LIT 001 - ABPSCI21S1 Professor: Mrs. Marichelle G.

Dones
Prelim Project:
Creation Myth
“Myth of the Kingfisher”
As a child who grew up near the river with lots of mahogany trees, I often observed the nature. I
remembered asking my Papa, “Why do kingfisher’s swim and dives into river waters before
night falls?”, and this is my inspiration for this story. - MA. CRISTINE M. LAZO

OUTLINE

Setting: In a barangay in Southern Luzon called “Kahangtoran” (endless) during the pre-colonial
period of the Philippines.

Culture:

 The pre-colonial chief system of Tagalogs. A barangay is led by a chief referred to as

“Datu” in Visayas and Mindanao, and “Maginoo” by the Tagalogs.
 Social class system whereas a datu comes from the Maginoo class or the highest class,
warriors and other other rich families are considered the Maharlika’s, commoners are
those who work for their masters but owns a house and riches, and slaves are those who
does not own a house and may be sold to another master.
 Philippine mythology.

Characters:

 Datu Kinaadman – from the Maginoo class, the chief of barangay Kahangtoran.
 Damara – from the Maginoo class who is also the adopted daughter of the datu.
 Mohan – a warrior from the Maharlika class admired by Damara.
 Ilaya – slave of the Datu, an aliping saguiguilid (serves their master on their house and
lands, and may also be sold to another master).
 Amihan – a babaylan in Kahangtoran.
 Tigmamanukan - an omen bird.
 Agwe - god of water.
 Ikapati - goddess of cultivated land.
Symbols:

 Birds; embodies one's desire to be free, and in a spiritual sense, being able to ascend to
the highest form of consciousness.
 Gold; known as “bulawan” during the pre-colonial times. It symbolizes wealth and one's
status in the society.
 Tigmamanukan; a symbol of Bathala which the Tagalog people believed to be an omen
which delivers if a traveler must proceed to their journey or not.

THE STORY

Once upon a time there was a barangay known as Kahangtoran. It was in a valley
surrounded by a river and sea. Kahangtoran was rich in coconut and banana plantation, vegetation
and flowers, fishes, and mahogany trees which protected the barangay from storms. It was led by
a datu who was famous for his intelligence and pleasing looks. He was Datu Kinaadman who is a
descendant from the Maginoo class. Amidst his muscular physical build, symmetrical facial
features, and cleverness, the datu never liked the idea of marriage. But he still had a successor -
the bronze-skinned, wavy-haired, and doe-eyed Damara. She was the datu’s adopted child who
originally belonged to the Maharlika class. Damara was known for her unexplainable beauty yet
she was also known for her cruelty. Although Damara is not admired by most of Datu Kinaadman’s
constituents, the datu never failed to show his endless love for Damara. Growing up, Damara only
had her heart for one man - Mohan. Mohan was a young, gracious, and gallant warrior of barangay
Kahangtoran. He was a son of a family from the Maharlika class. At the age of sixteen and fifteen,
Mohan and Damara were already engaged to each other. Only when both of them reach eighteen
years old will they be married. Datu Kinaadman agreed upon this marriage because of his love for
Damara, and although Mohan’s parents felt blissful about the engagement, Mohan was against it.
He never had his heart for Damara. Mohan already had someone in his heart since he was ten, it
was a slave of Damara named Ilaya. Ilaya was once brought to the datu’s house by the babaylan
Amihan during Damara’s 9th birthday. Ilaya was the babaylan’s gift for the ferocious Damara.
Ilaya is charming, and people who see her would always say that her beauty is comparable to the
goddess Mayari - the lunar goddess who was the most beautiful among the goddesses. But Ilaya’s
complexion does not have the touch of dusk or tan from the sun, she’s fair-skinned while her hair
is like corn's hair. Growing up, Damara was always jealous of Ilaya because the people of his
father’s barangay favored Ilaya over her. Ilaya would always be beaten by Damara whenever she
is praised. This was also the reason why Mohan never liked Damara, and although he wants to
care for Ilaya, he cannot because he was afraid of what Damara may do to Ilaya.

