WHAT IS THE BATIBAT?
In Fillipino folklore, the Batibat is a vengeful female spirit that invokes evil possession magics against those who disturb its slumber. It resides within the forest, lurking within a tree. The Batibat can take many different forms, but often sightings of it describe it as a terrifying fat naked woman. The Batibat will take its revenge if you disturb it. Take care when cutting down a tree, or even using some suspicious wood as part of the base of your house.
More accounts and lore of the Batibat...
Believing Doesn't Matter
A writer's firsthand encounters with the Batibat on the Scary Stories subreddit.
The Aswang Project digs deeper into the history of the Batibat and its connection to "bangungut" also known as "nightmare death syndrome."
"Keep your eyes open, and hope you don’t run into any of these horrible creatures!"
- Wayne King, New York Times, May 10, 1981.
In 1981, the CDC studied the death of 18 Laotian refugees from across the U.S. and the possibility that they were frightened by nightmares. Was the Bungungut nightmare death syndrome to blame?