Sarangay is a creature resembling a

minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...

with a jewel or gemstone attached to its ears. When the Spanish first heard the story in the 17th century, they thought the legends described the Greek

. ''Sarangay'' is described as half bull (specifically, a male

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, S ...

) and half man. According to folklore, the creatures guard their jewels and attempted thieves will be killed mercilessly. It was said that when a ''Sarangay'' becomes enraged, smoke issues from its nostrils.

In popular culture

* In the mobile game ''

EverWing ''EverWing'' is a game created by Game Closure (formerly Blackstorm Labs) and released on the Instant Games platform in Facebook Messenger Messenger is a proprietary instant messaging app and platform developed by Meta Platforms. Originally de ...

'', Sarangay is an unlockable creature.

References

Visayan mythology Philippine demons {{Philippines-stub