The Filipino Shapeshifter

A sinister spirit lurks in the shadows of the Philippine forests and its darkest mountains. Capable of taking on a physical form, its most frightening appearance is that of a giant half-human, half-horse creature. The Tikbalang, a Filipino legend, thrives in chaos. It can impersonate any human and bring illness to those it curses. Its eerie, high-pitched laugh signals that terror is near. While the Tikbalang is typically depicted with horse-like features in modern interpretations, horses are not native to the Philippines. So, where do the origins of this creature lie?

The Tikbalang is fundamentally a malevolent spirit. While it is typically formless, it can take physical shape, manifesting as an old man, a monkey, or a hybrid creature resembling a horse. Its appearance can change, but its gender remains mostly constant.

Tikbalangs are traditionally male, with horse-like features such as eyes, a head, and legs, while their arms and torsos are more human-like. They are tall, thin, and their awkward movements emphasize their unusual form. The Tikbalang is similar to a Minotaur, but instead of a bull's head, it has a horse’s head, a humanoid body, and horse’s hooves. It is the type of creature you might encounter at a crossroads in rural areas. So, if you're walking home late at night, alone, a Tikbalang might cross your path.

This is Budjette Tan, the writer and co-creator of Trese, a comic series deeply rooted in Filipino folklore and mythology, which features Tikbalang characters. Tan recalls, "I’m not sure if I first heard of it through stories from relatives or if it was a movie I saw as a child. It featured Dolphy, a famous Filipino actor known as the ‘King of Comedy,’ portraying a Tikbalang in a film called Once Upon a Time."

In the movie, Dolphy transforms into a Tikbalang, and there's a memorable scene where he carries two children and they leap over the moon. "I’m not sure if I’m remembering it exactly, but those are the images that have stuck with me whenever I think of seeing a Tikbalang on screen."

This creature inhabits caves, trees, and bamboo groves deep in the forest. The Tikbalang can mimic anyone and vanish at will, using these abilities for one of its favorite pastimes: deceiving and killing travelers. It often lures its victims off their usual paths, then keeps them lost and terrified in the forest for days.

A good example of this is the legend of "The Farmer's Son." One day, a farmer's son was hurrying home after running an errand at his uncle's house when he was approached by a stranger in the forest. Though he tried to ignore him, he couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of his eye that the man was unusually tall and thin.

The two started a conversation as the man kept pace with the boy, his heavy footsteps echoing through the forest. His long black hair fell to his bare shoulders, only partly concealing his very hairy neck. The man’s eyes glowed with a fierce blue fire, contrasting with the red glow of the cigar in his mouth. The stranger slyly guided the boy deeper into the woods, pulling him off his usual path.

Lost and frightened, the boy allowed the man to take his hand. When the boy sat down to rest, the stranger picked him up and carried him deeper into the thick bamboo forest. The mysterious man then let out an eerie, high-pitched laugh before leaving the boy alone in the darkness.

The next morning, the boy’s parents were frantic, unable to find their son. After an intense search, they finally found him, sick and delirious with fever. Falling ill is a common theme in the Tikbalang legend. It’s said that even catching a glimpse of the creature can cause a fever, a headache, or even blindness. In some cases, it can even lead to sudden death. If a Tikbalang calls out your name, wishing illness upon you, there is little chance of recovery.

It took five days for the boy’s fever to break, and when he regained consciousness, he shared his experience. His father concluded that the boy had survived an encounter with a Tikbalang. His mother wisely advised him to never again wander into the woods with a stranger.

Like much of Filipino folklore, written versions of this story started to appear after Spanish colonization when missionaries began documenting the beliefs and customs of the Indigenous people. Missionary priests wrote of widespread fear of the creature, describing it as a kind of ghost that could take the form of an animal or monster and compel people to do evil. However, it’s likely that the Tikbalang legend was altered when it was translated and written down by the Spanish colonizers.

The Tikbalang legend likely emerged as a fusion of Filipino traditions and external influences. Filipino animism is deeply rooted in respect, with an emphasis on honoring ancestors and seeking protection from harmful spirits. The concept of a cunning, invisible forest creature fits naturally within these beliefs. The Aswang Project adds another layer to this theory, suggesting that the early presence of Hinduism in the Philippines may have played a role in shaping the legend.

Evidence of early Hindu religious iconography in the Philippines, dating back to the 9th to 14th centuries, indicates that Hinduism had a cultural presence in the region. One of the avatars of the prominent god Vishnu is depicted with the head of a horse on a human body, symbolizing attributes of speed and strength—qualities that later influenced the Tikbalang legend. Indigenous Filipinos integrated foreign elements, such as language, customs, and religious beliefs, into their own traditions.

Although many Indigenous people adopted Christianity after the arrival of the Spanish, many of their older spiritual practices were maintained in secret. In 1613, Father Pedro de San Buena Ventura described the Tikbalang as a large, foul-smelling ghost with wings that would abduct men and slowly kill them by weakening them. Over time, the Tikbalang became associated with evil or demonic forces, reflecting the Christian worldview of good versus evil—a concept that became more prevalent during the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Tikbalang’s horse-like features may have originated from the horses introduced in the southern Philippines through trade with Muslim traders in the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao Island during the 14th and 15th centuries. This trade helped establish the presence of horses in the region and influenced the mythological creature’s appearance.

Following the arrival of the Spanish in 1565, the horse population grew significantly in the Philippines, becoming a key part of Spanish colonial life—serving military, travel, and social purposes. Because the Philippines was far from Spain’s main supply routes, horses were imported from China and Japan. By the 17th century, horse trading and breeding were well-established in the region.

Due to limited pasturage, however, the horses bred in the Philippines were smaller than their predecessors. In the 18th century, missionaries began to uncover Indigenous spiritual practices, and they labeled those who practiced them as witches who could cause or cure illness and shape-shift into animals to kill. The growing references to horses in Tikbalang lore likely arose from these shifts, with Spanish accounts increasingly highlighting the hybrid nature of the creature’s form.

The modern interpretation of the Tikbalang still persists, especially in comics. Arnold Arre's acclaimed graphic novel The Mythology Class, first released in 1999, was one of the first works to bring the Tikbalang into contemporary popular culture. that even though they are the paste of mythology, they still need to be passed on to others.

and if we don't keep sharing them, they may fade into oblivion. I believe it's important to keep telling these tales, finding fresh ways to tell them, and making them our own. It's not about establishing the definitive version of what the Tikbalang is, but about igniting imagination. It’s about evoking fear. And, hopefully, it will inspire the audience to seek out more.