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Pre-Spanish Period

Historical Background
Long before the Spaniards and other foreigners landed or set foot on
Philippine shores, our forefathers already had their own literature
stamped in the history of our race.
Our ancient literature shows our customs and traditions in everyday life
as traced in our folk stories, old plays and short stories.
Our ancestors also had their own alphabet which was different from
that brought by the Spaniards. The first alphabet used by our ancestor
was similar to that of the Malayo-Polynesian alphabet.
Why certain things existed in their physical environment must have
intrigued the ancient Filipinos as it did other early peoples. In their effort
to define their world, to account for the realities in it, and to explain their
feelings, beliefs, and judgments, they made up interesting narratives.
These have come down to us in the form of origin myths, legends, fables,
tales of the supernatural, and humorous accounts about some trickster,
like Pusong or Pilandok, or some bungling character who got by in spite of
or because of his lack of wit.
And there were also metrical accounts of native Filipino gods and
their deeds. Songs and verses filled early religious practices: to express
devotion, to atone for sins, to minister to the sick, and to bury the
dead.Verses were composed also to pray for abundance and happiness: in
the home, on the farm, on the sea, and elsewhere. In like manner, verses
aired love for and loyalty to the barangay and its rulers. These were
supplemented by accounts of battle (kudanag), songs of victory
(tagumpay, talindad), songs of hanging a captured enemy (sambotan,
tagulaylay), and songs expressive of manliness. From the peoples social
life evolved.
But whatever records our ancestors left were either burned by the
Spanish friars in the belief that they were works of the devil or were
written on materials that easily perished, like the barks of trees, dried
leaves and bamboo cylinders which could not have remained undestroyed
even if efforts were made to preserve them.
Other records that remained showed folk songs that proved the
existence of a native culture truly our own. Some of these were passed on
by word of mouth until they reached the hands of some publishers or
printers who took interest in printing the manuscripts of the ancient
Filipinos.
Although attempts have been made to compile these folk narratives by
such collectors as Fr. Jose Ma. Pavon (Las antiguas leyendas de la isla de
Negros) during the Spanish period Fay-Cooper Cole (Traditions of the
Tinguian, 1915), Mable Cook Cole (Philippine Folk Tales, 1916), and Dean
S. Fansler (Filipino Popular Tales, 1921) during the early part of the
American regime, and some Filipino and American anthropologists and
folklorists in more recent times, many of the theme still remain in the
memory of the folk, uncollected and unwritten.

Mythology is an interwoven series of myths told by a given race.


The word also means the study of myths in general.
Classifications of Mythology:
1) Myth: an account of the deeds of a god or of a supernatural being; a
kind of imaginative precursor of scientific investigation.
Are permanent, they deal with the greatest of all problems the
problems which do not change because men and women do not change.
They deal with love (the romantic element), war, sin, tyranny, courage,
and faith; all in the same way in relation to man.
2) Legend: a widely-accepted but unverified story of the origin of things,
persons or
places.
Myths and legends deal largely with gods, their deeds, adventures,
dealing with supernatural beings and culture heroes with origins and
explanation of things and phenomena in the surrounding world.
3) Folktale: Pure fiction that seems to have no other origin than a desire
to amuse and
interest.
bring knowledge and understanding of mens motives and tolerance
that recognizes faith where ignorance would only see superstition. It is
especially necessary to have this knowledge now when modern science
and invention have brought the world into a closer community of nations.
Widely disseminated through all places in the world might bring to
reality what we all bring about our world.
The folktales are shaped by the thoughts and the actions, the
aspirations and fears of a people. Often the outline of a story and
sometimes even the characters are common to several characters (epic
and folklore).
Pre-Spanish Literature is characterized by:
A. LEGENDS
Its aim is to entertain.
B. Folk tales
a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk,
especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people.
C. Epics
noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon
a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in
elevated style
D. Folk songs
a song originating among the people of a country or area, passed by
oral tradition from one singer or generation to the next, often existing in
several versions, and marked generally by simple, modal melody and
stanza, narrative verse.

E. Epigrams
a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and
usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.
F. Riddles
a question or statement so framed as to exercise ones ingenuity in
answering it or discovering its meaning; conundrum.
G. Chants
a short, simple melody, especially one characterized by single notes to
which an indefinite number of syllables are intoned, used in singing
psalms, canticles, etc., in church services.
H. Proverbs and Sayings
A saying is a short, clever expression that usually contains advice or
expresses some obvious truth.
Proverb: a piece of common-sense wisdom expressed in practical,
homely terms (A stitch in time saves nine).

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