The Tikbalang
What is a tikbalang?
Probably the most renowned creature from Philippine mythology, the tikbalang is a creature traditionally known to have a man’s body with a horse’s head and back legs. It is tall, lives in a balete tree, and often plays pranks on people. If someone unwittingly stumbles upon a tikbalang’s territory, it can cause them to lose their way and walk around in circles until such time that the tikbalang gets tired of them. In some tales, the tikbalang’s pranks can be so severe that its victims end up insane, sometimes to the point of death.
According to Maximo Ramos in his book The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology, the name tikbalang is Tagalog, which places its origins in the Tagalog regions of southern Luzon from Manila Bay to the areas around the Laguna de Bay. Though there were hardly any mentions of a creature resembling the tikbalang anywhere else in the country, there were mentions of two mythological creatures that bore similarities to them. The first is the tulung or tuwang from the Negrito or Aeta people around Mount Pinatubo in Zambales, and the second is the binangunan from the Baler area near Quezon Province.
As described by Robert B. Fox, anthropologist and leading historian on pre-Hispanic Philippines, regarding the tulung, “This spirit is usually described as being horse-like, but having clawed feet, long hair, and very large testicles. The binangunan too looked somewhat like a horse, but there was a fire on its back from head to tail.”
A 17th century Spanish missionary Alonso de Méntrida, on the other hand, described the tikbalang based on native accounts as having “a face like a cat’s, with a head that is flattened above, not round, with a thick beard, and covered with long hair; his legs are so long that, when he squats on his buttocks, his knees stand above his head; and he is so swift in running that there is no quadruped that can be compared with him.”
Other beliefs also mention that Tikbalangs possess incredible strength, agility, and the power of invisibility. Many believe that whoever succeeds in plucking a tikbalang’s magical bristles, the creature will become his servant and grant his wishes. Having the ability to disguise themselves as humans, they appear as tall, slim men wearing a salakot (traditional circular, wide, dome-shaped hat) with a native woven bag on their backs while munching on a bamboo twig in their mouths. Rain during a sunny day means a maiden is being wed to a tikbalang.
Pre-colonial Origins
Horses are not indigenous to the Philippines. They were introduced to the country by Spanish colonizers in the 16th Century, but the myth of the tikbalang dates back to precolonial times. This now begs an intriguing question about its origins. How can the tikbalang be described as a creature with the head and legs of a horse and the body of a man if there were no horses to ascribe them to?
It is important to note that early, pre-colonial descriptions of the tikbalang did not describe them as an equine creature. Tikbalangs were categorized more as a phantasm, a ghost, or a spirit of the forests. It wasn’t until horses were brought over from Spain, China, and other neighboring countries that the tikbalang’s legend began changing to a more corporeal, horse-like creature, both by the public as well as the Spanish friars who documented everything they learned about the Philippines.
Though it is factual to state that it was the Spanish who introduced and populated the country with horses during their long, colonizing expeditions, some theories suggest that there might have been a small number of horses brought in from other nations long before Magellan’s arrival. Though not backed by any substantial evidence, these theories are not completely beyond the realm of possibility and might be worth considering.
In the southernmost regions of Mindanao, certain tribes have been said to have utilized horses they received from traders from Sumatra and Malaysia. Port nations and kingdoms along the West Philippine Sea, such as Bigan, Kaboloan, and Selurong (modern-day Vigan, Pangasinan, and Manila) were known to have traded heavily with China and Japan. It is also well-known that the Chinese, Japanese, and other nations not only traded with goods, handicrafts, and jade, they also traded with animals, which may have included horses.
Another probable origin for the tikbalang’s appearance may be attributed to the Indian influences on pre-colonial culture. India, particularly the influence of the Srivijaya and Majapahit thalassocracies on cultural and spiritual development, might have played a part in the development of the tikbalang myth. The Indian horse deity Hayagriva, the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu, bears a striking resemblance to the equine features of a tikbalang.
Whatever the case may be in regard to the tikbalang’s origins, this fascinating mythological creature, to this day, is still something completely unique and unapologetically Pinoy.
The Tikbalang in the Alamat Books
The tikbalang is but one of the many species of nilalang-lubong or earthbound creatures in the Alamat Book Series. These earthbound creatures, which include the many variants of giants and dwarfs, are beings made by the Poons or lesser deities, as homage to human beings whom only the Dian creator gods could create.
And just like humans, the nilalang-lubong had been given the gift of free will. They were free to choose whether or not they would abide by the wishes of the Poons and Dians for them to act as humanity’s caretakers or disregard humans all together. Those who had proven loyal to the deities of Kaluwalhatian did as they were told, while the few who declined simply lived out their lives in isolation in the mortal realm of Kalupaan.
Tikbalangs were the first of the nilalang-lubong species made by the Poons. It was Poong Gemang from Dian Kabunyan’s pantheon of deities who first thought of creating sentient beings to serve as caretakers to the thriving humans during the infancy of their existence. He had taken the flesh and bone from a dead giant and a patakoda (a breed of giant horses found in the southernmost part of Kalupaan) and took them to Kaluwalhatian.
It was there, and with the use of the unbridled magic of the realm, Poong Gemang created the first tikbalang called Tarabusao. He gave Tarabusao a mind to think for himself and a sense of self-awareness. The Poon also gifted him with the gift of free will to choose whatever path he wanted to take in his mortal life. They were also given a mate in the form of the anggitay (centaur women) to propagate their species.
As more and more tikbalangs were born, and the war of the three realms broke out across Kaluwalhatian and Kalupaan, tikbalangs and their anggitay mates served as warriors for both the Poons and their dark counterparts, the Yawàs. They serve as cavalry units for both sides of the conflict, delivering fast, impactful strikes as highly mobile assault troops and archers. And with their uncanny speed and near inexhaustible stamina, tikbalangs also make for excellent scouts and messengers, making them an invaluable asset on both sides of the conflict.
So, whether they serve the side of light and fight alongside the Lakandians, or with the dark armies of the dalaketnon and the Yawàs, the tikbalang is but one of the many intriguing and fascinating creatures you can find in the Alamat Book Series.