But one day, three days before Damara’s 18th birthday and her marriage to Mohan, the
babaylan Amihan came rushing to Damara’s house. She told Damara of her vision about a woman
in the river in the middle of the woods peeked on by Mohan. In the babaylan’s another vision, a
woman was secretly serving Mohan a fish on every celebration for the triumph of the warriors led
by Mohan in the past years of victory. The woman’s face was not vivid to the babaylan as she was
always covered in blue clothing with golden laces. But one thing is for sure, the woman was from
Damara’s abode and has a bird tattoo on her back. The babaylan said that only when the woman
is killed can Damara have Mohan as her husband.

As soon as the babaylan left, Damara abruptly threw everything inside her house. She was
enraged and threatened her servants that she would kill herself. As she was about to get one of the
guard’s bolo, Datu Kinaadman came. The datu was in fear of losing his beloved daughter so she
promised Damara to find the woman in the babaylan’s vision. Upon hearing his father’s plea,
Damara gave in. Datu Kinaadman immediately ordered every slave to be stripped by their owner’s,
and whoever surrenders the woman will receive a great amount of bulawan (gold) and will be
given a title in Maginoo class once Damara gave birth to a successor.

Because of the babaylan’s vision, barangay Kahangtoran was in chaos as the unfair search
for the woman with a bird tattoo on her back began. While this happens, Damara’s servant Ilaya
was happily enjoying herself in a bath on the river in the middle of the forest. She sings as the bird
chirps, and closes her eyes with a smile on her face. But she was disturbed by the sound of a broken
twig from a nearby bush. Afraid of being attacked by a wild animal, she immediately gets out of
the water without noticing a muddy soil on the river side causing her to slip. She closed her eyes
in shock waiting to feel the cold water on her body to make a loud splash - but did not. What she
felt was a warm pair of strong arms holding her. Upon opening her eyes, Ilaya was astounded to
see Mohan right in front of her. Mohan smiled at her as he praised her charismatic beauty. Then,
Ilaya thanked Mohan for saving her, and was about to leave when Mohan suddenly grabbed her
right hand. With pleading eyes, Mohan asked her to stay just for a moment so Ilaya did. Mohan
confessed her feelings towards Ilaya and told her about what he really felt about his engagement
to Damara. Ilaya just listens carefully as Mohan tells all his grief about how he was chosen to
marry someone he does not love. Time passed when Ilaya noticed that it was already dusk so he
bid goodbye to Mohan. But Mohan suddenly hugged her and asked her hand for marriage. Ilaya
rejected Mohan. She explained that even though she admired Mohan, a slave can never marry a
Maharlika. Even if they will be wed, they will not live happily because they will live separately
and their children will be divided. Not waiting for Mohan’s reply, Ilaya urgently ran towards her
master’s house without knowing about what was happening.

Until finally, Ilaya reached Kahangtoran. She was dumbfounded to see the chaos in
Kahangtoran as she reached there. Slaves were being dragged and stripped publicly as they plead
and cried in despair. Trembling, she still went to Damara’s household where Damara was furiously
waiting for her. As soon as Ilaya came into Damara’s abode, she received a heavy slap on both of
her cheeks. Damara angrily whipped her, and commanded the commoners to strip her. While Ilaya
was being stripped, Damara threw a blue piece of clothing with golden laces in front of her which
the commoner’s found in Ilaya’s belongings. She burst in wrath and repeatedly whipped Ilaya.
When Ilaya was fully stripped, Damara was even enraged when she saw the bird tattoo on Ilaya’s
back which confirms that she was the woman in the babaylan’s vision.

