Mandurugo
The Mandurugo is a part of vampire folklore which began in the Philippines. The vampire had similar features to the bat.[1]
Contents
Pre-colonial Philippines
In pre-colonial Philippines the mandurugo is known as a Kinnara or kinnari, they are gentle and beautiful winged creatures that resemble slim youths. They have wings same as birds on their backs some on their buttocks, in oral tradition it is believed that the Kinari will love and serve devotedly any human who has treated it kind and when the human breaks the creatures heart the kinari turns into a blood sucking monster called Mandurugo
Legend
"The Girl With Many Loves" is a tale of a young, beautiful woman who married at the age of sixteen. Her husband, described as an over-weight youth, withered away to bones in less than a year. After he died, the woman married again with the same result. She continued to marry until she reached her fourth husband. The fourth husband, fearing the same fate as the men before him, was afraid to sleep one night. He held a knife in his hand. A little after midnight, the man felt someone over him and then a prick on his neck. He stabbed the creature on top of him and heard a loud screech and the flapping of the wings. The next day, his wife was found dead not far from the house with a knife wound in her chest.[2]
The Filipino Vampire Film Industry
In a post World War II Philippines, vampirism was a very hot topic. The Roman Catholic Church had a major influence on the film industry all over the globe. Films such as The Vampire People (1966) were the product of vampire folklore and mainstream culture.[3]
Popular culture
- In Marvel Anime: Blade, the Mandurugos are depicted as vampires that can assume a bird-like form. The Mandurugos' genetic enhancement were the result of the experiments conducted by Deacon Frost and the Existence.
