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Philippine Literature in the Ancient Period

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Science and Technology
Philippine Science High School
Eastern Visayas Campus
Pawing, Palo, Leyte

Compilation in English 1
“Philippine Folk Literature”

from the works of

Jade Mendiola
Grade 7 Ruby, SY 2017-2018
 Table of Contents

Asuang Steals Fire from Gugurang 1

Origin of this World 4

The Quarrel of the Volcanoes 5

Samal Genesis 6

The Bontoc Legend of Lumawig 8

The Man and Woman of the Bamboo 12

Bila-an Genesis 13

The Life of Lam-ang 15

The Creation of the Earth and the First People 20

Children of the Skyworld 21

The Bukidnon Ascension to Heaven 22

Reference List 23
Asuang Steals Fire from Gugurang
by Damiana Eugenio

Long ago when the world was still young the good and evil gods were not yet enemies as they are
now. They were friends, each living separately in a mountain (Bolod, Bicol). One report even said that
they were brothers. Gugurang, the good god, was living inside Mount Mayon, and Asuang, the evil one,
inside Mount Malinao. As gods they had control of the welfare of the people. But Gugurang was more
powerful than Asuang who was merely a subordinate; the former was the chief deity (cagurangnan) of
the Bicols.

Now Gugurang was given full control over the people, who learned to look up to him for protection or
for advancement. Whenever the people disobeyed his orders or wishes, he would cause the pit of the
Mayon Volcano to rumble terribly. The people in time took this as a sign of warning, and accordingly,
mended their foul ways. Or if their sins were beyond forgiveness Gugurang would make the volcano
erupt to wipe out the sinners.

Gugurang then became the symbol of the good (an mga marhay) ready to punish the bad (an mga
maraot). When the people saw fire (calayo) flowing out of the crater of Mayon, they would grow afraid.
They would then offer a sacrifice (atang) to him to appease his wrath. The Baliana, priestess, officiated
in the ceremony. Always when they committed wrong, there would be loud moaning of the earth
followed by an eruption of fire and lava (abo).

Now, Asuang had no fire in his abode inside Mount Malinao (to the north of Albay). He wanted to be as
powerful as Gugurang, at least. If the people aroused his wrath, he wanted to subdue them by a fire or
rumbling in Mount Malinao (this was still whole then). He entreated Gugurang to give him some fire
but Gugurang emphatically refused.

"How dare you ask for my fire!" Gugurang thundered. The earth trembled. "Don't you know that when
the fire in my seat is carried by hands such as yours the whole world will be set on fire?"

"But I will be very careful," replied Asuang.

"Be careful! I myself with all my power cannot handle it."

"But how can you threaten the people with it?"

"It is not my will that does it. It is someone else's that you or I do not know nor will ever know. But the
rainy days are coming and I need fire to make me warm in Mount Malinao."

"Why," answered Gugurang, "you have lived there for many years and this is the first time that you
have asked me for it, what will you use the fire for? Look at your people; they can live without it."

"Well, it is time for you to give them fire now."

"Give them fire!" burst Gugurang. The earth shook and the people were more afraid. But soon
Gugurang quelled the commotion. Asuang himself was frightened. He never saw him that way before.

"They are not fit to have it yet! They must make themselves worthy."

"Well, am I not worthy?"

"You! You lay god! Look at your ragged mountain and compare it to Mayon which is the most beautiful
in the world."

Asuang argued with him for a long time but Gugurang would not budge an inch. Asuang suddenly
Page 1
discovered, which before he had not, that Gugurang was all-powerful. Asuang narrowed his eyes and
smiled with sinister import. He decided to oppose him from now on.

"You want to be the omnipotent power," Asuang cried. "But between us two there is not much
difference. Why must I live in a humble place like Mount Malinao while you sit here gloating over your
power unlimited and unchecked?"
"Stop!" The earth shivered as Gugurang stamped his feet on the ground. Asuang only smiled this time.
That made Gugurang angry all the more. He struck out but before his blow could land, Asuang had
vanished already. Gugurang was greatly amazed at this—the new power of Asuang in making himself
invisible.

Then from a short distance in the room came the voice of the evil one, "If I cannot get fire in good will,
I will in bad—I will steal it."

"Try—and before you can do that I will cut your mountain in twain."

"Then let there be war between us," countered Asuang. Thus the good and the evil became enemies
from that time on. Motives were many to prove that Asuang was ambitious. It could not be doubted
that the power to rule intrigued him. He determined to oppose every move of Gugurang. He gathered
around him evil counselors and evil spirits whom he sent to the earth to turn the people to evil ways.
After that, there was much immorality, lawlessness and crime. Gugurang in no time found out that it
was Asuang who was causing all these things.

He sent pestilence to the barrios and for a moment the people turned to the omnipotent for protection.
Gugurang asked them for another atang or sacrifice and warned them to follow his commandments
strictly or be exterminated by floods or eruption. Against Asuang himself Gugurang was powerless to
do anything. It seemed that in the twinkle of an eye Asuang came to possess hidden powers hitherto
denied him.

Gugurang particularly guarded his fire lest his enemy make good his threat of stealing it. He assigned
his trusted helpers (catambang) to guard the symbol of his power. He was afraid, besides, that if the
fire were to go out of its confines the world would be consumed in a mighty conflagration.

