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ARTICLEHomeMythsBikolano Myths & FolkloreThe Moon God Libulan/ Bulan : Patron deity of
homosexuals?

The Moon God Libulan/ Bulan : Patron deity of homosexuals?January 16, 2017

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Before I start, I will state that I do believe the ancient Philippines did not spend time focusing on (and
judging) the sexuality of others. I also believe that homosexuality and transgender people (although I
can only find instances of transwomen) were accepted throughout many areas. When it comes to
gender identity, evidence shows that the ancient Philippines had much more liberal views than we see in
modern society. Anthropological studies show that Philippine societies regarded their myths as
containing psychological and archetypal truths.

As with many of my articles lately, I was inspired by an interesting question posed to me by a reader
asking for the source of the love story between Bulan (the boy moon deity) and Sidapa (male deity of
death). I have been doing some research on this particular subject and decided to take this opportunity
to share a little bit of what I am learning.

***UPDATE Aug 30, 2019: The love story between BULAN & SIDAPA has been proven a hoax.

Sidapa and Bulan by Kael Molo (Agla comics)Philippine mythology has many examples of deities
regionally manifesting as different genders and interpretations. This may be due to the fact that
throughout the Indianized Kingdoms (including the Philippines) gods changed sex or manifested as the
opposite sex in order to facilitate sexual congress within the various regional creation myths. I believe
we may have locked ourselves into specific genders for these deities when the stories were documented
during the 20th century. These gender variances can be seen in comparative studies between regions.
For instance, in some Visayan creation myths, Maguayan (deity of the sea) is a man, while in others she
is a woman. Sidapa is generally known as the masculine deity of death, yet there is a story documented
by F Landa Jocano in his book “Outline Of Philippine Mythology” (Manila, Centro Escolar University
Research and Development Center, 1969) where Sidapa is female. It is only within the Indianized areas
of the Philippines where we find the moon deity as a male figure. In the case of the Visayas, a young
androgynous boy.

“The creation myths of many traditions involve sexual, bisexual or androgynous motifs, with the world
being created by genderless or hermaphrodite beings or through sexual congress between beings of the
opposite or same apparent gender.” – Penczak “In the beginning-Creation Myths”, 2003.

The stories with gender variances are generally accepted by mainstream Philippine Mythology
enthusiasts and modern scholars. Confusion arises when the stories of Bulan/ Libulan, that traditionally
are considered to have no homoerotic subtext, are highlighted by those placing modern views on LGBT
communities into ancient times – in either positive or negative context. This has led to Libulan being
called “the patron god of homosexuality”, which may or may not be an accurate attribution. So let’s take
a look at what we know.

In Bicol, Bulan (along with his sister Haliya) are the moon deities. Libulan is the moon deity in Visayan
mythology and Bulan is the moonboy. It is speculated that Bulan is the child incarnation of Libulan –
which would be in tune with the Indianized influence which we will address later.

The Modern Retelling of Sidapa and Bulan

The story varies throughout and between Cebu, Panay and Bicol, but Sidapa is generally considered to
have an obsession with the beauty of the adolescent moon deity, Bulan. I will state right off the bat that
I have never read any source material that indicated Sidapa and Bulan had any sort of intimate
relationship.

In most Visayan myths Sidapa is a woman and the wife of Makaptan. (Jocano)

In some Tagalog myths, he is a god of war. (Eugenio)

In the Bicol creation myth, Bulan is the youngest son of Dagat and Paros. (Cole)
In a similar Bisayan creation myth, Libulan is the youngest son of Lidagat and Lihangin. (Miller)

In another Bicol Myth, Bulan is the little brother of Haliya. Bakunawa and Haliya are enemies, as
Bakunawa is always trying to swallow Bulan. In a different story, Haliya is convinced to take a bath on
the Earth and convinces Bulan to join her. A ‘foreign god with golden horns’ became captivated by both
Haliya and Bulan and showered them with gifts. The foreign god is revealed to be Sidapa, but the story
ends there. Both of those myths do not have any sources and have not been confirmed by any written
source, or oral source/ ethnic group.

Elements from the above traditional tales have likely been confused, amalgamated and romanticized
into the modern re-telling below. Some versions replace Bulan with Libulan. This story is circulating
online and has caught the attention of artists, but there is no academic documentation that I know of.

Long ago the god of death resided alone on top his mountain. From his domain he saw the seven moons
dancing. He admired the moons for their beauty and fell in love with them.

He realized that the other gods were also infatuated with the moons, such as Luyong Baybay (goddess of
tides) who was singing to the moons.

To outperform the other gods, Sidapa asked the birds and mermaids to sing his endearments to the
moons. He ordered the flowers to bloom and make sweet perfumes that would reach the heavens.
Lastly he asked the fireflies to light a way so the moons could find their way to him…

One of the moons came down, it was the young boy Bulan. Sidapa showered the boy moon with gifts
and songs .

