PUGOT MAMU

Next to the aswang, the Pugot Mamu may be the most well-known Philippine boogeyman from the Pampanga region.  It is a headless being, like the more famous Pugot, with a few major differences. The Pugot is said to be the spirit of a beheaded priest and really only scares people, while the Pugot Mamu is flesh and bone, with an insatiable appetite for children.  How does he eat them without a head?  Well, his neck and shoulders are a giant carnivorous hole in which the children are fed.  So if you think you had it rough when your parents used tales of the aswang to set your curfew, just remember there are likely some very traumatized Pampangan children who feared being torn apart and devoured by a serrated fang-filled neck.

A Pugot Mamu Poem

Careful little child
It might hear you sneak
Careful little child
Don’t let the floor creak
Careful little child
Don’t make a sound
Careful little child
Keep your head on the ground

Quiet little child
Don’t hide under your bed
Quiet little child
Or you might lose your head
Quiet little child
It is looking for you
Quiet little child
Or you’ll turn black and blue

Run little child
It found your hiding place
Run little child
It doesn’t have a face
Run little child
It’s right behind you
Run little child
From the Pugot Mamu

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Poem inspired by the Pugot Mamu myths.

For more stories follow The Spirits of the Philippine Archipelago

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