Cryptids of the Philippines: Diwata, Kapre, and Batibat

/

There are many cryptids and spirits in Philippine mythology. Most are evil and dangerous by nature, but there are some that are peaceful… unless you cross them.

Diwata

Diwata are probably the friendliest of Philippine cryptids. They are nature spirits that guard natural landmarks like mountains or forests, similar to Greek nymphs. Modern media depicts them as beautiful, ageless women, but diwata can be either male or female.

A painting of a person with long, dark hair and a white dress sitting on a log in a stream and helping two birds pick their nest out of the water.

Credit: Nat Lamina, Instagram

Many people pray to diwatas for good harvests and protection from sickness. However, if humans disrespect the diwata’s domain, they will be met with curses and illnesses instead.

One of the most well-known diwata is Maria Makiling. She is the protector of Mount Makiling and an ethereally beautiful young woman wearing a white dress made of moon beams and mountain mist. Some think she is the mountain itself, which is said to resemble a sleeping woman, the peaks making up her face and breasts.

Maria Makiling is a very kind and loving spirit. Whenever the forest is ravaged by a typhoon, she will repair the destruction it made to the trees and animals. She also often gives gold and other precious materials to the poor, either in secret or because they asked for her help.

However, for as generous as she is, Maria Makiling is very territorial and protective over her land. She will curse anyone who harms and disrespects the mountain, keeping travellers lost in the forest until they right their wrongdoings.

Kapre

A black-and-white illustration of a muscular, hairy humanoid creature with bark for skin smoking a cigar.

Credit: Abe Joncel Guevarra, Philippine Spirits

Kapre are 10 ft. tall, muscular tree-dwelling spirits. They have dark skin and mossy hair, which allows them to blend in with the trees at night and hide from humans. It’s said to have a very deep voice that resonates through the night and sometimes draws travellers to it.

Kapre love tobacco. The number one, telltale sign that a kapre is near is the scent of cigar smoke in the air. They usually spend their time sitting in the branches of their tree or at the base of it and smoking cigars.

Though their large size may make them intimidating, kapre are generally gentle creatures, happy to spend their days lazily smoking tobacco. They are guardian spirits of the forest and animals, and may even provide protection and guidance through the forest to people who respect nature.

However, if someone messes with their tree or disrespects the environment, then the kapre will retaliate. They’ll use their shape-shifting or illusion-making abilities to mislead travellers and get them lost in the forest or play pranks on them. 

Batibat

A drawing of a large person with long, wild hair sitting on top of another person who appears to be struggling to breathe.

credit: Enrico Delos Reyes, Facebook

Batibat are described as very obese, ugly, old women. They’re another nature spirit that lives in trees, which they are extremely territorial over.

If someone cuts down the batibat’s tree to use as a post for their house, the spirit will be very enraged and refuse to leave what remains of their tree. She will take up residence in the human’s house, and if anyone sleeps near her post, she will give them nightmares and sleep paralysis, and sit on them until they suffocate and die.

Batibat are often credited as the cause of bangungot (meaning “nightmare”), or a disease known as Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS). The disorder mainly occurs in Southeast Asia, and mostly affects young, healthy men.

There are few ways to prevent being attacked by the batibat. Some say that you should drink a lot of water before going to sleep; others believe that you shouldn’t got to bed after eating a large meal or drinking a lot of alcohol (both potential causes of SUNDS). Some even say that you should dress up as a woman before going to bed, since batibat target mostly men.

Once you’ve been trapped by the batibat, however, the only way to escape is too either bite one of your fingers or wiggle your toes. So, in other words, good luck.

 

Beings like the diwata, kapre, and batibat remind us to respect nature and be careful what we take from it, lest we invoke the wrath of these territorial nature spirits.

Koda Hann is currently a student in Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. He loves learning about different cultures and his latest hyper-fixation is anything and everything Philippines-related (shoutout to all the Titas and Titos out there, mano po).

His dream is to be a scriptwriter for animation, and he has several ideas for compelling fantasy stories that he plans to put to screen. Two of his biggest inspirations are Avatar: The Last Airbender and How To Train Your Dragon.

He’s just a lil’ guy.