What is an aswang, really? Every year, aswang stories peak around Undas and Halloween, but ask ten Filipinos and you'll get ten different answers. For many around the world, DreamWorks' Forgotten Island was their first introduction to the aswang, but long before the movie, the friars and even the CIA turned it into a weapon against our own people. 🎬 The Manananggal's Secret History & Why We've Been Getting It Wrong! | Forgotten Island — https://youtu.be/xhBJI4K4ndo 🎬 Bungi vs Tiyanak: What You Didn't Know About Forgotten Island's Demon Baby! — https://youtu.be/qcgkHQLftXw 🎬 Filipino Mythology Runs Deeper Than the Aswang in Forgotten Island — https://youtu.be/49e7gWyg8ks 📖 My new book FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS OF THE SEA: A Golden Age of the Philippines — with original artwork by Anthony Francisco: https://kirbyaraullo.com/forgottenkingdoms 🎥 Join my channel! — https://youtube.com/kirbyaraullo/join 🔔 Subscribe — http://goo.gl/yDgQmK 🍿 Be my Patron — https://www.patreon.com/kirbynoodle 📚 Books, merch, etc. — https://www.kirbyaraullo.com/books 🌐 Website — www.kirbyaraullo.com 📌 CHAPTERS: Most people get the aswang wrong. Discover why this term is actually a massive umbrella for dozens of terrifying creatures. Growing up, the aswang was a word you never wanted to hear after dark, yet if you ask ten different people for a definition, you will likely receive ten different answers. This video breaks down why the oldest legends are far stranger and more frightening than the versions we see in modern movies. We trace the history behind these myths, exploring how the concept evolved from ancient beliefs to the figures seen in pop culture today. Whether you were introduced to these monsters through Forgotten Island or grew up with the stories yourself, this breakdown offers a deeper look at the reality behind the myth. We examine the specific classifications of these creatures, from those that roam the sky to those that haunt the ground and the grave, providing a comprehensive guide to Philippine mythology. Subscribe for weekly deep dives into cultural history, and let me know in the comments: which creature from Filipino folklore do you want to learn about next? 00:00 What is an aswang? 01:54 Growing up with the aswang in the 90s 05:26 Where does the word aswang come from? 06:49 The aswang of the sky 09:36 The aswang of the ground 11:43 The aswang that came for the dead 15:14 How the friars made the aswang the devil's servant 16:54 The CIA's fake aswang attack 18:03 Monsters under martial law 19:49 So, what exactly is an aswang? ☀️ ABOUT THIS VIDEO: I've been researching and teaching Philippine history and Filipino culture for over 14 years, and I was the Cultural Consultant for Forgotten Island (this isn't an official DreamWorks video). In this video, I trace how the aswang came to be, from the brownouts, Undas, and the movies of the 90s back to Juan de Plasencia's 1589 osuang and the Kapampangan asuang in a 1732 dictionary, and why the word doesn't come from Sanskrit; the word's cousins from Mindanao to Eastern Indonesia; the aswang of the sky, the ground, and the grave, from the tiktik and the wakwak to the Sigbin, the Xa Mul, the Danag, and the Iboa; and how the friars, Edward Lansdale, the CIA operative who faked an aswang attack, and the martial law regime each tried to control the story. ☀️ ABOUT KIRBY: Kirby Araullo is a Filipino American historian and educator whose work focuses on precolonial Philippines, indigenous political systems, Southeast Asian maritime networks, and anti-colonial resistance. Through research, teaching, and digital storytelling, he explores how the archipelago was organized, connected, and sovereign long before Spanish colonization. #Aswang #ForgottenIsland #FilipinoMythology #PhilippineMythology #FilipinoFolklore #Manananggal #Tiktik #Wakwak #Sigbin #KapampanganMythology #Undas #Halloween #PhilippineHistory #PinoyHistorian #KirbyAraullo

Made this video a few years ago, and yet we’re still having this debate! 🇵🇭🇺🇸 Are Filipinos raised abroad “Filipino enough”? Growing up in both worlds taught me there’s no single way to be Filipino. Same roots, different journeys. Watch the full video on my channel 🎥 #FilipinoAmerican #FilAm #Pinoy #FilipinoDiaspora #Filipino

Filipinos know this bird. Most don’t know where it actually comes from. 🐦 The Sarimanok has been on seals, logos, and TV in the Philippines, especially in the ’90s. But its story goes much deeper than a pretty bird, straight to the indigenous Maranao people of Mindanao. And it’s not the only thing in this movie that hit Filipinos differently. 👀 DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island is now in theaters! #ForgottenIsland #Sarimanok #Maranao #KnowHistoryKnowSelf #FilipinoCulture

