43: KNOCK KNOCK | ANG KUMAKATOK, The Death Messengers of Philippine Folklore

What do you do when there’s a mysterious set of knocks on your door in the middle of the night? Don’t answer it, for it may just be a portent of death.

This October, we’re covering the different beings and entities representing Death in Philippine mythology, folklore, and urban legends. In this first episode, we’re covering the mysterious entity known only as the Kumakatok.

From the war-ravaged streets of Old Manila in the 1940s, mysterious ‘cult-killings’ in the 80’s, and the strange paranormal surveillance sightings during the COVID lock-downs, these mysterious beings haunt the doorways of prospective victims, warning them of their terrible, unavoidable fate.

Join us as we explore the lore of the Death Knock beings in the Philippines, learn of modern-day sightings, and the strange and eerily-similar beliefs that exist in Celtic, African, Balinese and Native-American mythologies.

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The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes. You can also join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thegodsmustbecrazypodcast.

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

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References/Further Reading:

Trinidad: The Three Who Knock. Sison, Antonio D. (2021). Journal of Critical Perspectives. https://www.asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ_57_2_2021/16_Trinidad_The_Three_Who_Knock.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumakatok

https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/The-Mythology-Behind-the-Mysterious-Sinister-Knockers-of-the-Philippines

https://www.thesummitexpress.com/2021/04/fear-mindanao-demonic-cult-attack.html

https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/deaths-cult-like-group-leadership-feud-davao/

https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=82909&page=1

https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4498605/4385166/4509519

https://www.tumblr.com/myhauntedsalem/189705241702/three-knocks-an-old-superstition-states-that-when

https://www.nowbali.co.id/late-night-visits/

https://darktales.blog/2019/03/28/the-banshee-irelands-heralds-of-death/

https://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2014/12/death-harbinger-three-knocks.html