Danag (Philippines)

According to an ancient legend of the Isneg people from the Philippines, danag were once celestial beings who lived in the sky and were highly revered as deities by the Isneg ancestors. Over time, they descended to Earth to share their wisdom with the Isneg, teaching them the art of farming, particularly the cultivation of taro. For many years, danag and humans lived in harmony, growing crops, and supporting one another in agriculture.

On one fateful day, a young woman accidentally impaled her finger on a tiny piece of bamboo while building a fence. A friendly danag nearby tried to help by sucking out the bamboo fragment. To her surprise, the danag discovered that she enjoyed the taste of human blood.

The story has two versions of how events unfolded. In the first, the danag drained her friend’s blood completely. In the other, the danag didn’t kill her friend immediately, but shared her newfound craving for human blood with her fellow danag. Regardless of the version, the danag’s attitude towards humans changed from that moment onward.