Manananggal-post by Scary Side of Earth on flickr (shared with creative common license)
For this week's flying-head entity, the paranormal creatures of the Philippines take the spotlight. Filipino folklore has no shortage of ghouls and creatures known for segmenting their bodies. Among them, manananggal are the most well-known. By day, they pose as women of striking beauty.
However, once night falls, their upper torsos detached from their lower bodies at the waist and flied into the night by growing large bat-like wings. In Dr. Ramos’s The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology, he gave a different description to the flying part of the manananggal as consisting of “only the head and internal organs”.
In her monstrous form, the manananggal has a long tubular tongue, which she uses to suck blood, innards, and even fetuses from human victims. In some versions, she solely feeds on the liver and the heart of a sleeping victim. Sprinkling salt or crushed garlic on the area where her bodies separate allegedly prevents the two parts from rejoining, ultimately leading to her death.