Before Bungi, the giant three-eyed demon baby voiced by Manny Jacinto in DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island, the tiyanak was the baby crying in the dark that you were never supposed to follow. But in Filipino folklore, it wasn’t always a baby. 👀 I’m Kirby Araullo, the film’s Cultural Consultant. Watch the full video on my channel, from the mother who came before the baby to all the tiyanak’s different versions across our islands. #Tiyanak #ForgottenIsland #FilipinoFolklore #Bungi #KnowHistoryKnowSelf

Is Bungi a real tiyanak? In DreamWorks' Forgotten Island, he's the giant three-eyed tiyanak voiced by Manny Jacinto, but long before the movie, the tiyanak was the baby crying in the dark that we were never supposed to follow. And before the baby, there was a mother. 🎬 Manananggal vs Aswang: The 400-Year-Old Truth Behind Forgotten Island! — https://youtu.be/xhBJI4K4ndo 🎬 Filipino Mythology Runs Deeper Than the Aswang in Forgotten Island — https://youtu.be/49e7gWyg8ks 🎬 Why Everyone's Mad About "Tayo Na" — https://youtu.be/dYaSMKktw4Q 📖 My new book FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS OF THE SEA: A Golden Age of the Philippines — with original artwork by Anthony Francisco: https://kirbyaraullo.com/forgottenkingdoms 🎥 Join my channel! — https://youtube.com/kirbyaraullo/join 🔔 Subscribe — http://goo.gl/yDgQmK 🍿 Be my Patron — https://www.patreon.com/kirbynoodle 📚 Books, merch, etc. — https://www.kirbyaraullo.com/books 🌐 Website — www.kirbyaraullo.com 📌 CHAPTERS: 00:00 Forgotten Island's Bungi 01:51 What is a tiyanak? 04:57 Where did the tiyanak come from? 07:39 Her Southeast Asian cousins 09:48 The many faces of the patianak 10:40 The Antiának: the little people 13:30 The tiyanak gets darker 16:19 Is Bungi a real tiyanak? 17:07 Coming soon: Batiba, Raww, and Mermahn ☀️ ABOUT THIS VIDEO: I've been researching and teaching Philippine history and Filipino culture for over 14 years, and I was the Cultural Consultant for Forgotten Island (this isn't an official DreamWorks video). In this video, I trace the tiyanak from Bondying, the komiks, and the 1988 film Tiyanak back to the Kapampangan Pátiának, a mother who died in childbirth, and the patianak in a Spanish friar's 1589 record; her cousins across Southeast Asia, from the pontianak to the langsuir; her many faces across our islands, from the Kapampangan Antiának to the Mandaya and Subanen; and whether Bungi is a real tiyanak. ☀️ ABOUT KIRBY: Kirby Araullo is a Filipino American historian and educator whose work focuses on precolonial Philippines, indigenous political systems, Southeast Asian maritime networks, and anti-colonial resistance. Through research, teaching, and digital storytelling, he explores how the archipelago was organized, connected, and sovereign long before Spanish colonization. #ForgottenIsland #Tiyanak #Bungi #FilipinoMythology #FilipinoFolklore #PhilippineMythology #DreamWorks #MannyJacinto #Patianak #KapampanganMythology #TagalogMythology #Pontianak #Kuntilanak #PinoyHistorian #KirbyAraullo

H.E.R. (Gabi Wilson), the voice of Jo in DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island, instantly recognizes her name written in Baybayin, a precolonial Filipino script. 👀 I’m Kirby Araullo, the film’s Cultural Consultant. While interviewing the cast and directors, I had them write their names in Baybayin. Watch the full interview on my channel. Our indigenous scripts were never lost. They live on each time we read, write, and teach them. ✨ Forgotten Island is now in theaters. #ForgottenIsland #Baybayin #HERmusic #KnowHistoryKnowSelf #FilipinoCulture