As Damara was about to whip Ilaya again, they heard Mohan’s loud shout not from afar.
He came inside Damara’s chamber with fiery eyes as he saw how selfless Ilaya was, stripped and
wounded. Damara even felt more hurt when Mohan carried Ilaya from the floor so she threatened
to kill herself again while holding a knife. The datu came rushing to her daughter's abode as soon
as he learned about Ilaya and Mohan’s arrival. Datu Kinaadman pleaded with his daughter to let
go of the knife and assured Damara that she and Mohan will get married as planned. Out of grief
and anger, Damara agreed to her father only if she saw Ilaya being killed in front of her. The datu
promised, and ordered Mohan to be captured until his marriage with Damara. Everything was
settled upon the capture of Ilaya. The day after the chaos, Kahangtoran was in silent despair as
they prepared for the death of Ilaya. She was dragged to the river in the middle of the forest, clothed
with her blue cloth and golden laces while tied tightly in a post.

Silently whimpering, Ilaya cries and prays to the gods and goddesses in her sobs. She
wished to be spared, or if not, to be reborn not as a slave but a free crature. The gods and goddesses
heard her, and the mythical bird Tigmamanukan pleaded to the goddess of cultivated land Ikapati
to free her by turning Ilaya into a bird.

As Ilaya was thrown with a huge rock into the deepest part of the river, babaylan Amihan
started the ritual together with the eighteen warriors holding their spears while waiting in the
riverbank for the signal to throw their weapons, ensuring the death of Ilaya. So, the ritual was
completed, and the river turned red. Damara, watching from a distance, was overjoyed.

After Damara, the babaylan, and the warriors left, the Tigmamanukan bird came to the
river together with the other gods and goddesses. Agwe, the god of water, dived into the river and
got the lifeless body of Ilaya. Then, Ikapati got the soul of Ilaya and cursed it to turn into a free
creature dressed with feathers like Tigmamanukan in a color of water, sky, and bulawan. Ilaya was
then turned into a beautiful blue-colored bird with a yellow chest, a long black beak, and an
enchanting chirp. The god of water Agwe also made a vow that the bird may breathe for a short
time in the water whenever it wants to, and may swim in the water as freely as flying in the air.

In the dungeon, Mohan tried to escape hoping to save Ilaya from death but he failed. Before
night falls, one of the warriors informed him that Ilaya was already dead and he will be freed on
the day of Damara’s birthday. They will also be married the same day. Days passed and the day
of Mohan and Damara’s wedding came. Everything in Kahangtoran was prepared for the wedding
of Datu Kinaadman’s daughter - the death of Ilaya seemed already forgotten quickly. The babaylan
officiated the wedding of Mohan and Damara in the presence of the datu and his constituents. After
the wedding, an abundant feast was served. While everyone was happily celebrating, Mohan was
just sitting with his wife Damara without any emotion but grief. Suddenly, a bird came towards
Mohan’s direction and settled on his shoulder. Mohan was charmed by the bird's color - it has blue
feathers on its back and yellow ones on its chest. The bird chirps as if it was saying something to
Mohan. As Mohan was about to catch the bird, it flew away. The day after the wedding, the bird
would always come to Mohan and Damara’s abode before night falls from dusk. It carries small
fishes in its beak and leaves it on Mohan’s window.

A year after the death of Ilaya, Datu Kinaadman died. Mohan became the datu of
Kahangtoran. Still, the bird continued to visit him. Mohan loved the bird so much and ordered a
craftsman to make a golden pedestal for it beside his throne.

Ever since then, with the presence of the mystery bird, Kahangtoran has become more
abundant in resources like living would be endless. Datu Mohan and his wife Damara conceived
a beautiful daughter with a complexion like Ilaya’s. While the bird who visits the datu with a fish
in its beak before night falls also became famous not only in the barangay but also in the
neighboring barangays. When one time an English captive brought along by Chinese traders heard
about the story, two words came from his mouth which were “king’s fisher”. The meaning of what
the English captive’s words were not known to the Kahangtoran’s and other natives but they kept
repeating it. Since then, whenever the story is told, the bird was referred to as the king’s fisher that
later on became kingfisher as storytellers found it difficult to utter “king’s” followed by “fisher”
quickly.

The Story Spine

Directions: Use this as an outline for your creation myth.

