Mimi's Chilling Tales For Grown Ups Only

The Witch Cauldron (A Story from Dumangas, Iloilo ) by mimi illenberger mapa A few years back, there was this alleged sighting of a mananagal in Metro Manila. This piece of scary news was played up by a number of newspapers , and was in fact, the banner story in some tabloids. This caused quite a stir in many households with pregnant women and infants. According to Maximo D. Ramos in his extensive research of Philippine folk beliefs, one of the most dreaded character in Philippine folklore is the aswang (witch)who can self-segment. The Tagalogs have a name for this preternatural creature who cuts its lower torso at will and returns to its severed part usually before sunrise after feeding on human entrails. It is called ang manananggal, the self-segmenter. And because of its need to suck out a victim’s internal organs, the self-segmenter is also referred to as a viscera sucker Dr. Moises Ponteras (Ph.d in Philippine Studies, U.P.) also mentioned the belief in the powers o...

My maternal grandma ,Fortunata Darocca Villalobos – or simply Wawa Ting (or Little Grandma in Ilonggo) to  us children – was  the original tale spinner of the family and it was from her  I first heard this story.  It is  a heart warming  tale involving a young boy and  a  tormented soul who is up and about only on Good Fridays as he is forbidden to walk the earth on any other day. “And this was no ordinary spook,”  Wawating stressed. “When you chance to meet him along the way  after  sundown,  you will see a barefoot, shriveled, ancient beggar dragging his blistered , bloodied feet,  as he mumbles incoherently to himself.  And even at a distance you will know he is not of this world because of the greenish, phosphorescent glow that emanates from his person.” Listen to my grandma’s tale:               I was an irrepressible youngster running ...

A VALENTINE’S DAY treat to all those   who believe in   FOREVER.                                                                    PEACE   AT   LAST by mimi illenberger mapa   “Sometime around the year 278A.D   a holy priest by the name of Valentine was executed by Emperor Claudius . for defying the royal   ban on marriage. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army beca...