The Nuno sa Punso — “the old man of the mound” — is a goblin-like dwarf-spirit of Philippine folklore who dwells within the anthills, termite mounds, and earthen mounds of the countryside: a small, ancient, easily-offended being who curses those who disturb his home or fail to show him proper respect. He is the irritable little guardian of the mound.
The Old Man of the Mound
The nuno sa punso (“ancestor/old-man of the anthill-mound”) is a tiny, old, bearded dwarf-spirit — a goblin-like creature of small stature with the appearance of a wizened old man — who lives inside the punso, the mounds of earth raised by ants or termites, or in other small mounds, tree-stumps, and earthen heaps in the fields and the wild. He is an ancient and territorial being, dwelling unseen in his mound, and he demands respect from those who pass by or disturb his dwelling.
The Curser of the Disrespectful
The nuno is easily offended and quick to curse. To kick, urinate upon, disturb, or damage his mound, or to pass by without the proper courtesy, is to risk his wrath — and the nuno’s curses are specific and dreaded: he afflicts the offending part of the body. A person who kicked his mound might find their foot swollen and painful; one who urinated on it, an affliction of the genitals; one who pointed at it, a swollen finger; and so on — mysterious swellings, illnesses, and ailments that no ordinary medicine could cure, recognizable as the nuno’s curse. The afflicted would have to return to the mound to make offerings and beg the nuno’s pardon, often with the help of a folk-healer (albularyo), to lift the curse.
The Courtesy of Tabi-Tabi Po
The remedy and the prevention is courtesy. Before passing through the wild, disturbing the ground, or going near a mound, Filipinos say “tabi-tabi po” (“excuse me, please” / “may I pass”) to ask the unseen nuno (and other spirits) for permission and to avoid giving offense. This deeply ingrained custom reflects the belief in the nuno and his kin as real, present, and easily angered. A small but dreaded figure of the everyday supernatural, the nuno sa punso is one of the most familiar of Filipino spirits. In the Nuno sa Punso, Filipino folklore gave form to the irritable guardian of the earth — the ancient little old-man of the mound who curses those who disrespect his home, the goblin-dwarf whose pardon must be begged with offerings and the courteous “tabi-tabi po.”