Matay

The subject of this article is of alternative canonicity. While created as part of licensed material, it is not part of the original Buffyverse, but its own developed story.

Matay
Status	Deceased
Born	Philippines
Classif.	Human Slayer Hilot
Appearances
Appeared in	"The Hilot of 1910"

Matay was a Hilot and a Slayer active in the Philippines in 1910.

Biography

In the late summer of 1910, Matay returned to a village and taught a little girl about local plants and creatures. In the winter, two people were victims of gruesome murders, so the villagers thought these to be the action of an Aswang. They recognized Matay as a Hilot because of the anting-anting around her neck and asked her to save them; she could not heal the dead, but promised to find the Aswang.

Searching for clues in the forest, Matay found a wore down hut at the top of a steep hill, where an Aswang revealed herself. She recognized Matay as the Slayer and protector the villagers talked, so Matay told her she would protect the village from bloodthirsty monsters. The Aswang told her that Matay would be dead if she wanted, so the Slayer attacked her with her sword.

The Aswang evaded her and denied her accusations, but Matay did not believe her until she was told they had the same guide, Apo Onggay. Matay told her to surrender and offered to cure her of her curse. She prepared the ritual, but the Aswang refused the offer, explaining that Hilot visitors had become scarce and the village vulnerable; she did not feed from the villagers, needing her powers to protect the people instead.

As a scream broke, the Aswang flew away and Matay concluded that this victim could not be from the Aswang. She ran and found the recently killed woman, where a vampire attacked Matay, strangling her. The Aswang arrived and eviscerated the vampire, saving the Slayer's life. Matay thanked the Aswang. Back in the village, the Slayer smiled as she watched the Aswang in her human form greeting her people at home.

Behind the scenes

• She was one of the Slayers that first appeared in the "Chosen One" variant covers in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2019) comic series, in issue #5.
• The small child-like creature in the jar may be a reference to a Tiyanak tianak", a Filipino version of a changeling.

Appearances

• "The Hilot of 1910"