Filipino Mythology

MELU, THE CLEANLY CREATOR (Blaan)

In the very beginning, there lived a being so large that he could not be compared with any known thing. His name was Melu, and when he sat in the clouds, which were his home, he occupied all the space above. His teeth were pure gold, and because he was very cleanly and continually rubbed himself with his hands, his skin became pure white. The dead skin which he rubbed off his body was placed on one side in a pile. By and by this pile became so large that he was annoyed and set himself to consider what he could do with it.

Finally, Melu decided to make the earth; so he worked very hard in putting the dead skin into shape. When it was finished, he was so pleased with it that he determined to make two beings like himself, though smaller, to live on it.

Taking the remnants of the material left after making the earth, he fashioned two men. But, just as they were all finished, except their noses, Tau Tana from below the earth appeared and wanted to help him.

Melu did not wish any assistance, and a great argument ensued. Tau Tana finally won his point and made the noses which he placed on the people upside down. When all was finished, Melu and Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved. Then Melu wen to his home above the clouds and Tau Tana returned to his place below the earth.

All went well until one day a great rain came. All the people on earth nearly drowned from the water which ran off their heads into their noses. Melu, from his place on the clouds, saw their danger and he came quickly to earth and saved their lives by turning their noses the other side up.

The people were very grateful to him and promised to do anything he should ask of him. Before he left for the sky, they told him that they were very unhappy living on the great earth all alone. So, he told them to save all the hair from their heads and the dry skin from their bodies and the next time he came he would make them some companions. And in this way, there came to be a great many people on the earth.

Source: The Soul Book. Francisco R. Demetrio, Gilda Cordero-Fernando and Fernando N. Zilacita.
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Ang mapanumpa at mainggiting diyos The vindictive and jealous god

From the beginning, Tasu Weh has always been jealous of Fiu Weh.
Once upon a time, when the heavens still hung low, there was plenty of food to eat. Fiu Weh didn't have a hard time looking for something to eat.

One day, he laid out his rice to dry in the heat of the sun. Afterwards, he called the birds to him and he asked for some of their eggs. The birds landed near the rice and gave Fiu Weh their eggs in thanks. Fiu Weh thanked the birds, and feasted on the eggs.

There was also this other day, when Fiu Weh craved the heart of the wild boar. He called the Wild-boars of the forest and asked them for a heart. Because he was kind and good, the boars gave him what he wanted. Happily, Fiu Weh thanked the boars and feasted.

When Tasu Weh learned of this, he became very jealous of Fiu Weh. He approached Fiu Weh and asked him how was he able to get food so quickly, for he was starving. Because Fiu Weh cannot lie and was inherently good anyway, he told Tasu Weh the truth.

Tasu Weh did as he was bid by Fiu Weh. He laid out rice for the birds and asked for eggs. The birds landed on the rice, but refused to give their eggs to Tasu Weh, for they knew what he was really like. This angered Tasu Weh, and he cursed them, saying "From now on, you shall never be close to man. You will only be able to get close to them only if they trap you. That is my curse upon you and all your kind!"

Tasu Weh, still hungry, decided to call the Wild Boars. "I wish a boar heart," he shouted to them. The boars approachd, and then Tasu Weh killed one of them and it cried in pain. The boars got scared and scattered. Tasu Weh flared!!! He was so angry! 'Accursed boars! I curse you like I did the birds! You would never be close to man, and you will only be close to you when they catch and kill you. Remember that!" he shouted.

From then on, the boars and the birds aren't easily caught, they need to be hunted, and then killed.
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SPIRITS OF THE B'LAAN TRIBE

The Benevolent Spirits

MELE or MELU

The Creator and ancestor of men. The highest in the order of spirit-beings. He lived in the Sky World and did not meddle in the worldly affairs of men. He is the most powerful of all spirit-beings and his assistance was sought in times of calamities and at very special occasions by mortals. They prayed and gave offerings to him.

DIWATA (Duwata, Dwata, Duata, Adwata)

According to Bilaan myths, Mele with Diwata and with Fiuweigh and Saweigh, were the first beings in the beginning of the world. They made the world and men by joint efforts. There were also two different other stories told by famous anthropologies, Cole and Genotiva. According to Cole, Diwata is the wife of Mele and of equal strength with him. But, according to Genotiva, Diwata is Mele's younger brother and of not equal strength with Mele.

