&sq=&lang=&file=File:Question_book-new.svg){kind=small} | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2016) |
| Similar entities | Kataw, Merman |
|---|---|
| Region | Philippines |
In Philippine mythology, a siyokoy (also syokoy or siokoy) is an aquatic humanoid creature often described as having scales, webbed limbs, and fins. Most legends characterise siyokoy as hostile to humans, and are said to drown individuals.
While siyokoy are often likened to the Western mermaid due to the Philippines' colonial history, its name suggests a Chinese origin. This is highly plausible given Chinese records of indigenous polities in what is now the Philippines dates to at least 982 AD,[1][2][3] several centuries before Europe’s Age of Discovery.
- ^ Go, Bon Juan (2005). "Ma'l in Chinese Records – Mindoro or Bai? An Examination of a Historical Puzzle". Philippine Studies. 53 (1). Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University: 119–138. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ Patanne, E. P. (1996). The Philippines in the 6th to 16th Centuries. San Juan: LSA Press. ISBN 971-91666-0-6.
- ^ Scott, William Henry. (1984). "Societies in Prehispanic Philippines". Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History. Quezon City: New Day Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 971-10-0226-4.