But in spite of the precaution taken, Asuang was able to enter and locate the guarded object, and with
many guiles and wiles, he bribed the guards with gold (bolauan). The temptation (sogot) was too
sweet to be denied. Hence Asuang obtained possession of Gugurang's fire. Putting it inside a coconut
shell he started with it.

Gugurang in his throne suddenly noticed that everything around him turned black, and that there were
cries in the bowels of the volcano. But outside, the world was on fire. Every barrio that Asuang passed
caught fire. Asuang!" Gugurang cried. And with this he flew into the air pursuing the thief. While terror
reigned among the people who were powerless against the conflagration, Gugurang and Asuang raced
for supremacy. Gugurang must get the fire back, or else he would be left without any power at all. All
the air around grew hot but still they went madly on. Asuang was nearing his seat and if he could get
there before Gugurang, it would be lost for the good god would then be under the spell of the devil.

Asuang braced up for the last stride and just as he was about to descend Mount Malinao, Gugurang
caught up with him, snatched the fire in the coconut shell, and vanished with it. Asuang was greatly
surprised. He could not make himself invisible, as he would. Gugurang on reaching Mount Mayon
returned the fire to its place, and everything was bright again inside. Now before doing anything else
he set about stopping the conflagration. He bade the heavens (calangitan) to rain continuously. And
there was rain. And the big fire was under control. The people at once offered atangs, because they
Page 2
were convinced it was Gugurang who had caused the fire because of their wickedness.

Then Gugurang punished the guards by chaining them to the precipices. Then for his revenge on
Asuang—he ordered Lightning (Linti) and Thunder (Dalogdog) to strike hard against Mount Malinao
that was defying him. Asuang attempted to bribe Linti and Dalogdog. What is the use of your serving a
master when you don't even receive any reward?" Asuang asked. "Why don't you join me? Here you
can have what you want. You can be your master."

Linti, quite taken, asked, "You mean what you said?" Sure," the wily Asuang answered. It is true we
are driven like slaves," said the thunder.

At this Gugurang sent his thunderbolt. Boom! Crash! For several minutes the world sank and bobbed
and sank again. All the mountains creaked. Then a mighty crashing was made amid the din. Gugurang
then ordered the lightning and the thunder to stop. All was over in a few minutes.
Then the people noticed that what was once Mount Malinao was but half now. They thanked the
omnipotent for destroying the abode of the devil. (To this day one who sails the Tabaco Bay will still
see that Mount Malinao seems to have been cut while Mayon stands majestically unimpaired.) The
people for a time believed that Asuang was killed, but later his influence was doing havoc with the
populace. Incidentally, the people got fire, for the enterprising few kept some embers to keep
themselves warm during the rain that followed the conflagration.

Origin of this World

from the Anthology of Philippine Myths by Damiana L. Eugenio

1
According to Maranaw folklore, this world was created by a great Being. It is not known, however, who
exactly is this great Being. Or how many days it took him to create this world.

2
This world is divided into seven layers. The earth has also seven layers. Each layer is inhabited by a
different kind of being. The uppermost layer, for example, is the place we are inhabiting. The second
layer is being inhabited by dwarfs. These dwarfs are short, plump, and long-haired. They are locally
known as Karibanga. The Karibanga are said to possess magical powers. They are usually invisible to
the human eye. The third layer of the earth which is found under the sea or lake is inhabited by
nymphs. These nymphs also possess certain magical powers. It is stated in the story of Rajah
Indarapatra that he met and fell in love with the princessnymph with whom he had a child.

3
The sky also consists of seven layers. Each layer has a door which is guarded day and night by huge
mythical birds called garoda. The seventh layer of the sky is the seat of heaven which is also divided
into seven layers. Every layer in the sky is inhabited by angels. Maranaws believe that angels do not
need food. They all possess wings with which they fly.

4
Heaven which is found on the seventh layer of the sky is where good people‘s spirits go after death.
Saints are assigned to the seventh layer while persons who -barely made it‖ are confined to the lower
most layer which is found at the bottom of heaven.

5
It is in heaven where we find the tree-of-life. On each leaf of the tree-of-life is written the name of
every person living on earth. As soon as a leaf ripens or dries and falls, the person whose name it
carries also dies.

6
The soul of every person is found in tightly covered jars kept in one section of heaven. This particular
section of heaven is closely guarded by a monster with a thousand eyes, named Walo. Walo, in
addition to his thousand eyes, has also eight hairy heads. The epic Darangan speaks of Madale,
Bantugan‘s brother and, Mabaning, Husband of Lawanen, entering this section and retrieving the soul
of Bantugan.
The Quarrel of the Volcanoes
by Venancio Prietoziga

