Minisode 12 – Shapeshifting Floating Torso: The Aswang
Hello there, Strangers! Wanna hear about a super weird cryptid?? Sure you do! This horror show is a treat straight from the Phillipines called the Aswang…and trust and believe, you don’t want to meet up with this thing! Come learn with us!
STOP! INSIDE JOKES AHEAD!
If you haven’t gotten to listen to the episode yet, spoiler alert! This post contains lots of stuff that will make waaay more sense if you listen to the episode before or while reading. So if you haven’t already, pump the brakes and listen to the episode or just click above to play so that you can be in on all the shenanigans to follow!
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Produced by Peter Woodward
ANNOUNCEMENT!
You told us. We heard you! Minisodes are back in a big way! Thanks so much for the feedback! We hope you enjoy Cryptids, Guess What I Heard, and Bodies in the Woods! So without further ado…
How’s about we meet a cooooool cryptid?
And by cool, we mean super creepy, horrifying, and absolutely terrifying…
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you…The Aswang.
Peep this thing…
Good God. Fully a nightmare.
Meet the Aswang
Pronounced “ass-wang”, this scary specimen comes from 16th century Filipino folklore. It was the most feared among all the mythical creatures in that area. The name originates from the Sanskrit word for “demon”. Uh…yeah. Fair.
So what’s the deal with this…ahem…lovely lady? Well, she shapeshifts. She can be a vampire appearing as a beautiful woman with a pointed tongue that sucks blood. She can be a were-(insert animal here)…for example a weredog, werepig or werecat. She can appear as a witch with elongated irises that reflect images upside down. She can also be a ghoul that is humanoid in appearance with sharp, strong nails and teeth, emitting a pungent stench, and existing on a diet of human corpses. Yeesh.
Most often however, she presents as a viscera sucker: pretty lady by day and winged torso that flies around hunting pregnant women at night. In this form, she sports a long narrow tubular tongue…you know, for the viscera sucking. She is particularly fond of ingesting fetuses.
Aswang: Origins
The origin of the aswang is thought to stem from a Filipino god named Asuang. Asuang was an evil god who often attempted to cause harm to the benevolent god, Gugurang: the protector of the Filipino people. Asuang was “shunned and cursed” and apparently now roams the night as this.
Strengths
In any of the forms, the aswang is most powerful at night. They fear the light and love to eat raw human meat. They are considered “unclean”. Fair enough. These things are known to exhibit lewd behavior such as flashing their genitals. Ugh.
As they hunt at night, they can be heard making noises as they stalk their prey: “tik-tik” or “soc-soc” or “wak-wak”.
Weaknesses
Possible Explanations...?
Sightings of the aswang has been reported at least as recently as 2019 in the province of Capiz. Belief in this cryptid is very much alive in this region.
What could the aswang possibly be, if not a demonic floating torso?
Well…
It could be the local animals. Some of the sounds it makes (remember? tik-tik, soc-soc, wak-wak…) are similar to the noctural sounds made by the local wildlife. Could it be mistaken identity?
It could be a genetic disorder. Whaaaa? An illness called X-linked dystonia parkinsonism (XDP) is prevalent in this area of the world and is found almost exclusively in young Filipino men. XDP is an inherited disorder in which the person has severe and odd body movements like twisting and twitching, protruding of the tongue, and excessive drooling. People who suffer from XDP are shunned and branded as aswang, forcing them to distance themselves from society and limiting their access to medical care.
Dat Aswang in Modern Times...
The Aswang lore and legend still very much is alive. It is featured in multiple Phillipine, American, and British horror and thriller films!
In literature!
WHAT ELSE DID WE TALK ABOUT?
Nokia Brick Phones
ILLINOIS! It's prounced "Illa-noy" not "Illa-noise".
Jeremy might be low-key psychic. TBD
This is terrible. Terrible. We cannot recommend. However, this is what we were talking about in the episode. Watch if you want to.
STRANGE WOODS PODCAST RECOMMENDS...
The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski
Amazing reads! Also an awesome series on Netflix now, too!
Episode callback!
Minisode 08 - Rap Battle of the Cryptids:
Black Annis vs Spearfinger
If you haven’t listened to it yet, go check it out! Two witchy women duke it out in a fierce rap battle!
Minisode 08- Rap Battle of the Cryptids! Black Annis vs Spearfinger
There we go! The Aswang. Wow. Weird and interesting and super super weird. Hope you all enjoyed learning about this cryptid with us. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Please keep us up-to-date with what you want us to discuss and feature!
Keep the feedback coming!
What did we learn?
Beware nocturnal floating torsos with elongated tongues, that’s what. Not only gross to look at, but, in fact, big ol’ pervs.
Thanks again, Strange Fam! Catch you guys on the next one!
And don’t forget to always STAY STRANGE!
Some articles and sources:
Peter’s wife. Registered nurse. Uber-fan of The Strange Woods Podcast.