MNGUHUL

A harmless spirit-being because they made friends with the people. They had the ability to forewarn people of dangers and to foretell possible luck in hunting, any event or activity that will be undertaken by any member of the community. The Malevolent Spirits Magical incantations and offerings were employed to ward off their evil powers.

BLUGUL

They are the souls of bad men eaten by a soul-eating-demon who sleeps in the underworld. He causes earthquakes when he moves in his sleep.

SILING/BLANGA/MAGUT-AYEM Another class of demons, old and most feared because they feed on human flesh.

LOOS KLAGAN

A mischievous spirit that caused a lot of embarassment to his victims especially among women. He also caused harm to people who angered him.

MALULUGUD

Spirit that scares and frightens people by transforming into frightful-looking animals. MALALAGUY, a Bilaan who was a vagabond and a good-for-nothing individual was likened to this spirit.

BUSUA

This is a class of malicious spirits. They fedd on the souls of people and caused sickness to those whose souls they wanted to eat. Source: The Soul Book. Francisco R. Demetrio, Gilda Cordero-Fernando and Fernando N. Zilacita.

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Filipino Folklore

What is Filipino Folklore?

Dr. Damiana Eugenio, a renowned Filipina folklorist, says there is still no universally accepted definition of the word "folklore". But any bit of knowledge handed down from generation to generation, which describes or depicts the beliefs and lifestyle of the ancestors of a chosen ethnic group, is rendered unique to that group, and is respected as folklore.

Folklore is usually transmitted by word of mouth. Oral traditions are very common among the indigenous tribes still existent in the Philippines. What students of folk literature do, basically, is transcribe and interpret what is related to them by the storytellers of a tribe. The preservation of the knowledge of our elders can be carried out in many ways, and they are not inaccessible to anyone who would seek them.

Recently, interest in folklore seems to have diminished. With the swift pace of modern living, looking back at our roots through spyglasses such as the study of folklore seems more and more difficult, if not pointless. The Filipino youth, especially, are more concerned with looking forward as the rest of the world hastens toward a technological future. We do not want to be left behind, after all. But if we were never meant to look back, why does the ancient saying "Ang siyang di lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay di makararating sa paroroonan (Whoever does not look back at a starting point, will not arrive at a destination)" remain in our lips? Why do we remind ourselves of the necessity of stopping to pay respect to our forebears and the advice they could still give?

This website is dedicated to the presentation – or, should I say, representation – of native Filipino folklore. It aims to favor the lore of no particular ethnic group, as everyone is aware of the diversity of tribal affiliations still present in our everyday lives. It means to declare that the tales spun during one tribe’s journey through life and time are no longer for the enjoyment and convenience of the members of that tribe alone, but for the whole world.

It also does not intend to evoke rivalry among ethnic affiliations. Sometimes closely-related versions of a single story exist in the lore of two or more ethnic groups, and a sort of discord is brought about when some groups attempt to "reclaim the rights" to the plot. It is hoped that the topographical areas attributed to particular tales would only serve to be references for study and not argument. At any rate, contributed variations of any tale presented in this site are welcome.

We shall endeavor to keep on adding as many stories to this site as we can. But for the moment let us all look back and see what we have done.

This site divides Philippine folklore into five major parts, namely:
Myths and LegendsFablesTales of the SupernaturalHeroic TalesTales of Laughter

Myths are tales involving the gods of old. They may deal with a conflict among the gods themselves, or ways in which the gods would reveal themselves as unique characters unto the lowly creatures of the Earth, including, of course, man. Legends of creation usually involve spirits or gods, or just an omnipotent God. At any rate, almost every legend involves a miracle or curse invoked in the name of, or by the hand of, a Higher Power.

Generally, fables are short narratives that revolve around particular moral lessons. Animals are the heroes in most fables. They are made to stand for certain traits of the human race, and to teach the ways of the world through vivid characterization and lively interaction.

The supernatural involves the fair folk, dwarves, mermaids, demons, strange beasts – and other phenomena. Tales of divine intervention are included here, as they are also classified as unexplainable.

Heroes adventure and gather the fruits of their labor and Fate. These tales have inspired the Filipinos to aspire for the greatest since the dawn of time.

And, finally, what is a Filipino if he does not know how to laugh? Tales of laughter insist on having a separate category. Moral lessons are sometimes scattered about…though most of the time, stories in this area had been created and are handed down for the sole purpose of having fun.



