Tikbalang and Centaur (compared)

Tikbalang (also written as Tigbalang, Tigbalan, orTikbalan) is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and forests of thePhilippines. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down. It has the head and feet of an animal, most commonly a horse. It is sometimes believed to be a transformation of anaborted fetuswhich has been sent to earth from limbo.

Tikbalangs are said to scare travelers and lead them astray. Tikbalangs play tricks on travelers such that they keep on returning to an arbitrary path no matter how far he goes or where he turns. Supposedly this is counteracted by wearing one's shirt inside out. Another countermeasure is to ask permission out loud to pass by or, not to produce too much noise while in the woods in order not to offend or disturb the tikbalang.

A common saying has it that rain from a clear sky meansmay kinakasal na tikbalang. or kinakasal si ORLAN(Filipino, "a tikbalang is getting married". "ORLAN is getting Married) This was most likely derived from a similar Spanish proverb that claimed awitch was getting married when there was rain on a sunny day.

According to traditional folklore, the tikbalang can alsotransform itself into human form or turn invisible to humans. They like to lead travelers astray.

Tikbalang are generally associated with dark, sparsely populated, foliage-overgrown areas, with legends variously identifying their abode as being beneath bridges, in Bamboo or Banana groves, and atop Kalumpang or Balete trees.

By one account a tikbalang has a mane of sharp spines, with the three thickest of these being of particular importance. A person who obtains one of these spines can use them as an anting-anting (talisman) in order to keep the tikbalang as his servant. The tikbalang must first be subdued, however, by leaping onto it and tying it with a specially-prepared cord. The would-be-tamer must then hang on while the creature flies through the air, fighting madly to dislodge its unwelcome rider, until it is exhausted and acknowledges its defeat.

Centaurs

In Greek mythology, the centaurs(from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi) are a composite race of creatures, part human and parthorse. In early Atticand Boeotian vase-paintings, as on the kantharos(illustrated below left), they are depicted with the hindquarters of a horse attached to them; in later renderings centaurs are given the torso of a human joined at the waist to the horse'swithers, where the horse's neck would be.

This half-human and half-animal composition has led many writers to treat them asliminal beings, caught between the two natures, embodied in contrasted myths, both as the embodiment of untamed nature, as in their battle with the Lapiths, or conversely as teachers, like Chiron.

The centaurs were usually said to have been born of Ixion andNephele (the cloud made in the image of Hera). Another version, however, makes them children of a certain Centaurus, who mated with the Magnesian mares. This Centaurus was either himself the son of Ixion and Nephele (inserting an additional generation) or of Apollo and Stilbe, daughter of the river god Peneus. In the later version of the story his twin brother was Lapithus, ancestor of the Lapiths, thus making the two warring peoples cousins.

Centaurs were said to have inhabited the region of Magnesia and Mount Pelion inThessaly, the Foloi oak forest in Elis, and the Malean peninsula in southern Laconia.

The Centaurs are best known for their fight with the Lapiths, caused by their attempt to carry offHippodamia and the rest of the Lapith women, on the day of her marriage to Pirithous, king of the Lapithae, himself the son of Ixion. The strife among these cousins is a metaphor for the conflict between the lower appetites and civilized behavior in humankind.Theseus, a hero and founder of cities, who happened to be present, threw the balance in favour of the right order of things, and assisted Pirithous. The Centaurs were driven off or destroyed.^[1][2][3]Another Lapith hero, Caeneus, who was invulnerable to weapons, was beaten into the earth by Centaurs wielding rocks and the branches of trees. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as wild as untamed horses. Like the Titanomachy, the defeat of the Titansby theOlympian gods, the contests with the Centaurs typify the struggle between civilization and barbarism.

Fig 1. Tikbalang in Philippine Folklore

Fig 2. Female Centaur (Greek Myth)

Fig 3. Male Centaur (Greek Myth)

Fig 4. Warrior Centaur

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Aswang

An Aswang (also known as Asuwang) is a ghoul in Philippine Mythology which appears to be an ordinary human by day, and turns into a blood-sucking monster as darkness falls. Aswang are known as shape-shifters that transform into animals. They prey on weaker victims like children and old people, but will also attack any single unguarded individual. They feast on the guts or inner organs (heart and liver) of their victims.

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My 2010 Summer Vacations

I seldom get a real vacation. Most of the times, I spend my rest days in the boarding house, reading fantasy novels, watching movies in my portable player or surfing the net in my laptop. This year, at least I have come out of my shell and start to explore the world outside.

I met Jong in the internet, he is an OFW working in Bahrain. He spent a month of his vacation with me in Cebu and all I can say is that, it was the most happy moments in my life. We went to Bohol with my sister Jessamay. That vacation was Jong's gift for my birthday. We visited Danao adventure park, Sagbayan peak, chocolate hills and the floating restaurant in Loboc river.

