Aswanglaut

• Main Author: Derain, Allan N
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2021
• Subjects: aswang balanghitao sugidanon; Asian History; Creative Writing; Folklore; Oral History; South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/filipino-faculty-pubs/85; http://www.ateneo.edu/ateneopress/product/aswanglaut
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Aswanglaut is a novel that follows the metamorphosis of the young Bisayan native; Luklak; who is in the process of becoming an aswang; a witch crocodile called “balanghitao.” The process started when she consumed the mysterious eel her mother gave birth to. She grilled and ate the fish creature which is supposed to be her sibling. She did the horrendous act in front of the hungry demons of the forest who cursed her because she did not give them their proper share of the much coveted meal. From here; strange things will happen to Luklak as she is being introduce to another form of existence. She will rediscover her place as a young woman in a 17th century colony newly established by the Spanish colonizer; which is also a coastal village open to maritime traders but also vulnerable to Moro pirate attacks.