Check out Philippine Mythological creatures from online art challenge #Engkantober
Every October, artists around the world celebrate the movement #Inktober by creating and posting one ink drawing a day for the entire month. In line with the Halloween season, some Filipino artists decided to highlight Philippine Mythology with the online art challenge, #Engkantober.
Artist Noel Malamaya posted an artist's prompt on Instagram, listing 31 creatures from Philippine mythology and folklore for every day of the month, encouraging fellow artists to use any traditional or digital medium to showcase their own artwork.
Various illustrators and artists have been responding with their own interpretations of the horrific creatures, which viewers can search for on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #Engkantober or #Engkantober2020.
The list includes well-known monsters like the Manananggal, a vampire-like mythical creature native to Philippine lore, which has been featured widely in komiks, horror films, television shows and series, as well as obscure creatures like the Markupo, a serpentine creature with a crimson red crest on its head.
Browsing online with the hashtag will lead social media users to nightmarish drawings of the mythological creatures which they can learn more about while discovering the work of Pinoy artists at the same time. Check out just a sampling of some artwork featuring the monsters below from the first half of the month.
Tikbalang
The Tikbalang is a forest spirit that commonly takes the form of a half-horse-half-man creature. It has a horse head, a human torso, and a pair of bipedal equine legs. It is said that when it is raining while the sun is shining, a Tikbalang couple is being wed.
Kapre
The Kapre is a humongous tree spirit that takes the form of a dark man, smoking a cigar. They are firm protectors of their arboreal homes and would spite any who has done them or their tree any form of misdeed.
Manananggal
Mananaggal are vampiric beings that prey on the unborn child of a pregnant woman. They take the form of a beautiful woman at day, and at night sport batlike wings, sharp claws, and a long proboscis like tongue.
Aswang
The Aswangs are malevolent ghouls that could shapeshift into a menagerie of forms. From cats, dogs, to bats, and “huklubans” (old hags). They eat raw meat and are especially happy to feast on human flesh.
View this post on InstagramDay 5: Aswang . . . . . . #inktober2020 #engkantober #filipinomythology #mythology
A post shared by James C. Lingon (@joseibarra_art) on
Syokoy
The Siyokoy are male merfolk that are half-man-half-fish. They dwell in both fresh and saltwater habitats and normally go out of their way to avoid humans.
Batibat
The Batibat is a cruel spirit that takes the form of a huge woman around 300 pounds heavy. She would sit on top of a sleeping person, causing nightmares and sleep paralysis. Death due to her doing is called a “Bangungot.”
Bungisngis
The Bungisngis is a huge cyclops with two large tusks in its mouth. It loves to laugh while pestering people, hence its name “bungisngis” (fiendish laughter).
Refresh your feed with the hashtag #Engkantober for the rest of October to discover even more Pinoy monster artwork – or join in with your own creations.
(Images copyright of their respective artists)