One night, Bakunawa (the moon eating dragon who was also captivated by the beauty of the moons)
rose from the sea. Sidapa saw this and quickly flew to the cosmos to snatch the boy Bulan before
Bakunawa could devour him.
Sidapa saved Bulan from Bakunawa and it is said that they live together as lovers on top of Mt. Madjaas
to this day.

***UPDATE Aug 30, 2019: The love story between BULAN & SIDAPA has been proven a hoax.

Sidapa & Bulan by Japhers

The Indianized Influence

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how the Hindu influence, and its gender variant or non-
gendered deities, may have affected beliefs throughout certain areas of the Philippines. Without
question, it is now known that many of the epics, legends, and folktales of the Philippine region were
brought through trade and migration from the Indianized Areas of S.E. Asia – especially when examining
regions like Bicol and the Visayas. This can been seen when comparing Bicol’s Ibalong Epic to the Hindu
epics of Ramayana and Mahabharta. Further evidence can be found when examining the Visayan stories
of Bakunawa trying to devour the enchanting moon deity. A similarly Hindu influenced story exists in
Indonesia where the demon Kala Rau tries to devour Dewi Bulan (the moon goddess). These
comparisons exist in documented and oral folklore. For the sake argument, let us pretend that the love
affair between Sidapa and Bulan existed through oral tales that have not been properly documented.

Kala Rau and Dewi Bulan

We need to examine interpretations of similar Hindu deities to discover where this affair and oral
folklore may have originated. The answer lay in a lesser known text from post-Vedic literature, which
coincides with the spread of Hinduism to S.E. Asia. Two deities in particular caught my attention:

Soma – Male moon deity.

Agni – Male fire deity.

Agni, the god of fire, wealth and creative energy, has same-sex sexual encounters that involve accepting
semen from other gods. Although married to the goddess Svaha, Agni is also shown as being part of a
same-sex couple with Soma, the god of the moon. Agni takes a receptive role in this relationship,
accepting semen from Soma with his mouth, paralleling Agni’s role in accepting sacrifices from Earth to
Heaven. Orthodox Hinduism emphasizes that these are “mithuna”, ritual sexual encounters, and Agni
and his mouth represent the feminine role.

With Hindu mythology, sexual interactions between deities serve a non-sexual, sacred purpose. In some
cases, these may be same-sex interactions.

Libulan: Patron Deity of Homosexuals?

Polytheistic religions reflected what each culture saw in itself. Deities also reflect a range of interests,
temperaments, and sexual preferences. Many pantheons, especially those from Classical Greece and
Rome, China, India, South America and Oceania, feature prominent gods and goddesses who had
homosexual relationships or adventures. (Hindu deities are especially notable for the ease with which
many of them change gender from time to time).

For the Aztecs, Xochipilli was the god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song. His name contains
the Nahuatl words xochitl (“flower”) and pilli (either “prince” or “child”), and hence means “flower
prince”. His wife was the human girl Mayahuel. Xochipilli was also the patron of both homosexuals and
male prostitutes.

Xochipilli 1.jpg

Xochipilli By Unknown – Public Domain, via Wikipedia

In Europe, classical Greek mythology – where it is easier to track down gods who had male lovers than
those (very few) who did not – several gods and goddesses were also considered patrons of homosexual
love. Most favoured only men, but Aphrodite was a special patron of lesbians.

Not all mythological systems include gods specifically designated as patrons or protectors of homosexual
love. Nearly all, however, include at least some gods who have same sex interactions, and in many
cultures the gods also have significant transgender associations, either in themselves, or in their human
priests and priestesses
In the Visayan pantheon, each deity had their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across
the land. We need to remember that the deities of the Visayas were not always held to a specific
function. Lest we forget that Magayuan was once the deity of the sea, then later took the role of
carrying the souls of the dead to the underworld. Yna Guinid was a war deity, yet after the Spanish
arrived and the Visayans were in need of protection against Moro raids, her role adapted to include
being the deity of poisons.

So is it safe to call Libulan the patron deity of homosexuals? Not in a historical context, but as I said
earlier, Philippine societies regarded their myths as containing psychological and archetypal truths. If
modern Philippine society needs Libulan as a symbol for the LGBT movement, then that is his purpose
for today. As a study of anthropology, history and the evolving realm of Philippine mythology, I’m okay
with that – as should we all be.

ALSO READ: Uncovering the BULAN & SIDAPA Love Story Deception

Additional Source: Conner, Randy P.; Sparks, David Hatfield; Sparks, Mariya (1998). Cassell’s
Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit

John Maurice Miller, Philippine Folklore Stories (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1904), pp. 57-64

Mabel Cook Cole (1916) “Philippine Folk Tales”

F Landa Jocano, “Outline of Philippine Mythology” (1969)

Damiana Eugenio, “Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths” UP Press (2001)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jordan C

Jordan is a Canadian documentary director/ producer. He made the 2011 feature length documentary
THE ASWANG PHENOMENON - an exploration of the aswang myth and its effects on Philippine society.
Currently he is in post production for "The Aswang Project" web-series, which will feature 6 myths from
the Philippines. The TIKBALANG, KAPRE and BAKUNAWA episodes are available to watch on YouTube.

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