For the Portuguese name see Nuno (given name)

Nuno (given name)

Nuno is a Portuguese male name, derived either the Latin Nunnus or Nonnus . Is a name quite popular in the Portuguese speaking countries and communities. Its Spanish variant is Nuño. There is also a female variant in Spanish: Nuña...

A Nuno or Nuno sa Punso (Duwende) is a dwarf-like creature in Philippine mythology

Philippine mythology

Philippine mythology include a collection of tales and superstitions about magical creatures and entities. Some Filipinos, even though heavily westernized and Christianized, still believe on these tales...

. It is believed to live in an anthill or termite

Termite

Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...

 mound, hence its name. Literally, nuno sa punso means Ancestor/Grandparent of the anthill.

Description

The Nuno is described to be a small old man with a long beard, and differs from a duwende or dwarf of Philippine folklore. The duwende is a playful hobgoblin

Hobgoblin

Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie Court.The most commonly known hobgoblin is the character Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin...

 who shows himself to children, while the Nuno is a goblin easily angered and will do harm to those who damage or disturb his mound. If an invader destroys the Nuno's home by kicking it, the offender's foot would become swollen. Nuno sa punso are also believed to inhabit places such as underneath large rocks, trees, riverbanks, caves, or a backyard.

Magical abilities

Nunos have the ability to curse trespassers. A curse may include the following:

• Swelling or pain on any part of the body
• Vomiting of blood
• Urinating black liquid
• Excessive hair growth on the back

In order for a Nuno to successfully curse a person, the trespasser must come in close proximity of the Nuno. If the trespasser is within range, the Nuno can spit on any part of the trespasser's body. The trespasser will then experience aches or soreness on the affected part of the body, such as stomach

Stomach

The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...

 pains, swollen genitals (after urinating on the mound), or swollen feet (after kicking the mound).

Countermeasures against curses

There is a common belief that if modern medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 is unable to cure a particular illness, the ailment may be due to a Nunos curse. The victim is brought to an albularyo

Albularyo

Albularyo , sometimes spelled albulario, is a Tagalog term for a folk healer or medicine men.-Etymology and Alternative Names:The word arbularyo derives from herbolario, a Spanish word meaning herbalist....

, a Philippine practitioner of traditional medicine

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...

. The albularyo will perform a ceremony known as tawas. During this process, a piece of a candle is melted and the molten wax poured onto a disc or spoon. The molten wax is in turn poured into water. The image formed on the water will then be interpreted by the albularyo. The image aids in determining the cause of the patient's illness and where the curse actually happened.

In order to be cured, the victim's family may be asked to provide an offering

Offering

Offering may refer to:* Offering, a collection of donations during religious worship, see alms, tithe or charity* Offering, a religious sacrifice of plant, animal or human life* Offering , a part of devotional practice*Phan...

 to the Nuno such as fruits or other food, drinks, or a material object. If the victim is still not healed after the offering, it may be necessary to personally ask the Nuno's forgiveness, which is believed to be a wise measure, in order to prevent the permanent possession

Demonic possession

Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...

 of the victim by an evil spirit, which could later cause the victim to become insane.

It is also possible to kill the Nuno by catching it and crushing its head between a person's fingers. This will remove any spell cast by the Nuno. But this method is not often recommended because it could evoke the wrath of a Nuno's friends and relatives.

Legends also state that placing an obese or festively plump female on the side of a road after midnight will attract the Nuno out of hiding, thus allowing those afflicted to seek their revenge on the goblin. The Nuno has an odd affinity for large bodied mammals of the opposite sex.

Precautions

To avoid the wrath of a Nuno sa Punso, children are reminded not to play outside between noon and three o'clock in the afternoon. They are also asked by their parents to come home before six o'clock in the evening. Children are also instructed avoid being noisy at places where Nuno are believed to dwell. Children are also warned to ask permission or give fair notice before passing by such places inhabited by the Nuno, which is done by saying "tabi tabi po"(literally "please be on the side" or "please move aside", that is, you tell the nuno to stand aside), or "please let me pass by" or "I mean no harm as I pass through your territory, Old Man of the Mound".

Disrespect

Although most people respect the Nuno and will abide by the many unwritten rules which serve the purpose of building a peaceful coexistence between human beings and Nuno, some people still stubbornly choose not to. A disrespectful person will purposely trample around in tall grassy areas, places where Nuno are also believed to inhabit. These people would also intentionally urinate on suspected Nuno anthills to display dominance over the mound dweller.

Today

Since the 2005 introduction of the red imported fire ant

Red imported fire ant

See main article Fire ant.The red imported fire ant , or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis...

 in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, the legendary folk tale of the Nuno has again become predominant.