Batibat Explained

Batibat or Bangungot
Grouping:	Philippine folklore demon
Region:	Ilocos, Tagalog

The Batibat is a vengeful demon found in Ilocano folklore. In Tagalog folklore, the creature is called Bangungot. The batibat takes the form of an ancient, grotesquely obese, tree-dwelling female spirit. They usually come in contact with humans when the trees in which they reside are felled and are made homeless, especially when their tree is made into a support post for a house. This causes them to migrate and inhabit what is left of their tree. The batibat forbids humans from sleeping near its post. When a person does sleep near it, the batibat transforms into its true form and attacks the person by suffocating their victim and invading their dream space, causing sleep paralysis and waking nightmares. This condition lends itself to the Ilocano word for nightmare, "batíbat" (or bangungot in Tagalog). To ward off the batibat, one should bite one's thumb or wiggle one's toes. In this way, the person will awaken from the nightmare induced by the batibat.^[1]

In popular culture

• The creature appears in the fifth episode of the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, played by Megan Leitch. This version of Batibat is depicted in the episode "Dreams in a Witch House" as a demon that is unintentionally released by Sabrina Spellman from a puzzle belonging to her father. Trapped in the house, Batibat proceeds to vengefully torture the Spellman family by inducing their dream states. The demon preys on their nightmares in the hopes that one of them will free her from the house, but is ultimately thwarted by Sabrina and Mary Wardwell / Madam Satan.^{[2] [3]}
• A Batibat named Maganda is referenced in the eleventh episode of Lost Girls second season, titled "Can't see the Fae-Rest" as a Balinese tree nymph.^[4]
• Evil Takes Root: The Curse of the Batibat,^[5] which is the title of a horror movie, features one of these creatures.

See also

• Brugada syndrome
• Incubus
• Sleep apnea
• Sleep paralysis
• Pesanta
• Lietuvēns

Notes and References

1. Book: Ramos, Maximo D. . Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology . 1971 . University of the Philippines Press . Philippines .
2. Web site: Sabrina goes to sleep and finds a whole lot of terrifying adventures. The A.V. Club. Weidenfeld. Lisa. October 26, 2018. February 24, 2019. en-US.
3. Web site: 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' Episode 5 Creeps Into Your Nightmares (RECAP). TV Insider. Holmes. Martin. October 29, 2018. February 24, 2019. en-US.
4. Web site: RECAP AND REVIEW: LOST GIRL 2.11: CAN'T SEE THE FAE-REST. Innsmouth Free Press. Stiles. Paula R.. 5 July 2012 . February 24, 2019. en-US.
5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7830416 EVIL TAKES ROOT: The Curse of the Batibat