MODULE 3

ORAL LORE FROM PRECOLONIAL TIMES (----1564)

Historical Background of the Pre-Spanish Philippine Literature

Our ancient literature, as traced in our folk tales, old plays and short stories, reveals our

customs and practices in daily life. Our ancestors have had their own language, distinct from the

Spaniards' alphabet. Pre-colonial inhabitants of our islands exhibit a rich history through their

folk speeches, folk songs , folk narratives and ancestral practices and mimetic dances that

confirm our links to our neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Either the Spanish friars burned whatever documents our ancestors left in the belief that

they were works of the devil or were written on materials that easily perished, such as barks of

trees, dried leaves and bamboo cylinders, which even if attempts were made to save them, may

not have remained undestroyed. Other documents that existed displayed folk songs that really

proved the presence of our own indigenous community.

Oral Lore

The pre-colonial Filipinos' oral literature held the community's signs. Invariably, the

focus was the popular experience of the people making up the village-gathering food, creatures

and artifacts of nature, working in the house, field, forest or sea, caring for children, etc. This is

evident in the most popular types of oral literature such as the enigma, the proverbs and the

poem, which often seem to presume that in the process of voicing a thought or emotion, the

listener is familiar with the circumstances, activities and objects described

Legends
 Often handed from the past, legends are stories used to describe an incident, impart a

lesson or simply entertain an audience.

Examples:

 The Legend of Mayon Volcano

 The Story of Pina

 Durian: a Love Potion Gone Wrong

 Bakunawa and the Moon

 Legend of Kanlaon

Folktales

Folktales explain how daily life events are coped with by the main character, and the

story may include crisis or conflict. These stories can teach us how to deal with life (or dying)

and have themes that are common to cultures around the world as well. The folklore studies are

called folkloristics.

Examples:

 The Man with the Coconuts

 The Boy Who Became a Stone

 How the First Head Was Taken

 Mother Mountain

 The Necklace and the Comb

Songs of Ambahan

The ambahan is the linguistic output and poetic language of the Mindoro, Philippine

Southern Mangyans.

Examples:
  Ambahan no.3

 Ambahan no.4

 Ambahan no. 5

 Ambahan 38

 Amabahan 39

Riddles

A riddle is a question or statement which suggests a solution to a puzzle. Riddles usually

have a veiled meaning and some form of pun to mask the true answer.

Examples:

 A deep well that is full of chisels.

Isang balong malalim, punong-puno ng patalim.

Answer: Mouth

 My two boxes are opened without a sound.

Dalawa kong kahon, buksan walang ugong.

Answer: Eyes

 When I tugged on the vine, the monkeys went crazy.

Nang hatakin ko ang baging, nagkagulo ang mga matsing.

Answer: Large Bell

 A princess full of eyes.

Isang prinsesa, punong-puno ng mata.

Answer: Pineapple

 The captain took a bath without his belly getting wet.

Naligo ang kapitan, hindi nabasa ang tiyan.

 Answer: Canoe

Proverbs

Proverbs are wise statements usually provided by parents or elders. There is a belief that

the greatest instructor is practice. Sometimes proverbs uses metaphors to convey wider reality.

Examples:

 A broom is sturdy because its strands are tightly bound.

Matibay ang walis, palibhasa'y magkabigkis.

 It is hard to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.

Mahirap gisingin ang nagtutulog-tulugan.

 If you plant, you harvest.

Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.

 Even though the procession is long, it will still end up in church.

Pagkahaba-haba man daw ng prusisyon, sa simbahan din ang tuloy.

 Poverty is not a hindrance to success.

Ang karukhaan ay hindi hadlang sa pagtatagumpay.

Sayings

Sayings are well-known clever expressions that are often repeated.

Examples:

 If someone throws stones at you, throw back bread.

 Honesty is the best policy.

 A stitch in time saves nine.

 Where there is smoke, there is fire.

  “He who does not love his mother tongue is worse than a rotten fish.”

Myths

A myth is a traditional tale that can address the underlying questions of existence,

including the origins of the universe (the myth of creation) or of a people. An effort to explain

phenomena, spiritual phenomena and cultural practices may also be a myth.

Examples:

 Myth of Malakas and Maganda - this tells the tale of how men have come to

be. In the Philippines, it is like the story of Adam and Eve. There was only the

Sea and the Sky in the beginning, and their friend Bird, who flew between

them. Sea and Sky married and bore a baby called Bamboo. Bird got tired and

rested on the shoot, then heard a few voices asking her to release her. It

pecked at Bamboo, effectively killing him and breaking him open, and there

came out a naked man and woman, known as Malakas ("strong") and

Maganda ("beautiful"). Bird offered to take them on a trip to Lupang

Hinirang, the Land of the Chosen, where humanity will live and begin.

 Amomongo - Townspeople would say that there was a hairy white ape living

in a cave somewhere on Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental. The "Negros

Ape" is often referred to as Amomongo. It is said to disembowel its prey with

its long and sharp claws, and eat their intestines. It shares the same

characteristics as Western Bigfoot's.

 Bal Bal - According to legend, a scavenger-monster live in Catanauan,

Quezon with a fondness for dead human bodies. This vampire-like beast, also

known among the natives as maninilongamong, snatches bodies from graves,

 cemeteries and funerals. It has long razor-sharp claws which allow it to snatch

its lifeless victims with ease. Owing to its sensitivity to scent, it can even scent

cadavers from far away. They say that Bal Bals emit a smell too, so poisonous

it puts the living to sleep while it takes the dead, consumes the body and

replaces a banana trunk like that.

 Mangangatok - They say that you will hear a knock when someone's death is

about to happen, and once you open the door, three hooded figures, a young

woman and two elderly men, will appear before you. They are called

"Mangangatok" which means knockers. They are seen as such beings who,

just like the grim reaper, bring someone to their deaths. There's no way to

keep Mangangatoks at bay, obviously. They can neither be guarded, nor

ignored. A member of your family will die shortly after you hear them knock.

 Matruculan - The Matruculan is one of the most terrifying creatures in

Filipino, only because they prey on pregnant women. The Matruculan often

impregnates women in some versions of the myth and waits until they deliver

the baby to claim its meal. The least scary version will say it's preying on

pregnant women, so it's only waiting for birth. To scare off the said beast,

when in labour, the husband must place a knife or sharp object above the

mother's abdomen.

Sources:
Center, B., Oriel, R., Hon. Former Speaker of the House Jose de Venecia Jr., Soriano, P.,

Alimmbuyao, P., Robles, N., & Soriano, J. (2019, January 05). 10 Underrated Myths and

Legends in the Philippines |. Retrieved September 18, 2020, from

https://balikbayanmagazine.com/arts-culture/10-underrated-myths-and-legends-in-the-

philippines/

TagalogLang, A. (2020, August 11). Bilingual Tagalog English. Retrieved September 20, 2020,

from https://www.tagaloglang.com/mga-bugtong-at-sagot-tagalog-riddles-answers/