The alan of Tinguian folklore are as big as humans but with certain deformities. They have wings for arms, which they use to fly, and skin as tough as carabao hide, and their fingers point backward from their wrists while their toes are at the back of their feet. They spend some of their time hanging upside-down from trees deep in the forest with their clawed feet tightly holding onto a branch, waiting for a potential prey to pass below – may it be an animal or a human. Their houses are on top of trees and may look similar to human habitation. The alan scavenge discarded placenta of newborn human children, menstrual blood, or fetuses from miscarriages. From these they create human children with extraordinary abilities, which they raise as their own offspring. They store in earthen jars items such as beads, necklaces, or bracelets, which belonged to the people they killed and devoured.
Some alan reside near springs with a few living underwater.
Reference:
Cole, Fay-Cooper. Traditions of the Tinguian: A Study in Philippine Folklore. Field Museum of Natural History, 1915
Some alan reside near springs with a few living underwater.
Reference:
Cole, Fay-Cooper. Traditions of the Tinguian: A Study in Philippine Folklore. Field Museum of Natural History, 1915