The Philippines is a beautiful country filled with natural wonders and stories from ancient

times about how things came to be in their land. Characterised by the rich quality and sheer number
of creation stories, the Philippines is one of the foremost weavers of such myths in the world.

1. Lumawig the Great Spirit - Igorot

Lumawig was the Great Spirit before the earth had any people or things. Descending from
the Sky, He cut up reeds into pairs and placed them in various places of the world. Eventually, he
told them that they must speak, and so they turned into men and women who though able to talk
could not understand each other for
their languages were different. These
were the peoples whom the Great Spirit
Lumawig would help and command to
procreate. When there were once no
people on earth, many descendants of
the couples who originated from reeds
populated the earth and spoke the same
language as their parents. To some,
Lumawig provided supplies for their
needs, suggesting them to boil salt for
business or use their highlands’ rich clay to create pottery and jars.

2. Tagalog Creation Story

The world began with only the seas, the sky, a flying kite - a type of bird - and no land. This
kite became restless flying all the time and started stirring up the sea which threw up its waters
against the sky, which retaliated by showering islands onto its surface. The kite was able to land on
one of the islands to build a nest and leave the two in peace.

At this time, the land breeze and sea breeze’s marriage produced a bamboo, which struck
the heel of the kite who pecked at it, and from one section came out a man and another a woman
who bore many children. Their father out of desperation over their offsprings’ uselessness started
beating his children, who happened to be the different races of the world: chiefs, slaves, free men,
negroes, and white men.
3. Philippine Creation Story

In the beginning, there were no sun, stars,

moon, or even land, only a vast sea and an empty
swirling sky lorded by the god of the sea Maguayan
and the god of the sky Captan. Maguayan had a
daughter named Lidagat and Captan had a son
named Lihangin, and these two were married
happily with four beautiful children: strong and
brave Licalibutan who had a body of rock, happy
Liadlao who was formed of gold, timid Libulan who
was made of copper, and the beautiful and gentle
Lisuga of pure silver.

After the death of Lidagat and Lihangin, power-hungry

Licalibutan with the help of his two brothers incited an attack
on the steel gates of the kingdom of the sky. Captan destroyed
his attackers with lightning bolts, Liadlao and Libulan turning
into molten metal and Licalibutan into large chunks of rock
that became what is known as land; Lisuga searched for them
but too was pulverized into countless silver specks. Captan
eventually mourned his grandchildren, and turned golden
Liadlao into the sun, copper Libulan into the moon, Lisuga into
the countless stars, and Licalibutan into a land for the people.