Philippine mythology
From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)
Philippine mythology, and folklore are being studied as part of the curriculum of Philippine Psychology, and includes a collection of tales and superstitions about magical creatures and entities. Some Filipinos, even though heavily Westernized and Christianized, still believe in such entities. The prevalence of belief in the figures of Filipino mythology is strong in the provinces. Many common folk attribute psychological problems to these superstitions and considered significant for psychologists in understanding the Filipino psyche.
Because the country has many islands and is inhabited by different ethnic groups, Philippine Mythology and superstitions are very diverse. However, certain similarities exist among these groups, such as the belief in Heaven (Kaluwalhatian or Kalangitan), Hell (Impiyerno), and human soul (kaluluwa).
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Filipino mythology gods and goddesses
The famous gods and goddesses of Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Chinese, and Japanese mythology are the most widespread popular mythology in the world today. These different countries contain different gods and goddesses. Even if Filipino Mythology is not as well-known as the others, they still contain similar elements, such as gods, goddesses, creation stories, mythical creatures and beliefs.
Filipino Mythology varies according to the different tribal people of the Philippines so there are very many tales and theories of the myths. Here are some of the gods and goddesses of Filipino Mythology:
Bathala. Chief go for the Tagalogs.
Kaptan. For most of the ancient Visayans, he is the supreme deity who dwells in the sky. He had a quarrel with the sea deity Maguayan wherein he threw rocks at the latter's realm resulting in the creation of the Philippine islands.
Idianalé. The goddess of husbandry for the ancient Tagalogs
Sidapa. The god of death. He is said to reside on top of Mt.Madia-as, in the province of Antique.
Apong Sinukuan. The deity of the sun and also of Mt.Alaya(Arayat)in the province of Pampanga.
Apong Malyari. The deity of the moon and also of Mt.Pinatubo. He is often depicted to be the sibling of Apong Sinukuan.
Amihan.Personification of the Northeast Wind.
Pughe. The king of the Dwendes of the North. A dwende is a Filipino gnome. Most are divided into the black and white varieties.
Dian Masalanta. The goddess of love and childbirth among the ancient tagalogs.
Lakapati. The hemaphrodite deity of fertility among the ancient Tagalogs.
Dal'lang. The goddess of beauty. She bestows the gift of Beauty to her followers.
Lalahon. The visayan goddess of fire, volcanoes, and harvest. In ancient times people were feared her because she sent locust to destroy harvest when she's angry.
Kidul. The god of earthquakes.
Kalinga. The god of thunder.
Agui. The god of fire, brother of Agwe.
Maguayan. The sea deity of the ancient Visayans. He/She is also believed to be the ferryman of the dead in Sulad(hell).
Mandarangan. The goddess/spirit of war in Bagobo mythology.
Siginaugan. The god of hell.
Deltise. The god of "mambabarangs".
Kilubansa. The god of healing. He is the father of Dihas.
Dihas. The goddess of medicinal herbs.
Pasipo. The god of music.
Sirenha. The goddess of fishes. The Sirenas or mermaids are her children.
Oghep. The god of mountains and hills.
S'dop (sodop). The goddess of gold.
Dayea. The goddess of secrets.
Bayoa. The god of pacts. Invoke during bloodpacts.
Aspene. The shell goddess.
Punho. The god of trees.
Haspe. King of the Tamaos.
Halmista. The visayan god of magick. Some say that he is a former baylan who turned into a god.
Creation Stories
In Filipino Mythology, there are different kinds of creation stories according to the different people(tribal groups) of the Philippines.
Creation Story
This is the ancient Filipino account of the creation.
Thousands of years ago there was no land nor sun nor moon nor stars, and the world was only a great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom of the god Maguayan, and the sky was ruled by the great god Captan.
Maguayan had a daughter called Lidagat, the sea, and Captan had a son known as Lihangin, the wind. The gods agreed to the marriage of their children, so the sea became the bride of the wind.
Three sons and a daughter were born to them. The sons were called Licalibutan, Liadlao, and Libulan, and the daughter received the name of Lisuga.
Licalibutan had a body of rock and was strong and brave; Liadlao was formed of gold and was always happy; Libulan was made of copper and was weak and timid; and the beautiful Lisuga had a body of pure silver and was sweet and gentle. Their parents were very fond of them, and nothing was wanting to make them happy.
