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Philippine Mythical Creatures
A host of mythological creatures occur in the mythologies from the Philippines. Philippine mythological creatures are the mythological beasts, monsters, and enchanted beings of more than 140 ethnic groups in the Philippines. Each ethnic people has their own unique set of belief systems, which includes the belief in various mythological creatures. The list does not include figures such as gods, goddesses, deities, and heroes; for these, see List of Philippine mythological figures. General terms Some mythological creatures, aside from their specific name, are also referred through a generic term which encompasses other similar mythological creatures. Some of these terms include: *Aswang: bracket term for shape-shifting creatures that have a variety of forms, such as the blood-sucking vampire, the self-segmenting viscera sucker, the man-eating weredog, the vindictive or evil-eye witch, and the carrion-eating ghoul *Duwende: bracket term for small magical beings of the land *Engkanto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philippine Mythology
Philippine mythology is the body of stories and epics originating from, and part of, the indigenous Philippine folk religions, which include various ethnic faiths distinct from one another. Philippine mythology is incorporated from various sources, having similarities with Indonesian and Malay myths, as well as Hinduism, Hindu, Islam, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhism, Buddhist, and Christianity, Christian traditions, such as the notion of heaven (''kaluwalhatian'', ''kalangitan'', ''kamurawayan'', etc.), hell (''kasamaan'', ''sulad'', etc.), and the human soul (''kaluluwa'', ''kaulolan'', ''makatu'', ''ginokud'', etc.). Philippine mythology attempts to explain Religious cosmology, the nature of the world through the lives and actions of List of Philippine mythological figures, heroes, deities (referred to as anito or Anito, diwata in some ethnic groups), and List of Philippine mythological creatures, mythological creatures. The majority of these myths were passed on through oral trad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dalaketnon
Dalaketnon (not to be confused with ''Dalaguetenon'', the Cebuano term for natives from the city of Dalaguete), are the evil '' engkanto''. ''Dalaketnons'' are a race of Elf-like creatures in Philippine mythology In Visayans they were believed to be handsome and beautiful creatures that resemble nobles and monarchs of the prehispanic Philippines, They dwell on Dalakit trees (Balete, Dakit) hence the name Dalakitnon which literally means ''From the Dalakit or Dakit tree'' These mythological race exhibits sexual dimorphism the men having light colored skin and very dark hair and women having bronze-brown skin and brown hair. Stories say that they have leaf-shaped pointy ears. depicted in modern times as gothic-like tall, handsome males and beautiful females. They dress in fashionable manner, live in the "haunted house-like" mansions and try to fit in with mortal people. Some believe that the only way to ''Dalaket'', their dwelling place, is by entering the ''Dalaket'' trees. These ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kapre
In Philippine mythology, the kapre is a creature that may be described as a tree giant, being a tall (), dark-coloured, hairy, and muscular creature. Kapres are also said to have a very strong body odour and to sit in tree branches to smoke. Origins The term ''kapre'' comes from the Arabic ''kafir'' (Spanish ''cafre''), meaning a non-believer in Arabic (usually referring to atheists/idolists). The term was later brought to the Philippines by the Spanish who had previous contact with the Moors, they used it to describe the indigenous Negrito ethnic groups with dark skin and features similar to Black Africans. This is also evident in the fact that a synonym for kapre is agtà, another name for the Aeta people. The modern mythical characterizations of the kapre evolved from formerly racially prejudiced portrayals of Negrito tribes by the lowland Christianized ethnic groups of the Philippines during the Spanish period. The first attestation of the use of the term was ''caphri'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duende (mythology)
A duende is a humanoid figure of folklore, with variations from Iberian, Ibero American, and Filipino cultures, comparable to dwarves, gnomes, or leprechauns. In Spanish ''duende'' originated as a contraction of the phrase or , effectively "master of the house", or perhaps derived from some similar mythical being of the Visigoth or Swabian culture given its comparable looks with the “Tomte” of the Swedish language conceptualized as a mischievous spirit inhabiting a dwelling. Spain Duendes are known to smell like grass and are small in size—not much larger than a flower—but may change their size to be as large as mortal humans or even taller. In other regions, anjanas are as tall as humans. Anjanas Anjanas are said to live in fountains, springs, rivers, ponds, lakes and caves and come out only at night when humans are sleeping. Their homes are said to hold bountiful treasures that they protect and may use to help those that truly need them. Anjanas are never malig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spanish Language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain. Spanish is the official language of List of countries where Spanish is an official language, 20 countries. It is the world's list of languages by number of native speakers, second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese; the world's list of languages by total number of speakers, fourth-most spoken language overall after English language, English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindustani language, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu); and the world's most widely spoken Romance languages, Romance language. The largest population of native speakers is in Mexico. Spanish is part of the Iberian Romance languages, Ibero-Romance group of languages, which evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwarf (mythology)