A very long time ago when there were very few people yet on the face of the earth, many queer things
were won't to happen. It was because the people were yet very ignorant.
Mayon Volcano was only then a mountain and as such had no fire or smoke. She was not as beautiful
as she is now nor was she rich in vegetation: In fact, she but what she wanted mostly from borrowing
from her neighbors as the Malinao Volcano and the Isarog Mountain. The Malinao Volcano (for she was
then a volcano) being nearer to Mayon was the one mostly annoyed by the latter for her wants. In all
Malinao Volcano was complacent and aided Mayon in all her needs, though at times, she felt like
throwing her out the window, but as by nature she was hospitable, she tried to do her best for her.
Mayon, however, took advantage of this and abused the good character of Malinao and even went to
the extent of even talking what she wanted.
One day, Mayon unexpectedly received some visitors and as it was already dinner time she had to
prepare food for them but unfortunately, there was no more fire in the oven. In haste, she went to her
neighbor Malinao and asked for some fire to heat her oven. When she arrived, Malinao had already
dined and all the fire in the oven was extinguished; however, she could very well give Mayon some for
she had eternal fire in her crater. Malinao tired of her fastidious neighbor, refuse and thus incurred the
hatred of Mayon who was more irascible and impulsive. At that time, Malinao was weaving a piece of
cloth and beside her lay a big bolo. Mayon insisted on asking for help. Malinao however, was tired and
would not yield to her pleadings even an inch. Mayon, thinking of her visitors and the advancing time,
made a desperate effort to get the fire without Malinao's consent but Malinao was successful in
wresting from her the fire. In desperation, Mayon grabbed the bolo and closing her eyes struck with all
her might at Malinao, and moments later, on opening her eyes, saw to her fright that she had
beheaded Malinao.
Mayon hurried home with the fire and supplied her visitor's needs. She did not return the fire, for
Malinao was dead.
To this day, Mayon sends forth fire from her crater while the Malinao Volcano is only a mountain
without any smoke coming out from its crater. To this day, too, the conical crater of Malinao can be
seen at her foot where it fell when Mayon cut it off.

Samal Genesis

In the beginning, when there were no creatures yet, there was only the sea. Floating on this sea was a
thing resembling a ball. This was the abode of

God the Most High. When he wanted to bring out his creations, the ball split; one half of it rose and
became heaven (with seven levels) and the lower half remained and became the earth (with seven
levels).

Now the sea on which the ball was floating was called Baharun Nur [Bahar, great waters, mighty
rivers; Nur, light], meaning, this was the ancestor of all which floated on it.

Symbolically, the part which was lifted up was the father, and the grandfather was the sea on which it
floated. Now at the same time of the splitting of the ball, and as God willed it, all men and all the
creatures on earth have already been believed as being in it.

From the time of our ancestors up to the present, the original content of that thing is what we have
been looking for.

And Nur Muhammad [technical term for the pre-existence of the soul of the Prophet] was then already
risen. When Allah the Most High was already in the highest heaven, he willed and his radiance
scattered and became a man—Nur Muhammad. Now, when the latter became aware of himself, he
asserted that he was God. Looking left and right, he saw that he was alone. So he said to himself,

―There is nobody but me, so I must be God.‖ He then went around, and after walking some distance
he said, ―Arastum Murabbikum,‖ meaning, ―I am God.‖ Then all of a sudden, a voice answered,
―Kahal
Bala,” and Nur disintegrated.

When Nur disintegrated, all the elements contained in the earth and the heavens were drawn out of
him. All creatures then appeared. From the single light [Nur] was taken the elements that became the
moon, the sun, the stars, the trees, and all living things. They were all there. And this was begun on a
Sunday and was completed on a Friday.

After all things had been drawn out of Nur Muhammad, he was made man once again, and God said to
him, ―Don‘t assert that you are God. It is I. But if you don‘t believe, let us play hide and seek. You
hide and I will look for you. Then I will hide and you will look for me. If I can find you and you cannot
find me, then surely I am God.‖ And so they commenced the trial. No matter how hard Nur Muhammad
hid, God always pinpointed him. Then God said, ―Now I will hide.‖ And Nur Muhammad could not find
him. [This is said to be the reason why we cannot see God.

God then summoned the angel, Jibra‘il [Gabriel]. God then said to him, ―Go on to earth and get a
handful of soil.‖ When Jibra‘il descended and tried to pick up some earth. The earth cursed and refused
to be taken, Jibra‘il returned empty-handed, and God said to another angel, Mika‘il, ―You go.‖

When Mikail reached the earth, the same refusal met him. Then the angel, Israfil, took his turn, but the
earth likewise refused. Then the fourth angel, Idjara‘il [Izra‘il or Azra‘el], immediately went down and
forthwith grabbed the earth. One of his fingers was on the west, another on the east, a third one on
the south, and a fourth one on the earth. And he scooped a handful.

Then God said to Jibra‘il, ―Make it into a man.‖ When it had assumed the form of a man, Jibra‘il said,
―My Lord, the man is here, but it cannot speak, and his joints are not connected.‖ Then God said,
―Get a ganta of rice and grind it into powder and apply it to him.‖ Then the joints were connected and
the man became whole, but he still could not speak. Then God commanded Nur Muhammad, ―Go Page 6
inside Adam‖ (for that was the name of the man). But Nur Muhammad said, ―I refuse. You created
Adam from the four elements (fire, water, wind, and earth), whereas I came from Your light.‖ Then
God said to Nur Muhammad, ―Be willing, for you and I are one, and you can meet me five times a day
during prayer.‖ So Nur Muhammad went inside Adam through his forehead and Adam became a living
man.