The exposition/introduction Once upon a time there was a barangay known as

Kahangtoran. It was in a valley surrounded by a river and sea.
Kahangtoran was rich in coconut and banana plantation,
vegetation and flowers, fishes, and mahogany trees which
protected the barangay from storms. It was led by a datu who
was famous for his intelligence and pleasing looks. He was
Datu Kinaadman who is a descendant from the Maginoo class.
Amidst his muscular physical build, symmetrical facial
features, and cleverness, the datu never liked the idea of
marriage. But he still had a successor - the bronze-skinned,
wavy-haired, and doe-eyed Damara. She was the datu’s
adopted child who originally belonged to the Maharlika class.
Damara was known for her unexplainable beauty yet she was
also known for her cruelty. Although Damara is not admired by
most of Datu Kinaadman’s constituents, the datu never failed
to show his endless love for Damara. Growing up, Damara only
had her heart for one man - Mohan. Mohan was a young,
gracious, and gallant warrior of barangay Kahangtoran. He was
a son of a family from the Maharlika class. At the age of sixteen
and fifteen, Mohan and Damara were already engaged to each
other. Only when both of them reach eighteen years old will
they be married. Datu Kinaadman agreed upon this marriage
because of his love for Damara, and although Mohan’s parents
 felt blissful about the engagement, Mohan was against it. He
never had his heart for Damara. Mohan already had someone in
his heart since he was ten, it was a slave of Damara named
Ilaya. Ilaya was once brought to the datu’s house by the
babaylan Amihan during Damara’s 9th birthday. Ilaya was the
babaylan’s gift for the ferocious Damara. Ilaya is charming, and
people who see her would always say that her beauty is
comparable to the goddess Mayari - the lunar goddess who was
the most beautiful among the goddesses. But Ilaya’s
complexion does not have the touch of dusk or tan from the sun,
she’s fair-skinned while her hair is like corn's hair. Growing up,
Damara was always jealous of Ilaya because the people of his
father’s barangay favored Ilaya over her. Ilaya would always
be beaten by Damara whenever she is praised. This was also
the reason why Mohan never liked Damara, and although he
wants to care for Ilaya, he cannot because he was afraid of what
Damara may do to Ilaya.
The rising action But one day, three days before Damara’s 18th birthday
(problem/conflict) and her marriage to Mohan, the babaylan Amihan came rushing
to Damara’s house. She told Damara of her vision about a
woman in the river in the middle of the woods peeked on by
Mohan. In the babaylan’s another vision, a woman was secretly
serving Mohan a fish on every celebration for the triumph of
the warriors led by Mohan in the past years of victory. The
woman’s face was not vivid to the babaylan as she was always
covered in blue clothing with golden laces. But one thing is for
sure, the woman was from Damara’s abode and has a bird tattoo
on her back. The babaylan said that only when the woman is
killed can Damara have Mohan as her husband.
As soon as the babaylan left, Damara abruptly threw
everything inside her house. She was enraged and threatened
her servants that she would kill herself. As she was about to get
 one of the guard’s bolo, Datu Kinaadman came. The datu was
in fear of losing his beloved daughter so she promised Damara
to find the woman in the babaylan’s vision. Upon hearing his
father’s plea, Damara gave in. Datu Kinaadman immediately
ordered every slave to be stripped by their owner’s, and
whoever surrenders the woman will receive a great amount of
bulawan (gold) and will be given a title in Maginoo class once
Damara gave birth to a successor.
The consequences Because of the babaylan’s vision, barangay
Kahangtoran was in chaos as the unfair search for the woman
with a bird tattoo on her back began. While this happens,
Damara’s servant Ilaya was happily enjoying herself in a bath
on the river in the middle of the forest. She sings as the bird
chirps, and closes her eyes with a smile on her face. But she
was disturbed by the sound of a broken twig from a nearby
bush. Afraid of being attacked by a wild animal, she
immediately gets out of the water without noticing a muddy soil
on the river side causing her to slip. She closed her eyes in
shock waiting to feel the cold water on her body to make a loud
