2. Duwende (Dwarf)
“Ayaw tamaki ang balay sa duwende kay tagaan ka nila og sakit (Don’t step on the house of the dwarf or else, they will inflict you with a disease)!â€
I have heard this warning from my parents, grandparents, relatives and other elders. We have this superstitious belief that termite mounds are the homes or kingdoms of dwarves and stepping on it is a “big no.†Not only that, we were even warned not to urinate on them.
And since then, I would take great lengths so as not to see or get near a termite mound, so I would not accidentally step on one. If I see one, I remember running as fast as I can to areas where there are many people around. And while on the run, I used to imagine a small creature sitting on the mound looking deviously at me.
According to Wikipedia, Duwendes are small creatures capable of providing good or bad fortunes to humans. Aside from termite mounds, they sometimes live in trees, hills or even houses. They come out at noon and at night.
The famous line “tabi-tabi†(Visayan) or “tabi-tabi po†(Tagalog) is the Filipinos’s way of asking an excuse, especially when we take a pee outside, so as not to displease or bother the Dwarves.
As for Dwarves living in homes, some Filipinos leave food on the floor to appease them because they are known to hide things when they are feeling mischievous. However, if you plead for its return, they are said to do so or until they feel like it.
Duwendes are even featured in some local newspapers like The Sun.Star for having a son with a woman.
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