And God made Adam into a Caliph and commanded all creatures including angels to pay homage to
him. And every creature did, except Iblis (the Evil One) who said to God, ―How can I worship Adam
seeing he was created of four elements whereas I have served you for hundreds of years.‖ In spite of
God‘s entreaty, Iblis continued to refuse. Then, Iblis asked God to grant him four wishes. First, that he
would be the richest of all; second, that he would be the most exalted of all; third, that he can steal
the riches of those who have; and fourth, that those riches he cannot steal, he kills. And this is the
origin of the evil desire for material goods and for worldly fame which leads to envy and killing. Those
whom Iblis enters are led to evil. For he had an agreement with God that those he can mislead are his
and those he cannot are God‘s.

THE BONTOC LEGEND OF LUMAWIG

Lumawig is the principal anito of the Bontoc Igorots. They regard him as their savior and the ballad of
how in the long ago, he came down to earth to marry and teach the Igorots the way of life, is sung as
prayer at each cheno. The cheno is a great cañao (feast) given by the wealthy families once in a
number of years, at which the marriages of their sons and daughters are duly celebrated. The story of
Lumawig runs this wise: Kabunian, who lived in the Sky, had three sons. These sons worked daily in
their father's field. However, it happened that Lumawig, the second son, while in the fields, used to
look down to the earth. And when his brothers asked him why he kept looking down to earth, he
answered, "I want to go down and get married and live with the people on earth." The father, hearing
Lumawig's reply, said, "You must prepare all your equipment and take your spear and precious beads
so that your children on earth may inherit .hem. Also take your dog, rooster, bag and betel nut."
Obtaining his father's blessing, Lumawig descended from the Sky to Mount Calawitan and tried to
observe all the barrios and villages. Asked by the Sun why he was observing the villages, Lumawig
retorted, "I want to marry in one of those places."

So the Sun said, "Take my spear and precious s}.ell belt for the woman you want to have for a wife."

Descending from Mount Calawitan, he went to a mountain near Talubin. Not liking the dialect of the
people of the village nearby and seeing that the residents were afflicted with goiter, he proceeded to
Mount Makiches, overlooking Pinged. There he observed that the people's method of cutting their hair
was not correct, so he left the place. From Makiches, he went to Sabangan and found that the people
there had faulty haircuts too. So he went to Mount Patongale. There he saw the Alab people living in a
constricted territory. Not liking to stay in a place of limited territory, he ventured northward and saw
the village of Bontoc. As if charmed by some form of magic, he came to like the place. He planned to
make the place his home.

As he was resting on a mountain side overlooking Bontoc he saw two sisters working in the fields.
Sticking his spear on a rock, he sat down to watch the sisters at work. (To this day, the rock on which
he sat is still there. It also bears distinctly the mark of his spear.) Ordering the Sun to shine as hot as it
could, he sat watching the two women at work from morning till the cool of day. He observed that one
of the women was more industrious than the other.

Coming down to Lanao where the two sisters were picking black beans, he struck his spear before him
and began to address them. To the younger sister, Lumawig said, "I wish very much to marry you.
May I know your father's name?"

The girl answered, "My father's name is Batanga." Lumawig asked the two sisters what they were
doing and Fucan, the younger of the two answered, "We are harvesting black beans." Lumawig then
asked for a bean pod. Fucan immediately gave him one. Taking hold of the pod, Lumawig slapped it
against the rim of the girl's basket and lo, the basket was instantly filled with beans. Lumawig told the
girls to take home their harvest. However, upon reaching home, the two girls asked their father that
they be permitted to return to the field as a man was waiting for them there. Fucan informed her
father that the man had proposed to marry her, meanwhile asking him I his opinion about it. The
father replied that he had no objections to the marriage provided that Fucan liked the would-be groom.
So the girls returned to the fields and brought home Lumawig. On their way home, Lumawig picked up
a stone so huge it could not possibly be lifted by any human being, and carried it with him easily into
the barrio and on to the council house, Calatec. Putting down the stone, he advised the sisters to tell
their father to place the house ladder out as a way of receiving Lumawig. This the father did. After the
ladder of the house had been placed outside, a symbol that the visitor was welcome, Fucan proceeded
to the ato Calatec to call for Lumawig.
Page 8
Seeing Lumawig enter the house, Batanga said, "This is the man who should marry my daughter."
Batanga observed that Lumawig was a refined man.-According, to Bontoc tradition, a visitor is
supposed to be refined if he asks for water as soon as he enters a house. Batanga saw Lumawig
perform this act of refinement. Sitting beside a pig pen, Lumawig saw a pig in the pen. He asked who
owned the pig and Batanga said that it was his. Then Lumawig requested that the pig's food be
brought out. Hardly had he started giving food to the pig when the pen was filled with pigs.

Lumawig also multiplied the chickens of Batanga.

After sometime, however, Lumawig's brothers-in-law became critical of him. They branded him stingy
as he had many pigs but would not butcher any. So Lumawig said, "My brothers-in-law, I am giving a
cañao. This cañao will have to be followed by all g generations."

As the time for the cañao neared, Lumawig took his wife Fucan to Lanao, a village below Bontoc
proper, as he did not want to hear criticisms from his brothers-in-law. Later he called upon all the
people of Bontoc to assemble for the cañao. The residents were surprised to see Lumawig's house
empty. There were no pigs to be butchered, no rice to be cooked. Still, Lumawig ordered fires to be
built and the cauldrons for the rice prepared. Then the cauldrons were miraculously filled with rice.
There were also some for the meat. There being no pigs in sight, the people began to wonder. So
Lumawig faced Mount Calawitan and called for the pigs to come down. Instead of pigs, a herd of deer
came running to where Lumawig stood calling. He sent the deer back and called again. This time,
droves of pigs came racing down from the mountain. As there were many pigs, Lumawig ordered the
people to catch one pig each. The people obeyed and each was able to catch one save his brothers-in-
law who had scorned him. Fucan asked why her brothers were not able to catch their share ! the pigs.
To which Lumawig replied, "Let them catch the pigs if they can. I have instructed the pigs to escape
from your brothers because they have scorned me." However, upon finding his brothers-in-law tired,
he let them catch a pig each.