After a time Lihangin died and left the control of the winds to his eldest son Licalibutan. The faithful wife Lidagat soon followed her husband, and the children, now grown up, were left without father or mother. However, their grandfathers, Captan and Maguayan, took care of them and guarded them from all evil.
After a time, Licalibutan, proud of his power over the winds, resolved to gain more power, and asked his brothers to join him in an attack on Captan in the sky above. At first they refused; but when Licalibutan became angry with them, the amiable Liadlao, not wishing to offend his brother, agreed to help. Then together they induced the timid Libulan to join in the plan.
When all was ready the three brothers rushed at the sky, but they could not beat down the gates of steel that guarded the entrance. Then Licalibutan let loose the strongest winds and blew the bars in every direction. The brothers rushed into the opening, but were met by the angry god Captan. So terrible did he look that they turned and ran in terror; but Captan, furious at the destruction of his gates, sent three bolts of lightning after them.
The first struck the copper Libulan and melted him into a ball. The second struck the golden Liadlao and he too was melted. The third bolt struck Licalibutan and his rocky body broke into many pieces and fell into the sea. So huge was he that parts of his body stuck out above the water and became what is known as land.
In the meantime the gentle Lisuga had missed her brothers and started to look for them. She went toward the sky, but as she approached the broken gates, Captan, blind with anger, struck her too with lightning, and her silver body broke into thousands of pieces.
Captan then came down from the sky and tore the sea apart, calling on Maguayan to come to him and accusing him of ordering the attack on the sky. Soon Maguayan appeared and answered that he knew nothing of the plot as he had been asleep far down in the sea. After a time he succeeded in calming the angry Captan. Together they wept at the loss of their grandchildren, especially the gentle and beautiful Lisuga; but with all their power they could not restore the dead to life. However, they gave to each body a beautiful light that will shine forever.
And so it was that golden Liadlao became the sun and copper Libulan the moon, while the thousands of pieces of silver Lisuga shine as the stars of heaven. To wicked Licalibutan the gods gave no light, but resolved to make his body support a new race of people. So Captan gave Maguayan a seed and he planted it on the land, which, as you will remember, was part of Licalibutan's huge body. Soon a bamboo tree grew up, and from the hollow of one of its branches a man and a woman came out. The man's name was Sicalac, and the woman was called Sicabay. They were the parents of the human race. Their first child was a son whom they called Libo; afterwards they had a daughter who was known as Saman. Pandaguan was a younger son and he had a son called Arion.
Pandaguan was very clever and invented a trap to catch fish. The very first thing he caught was a huge shark. When he brought it to land, it looked so great and fierce that he thought it was surely a god, and he at once ordered his people to worship it. Soon all gathered around and began to sing and pray to the shark. Suddenly the sky and sea opened, and the gods came out and ordered Pandaguan to throw the shark back into the sea and to worship none but them.
All were afraid except Pandaguan. He grew very bold and answered that the shark was as big as the gods, and that since he had been able to overpower it he would also be able to conquer the gods. Then Captan, hearing this, struck Pandaguan with a small thunderbolt, for he did not wish to kill him but merely to teach him a lesson. Then he and Maguayan decided to punish these people by scattering them over the earth, so they carried some to one land and some to another. Many children were afterwards born, and thus the earth became inhabited in all parts.
Pandaguan did not die. After lying on the ground for thirty days he regained his strength, but his body was blackened from the lightning, and all his descendants ever since that day have been black.
His first son, Arion, was taken north, but as he had been born before his father's punishment he did not lose his color, and all his people therefore are white.
Libo and Saman were carried south, where the hot sun scorched their bodies and caused all their descendants to be of a brown color.
A son of Saman and a daughter of Sicalac were carried east, where the land at first was so lacking in food that they were compelled to eat clay. On this account their children and their children's children have always been yellow in color.
Another popular legend tells the story of how Bathala created the people of the islands.
In the beginning when the Earth was still young, the gods, Bathala; Aman Sinaya; and Amihan, were the only beings that existed. Bathala was god of the Sky (Langit) and Aman Sinaya was goddess of the Sea (Linaw). The two have been fierce rivals for a long time, and everyday, they would try to outdo each other. Bathala used his lighting bolts and thunder, and Aman Sinaya used her waves and typhoons.
One day, Aman Sinaya decided to send her tempests into the Sky to cause a wild comotion. In order to stop her, Bathala threw giant boulders that came from atop of the mountains. It created thousands of islands onto the surface of the Sea, which became the Philippine archipelago. Amihan, the Northeast Wind in the middle of the two realms, decided to stop the battle once and for all by taking the form of a bird. She then flew back and forth between them. This made the Sky and the Sea closer than it was before. At the point where the two realms met, both deities agreed to end the fight and become friends.
