Pantiyanak | Tiyanak

 

The patiyanak is an aborted baby’s spirit in limbo as it cannot enter heaven. It cries for prayers. The patiyanak is the offspring of an aswang and the devil. It looks like an innocent happy baby but when a human being gets near it, it reverts to its original form and devours the human so fast, and so viciously. The patiyanak is an ugly creature in its true form. It has reddish brown skin with sharp and glowing eyes. Its face is that of a very old man, and its teeth are long and sharp, protruding out of its mouth. The voice of patiyanak causes miscarriage. The patiyanak is an aborted fetus that comes to life to take revenge on its mother. The cry of the patiyanak, which resembles the cry of an infant, foretells that someone in the community is going to die. Patiyanak or tiyanak is also a nocturnal bird which no one can clearly describe, but it is believed to be the soul of an aborted or an unbaptized child since the sound it creates is like that of a crying baby. It can hurt you, or even eat you up. Where a patiyanak’s voice is heard above the house, an aswang lurks under. If the patiyanak’s voice is heard under the house, an aswang hovers above.