His stay with me came to an end when he decided to go home in Bacoor Cavite with his parents (he had never seen his parents since he arrived in the Philippines because he immediately visited me here in Cebu). For a month that we were together, he left wonderful memories to me.

To cover my loneliness, I made my self very busy at work and start going out for a videoke session with Leah, Leizl and my sister Jessamay. I also went to Bantayan with the my comcast team "The Gremlins" where I enjoyed a nice summer vacation in an island. We went island hopping, snurkling and a lot of bonding moments.

Though there are pains and hauntings in my souls, I realized that they can be set aside for a moment and start transporting the world of illusions into the real world. " Happiness is all in our mind"

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When Arguments Fall Silent

It has been years since my days at Saint Joseph Institute of technology, but whenever I think of those years, one face returns more clearly than all the rest: Jade.

He was the brightest among us, a debater whose words carried like thunder, sharp and impossible to ignore. When Jade joined the College Debating Team, the school's name began appearing on championship banners, and his medals gleamed like proof of his brilliance. People spoke his name with admiration. To me, however, admiration was never enough.

I never confessed it then, but my feelings for him ran deeper. I wanted to be near him, to know him beyond the confidence he carried on stage. But instead of reaching out, I remained in the background—watching from doorways, listening from corners, silently collecting moments I could never claim.

Jade was a man of principle, and he often spoke as though he lived above the foolishness of the heart.

“Love,” he once told us, “does nothing but ruin futures. It brings more sorrow than joy.”

I remember the certainty in his voice that day. I believed he meant it, and for a time I thought nothing could break through the walls he had built. Then came Jared.

I introduced them without a thought of consequence.

It was during the school’s foundation anniversary, a day filled with music, the smell of roasted corn from food stalls, and laughter that drifted across the campus. Jade had just won another Best Debater medal when I congratulated him.

“Thanks, Jay,” he said with a faint smile. Then he noticed the boy beside me.

“This is Jared,” I explained. “My classmate from Maritime. He wants to join the team.”

Jade gave him a polite nod and started to excuse himself, but Jared, with that fearless charm of his, asked, “Mind if we join you?”

Jade hesitated only a moment before answering with a smirk. “As long as you pay for your own food.”

That small exchange became the beginning of everything.

I remember sitting with them at a crowded food stall, steam rising from bowls of noodles, as Jared spoke easily about his classes and his admiration for the team. I watched Jade soften, his careful smile shifting into something genuine. It was a side of him I had never seen before.

From that day on, Jade was different. I noticed him lingering outside the Maritime lobby, waiting longer at the canteen, laughing more freely. Against all his principles, against all the walls he had built, he was falling.

And then came that evening on the rooftop of the Maritime building. The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sea in fire and gold. I didn’t mean to follow them, but something in me needed to know.

I remember Jared’s voice first, gentle in the gathering dusk. “You’ve been so quiet lately. What’s wrong?”

Jade said nothing at first, his back turned. Jared tried again, half-joking. “Did some girl break your heart?”

When Jade turned, his eyes were wet. And for the first time, the man who had faced countless opponents without faltering could not hold back his tears.

“I don’t understand what I feel,” he said finally, his voice low, trembling. “I don’t even know if it’s right. But after tonight… nothing will be the same. And I’ve decided to take the risk.”

He drew a breath and added, “I love you.”

I remember the silence that followed. The world seemed to stop as Jared stepped forward, his hand trembling as he touched Jade’s lips.

“Don’t wish you hadn’t met me,” he whispered, his own eyes shining. “Meeting you has been the happiest part of my life here. And yes… I like you too.”

Then came the kiss—brief, unsteady, but real.

Afterward, Jared’s tears fell as he confessed what neither of them could change. “At the end of this semester, I have to go back to Marawi. My parents have arranged my marriage to Kristel, my childhood friend. I don’t want it, but I can’t fight them. I can’t fight fate.”

Jade pulled him close, whispering only, “Thank you.”

He told me later he wished he had a Polaroid camera that night, so he could capture the moment and live inside it forever. But time, as always, moved on.

I have carried that memory with me all these years. People say debaters thrive on arguments, that victory is everything. But I know better now. Jade taught me that in love, there is no rebuttal.

And me? I was only the witness. I never found the courage to speak my own truth. I loved him quietly, from a distance, and in silence I stayed.

Looking back now, I sometimes wonder what might have been if I had taken the risk he did. But the years have taught me that not all loves are meant to be lived out loud. Some exist only in memory—bittersweet, untouchable, and eternal.

Jade was my teammate, my friend, and my almost. And though time has carried us far apart, he remains the debate I never won, the story I keep close to my heart.

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