As a sign of friendship, Bathala planted a seed underneath the ocean floor. It soon grew into a bamboo reed, sticking out of the edge of the Sea. Amihan had gazed upon it one day and heard voices, coming from inside the bamboo. "Oh, North Wind! North Wind! Please let us out!", the voices said. Shee pecked the reed once, then twice. All of a sudden, the bamboo cracked and slit open. Inside were two human beings; one was a male and the other was a female. Amihan named the man "Malakas" (Strong) and the woman "Maganda" (Beautiful). She then flew them onto one of the islands where they settled, built a house, and had millions of offspring that populated the Earth.
Then, it finally came when the children were too numerous for Malakas and Maganda to control. One day, they were ordered to work in the fields, but instead, they did nothing. When the parents arrived home, they noticed that their instructions weren't followed. Asking for some guidance, they prayed to the great god, Bathala, and he came to them and said, "Let your anger be shown to everyone and it shall make them into what they are meant to be." So out of their anger, they grabbed spoon ladles and began to give blows to everyone.
All the children started running away. Some hid under the bamboo tables and became slaves. A few of them went inside the burning cauldron and turned into the Aetas of the islands. Others climbed up the rooftop and became the datus of the villages. While some climbed on top of the trees and were believed to have become the commoners. Those who fled to the mountains turned into hunters and the ones who ran to the seashore turned into fishermen.
Mythological Stories
Malakas and Maganda
Malakas and Maganda is about the origin of how the Philippines' land and people started from two giants.
"When God was done creating the world, he was bored. He looked down over the earth and sent a bird into the world. It flew around until it heard a sound. The bird found a piece of bamboo and the sound came from it. He started tapping on it and pretty soon it broke in two and a man came out of it. His name was Malakas, which means strong, and he told the bird, "My mate is in the other piece of wood." They got her out and her name was Maganda which means beautiful. The two got on the bird's back because they need to find some place to live. They flew through the world, and then, the bird saw land and let the two giants live on it. Malakas and Maganda stepped on the land and separated the land into islands. Through their living on the islands, they had children and that is the story of the Philippine Islands.
The Legend of Maria Makiling the diwata
Once upon a time, a diwata lived in a mountain of Laguna, called Maria Makiling. She has light olive skin, long shining black hair and twinkling eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Maria was always about helping other people. One time, the children of a farmer got sick. When he went to Maria to seek help, he was given a bilao (a flat, woven container) full of ginger. The farmer sadly went home carrying the bilao of ginger. When he reached his hut, he was greatly surprised: the ginger had turned to gold! Because of Maria's kindness, the townsfolk had grown to love her.
Maria was a great beauty. She was sought for and wooed by many suitors. Three of them were very much determined to have her. One is Captain Lara, a Spanish soldier who always brought her gifts from Europe. The other is Joselito, a Spanish mestizo who was studying in Manila . Every time Joselito visits Maria, he had many stories to tell her about foreign countries and the things that he had read in books. He dreamed of going to Spain. He didn't like to live in the Philippines. Of the three, it was Juan who is the most industrious. He is a common farmer. But despite of his lowly status, he is so hard working, and his fruits and vegetables grew fat and juicy. He also had many pet animals and birds. But if truth be told, it was Juan who Maria secretly admired. As time passed, her suitors became more and more impatient and demanded that Maria tell them who she loves. So the diwata was forced to promise: "By the night of the full moon, I will tell you my answer."
When the night of the full moon arrived, all of her suitors climbed up the mountain to know her decision. All was startled when Maria told them that it was Juan whom she loved. The suitors went away feeling dejected. On the other hand, Joselito and Captain Lara were very much angry with Juan. They thought of a plan against him.
One day, all was surprised when a huge fire devoured the cuartel of the Spanish. Because of the fire, Captain Lara ordered many Filipinos to be captured. Secretly, Joselito helped him. Juan was among those who they imprisoned and tortured.
Many prisoners did not last long from the tortures the Spanish had inflicted upon them. One night, Captain Lara and Joselito secretly spoke with the prisoners. The next day, Juan was blamed for the burning of the Spanish cuartel. "I did not do it!" cried Juan. But the prisoners pointed at him because Captain Lara and Joselito frightened them.