Manananggal

What are Manananggal? The scariest goriest bad ass vampires you are ever to come across.
By day, they look like beautiful women. In fact, the more adoring males they come across they often turn into their consorts who guard their queen fanatically, especially when her inanimate body is most vulnerable: at night. The word Manananggal roughly means "self-remover" in Tagalog. This is because at night, a Manananggal's head lifts from her body cavity, and she flies about, her internal organs hanging from her floating head. Alternatively, she turns her arms into wings, or spouts wings, and severs at the torso instead.
The smell of vinegar gives them away, the fluid that preserves their ghastly parasitical cohabitation with their daytime body. Manananggal prey on pregnant women, specifically the fetus, almost exclusively. They have a tube which comes out of their mouth to perform the feeding,

You kill a Manananggal by putting salt on its lower body while the head is flying about. But of course, you have to get past the fanatical consorts which guard her vulnerable lower half first. If a Manananggal cannot reunite with its lower half by sunrise, she dies. The salt prevents this. They are part of a larger group of corpse-loving changelings called Aswang, of which they are perhaps the strongest and most powerful.

Maria Makiling

Maria Makiling is a diwata, a filipino fairy. She is a trickster forest spirit. She is alternatively malevolent, especially to hunters, and helpful. She is also sad in a way. Her story is attached to Mt. Makiling on the big island of Luzon.

Makiling is one of the most famous mountain in the archipelago and with that comes a lot of folklore and legends about the mountain and the goddess that lives in the mountain, Mariang Makiling. In fact people living within the towns under the shadow of the mountains has always describe the silhouette of the mountain peak as that of Makiling lying down.
One of the famous stories is about an enchanted woman who lived in the quiet woods at the foot of Mt. Makiling. The people named her Maria Makiling because of where she lived. She was a young and beautiful woman. The beauty abundance and serenity of this enchanted place complimented her rare qualities. She was kind and compassionate to the town people. She shared the full and rich abundance of her enchanted places; fishes in the lake, food and crops, fruits and trees. All were for free. People could borrow from her whatever they need, whatever they wanted. Her kindness was known far and wide. One afternoon, a hunter came by and wandered into her kingdom. When he saw her beauty, he fell in love with her and she too felt the same way for him. They met and talk everyday and promised to love each other forever. Until one day Maria waited for him but he did not come. Maria discovered that he found a real woman and got married. She was very sad and frustrated. She felt deeply hurt and realized that the town people could not be trusted because she was different from them and they were just using her. Forgiving was really difficult. Her sadness and frustration turned into anger that she refused to give fruits to the trees. Animals and birds were no more. Fish no longer abound the lakes. People seldom saw her. It was only during pale moonlit nights that they sometimes see her.

Another story is about three suitors who intensely battled for the heart of Makiling. One was a Spanish soldier, another, a Spanish-Filipino mestizo and the third, a Filipino farmer named Juan. In the end the Filipino won the heart of Maria Makiling which angered the two other suitor. They have plotted to kill him through a fire that broke down on the garrison, which they blamed against Filipinos including Juan. They shot Juan as punishment and before dying he shouted the name of Maria. Maria went down in the mountain and cursed the two as well as the other men who cannot accept failure in love then she went back in the mountains never to be seen again. The Spanish soldier died during the revolution while the mestizo died of illness. When somebody gets lost in the mountains, people attribute it to the curse on Makiling.
The legends usually revolve around hunters getting lost in the woods and falling in lover with her, and her alternately being helpful at first, and then wrathful when promises to her are broken, or just plain mean to hunters lost in the woods to begin with, perhaps due to prior experiences? There is always a theme of lost or forbidden love as well with Maria.

Tikbalang

A tikbalang is sort of a centaur in reverse- like a minotaur. They are sometimes harmless, and sometimes downright malevolent creatures, depending upon the myth, but they are never stupid. They are tricksters, and are very playful and intelligent. They often riddle whomever they meet, and if successfully beaten at their riddling, they will allow their victims to pass, or reward with gold.

Kapre

Kapre are strange tree demons that smoke huge cigars.
The term kapre was derived from the Spanish "kapfre", in turn from the Moors, from the Arabic Kaffir, an African non-believer. It is suggested that when the conquistadors first came to the Philippines, they heard about the mystical creatures approximating their kafre, and soon the conqueror's lexicon prevailed in any areas.

Be very careful when trees move without wind. This means that a kapre is present at the very top of the tree. The kapre sits quietly smoking a leg-sized cigar that never burns out. It terrifies passerby with its size, glowing eyes and cigar, but it is otherwise harmless. It is said to live in trees, abandoned houses and ruined buildings. They are believed to appear only at night.

