MANANANGGAL

[Other] Manananggal ("one who can remove"): The manananggal is from Philippine mythology and is a witch-like person (usually a woman) with long hair and wild eyes who can detach her upper torso from her lower half of her body via wings that sprout whenever there is a full moon. She usually flies in the dark searching for victims whose blood she sucks. The common story is of a pregnant woman lying in bed asleep, the manananggal alights on the thatched roof of the grass "nipa" hut, lowers her proboscis- like tongue and sucks the blood of the fetus in the mother's womb. Application of garlic on the lower body while the upper half is away will make it impossible for the manananggal to return. If the upper torso remains away from the lower torso at daybreak the manananggal will die. Salt works equally well against the manananggal. The trick is to sprinkle salt on the lower torso of the manananggal while the upper one is away. This prevents the manananggal from rejoining its other half.