The soldiers brought Juan to the plaza. In front of hundreds of people, Juan was shot as the enemy of the Spaniards. He was killed even though he didn't commit any wrongdoing. But before he died, he managed to shout out loud Maria's name. It was heard by the diwata so she quickly went down from her mountain.
But Juan was already dead when Maria arrived. Tears falling down her face, she embraced tightly his lifeless body. Afterwards, she faced the crowd. "Why did you not take care of him?" she shouted. Meanwhile, Captain Lara and Joselito fled to Manila because they were afraid of Maria. When she learned of this, she cursed the two. She also cursed those men who cannot accept failure in love. Soon, the curse took effect. Joselito suddenly became ill. There was no cure for his illness.
Captain Lara, on the other hand, was called back to Laguna when the Filipinos revolted against the abuse that the Spaniards had inflicted upon them. The revolution quickly spread to many parts of the Philippines. The revolutionary Filipinos killed Captain Lara.
From then on, Maria never let herself be seen by the people again. Every time somebody gets lost on the mountain, they remember the curse of the diwata. Yet they also remember the great love of Maria Makiling.
Mythological Creatures
Aswang
The Aswang, analogous to the European vampire or werewolf, is perhaps the most famous Filipino mythological creature. The aswang is a ghoul, an eater of the dead, and a lycanth.
Aswangs can change from a human to an animal form, usually as a bat, a pig or a black dog. Some aswangs can change form at will, others through the use of foul oils concocted by evil magicians. Aswangs appear at night to prey upon unwary travellers or sleeping people. It is said that they have a peculiar liking for the taste of human liver. The myth of the Aswang is popular in the Visayas, especially in provinces such as Capiz, Antique and Iloilo.
Dila
In the Filipino Tagalog language, the word "dila" means tongue. The Dila is a tongue of a spirit that pass through the bamboo flooring of provincial houses. It then licks certain people to death.
Diwatas and Engkantos
Diwatas, or fairies, are said to reside in large trees, such as acacia and balete. They are the guardian sprits of nature, bringing blessing or curses upon those who bring benefits or harm to the forests and mountains. One such famous Diwata is Maria Makiling, guardian of Mount Makiling in Laguna province.
Engkantos (sometimes spelled as Encantos), or male fairies, reside primarily in the sea. It is a customary way for Filipino fishermen to offer meat and other delicacies to the engkanto by throwing it onto the sea, after a day of bountiful harvest.
In other parts of the country, Diwatas are analogous to the Greek gods and goddesses. Some of the famous Diwatas(Tagalog deities) are:
- Bathala - supreme god and creator.
- Amanikable - god of the sea.
- Diyan Masalanta - goddess of love and pregnancy, patron of lovers
- Apolake - god of the sun and war, patron of warriors.
- Mayari - goddess of the moon
- Tala - goddess of the stars
- Hanan- goddess of morning.
- Anitun Tabu- goddess of wind and rain.
- Idianale- goddess of agriculture and husbandry, protector of farmers.
- Lakapati- goddess of fields and lands. protector of fields, crops, and farm animals.
- Sitan- god of after life, guard of kasanaan.
Dwende
Dwende is the Spanish term for dwarf. Dwendes frequently live in houses or in trees in rural areas. They are known to be either blessing or mischievous, depending on your treatment of them. Filipinos usually leave food on the floor (as Americans do for Santa Claus), and it is done, so that the dwende residing (or as they say, guarding) the house would not be offended but instead give them blessings. You may find Dwende residing in ant hills, and so before you pass an ant hill, you may ask the Dwende to allow you to pass.
Kapre
The Kapre, which is a tall and dark giant, are known to inhabit forests. Kapres tend to smoke tobacco leaves, that is why Filipinos living in rural areas are very sensitive about tobacco smell.
Manananggal
A Manananggal is a sorceress who has the power to divide her body in two. She usually appears as a pretty newcomer to small villages and barrios. To feed, the self-segmenter chooses an isolated place where she will leave her lower torso when she hunts at night. When she separates from her lower torso, she loses her beauty and her true monstrous form emerges -- huge leather batwings sprout from her back and provide her with aerial mobility. She then goes off in search of houses where pregnant women reside. Upon choosing a suitable victim, the Manananggal alights on the house and inserts her tongue through the roof. The tongue is long, hollow and extremely flexible. She uses it to puncture the stomach of the sleeping woman and proceeds to suck out the fetus.