Mangkukulam

Mangkukulam is Filipino black magic. A great practitioner of Mangkukulam is called a Mambabarang. Do not mess with it. I won't even talk that much about it, besides to quote this tale:

A woman friend (let's call her Lita) of ours from Batangas (Philippines) had an ugly fight with an old man regarding a coconut tree. After sometime, Lita finds her tummy getting big. Thinking she was pregnant, she announced it to almost everyone in the barrio. Days passed she became aware that there is something wrong with her preganancy. Her tummy gets bigger way too fast - considering that she had only been "pregnant" for two months. When she went to a doctor, the doctor tells her that there's some kind of a "mass" inside her tummy, and it's definitely not a baby. So she had surgery. When the doctor opened her tummy, nata de coco (a processed coconut) spilled out of her. Almost 2 bags were taken out. "Binarang ka siguro ng matandang nakaaway mo, kilala iyon sa lugar namin bilang mambabarang" (The old man you had a fight with is well known to be a mambabarang and you had become his victim) says one of our ka-barrio.

Siquijor
I once talked to a guy from Siquijor. I told him I wanted to go to that island because of its fascinating connection with the supernatural. And he was like, "Why would you ever want to go there?" It's not a particularly large or impressive island. It's quite tiny and charming, actually, it's just a little out of the way. But for some reason, its infamy in the Visayas as a center of witchcraft and Mangkukulam is well-establish. The guy said he was constantly teased at school in Cebu for being from there. And whatever you do, according to those "in the know," if you go to Siquijor, if you let anyone there touch you, you MUST immediately touch them back! Or you will be doomed to the world of black magic and be at the mercy of Mangkukulam. Here is a good examination of the quaint little island with the strange reputation.

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The Olympians

The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthow of the Titans. All the Olympians are related in some way. They are named after their dwelling place Mount Olympus.


Zeus
Zeus overthew his Father Cronus. He then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, the rain god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him. He is married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. He is also known to punish those that lie or break oaths.

Poseidon
Poseidon is the brother of Zeus. After the overthow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Hades, another brother, for shares of the world. His prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen. He married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titon Oceanus.

At one point he desired Demeter. To put him off Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the world had ever seen. So to impress her Poseidon created the first horse. In some accounts his first attempts were unsucessful and created a varity of other animals in his quest. By the time the horse was created his passion for Demeter had cooled.
His weapon is a trident, which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is second only to Zeus in power amongst the gods. He has a difficult quarrelsome personality. He was greedy. He had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities.

Hades
Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinnyes are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.
He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisable. He rarely leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos.

Hestia
Hestia is Zeus sister. She is a virgin goddess. She does not have a distinct personality. She plays no part in myths. She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the house around which a new born child is carried before it is received into the family. Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to go out.

Hera
Hera is Zeus wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. She is the protector of marrage and takes special care of married women.
Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus courted her unsuccesfully. He then turned to trickery, changing himself into disheveled cuckoo. Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his normal form and taking advantage of the suprise he gained, raped her. She then married him to cover her shame.
Once when Zeus was being partcularly overbearing to the other gods, Hera convinced them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus, and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to tie many knots. This done they began to quarrel over the next step. Briareus overheard the arguements. Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grapped up his thuderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains. She wept in pain all night but, none of the others dared to interfere. Her weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her if she would swear never to rebel again. She had little choice but, to agree. While she never again rebeled, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit him.
Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus's infidelities. Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city is Argos.

Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He is the god of war. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. When caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite her husband Hephaestus is able publically ridicule him. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog.

Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armour from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only wars to defined the state and home from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.

Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis. He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow. The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who can not speak a lie.
One of Apollo's more importaint daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky.
He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People travled to it from all over the greek world to devine the future.
His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.

Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. There are two accounts of her birth.
One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
The other goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitles into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus.
She is the wife of Hephaestus. The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swann, and the sparrow her birds.

Hermes
Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus messenger. He is the fastest of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is the god of thieves and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy , weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.

Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo. She is the lady of the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods. She is the protector of the young. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows. She became associated with the moon. She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides over childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto no pain when she was born. She became associated with Hecate. The cypress is her tree. All wild animals are scared to her, especially the deer.

Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as to how he became lame vary. Some say that Hera, upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea, breaking his legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an arguement with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He is kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite. Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia.

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