FOLK NARRATIVES

Submitted By: Adrian Ivan D. Aldea

From: SSC VII
Submitted To: Ms. Arlene B. Buenconsejo
Table of Contents
MYTHS
The Litao & Serena
Long ago, the beautiful Serena lived with her mother by the sea. At the end of
the day, she would sit on a rock to comb her long tresses while singing so
sweetly. One day a litao heard her voice and fell in love with this mortal maiden.
The merman wasted no time expressing his feelings; serenading her under the
shadows of the moonlight and leaving flowers and treasures at her
doorstep. Serena’s mother grew fearful of the deity that sought her daughter’s
heart, forbade her from leaving the house. Two weeks went by and Serena grew
increasingly bored, angry and bitter from being kept indoors. One morning while
her mother was distracted preparing breakfast, she opened the window and
noticed a bright object sparkling by the water’s edge. Filled with curiosity, she
crept outside and saw a diamond the size of a small coconut, dancing with the
waves. As her fingers scarcely touched the waters a huge bubble enveloped
her and transported her to the litao’s palace in the bottom of the sea. When she
reached his abode, she gazed upwards and saw the sun shimmering like a
glorious diadem. A soft voice called her name, turning her head, she saw a half-
fish and half human creature whose eyes was filled with love and kindness. He
showed her his kingdom and by the end of the day Serena was in love and
agreed to live with him at the bottom of the sea. The litao explained she would
have to drink a potion mixed with his blood to transform her into an immortal
half-human and half fish creature like himself. However, he withheld the dark
secret of the price he had to pay for her immortality – which turned him into a
mortal for a hundred years. Piercing his wrist with a silver knife, he prepared the
elixir and gave it to Serena to drink, within a few minutes her transformation was
complete. After sunset, they went up to the surface and visited Serena’s grieving
mother, who almost fainted from the shock of her daughter’s new form. But
seeing their great love for each other, she blessed their union and the sirens
lived happily in their underwater paradise for 100 years. Their union produced
seven beautiful daughters who now live in the various waters of the area. On the
eve of the 100th year, the litao whispered in her ear “A hundred years with you is
better than eternity without you.” After disclosing his dark secret, he spent the
rest of the evening consoling his distraught wife. Early the next day, the merman
kissed Serena goodbye, swam near the entrance of their home where he turned
into a rock. Serena, full of anguish at the loss of her husband, went up to the
shore and transformed herself into a human. Hearing the sounds of a procession,
she walked towards town and followed behind the carriage of the Virgin Mary;
walking sorrowfully with tear filled eyes fixed to the ground. People wondered
who the mysterious lady was. After the procession, a curious few followed the
lady with the fishlike odor as she walked towards the river. When she came to
the water’s edge, they surely thought she was going to drown herself. They
watched in awe as the waters divided into two walls giving her passage into her
underwater palace. The litao was soon forgotten by all except Serena who is
forever grateful for the gift of immortality her husband gave her long ago.