After the chase, the pigs were butchered for the cañao. Lumawig ordered the elders of the barrio to
divide the meat equally, giving each one a share. The remaining pig meat was put in the five cauldrons
in order to cook it. He also ordered the people to bring pine trees with which to support the cauldrons.
But the trees brought were found to be very small. So Lumawig himself went to the mountain called
Cadcad and seized two of the bigger pines and threw them to Lanao where they were used to hold the
cauldrons. The meat cooked, the people partook of the great feast.

The people were dispersed after the feast, except the old men who remained to continue their prayers
in favor of the performer of the cañao. The following morning, Lumawig butchered a pig to close the
cañao ceremony.

Immediately after the big cañao, Lumawig gathered the people together and told them that he was
going to teach them the methods of warfare. He took the men to a mountain called Inchaquig and
there they lured the Sadanga people to a fight. After heavy fighting, and no one being hurt among the
Sadanga men, he ordered his men to retreat towards their homes. The people felt thirsty and started
to complain. The loudest complaint was heard from one of Lumawig's brothers-in-law. Incensed at the
murmurings, Lumawig struck his spear against a rock and cool water issued forth. All were ordered to
drink except Lumawig's brother-in-law, who was asked to drink with Lumawig. The turn for Lumawig's
brother-in-law to drink came. While he was bending to sip the water, Lumawig seized him and thrust
him head first into the rock. The water freely flowed through the body of Tangan, the complaining
brother-in-law.
Page 9
The people returned to Lanao and while there heard a lengthy discourse on the art of warfare from
Lumawig, who also ordered the rock through which he had thrust one of his brothers-in-law to fall
down and issue water from underneath it. To this day, water flows from under the rock. Having taught
all he wanted to the people, Lumawig told his wife Cayapon (Fucan's name had been changed to
Cayapon that he was returning to the Sky. He wanted arrangements with his wife that they be divorced
since his work on earth had already been accomplished. He assured his wife that during his absence,
she would find another husband, a widower. So, after the divorce arrangements had been agreed
upon, Lumawig went to Mount Calawitan and made a coffin for his wife and two children. Cayapon and
her children were to be placed by Lumawig inside the coffin and floated down the Chico river. The
coffin was made and Cayapon and the children were placed inside. Lumawig pushed the coffin bearing
his wife and children into the swollen river. With a rooster in front and a dog at the foot of the coffin,
Cayapon and her children floated down to as hr as Tinglayan. Hearing the crowing of the cock and the
barking of the dog on the coffin, the natives of Tinglayan attempted to bring the coffin to land and to
pry it open. But try as they would, they could not pry it open. Later, a widower came along the river
bank and saw the coffin. He was about to drive a wedge through the coffin lid when Cayapon shouted,
"Don't drive a wedge through the coffin. It will open by itself."

When the coffin had burst-open, Cayapon said to the widower, "Lumawig has sent me here to be your
wife. Take me as your wife and support my children. We shall be establishing the tradition that
widowers and widows shall marry again." So the widower took the woman and her children to his
house.

After the marriage ceremony had been performed, the Tinglayan people murdered one of the
Mabungtot natives and performed the cañao. The people had a grand time dancing; Cayapon danced
inside their house and the earth began to shake. The old man requested her to dance in the yard to be
seen by all people. She went out of the house to the yard but as she proceeded to dance, Lumawig,
her first husband, who had instructed her not to dance in the open, became enraged and spat on her
from the Sky. Cayapon was instantly killed. She was the first person to die among the people and since
then, all of her people became subject to death.

During a typhoon before their mother's death, the two sons of Cayapon went to the river in search of
wood for fuel. Along the river bank they found black beans scattered all around. They gathered the
beans. Cayapon told her sons that they were the same beans she planted in Lanao years before. Then
she gave them instructions to go back to Bontoc to marry and resume the cultivation of the fields of
their parents. Cayapon also instructed her sons that they should follow the muddy branch of the river
which flowed down past Bontoc.

Following the death of their mother, the two sons started up the river towards Bontoc. Instead of
taking the muddy river mentioned by their mother, they followed the dear Ampuwet river until they
came to Caneo. While in Caneo, they helped the people crush the sugar cane and the jars of the
people were miraculously filled with cane juice. Then the Caneo people killed the two brothers. Upon
hearing of the death of Cayapon's sons, the people of Bontoc attempted to get revenge for their
murder. But the Caneo people fled when the Bontocs went to get the two dead bodies of their two
comrades. The Bontoc people brought the two sons of Cayapon to Sokoc and buried them there. The
carrying pole was planted over their grave. That pole has grown to be a big tree and up to the present,
people offer their sacrifices beside this tree. Lumawig before his departure to heaven, taught many
things to the people of Bontoc. He taught them the art of making rice paddies that can produce large
yields. He instructed them how to irrigate their fields, how to cut the rocks in order to build ditches,
how to weave baskets, make cloth out of the bark of trees. Also he taught them the methods of
blacksmithing, fishing and hunting. He also initiated the ato, a meeting place of the Bontocs at which
the interests of the people are discussed. Above all, Lumawig taught the Bontoc people a moralPage 10
code.
Some of the provisions of this code are: 1) A man must not steal. 2)0ne should not gossip. 3) Men and
women must not commit adultery. 4) One must be temperate in eating and in drinking alcoholic drinks.
5) All people must live simple and industrious lives.