A story is told of a pregnant woman who awakes from sleep and sees a white thread hanging from the ceiling. She cuts it with a pair of scissors, thinking it to be a stray thread from the mosquito cover that surrounds her bed. The following day, she discovers that her newly arrived neighbor has fled the night before, with witnesses saying that her mouth was pooling with blood from a cut tongue. The pregnant woman rushes back to the bedroom and searches for the "thread" she had cut the night before. Under the bed she finds, not a piece of thread, but rather a bleeding human tongue.
Sunlight is deadly to the Manananggal when she is in her monstrous form. Should her two halves still be separate with the coming of dawn, she will be destroyed. It is said that to destroy the Manananggal, one should search for the lower torso that she leaves behind during her nightly hunts. Salt and/or garlic should then be placed on the lower torso's opening, preventing the monster from combining again and leaving it vulnerable to sunlight. Placing a mixture of salt, ash and raw rice in small containers around the house is said to deter the Manananggal from approaching. Burning rubber is also said to deter them from approaching the house as they abhor the smell of it.
The Manananggal has a long tongue that looks like a thread.
Mangkukulam
The mangkukulam is the Filipino word for a witch or sorcerer, the name deriving from the word kulam. Another term is brujo for warlocks, bruja for witches. In the Visayan provinces, it is known as Mambabarang. The verb kulamin means "to place a hex", and a curse in Filipino is a sumpa.
The mangkukulam recites a spell and pierces the part of a doll where he or she wants whoever it represents to experience suffering. This is mitigated by finding the mangkukulam and bribing him or her.
Superstitious folks still attribute certain illnesses or diseases to kulam. This most often happens in the provinces, where an herbal doctor, albularyo, treats them. In some rural provincial areas, people completely rely on the albularyo for treatment.
Matruculan
The Matruculan is the one who comes into a virgin's house and impregnates her. Another version of the Matruculan is that it kills the mother, opens her abdomen and eats the fetus inside. It is countered by the husband, who, when it is time for the woman to labor, slashes the air with his knife, or balisong. The belief in Matruculan is now not as widespread as it was in the Spanish days. See also Succubus and Incubus.
Multo
"Multo", the Tagalog word for ghost, comes from the Spanish word 'muerto', which means death. Filipinos believe that some kind of multo, often a spirit of their former kin, regularly visits them. It is also believed that in death, a dead person is first visited by and then fetched by another dead spirit. This is called, in Tagalog, "sinusundo" (being fetched). Born Again Christian Filipinos regard the multo as evil spirits, while the Catholic Filipinos regard them as true. The Tagalog word for being visited by a multo is 'minumulto'(being haunted), or 'dinadalaw' (being visited). See also Goryo.
Nuno sa punso
The Nuno sa Punso inhabits humps, such as anthills, in the ground. That is why Filipinos, when passing through a hump in the sidewalk, say 'makikiraan lang po' (excuse me), as not to offend the nuno, or 'tabi-tabi po, nuno'. They are often confused with Dwende.
Putol na kamay
Putol na Kamay are usually seen in mailboxes or cupboards in the provincial homes. It means "severed hand"
Santelmo
Santelmo, or Santo Elmo, is a fireball. It was seen by dozens of Filipinos, especially those living in the Sierra Madre Moutains. It was scientifically explained as electric fields which have diverged from the lines. However, the sightings were reported since the Spanish era(1500s-1800s). See also Shinen and Will-o-Wisps. There were also sightings in the alps and himalayas.
Sirena and siyokoy
The Sirena is a mermaid. Sirenas are reportedly often seen ashore by fishermen, especially in the towns bordering the Pacific Ocean. The Siyokoy is the male counterpart of the Sirena. The Siyokoy has gill slits, is colored brown, and has scaly skin, comparable to that of fishes'.
Tikbalang
The Tikbalang is a half-horse and half-man creature. Its head is the horse part, and its body is of human form. Tikbalang always can be seen in the mountains.
Tiyanak
The Tiyanak (related to Changelings) is the offspring of a woman and a demon, as said by the Filipinos. The Tiyanak can also be the aborted fetus of the mother, and then comes to life to bring mischief and hardships to the woman. It is characterized as having red skin and no hair, with glowing eyes.
Sources
- Barangay-Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society by William Henry Scott
- Apung Iru
- Mysterio delas Felipinas
- Philippine Folklore Stories
See also
- Folk religion
- folk mythology
--Angel 16:17, 1 June 2006 (CDT)
