#balbal

by Clark Ocleasa

The Balbal: Corpse eater of Philippine folklore.

After consuming its meal, it replaces the body with a banana stalk, deceiving mourners.

Legend says these creatures have a close connection with crocodiles and can be warded off by loud noises, light, or using the branches of Blumea balsamifera. Balbals are also known to be repelled by proper burial practices, suggesting that their tales might have originated as a cautionary reminder to handle the dead properly to prevent disease.

While primarily feasting on the dead, some stories claim that the Balbal may even target the living, especially during a full moon. Their acute sense of smell allows them to detect sickness, lurking nearby to snatch their next victim.

Often compared to other flesh-eating beings like the Aswang and Amalanhig, the Balbal remains one of the most feared mythical creatures in Philippine folklore.

Follow @mecthology for more myths and legends❕️

“Manananggal” © Brian Valeza, accessed at his ArtStation page here

[Monsters like the balbal are why I think folklore is such an invaluable resource for game design. A man-bat with a razor tongue that turns into a crocodile might be sent back for revisions by an editor for being not thematically consistent enough, but it is a real mythological entity. Case in point, most depictions on the Internet drop the flight and don’t mention the affinity for crocodiles, making it a much more typical ghoul. Thanks to @a-book-of-creatures​ for their writeup of the balbal providing the bulk of the inspiration for this entry.

Incidentally, I will be featuring other artists besides Brian Valeza in this project. But his gallery is an excellent resource for images of monsters with little Internet footprint, and it was a major incentive for me to tackle this project.]

Balbal CR 5 CE Magical Beast This creature looks something like a man-sized bat, with a ghoulishly humanoid face and clawed fingers on its wings. Its tongue lashes from its mouth, as long as a whip and razor sharp.

Balbals are corpse-eaters that glide between villages to prey on their dead. They use their long claws to pry holes in roofs and break windows while a body lies in state, then shred the corpse with their razor-sharp tongue. In order to avoid detection, they replace the body with a magically altered stock of wood. In areas haunted by undeath, the lack of a proper burial may cause the spirits of their victims to animate as incorporeal undead, but by that point, the balbal is long since gone.

A balbal spends much of its time in the form of a crocodile. They can influence the behavior of crocodiles, and especially aggressive crocodile populations may be a sign of a local balbal. This affinity does not extend to other reptiles; balbals fear and hate venomous snakes especially. In countries where balbals are present, some people decorate their houses with snake motifs in an attempt to frighten off the monsters, or even keep such dangerous animals as pets.

A balbal has a wingspan of about eight feet and weighs 100 pounds. Their lifespans range into the forties or fifties if they are well fed and safe from adventurers and vengeful family members.