Lumawig has continued to guard his people through the centuries that have passed. On certain
occasions, he descends to earth to guide his people, teaching them to be ever honest and industrious.

The Man and Woman of the Bamboo

Malakas and Maganda is about the origin of the native Filipinos.

When Bathala (God) was done creating the world, he was bored. He looked down over the earth and
sent a bird into the world. The bird was flying around when it heard some sounds and tapping
somewhere in the forest.The bird landed and found out that the sound is coming from a huge bamboo.
He started pecking on it and pretty soon it split in the middle where 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 and
flew away to find some place to live. They went flying around the world, and then finally, the bird saw
a land and let the two giants set foot and live on it. When Malakas and Maganda stepped on the land
their weight separated the land into islands (Philippines has 7,200 islands). Malakas and Maganda live
on and produced millions of children, which came to be the Filipinos.

Bila-an Genesis
From Philippine Folk Tales. Compiled by Mabel (Cook) Cole 1916

In the very beginning there lived a being so large that he cannot be compared with any known thing.
His name was Melu, and when he sat on 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, and 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,
and 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 went 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, and the people on the 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 them. 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.

In the Beginning

In the beginning there were four beings, and they lived on an island no larger than a hat. On this
island there were no trees or grass or any other living thing besides these four people and one bird.
One day they sent this bird out across the waters to see what he could find, and when he returned he
brought some earth, a piece of rattan, and some fruit.

Melu, the greatest of the four, took the soil and shaped it and beat it with a paddle in the same
manner in which a woman shapes pots of clay, and when he finished he had made the earth. Then he
planted the seeds from the fruit, and they grew until there was much rattan and many trees bearing
fruit.

The four beings watched the growth for a long time and were well pleased with the work, but finally
Melu said:

“Of what use is this earth and all the rattan and fruit if there are no people?”

And the others replied, “Let us make some people out of wax.”

So they took some wax and worked long, fashioning it into forms, but when they brought them to the
fire the wax melted, and they saw that men could not be made in that way.

Next they decided to try to use dirt in making people, and Melu and one of his companions began
Page 13
working on that. All went well till they were ready to make the noses. The companion, who was
working on that part, put them on upside down. Melu told him that the people would drown if he left
them that way, but he refused to change them.

When his back was turned, however, Melu seized the noses, one by one, and turned them as they now
are. But he was in such a hurry that he pressed his finger at the root, and it left a mark in the soft clay
which you can still see on the faces of people.
The Life of Lam-ang
An Excerpt (An Iloko Epic)

Listen then while I narrate at length

The life of Lam-ang
Because his mother conceived him that month.
She did not abstain from any edible fruit:
Tamarind fruits tender and thin as bamboo strings,
Kamias, daldaligan,
Oranges and pomelos;
Butcher fish, stripped bass, fishes of all sorts;
Clams and bivalves big as plates,
Maratangtang and sea urchins;
Sea algae, aragan and arosip;
Shucked oysters, crayfish caught with net;
Blue crabs baited with salelem,
Deer tracked down and killed, boar trapped.
All of these she tasted on her eating binge.
Until Namungan, the woman Unnayan,
Wife of Don Juan Panganiban,
Was done conceiving.
And when they had made whole
A new soul,
Her womb grew bigger.
Listen, my husband Don Juan,
Go check on our bamboo groves
In the mountain of Capariaan.
Then make me my reclining bed
The bed I shall use
Right after giving birth.
Being God-given, my husband Don Juan,
The custom cannot be gainsaid.
So go cut me some mature bamboo shoots.
He prepared to leave and once there
Went around the grove.
Then he hailed the strong winds.
As well as the torrential rains
And cavernous clouds.
Lightning and thunder came in waves,
Hitting the groves again and again
Till it looked like the choicest shoots
Had been cut down by a trained bamboo cutter.
It is unseemly, such a shame
For me to carry you, bamboos.
They thus went ahead, Don Juan behind them.
Having reached the home he came down from,
In the town of Nalbuan,
The bamboos arranged themselves in the yard.
My husband Don Juan,
Let my reclining bed be of hardwood:
This part of molave and gastan;
That part of dangla and guava,
Whose barks have been skinned,
Then buy me a pot, husband Don Juan,
And a stove to heat my bath-water.
And a one-man pot too
For our child’s umbilical cord.

