Travelers, beware the Philippines Tikbalang (Horse Demon)

The male version of this Horse Demon is known as Tikbalang or Tigbalang is a half-man and half-horse creature. It has a horse's head, the body of a human but with the feet of the horse. It travels at night to rape female mortals. The raped women will then give birth to more Tikbalang or Anggitay.



Anggitay is the female counterpart of Tikbalang. Anggitay is a female centaur, sometimes also said to have a unicorn horn in the middle of her forehead. They fancy precious gemstones, and jewelries just like any other women. Anggitay always appear during rains where the sky is clear.

They cause travelers to lose their way particularly in mountainous or forest areas. In northern regions, the Tikbalang is considered a nuisance but generally harmless. Travelers can easily stop the pranks by turning their own shirt inside out and asking the Tikbalang to stop bothering them.

The stories of Tikbalang from southern regions paint the creature as a much more sinister monster. When angered (and he angers easily), the Tikbalang will stamp you to death. To tame the beast, the person must pluck the one of three unusually long hairs found in its mane. After that, the Tikbalang is your slave.

Tikbalangs are very playful with people, and they usually make a person imagine things that aren't real. Sometimes a Tikbalang will drive a person crazy. Legends say that when rain falls while the sun is shining, pair of Tikbalangs is being wed. (Tikibalang and Anggitay)

Since horses only arrived in the Philippine archipelago during the Spanish invasion (thus, the borrowed term 'Kabayo'), there is a theory that the image of a half-horse, half-man creature was propagated by the conquistadors to keep the natives afraid of the night. There are stories claiming that the Tikbalang are actually half-bird, half-man creatures, much like the Japanese Tengu.

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