At DreamWorks, I sat down with Liza Soberano, H.E.R., Dave Franco, and directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado to talk about Forgotten Island. While we talked, I had them write in Baybayin, one of the indigenous writing systems of the Philippines, without telling them what it said. Stay for the reveal at the end. I'm Kirby Araullo, a Filipino historian, culture bearer, and the Cultural Consultant on Forgotten Island. I've been teaching Baybayin for the past 20 years. ☀️ ABOUT THIS VIDEO: We talked about what making the film taught them about Filipino culture, from bayanihan to "did you eat yet?", their favorite creatures from our folklore, how the batibat became Batiba, and what they want people to remember when they hear their names. ✍️ WHAT IS BAYBAYIN? Baybayin is one of the indigenous writing systems of the Philippines, used especially by the Tagalog people. It's not an alphabet: you write it the way you say it. Each character carries a built-in "a" sound, and a mark above or below changes the vowel. Our ancestors wrote it on bamboo and palm leaves. It's one of several writing systems of our ancestors, alongside Kulitan, Hanunó'o, Buhid, and Tagbanwa. Keep an eye out for it when you watch Forgotten Island. 📌 CHAPTERS: 0:00 Teaching the Forgotten Island cast Baybayin 0:40 What is Baybayin? 2:50 Dave Franco on Raww and Filipino culture 4:36 H.E.R. recognizes what she's writing 5:15 What the film taught them about Filipino culture 7:46 Favorite Filipino mythological creatures 8:50 Liza Soberano on Raissa and bayanihan 10:32 What do you want people to remember about your name? 15:18 The reveal: what they'd been writing all along 16:12 Why Filipino dogs say "aw aw" ▶️ WATCH NEXT: Tayo Na vs Tara Na: https://youtu.be/dYaSMKktw4Q Manananggal vs Aswang: https://youtu.be/xhBJI4K4ndo The Tiyanak: [LINK] 🎬 Special thanks to my partner, Yee Xiong, for editing this video. #ForgottenIsland #LizaSoberano #HER #DaveFranco #Baybayin

How did the fearsome Manananggal shift from a worshipped goddess into a terrifying monster of Filipino folklore? Watch the full video 👉🏼 https://youtu.be/xhBJI4K4ndo We trace the evolution of this iconic creature, from ancient Kapampangan origins to her role as the villain in DreamWorks' Forgotten Island. Whether you are a fan of Philippine mythology or horror history, this breakdown reveals the deeper roots of a legend that still haunts the night. Subscribe for more deep dives into the true stories behind our favorite legends. #ForgottenIsland #Manananggal #Aswang #FilipinoMythology

Is the Manananggal an aswang? In DreamWorks' Forgotten Island, she's the villain voiced by Lea Salonga, but long before the movie, she was the creature that kept so many of us inside after dark, and one of the oldest Kapampangan stories says she was once a goddess. 🎬 Filipino Mythology Runs Deeper Than the Aswang in Forgotten Island — https://youtu.be/49e7gWyg8ks 🎬 Forgotten Island Is More Filipino Than You Think — https://youtu.be/QCZpbu3-ivI 🎬 Why Everyone's Mad About "Tayo Na" — https://youtu.be/dYaSMKktw4Q 📖 My new book FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS OF THE SEA: A Golden Age of the Philippines — with original artwork by Anthony Francisco: https://kirbyaraullo.com/forgottenkingdoms I've been researching and teaching Philippine history and Filipino culture for over 14 years, and I was the Cultural Consultant for Forgotten Island (this isn't an official DreamWorks video). In this video, I trace how the Manananggal took shape on screen from the first Filipino horror film in 1927 to Shake, Rattle and Roll and the 1992 Tondo scare, the Kapampangan Mangkukutud who was once the goddess of the coconut tree, the Magtatanggal in a Spanish friar's 1589 record, her flying-head cousins across Southeast Asia, and whether every Manananggal is an aswang. 📌 CHAPTERS: 00:00 Forgotten Island's Manananggal 01:38 What is a Manananggal? 05:41 The Mangkukutud and the 1589 Magtatanggal 10:06 The Manananggal's other Filipino & Southeast Asian cousins 13:05 Manananggal vs aswang 13:47 Next: the aswang family ☀️ ABOUT KIRBY: Kirby Araullo is a Filipino American historian and educator whose work focuses on precolonial Philippines, indigenous political systems, Southeast Asian maritime networks, and anti-colonial resistance. Through research, teaching, and digital storytelling, he explores how the archipelago was organized, connected, and sovereign long before Spanish colonization. #ForgottenIsland #Manananggal #Aswang #FilipinoMythology #FilipinoFolklore #DreamWorks #LeaSalonga #Mangkukutud #KapampanganMythology #Penanggalan #Krasue #Leyak #Tiktik #PinoyHistorian #KirbyAraullo