And having procured all these, he trekked

To the blackest mountain, upstream
To fight the Igorots there.
And when her time came
To deliver the blood made whole,
There was not one who was not called:
The masseuse-midwife, the fish-hooker, Alisot;
The diver Marcos; Pasho the rich man.
Since none of them could induce delivery
They remembered the woman
Shrivelled with age,
For she was known for her strong fingers.
The baby started to talk as soon as the
old woman delivered him.
Namungan, my mother,
Let my name be Lam-ang when you
have me baptized.
And let old man Guibuan be my godfather.
Mother, I must also ask you if I have a father;
Whether or not I arose like water vapor.
My son, Lam-ang; if it’s your father you speak of,
You were still in my womb when he left,
Left for the forest, the place of Igorot.
Lam-ang then said:
My mother Namungan, please let your son go,
For I would seek Father whom I came from.
Ah, son, brave-man Lam-ang,
Please don’t go.
For your legs are like bamboo string.
And your hands are like needles.
And you were born, my son,
Even before your ninth month inside me.
All the more brave-man Lam-ang still persisted.
He left for the forest, the place of Igorots.
For he wanted to see the father he sprang from.
For he had with him the stone of sagang,
The stone of tangraban, of lao-laoigan,
A wild carabao’s amulet.
When he passed by a grove of caña vernal,
The shoots bent down
For he also had the amulet of the centipede.
And having reached the river’s ford,
He spied the tallest tree around, a rancheria,
A landmark of tattooed Igorot country.
He cast his eyes around
And saw this root shaped like a stove
And went to wash his one-man pot.
And placed his food inside it,
The pot of mound-dwelling dwarves,
That cannot suffice for more than one traveller.
Having eaten his fill,
The man Lam-ang gratefully rested,
Amiable host to the food, the filling grace.

He rested his shield against his body;

Stuck his spear into the ground by his feet;
Unsheathed his trustworthy campilan from its sheath;
Then fell into a light sleep.
Then came the ghost of his father, saying:
My friends Lam-ang, go quickly instead;
Right now, they feast around your father’s skull.
Lam-ang was jolted out of his slumber
And at once collected his weapons and started to go,
Walking on and on.
Upon reaching the blackest mountain
At Maculili and Dagman,
He went directly to the assembled revelers.
For he had seen his father’s skull facing the East,
Caged in the woven end of a bamboo pole.
Tattooed Igorots, just tell me
What foul thing my father I came from did.
It is only right that it be paid.
Our friend Lam-ang,
It is only right; too,
That you go back to the house
You stepped down from.
Or else, You’ll be the next (to die)
After the man who was your father.
You tattooed Igorots…
I cannot be satisfied (with your number),
You Igorot captain,
You Bumacas so-named,
Communicate (thru a letter) with every single one,
(The members of your tribe):
At Dardarat and Padang,
There in houses at Nueva, Dagodong and Topaan,
There in Mamo-ocan and Caoayan,
There in Tupinao and Baodan,
Sumbanggue and Luya, Bacong and Sosoba.
There in Tebteb and Caocaoayan.
They came, having received these notes (from Bumacas),
In a rush, the tattooed Igorots,
From the neighboring towns nearby,
Like chicken attracted to grains thrown to the ground.
Oh, their number indeed was remarkable
For one cannot keep count of their number.
He then caressed his stone of lao-laoigan,
And jumped but once to an open field,
The man Lam-ang.
And the man Lam-ang made thunderclaps
With his armpits and thighs
As well as with both his arms.
Soon they had crowded around him…
As a moving river (of bobbing heads), so to speak…
The man Lam-ang.

And having completely surrounded him,

They cut loose on him with all their arms,
On the man Lam-ang.
Like a torrential rain at dusk,
The spears fell (thickly) on him,
The man Lam-ang.
He embraced these crisscrossing spears
As one would accept
Betel nuts passed on to him.
And when the tattooed Igorots had run out
Of sharpened bamboo poles, spears, lances,
But could not hit him even just once,
The man Lam-ang said to them:
Now comes my turn,
I unsheath you, campilan, trustworthy weapon.
He struck the ground with this.
And the earth with stuck to the blade of the campilan,
This he ate—
A stick of rice cake
So long and large—
So their incantations would not affect him
Tattooed Igorots, watch me closely now,
He beckoned to the south wind
And with it lunged at once at them.
As though felling down banana trunks,
His bolo bit into flesh two ways, swung left or right,
The man Lam-ang.
They were mowed down in an instant.
Only one tattooed Igorot was left unharmed,
Whom he mocked at, then pinned down.
Now comes your end.
He slashed at his mouth, his eyes;
Cut off his ears, arms and legs.
He then let him loose, the tattooed Igorot,
Who received no mercy at his hands.
That your relatives and tribe may all see you.
And you carabao’s amulet (help me)
For I now bind the lances and spears,
My booty and trophy from the Igorot.
And now I leave you battleground.
The blood flowed from the dead Igorots
Like the Vigan river.
He prepared to leave, the man
Lam-ang, and return,
To his mother Namungan.
And having reached the town of Nalbuan:
Mother Namungan, if I may ask,
What foulness he perpetrated,
The father I sprang from?
My son Lam-ang,
If it is your father your speak of,
We never quarrelled, not even once.

The Creation of the Earth and the First People

from Philippine Folk Tales by Mabel Cook Cole

When the world first began there was no land, but only the sea and the sky, and between them
was a kite (a bird something like a hawk). One day the bird which had nowhere to light grew
tired of flying about, so she stirred up the sea until it threw its waters against the sky. The sky,
in order to restrain the sea, showered upon it many islands until it could no longer rise, but ran
back and forth. Then the sky ordered the kite to light on one of the islands to build her nest,
and to leave the sea and the sky in peace.

