Tikbalang
Forested and mountain roads nationwide
A tikbalang stands taller than a man, with the head and hooves of a horse and limbs so long that its knees rise above its own head when it crouches. It is a creature of thresholds — bamboo groves, balete trees, the bend in a mountain road where the trees close overhead.
It rarely kills. It disorients. That is its particular cruelty: you walk the same stretch of trail for hours, convinced you are making progress.
Getting away from one
The traditional remedies are plain and slightly absurd, which is very much the register of Filipino folk protection: turn your shirt inside out, or say tabi-tabi po — excuse me, I mean no offence — as you pass. Both work on the same logic. You either confuse the thing or you show it respect.
There is also a widespread belief that a tikbalang has three golden hairs in its mane, and that anyone who plucks one and holds onto it gains a bound servant. Stories that begin this way rarely end well for the person holding the hair.
Weather and warning signs
Sun and rain falling at the same time is commonly said to mean a tikbalang is being married somewhere nearby. It is the kind of detail that gets taught to children offhandedly and then never leaves them.
Tikbalang — Common Questions
What is a tikbalang?
A tikbalang is a tall creature in Philippine folklore with a horse's head and hooves and a humanlike body, said to haunt forests, bamboo groves and mountain roads and to lead travellers in circles until dawn.