Bal-Bal
A corpse-stealing undead of Philippine folklore that hides its theft with a banana trunk
Bal-Bal is an undead monster of Philippine mythology, said to steal human corpses from funerals and graves and to feed on them. It is grouped with the flesh-eating Aswang, Amalanhig and Busaw among the most feared beings of the Philippines.
- An undead corpse eater in Philippine mythology
- Said to steal bodies from funerals and graves and feed on them
- Leaves a banana trunk in the coffin to disguise the theft
- Named with the Aswang, Amalanhig and Busaw as feared flesh eaters
- Likened to the vampire, a being of the western continents
What it is
Bal-Bal is an undead being of Philippine mythology, classed among the corpse eaters. It is said to take human bodies from funerals and from graves alike and to feed on them. Philippine lore ties it to the Aswang, the Amalanhig and the Busaw, all of them flesh eaters, and the group is named among the most feared beings of the islands, chiefly for how they look. The Bal-Bal's own marks are a nose that finds dead human bodies with ease, claws and teeth able to tear the clothing from a corpse, and a foul breath, since it eats nothing but the dead. It has even been set beside the vampire, a creature of the western continents.
How it is done
In the tales, the Bal-Bal tracks its food by scent, picking up dead human bodies with its nose. It seizes a corpse from a funeral or digs one from a grave, then feeds, tearing the burial clothes with claws and teeth. Once it has eaten, the trick comes: it leaves a banana trunk in the coffin, which gives the look of the stolen body and tricks the people there. Mourners are deceived, and the theft goes unnoticed.
Tools and materials
Stories give the creature two resources. The first is its own body: claws and teeth that can tear a corpse's clothing, and a nose that finds dead bodies by scent. The second is a banana trunk. Left in a coffin after the body has been eaten, it is taken for the missing corpse, and so the Bal-Bal's feeding leaves no visible trace.
Bal-Bal, drawn and placed
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
- Lineage
- Philippine mythology
- Timing
- at funerals and graves
At a glance: who, where and when
Occasions
What people believe
The Bal-Bal is classed with the undead: a being that is dead, yet moves and feeds. Philippine tradition places it beside the Aswang, the Amalanhig and the Busaw, all flesh eaters, and holds this company among the most fearful creatures of the Philippines on account of how they look. The Bal-Bal has even been likened to the vampire, a being of the western continents. The dread it carries is of the grave itself: a body laid out at a funeral or buried in the earth can be taken, and a banana trunk left behind may fool the living for a time.
Compare and confuse
The Bal-Bal is tied to the Aswang, the Amalanhig and the Busaw, all of them flesh eaters in Philippine belief. The four stand as separate beings, one fearful company, rather than as a single creature under different names. Outside the islands, the likeness most often drawn is with the vampire, a being of the western continents, though the Bal-Bal is remembered above all as an eater of corpses.
Questions people ask about Bal-Bal
What is a Bal-Bal?
It is an undead monster of Philippine mythology that takes human corpses, from funerals and from graves alike, and feeds on them. It is a corpse eater, grouped with the Aswang, the Amalanhig and the Busaw among the most feared flesh-eating beings of the Philippines.
Where does the Bal-Bal come from?
The creature comes from Philippine mythology. It is named among the fearful beings of the Philippines, alongside the Aswang, the Amalanhig and the Busaw, and it has been likened to the vampire, a being of the western continents.
How does a Bal-Bal find its food?
The tales give it a strong nose for dead human bodies. Following that scent, it is said to take corpses from funerals or graves, and its claws and teeth can rip through the clothing of the dead.
How does it hide that a body is gone?
After eating a corpse, it is said to leave a banana trunk in the coffin. The trunk creates the look of the stolen body, so people are tricked into believing the dead still lies there.
Is the Bal-Bal the same as the Aswang?
They are associated but kept distinct. The Bal-Bal is named beside the Aswang, the Amalanhig and the Busaw as separate beings, though all are flesh eaters and all are counted among the most fearful creatures of the Philippines because of how they look.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Bal-Bal", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Names and customs differ from one community to the next, and some knowledge is closed to outsiders and left out here. This page describes belief and practice. It does not say that any of it works, it is not a how-to, and it is not medical advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-17.
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