it is also able to become invisible, and uses this dangerous combination of skills to live among human groups and reap chaos in small communities before hunting.
The sigbin are closely related to other mythological entities, and have been known to work alongside malevolent witches, wizards, and the aforementioned aswang. They act as a "familiar" of sorts in exchange for food and shelter.
Today, the existence of the sigbin is said to have been inspired by a variety of animals found throughout the Philippines, including species of wildcats, vampire bats, and the like. Their legacies also continue to live on through many forms of Filipino media, such as the popular graphic novel "Trese" by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo.