A dwarf () is a type of supernatural being in Germanic folklore, including mythology. Accounts of dwarfs vary significantly throughout history however they are commonly, but not exclusively, presented as living in mountains or stones and being skilled craftsmen. In early literary sources, only males are explicitly referred to as dwarfs, although they are described as having sisters and daughters, while both male and female dwarfs feature in later saga literature and folklore. Dwarfs are sometimes described as short, however, scholars have noted that this is neither explicit nor of relevance to their roles in the earliest sources. Dwarfs continue to feature in modern popular culture such as in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Terry Pratchett, where they are often, but not exclusively, presented as distinct from elves. Etymology The modern English noun ''dwarf'' descends from ang, dweorg. It has a variety of cognates in other Germanic languages, including non, dvergr and goh, tw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elves
An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "light elves" and "dark elves". The dark elves create new blond hair for Thor's wife Sif after Loki had shorn off Sif's long hair. In medieval Germanic-speaking cultures, elves generally seem to have been thought of as beings with magical powers and supernatural beauty, ambivalent towards everyday people and capable of either helping or hindering them. However, the details of these beliefs have varied considerably over time and space and have flourished in both pre-Christian and Christian cultures. Sometimes elves are, like dwarfs, associated with craftmanship. Wayland the Smith embodies this feature. He is known under many names, depending on the language in which the stories were distributed. The names include ''Völund'' in Old Norse, ''W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobgoblins
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. William Shakespeare, Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Puck in his ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' as a hobgoblin. Etymology The term "hobgoblin" comes from "Hob (folklore), hob" ("elf") The earliest known use of the word can be traced to about 1530, although it was likely in use for some time prior to that. Folklore Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who, like their close relatives the Brownie (folklore), brownies, are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is asleep. Such chores are typically small tasks like dusting and ironing. Often, the only compensation necessary in return for these is food. While brownies are more peaceful creatures, hobgoblins are more fond of practical jokes. They also seem to be able ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goblins
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on the story and country of origin, ranging from mischievous household spirits to malicious, bestial thieves. They often have magical abilities similar to a fairy or demon, such as the ability to shapeshift. Similar creatures include brownies, dwarves, duendes, gnomes, imps, leprechauns, and kobolds, but it is also commonly used as a blanket term for all small, fay creatures. The term is sometimes expanded to include goblin-like creatures of other cultures, such as the pukwudgie, dokkaebi or ifrit. Etymology Alternative spellings include ''gobblin'', ''gobeline'', ''gobling'', ''goblyn'', ''goblino'', and ''gobbelin''. The term "goblette" has been used to refer to female goblins. The word ''goblin'' is first recorded in the 14th century ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balete Tree
The balete tree (also known as balite or baliti) are several species of the trees in the Philippines from the genus ''Ficus'' that are broadly referred to as ''balete'' in the local language. A number of these are known as '' strangler figs'' wherein they start upon other trees, later entrapping them entirely and finally killing the host tree. Also called hemiepiphytes, initially, they start as epiphytes or air plants and grow several hanging roots that eventually touch the ground and from then on, encircling and suffocating the host tree. Some of the baletes produce an inferior quality of rubber. The India rubber plant, '' F. elastica'' were earlier cultivated to some extent for rubber. Some of the species like ''tangisang-bayawak'' or '' Ficus variegata'' are large and could probably be utilized for match woods. The woods of species of Ficus are soft, light, and of inferior quality, and the trees usually have ill-formed, short boles.Whitford, H.N., Bureau of Forestry"The For ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus name is New Latin, borrowed from the Greek (), a term used by Dioscorides for a preparation extracted from the leaves and fruit pods of ''Vachellia nilotica'', the original type of the genus. In his ''Pinax'' (1623), Gaspard Bauhin mentioned the Greek from Dioscorides as the origin of the Latin name. In the early 2000s it had become evident that the genus as it stood was not monophyletic and that several divergent lineages needed to be placed in separate genera. It turned out that one lineage comprising over 900 species mainly native to Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia was not closely related to the much smaller group of African lineage that contained ''A. nilotica''—the type species. This meant that the Australasian lineage (by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dryads
A dryad (; el, Δρυάδες, ''sing''.: ) is a tree nymph or tree spirit in Greek mythology. ''Drys'' (δρῦς) signifies "oak" in Greek, and dryads were originally considered the nymphs of oak trees specifically, but the term has evolved towards tree nymphs in general,Graves, ch. 86.2; p. 289 or human-tree hybrids in fantasy. Often their life force was connected to the tree in which they resided and they were usually found in sacred groves of the gods. They were considered to be very shy creatures except around the goddess Artemis, who was known to be a friend to most nymphs. Types Daphnaie These were nymphs of the laurel trees. Epimelides The Maliades, Meliades or Epimelides were nymphs of apple and other fruit trees and the protectors of sheep. The Greek word ''melas'', from which their name derives, means both apple and sheep. Hesperides, the guardians of the golden apples were regarded as this type of dryad. Hamadryad Dryads, like all nymphs, were supernaturally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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