Filipino Folklore: Duwende

Hoy lahat!

This is Filipino for "Hey everyone!"

This post is dedicated to the Philippine folklore of the duwende. I discovered this myth when I visited the Philippines for six months in 2015. 

This picture was taken around April with some dear friends of mine! This night, they shared with me the story of the duwende. 

The duwende are magical creatures likened to a goblin or elf, as depicted in the Filipino folk art below. "Duwende" means "old man with a child's body". There are multiple types of duwende, some are believed to be good-natured, and some perpetually evil. 

Duwende, according to lore, are selectively invisible, only making themselves visible to pure-hearted. Thus, children are the most to report having seen duwende, though some adults attest to having seen one as well. Duwende are fortune tellers who bring both hopeful and ominous news. 

They often reside in trees, hills, abandoned huts or houses, and in the mountain regions. 

Filipino culture highly respects the duwende, often calling out to the creatures with phrases such as "Tabi tabi po!" so as to not hurt the duwende when walking or tossing out the garbage. 

An ominous and popular portion of the folklore is the duwende's revenge. The Filipino people call out to the duwende to avoid hurting them because when hurt, it is said that the duwende brings upon their perceived attacker a disease or rash which cannot be cured by medical treatment. 

I was urged by my Filipino friends to call out a number of phrases when doing certain chores, so a duwende would not cause me harm. I humored them for the rest of my stay so as not to offend their beliefs. A friend of mine, who lives in the U.S. and is of Filipino descent, has shared her own stories with me of her experiences with duwende when she visits family in the Philippines. 

This folklore experience was quite interesting and definitely unforgettable. Let me know in the comments if you've had an experience with a cultural legend!