The Wakwak is a

vampiric A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

, bird-like creature in

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 ...

. It is said to snatch humans at night as

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

, similar to the ''

Manananggal The ''manananggal'' is a mythical creature in the Philippines that separates from their lower part of its body and their fangs and wings give it a vampire-like appearance. Mythology The ''manananggal'' is described as scary, often hideous, u ...

'' and the ''

Ekek In Philippine mythology, Ekek (or Ek Ek) are bird-like human creatures. They are winged-humans who search for victims at night. They hunger for flesh and blood. They are usually described as flying creatures that look like the ''Manananggal'', but ...

'' in rural areas of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The difference between the Manananggal and the Wakwak is that Wakwak cannot separate its torso from its body while the Manananggal can. Some believe the Wakwak is a form of vampire. Other people contend that a Wakwak is a Philippine night bird associated with witches. The sound of a Wakwak is usually associated with the presence of an ''Unglu'' (vampire) or ''Ungo'' (ghost or monster). It is also believed that this monster is called "Wakwak" due to the sound it makes when it flaps its wings while flying. This sound is only heard when the Wakwak is hunting and grows softer the closer it becomes. If the sound of the Wakwak is loud, it means it is far away – but if the sound becomes faint, the creature is close and about to attack. The Wakwak is often described as having long sharp talons and a pair of wings similar to those of a

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

. It uses its talons or claws to slash its victims and to get their heart. Its wings are also said to be as sharp as a knife. The sound that a ''tuko'' (

common house gecko The common house gecko (''Hemidactylus frenatus'') is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tayoto, chipkali or moon lizard. Most geckos are nocturn ...

) makes at night when out of sight was discovered by an American who spent much time in the Philippines to be attributed to a Wakwak. Other than that, many bisaya people or people living in southern part of the Philippines believed that the sound "Wak-Wak" is just a sound from a bird which only flies at night and gave terrifying sounds to anyone nearby. However, over time the idea of a terrifying "Wak-Wak" is becoming rarer amongst the Filipino population with the story becoming only told to scare children. Also Wak-Wak in early Philippine history was the Kingdom of Wak-Wak along with the Kingdom of Zabag and were situated in

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

The Medieval Geography of Sanfotsi and Zabag
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References

External links

Filipino Folklore:Wakwak
{{authority control Visayan mythology Philippine demons Philippine mythology Philippine legendary creatures Ghouls

See also

References

External links