Now at this time the land breeze and the sea breeze were married, and they had a child which
was a bamboo. One day when this bamboo was floating about on the water, it struck the feet
of the kite which was on the beach. The bird, angry that anything should strike it, pecked at the
bamboo, and out of one section came a man and from the other a woman.

Then the earthquake called on all the birds and fish to see what should be done with these two,
and it was decided that they should marry. Many children were born to the couple, and from
them came all the different races of people.

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around,
and they wished to be rid of them, but they knew of no place to send them to. Time went on
and the children became so numerous that the parents enjoyed no peace. One day, in
desperation, the father seized a stick and began beating them on all sides.

This so frightened the children that they fled in different directions, seeking hidden rooms in the
house -- some concealed themselves in the walls, some ran outside, while others hid in the
fireplace, and several fled to the sea.

Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the
chiefs of the islands; and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves. Those
who ran outside were free men; and those who hid in the fireplace became negroes; while
those who fled to the sea were gone many years, and when their children came back they were
the white people.

Children of the Skyworld

In the beginning there were no people on the earth.

Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into
pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, “You must
speak.”

Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could
talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.
Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there
were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married
and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use,
so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil
it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of
the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. These did
as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt,
and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got
the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because
of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he
removed the pottery to Samoki. When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he
said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit
owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now
have.

“The sun gods, and the deities of the sky world in general, occupy the most important place in
the Igorot religion. Place-spirits and animal deities are likewise highly developed. At a place
called Kágubátan, at the foot of the sacred mountain Múgao in eastern Lepanto, is a small lake
full of sacred eels which the people guard with great care. They believe that if these eels were
killed the springs would all dry up and they would have no water for their terraced rice fields.
The eels are fed every day with rice and sweet potatoes by the children of the village, who, as
they approach the lakelet, sing a peculiarly sweet and mournful song, upon hearing which the
eels all rise to the surface of the water and approach the shore to receive their food.

The Bukidnon Ascension to Heaven

 One month before a big crab crowded the sea so that its waters flooded the earth, a wise man
told the people to make a raft of wood in three layers, fastened by a long rattan cord to a big
pole on earth so that when the flood receded, the people and animals on board were near their
old home.
Another version tells that it is Mapolumpun, a poor but virtuous man, and his wife who was
visited and saved by an old man, variously identified as Magbabaya himself or the spirit of the
wartrior Salamiawan.
Punishing mankind with flood, Magbabaya ordered Nabis ha Panggulu and three of his four
sons, Nabis ha Andadamen, Nabis ha Upak and Nabis ha Lumbu Bulawan to ascend to heaven
and his fourth son Nabis ha Agbibilin to climb Mt. Dulang-dulang (Mt. Kitanglad). When the
flood receded, Magbabaya told Agbibilin to go and meet Ginamayun who also survived by riding
on a kalatung percussion instrument towards the mountain later called Kalatungan. They
married and bore four boys and four girls whom Magbabaya made to marry in intervals to
prevent the curse of sumbang (sin of incest) and taught the pamalas cleansing sacrifice. When
Agbibilin became old and weak he sent fror his children and taught them the medicinal use of
leaves and root, as well as the panawal ritual, which involves blowing and mock-spitting
accompanied with whispered spells, and finally gave them blessings, renaming his eldest
Saulana, Talaandig (‘worth imitating’). Saulana’s sons were Aplidu and Ampidu whose
descendants remained and built tulugans at Bulan-bulan area. From the other children are thus
descended: the Maranao in the east from Alawiya; the Maguindanao in the south from
Saguntuan; and the Manobo in the southeast from Sabuntung. Bulan-bulan was a hallowed
ground that was spared in the ensuing wars in Central Mindanao, and its rivers were stopped by
the warriors of the other areas for the customs of respect (they would sheath their spears,
comb and knot their hairs): the Maranao in the rivers Pininga and Linundong; the Maguindanao
in Manupali river; the Manobo in Babahagon river.

References

Ashliman, D. L. (2003). The creation story (Tagalog). Retrieved September 15, 2017

from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/creation-phil.html#creationstory.

Asuang steals fire from Gugurang. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://www.oovrag.com/tales/tales2004a-2.shtml.

Cosmogonic myths of the Philippines. (2013). Retrieved September 17, 2017 from

http://vizayanmyths.blogspot.com/2013/05/philippines-cosmogonic-myths.html.

Igorot origin myths: The creation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2017 from

https://www.aswangproject.com/igorot-origin-myths-the-creation/.

Malakas at Maganda. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://www.bamboomusic.com/malakas_at_maganda.php.

Samal genesis. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2017 from

http://www.thephilippineliterature.com/samal-genesis/.

The Bilaan Mindanao creation myths. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://levigilant.com/Bulfinch_Mythology/bulfinch.englishatheist.org/creation/Bila
an-Creation.htm.

The Bontoc legend of Lumawig. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://www.oocities.org/heartland/ridge/5484/myths06.htm.

The life of Lam-ang. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://www.thephilippineliterature.com/the-life-of-lam-ang/.
The origin of this world (Maranao). (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://www.thephilippineliterature.com/the-origin-of-this-world-maranao/.

The quarrel of the volcanoes. (2011). Retrieved September 9, 2017 from

http://nacinaj.blogspot.com/p/chapter-6-bicol.html.