Anting-Anting: The Philippine Magical Charm

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Many Filipinos, especially the rural folk have a firm belief in the paranormal.  Talk to any person in the rural provinces and he would probably have a ghost story to tell.  Some would even astonish you with their claims of seeing elves, forest mythical creatures, or at least any local “middle earth” entity such as nuno sa punso (elves living in small hills), tikbalang (half man – half horse creature), or even mananangal (a woman ghoul who flies at night with only the upper body).  But there is one item that seems to fascinate many Filipinos – the anting anting.

Anting-anting is any supernaturally imbued object that, according to those who believe in it, grants its owner extra ordinary powers.  Many classic Filipino movies, such as Darna, reveal the Filipinos’ inclination to believe in supernatural objects like anting-anting.

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One of the theories connecting to the word anting-anting states that the origin of the word derives from the word “anti,” which means against.  However, anting-anting is just the Filipinos’ version of the more widely known amulet and talisman.  The amulet is an object worn or carried by a person in the belief that it will bring good luck or ward off evil.  They are frequently used to protect persons or livestock specifically against “magical” attacks.  On the other hand, the talisman is believed to have the power to work wonders, as in a “magic lamp” or an “invisible ring.”  Some believe that the anting-anting is more powerful because it can possess both the qualities of an amulet and the talisman. 

Belief in amulets, talismans, and other similar objects can be traced back to ancient times.  Cave dwellers were said to have believed that a wild animal’s tooth or some peculiar stones protected them from adversaries or even from the wrath of the gods. Ancient Egyptians were particularly famous for their great variety of amulets.  Although beliefs and practices like this have been denounced by the Christian churches, many still believe in the power of such objects.

In the Philippines, anting-antings are allegedly taken from supernatural beings or imbued with power through rituals and incantations.  There are objects that are dug up in places that are believed to be inhabited by spirits or other supernatural entities; and there are those that are said to be acquired only if the seeker will undergo a certain process – a sort of an endurance test.

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According to old folks, the most powerful anting-anting is the “hiyas-ng-saging” – a pearl-like globe that comes out of a ripe banana during the midnight.  A person who seeks this anting-anting must not touch it, but instead wait for the banana heart to open and expel the “hiyas” and catch it with his mouth.  The person will then have to fight a kapre, who guards the hiyas.  Only after defeating the kapre will he have the full power and ownership of the anting-anting. 

Some people actively seek anting-anting because of its promise of power.  Anting-anting allegedly imbues its owners the power of invulnerability, invisibility, healing, or even the ability to fly or predict the future.  In fact, some, who claim to possess such objects, trek annually (during Holy Week) to Mount Banahaw in Quezon Province to “recharge” their anting-antings.  Mount Banahaw seems to have a special charm to those who believe in the supernatural.

But is there really any truth to the claim of those who possess such anting-antings? 

If you are to inspect its physical composition, you will realize that there is nothing extraordinary about anting-antings.  They are mostly just crude pieces of metals with undecipherable inscriptions on them. 

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Following is an excerpt of a front page news item in a Philippine broadsheet.  It will give you an idea whether anting-antings are real or just another hoax.

“Many months ago, an obscure religious sect in Mindanao called Tadtad claimed that all their members have anting-antings, which made them invulnerable to gunshots.  When a fugitive Tadtad member was about to be captured by the military, he, along with some of his Tadtad cohorts, charged the soldiers armed only with bolos (long knives).  The soldiers, without having any choice, open fired on the cultists…

“After a short commotion and several gunshots, all charging Tadtad members claiming to have anting-antings that gave them the power of invulnerability sprawled lifeless on the ground.”