Amalanhig
The amalanhig is the walking corpse of Visayan folklore in the Philippines. It is what becomes of an aswang, a shape-shifting witch, who dies with its power untransferred. Stiff-limbed and unable to turn, it can be escaped by dodging, climbing or wading into a river. The image of a rigid corpse that pursues in a straight line is a close match for the classic slow zombie.1
- running in a zigzag
- climbing a tree or anything high
- crossing deep water, which it is said to fear
When did it first appear?
1967Described in Maximo D. Ramos, The Creatures of Midnight (1967)
What the sources say
Looks like an ordinary person, usually with enlarged upper canines1
Rises from the grave to kill by biting the neck1
A folk variant says it tickles its victims until they die of laughter and terror1
Belief is recorded especially among Hiligaynon speakers of the Visayas1
Wikipedia classes it as a Philippine variant of the vampire, though its behaviour is closer to a zombie's1
Could you outrun it?
Speed class from how the sources describe it (shambles), not a measurement.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these sources, written in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at hello@zombiewiki.app.
Felicia Felix-Mentor
Nyongo working dead