Manananggal

Mananangal character concept for the Anak Bathala Project. [link]

The name of the creature originates from an expression used for a severed torso: Manananggal comes from the Tagalog, tanggal (cognate of Malay and Indonesian tanggal) which means to remove. Manananggal then means the one who removes. The Mananangal in Filipino or native islander's lore, is a vampiric succubus- like demon. In the Anak Bathala game world and background story, he/she/it/they is a / are demon(s)/monster(s) that is/are part of the Aswang Clan.

My version of this creature is more perverse, twisted, and with horrifyingly realistic (freakishly possible) physical attributes than the magical features described in Philippine Myths & Folklore.

A Manananggal in Filipino folklore (particularly in the Visayan region) or Penanggalan in Malay folklore is a mythical creature that resembles a Western Vampire in being an evil, human-devouring monster or witch. Like vampires, Visayan folklore creatures, and Aswangs, Manananggals are also said to abhor garlic. A Manananggal is described as being an older, beautiful woman (as opposed to an Aswang), capable of magically severing its upper torso in order to fly into the night by magically sprouting huge bat-like wings to prey on unsuspecting pregnant women in their homes; using an elongated proboscis-like tongue, it sucks the hearts of fetuses or blood of an unsuspecting, sleeping victim. The severed lower torso is left standing and it is said that the Manananggal is in its most vulnerable state. Sprinkling salt, smearing crushed garlic or ash on top of the standing torso is fatal. The upper torso then would not be able to rejoin and will die at daybreak. A Manananggal is also said to create other Manananggals by tricking ordinary persons to drink the Manananggal's blood, similar to the vampires' making an ordinary person to drink vampire blood.

This Anak Bathala version of the Manananggal are demons that evolved into a freakish form: They are actually two physically symbiotic creatures; unlike the traditional Manananggals which are single beings that are magically able to split itself into two halves of itself.

The upper symbiont is a succubus/vampire like harpy (predatory) creature. Its legs have evolved into arms (the heels became elbows) with hands instead of feet, its sharp talon like nails are black. Its arms evolved into wings (like every winged creature in nature) which are bat like (mammalian wings). When sitting or perched on top of the lower symbiont, it folds its wings around its body and thighs and holds on precariously to the lower symbiont's arms & hands in a fragile embrace. The upper symbiont has a long hollow tube-like proboscis tongue that has a razor sharp fang-like tip, it secretes a powerful neurotoxic and hemotoxic venom that it can inject into its victim (usually a pregnant human), this toxin has hallucinogenic and anesthetic qualities that render its victim temporarily paralyzed and dazed whilst unable to feel the tongue as it bores into the belly to suck out the blood, amniotic fluid, fetus, and placenta, it also destroys tissue, degenerates organs and disrupts blood clotting - literally digesting its prey's insides before it sucks it out. The upper symbionts are called Manang in the Anak Bathala world, as they are all female. They are also telepathic - in conjunction with their neurotoxin, they can use this ability to control people's mind.

The lower symbiont is a stunted parasitic freak with only its legs and sex organ being the only fully developed parts, all the other body parts have shrunk into the pelvic cavity. Its under developed brain surprisingly also has telepathic capabilities, able to communicate simple empathic messages with the Manang when she is perched on it and receive simple directions from them such as which direction to walk or run or when to sit or kneel. As the Manang sits on top of its face, its mouth is poised under the Manang's anus to receive its sustenance of bloody excreta. All lower symbionts in the Anak Bathala world are male, they are called Angal because they would be heard moaning (complaining) in the dark when they are hungry, waiting for the Manang to return. The Angal have short but strong arms & hands that holds on to the Manangs when they are perched on top of them. They are also known to be in constant state of sexual arousal. However, even though they would sexually penetrate the Manang with their erection and ejaculate inside the Manang, they are genetically incompatible and every pregnancy results in miscarriages that the Angal would often also feast upon. The Angals horrid diet of excreta, urine, menstrual blood, and the occasional aborted fetal offspring allows it to produce (secrete/excrete/vomit/spray) the most foul stench that is truly offensive to humans as a defense. Even though it can walk about on its own, it has very poor eyesight, it needs a Manang to tell it where to go. It needs its symbiotic relationship with the Manang to survive; the Manang can survive on their own in the wilderness but for them to blend and walk with humans they need the Angal (and some clothing/coverings of course).

Both the Manang and Angal still needs humans to reproduce. The Manang can use the neurotoxin (without the hemotoxin) to daze and take advantage of unsuspecting men, killing and eating their flesh and blood after mating. It also helps the Angal in finding a suitable woman to rape and impregnate. They would often lure the hapless female victim to a cave where the Manang would keep her drugged up with venom until she gives birth to another Angal. Once the woman has given birth, the Manang keeps her alive (still drugged und under her control) to care for the young Angal until it is walking and ready to receive the young Manang that was born at the same time as it was (and was cared for by its mother, the Manang). In its toddler stage, the new Manang & Angal learns to be self sufficient and form a bond with each other - the poor woman (the Angal's mother) would be its first prey as the elder Manang would let her venom wear out and free her from the mind control then let her escape into the unfamiliar wilderness and be hunted down by the toddler Manananggal.

Being demons, the Anak bathala Manananggal are stronger than humans and live longer (for hundreds of years) but are not immortal. They can be killed by conventional weapons if physically damaged enough beyond their means of self healing. They do however heal faster and have a higher threshold or tolerance to pain and injuries compared to human's.

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Wacom Pen & Tablet
Nordenx Modern Baybayin Fonts: [link]