splash - but did not. What she felt was a warm pair of strong
arms holding her. Upon opening her eyes, Ilaya was astounded
to see Mohan right in front of her. Mohan smiled at her as he
praised her charismatic beauty. Then, Ilaya thanked Mohan for
saving her, and was about to leave when Mohan suddenly
grabbed her right hand. With pleading eyes, Mohan asked her
to stay just for a moment so Ilaya did. Mohan confessed her
feelings towards Ilaya and told her about what he really felt
about his engagement to Damara. Ilaya just listens carefully as
Mohan tells all his grief about how he was chosen to marry
someone he does not love. Time passed when Ilaya noticed that
it was already dusk so he bid goodbye to Mohan. But Mohan
suddenly hugged her and asked her hand for marriage. Ilaya
 rejected Mohan. She explained that even though she admired
Mohan, a slave can never marry a Maharlika. Even if they will
be wed, they will not live happily because they will live
separately and their children will be divided. Not waiting for
Mohan’s reply, Ilaya urgently ran towards her master’s house
without knowing about what was happening.
The climax Until finally, Ilaya reached Kahangtoran. She was
dumbfounded to see the chaos in Kahangtoran as she reached
there. Slaves were being dragged and stripped publicly as they
plead and cried in despair. Trembling, she still went to
Damara’s household where Damara was furiously waiting for
her. As soon as Ilaya came into Damara’s abode, she received
a heavy slap on both of her cheeks. Damara angrily whipped
her, and commanded the commoners to strip her. While Ilaya
was being stripped, Damara threw a blue piece of clothing with
golden laces in front of her which the commoner’s found in
Ilaya’s belongings. She burst in wrath and repeatedly whipped
Ilaya. When Ilaya was fully stripped, Damara was even enraged
when she saw the bird tattoo on Ilaya’s back which confirms
that she was the woman in the babaylan’s vision.
As Damara was about to whip Ilaya again, they heard
Mohan’s loud shout not from afar. He came inside Damara’s
chamber with fiery eyes as he saw how selfless Ilaya was,
stripped and wounded. Damara even felt more hurt when
Mohan carried Ilaya from the floor so she threatened to kill
herself again while holding a knife. The datu came rushing to
her daughter's abode as soon as he learned about Ilaya and
Mohan’s arrival. Datu Kinaadman pleaded with his daughter to
let go of the knife and assured Damara that she and Mohan will
get married as planned. Out of grief and anger, Damara agreed
to her father only if she saw Ilaya being killed in front of her.
The datu promised, and ordered Mohan to be captured until his
marriage with Damara. Everything was settled upon the capture
of Ilaya. The day after the chaos, Kahangtoran was in silent
despair as they prepared for the death of Ilaya. She was dragged
to the river in the middle of the forest, clothed with her blue
cloth and golden laces while tied tightly in a post.
Silently whimpering, Ilaya cries and prays to the gods
and goddesses in her sobs. She wished to be spared, or if not,
to be reborn not as a slave but a free crature. The gods and
goddesses heard her, and the mythical bird Tigmamanukan
pleaded to the goddess of cultivated land Ikapati to free her by
turning Ilaya into a bird.
As Ilaya was thrown with a huge rock into the deepest
part of the river, babaylan Amihan started the ritual together
with the eighteen warriors holding their spears while waiting in
the riverbank for the signal to throw their weapons, ensuring
the death of Ilaya. So, the ritual was completed, and the river
turned red. Damara, watching from a distance, was overjoyed.
After Damara, the babaylan, and the warriors left, the
Tigmamanukan bird came to the river together with the other
gods and goddesses. Agwe, the god of water, dived into the
river and got the lifeless body of Ilaya. Then, Ikapati got the
soul of Ilaya and cursed it to turn into a free creature dressed
with feathers like Tigmamanukan in a color of water, sky, and
bulawan. Ilaya was then turned into a beautiful blue-colored
bird with a yellow chest, a long black beak, and an enchanting
chirp. The god of water Agwe also made a vow that the bird
may breathe for a short time in the water whenever it wants to,
and may swim in the water as freely as flying in the air.
In the dungeon, Mohan tried to escape hoping to save
Ilaya from death but he failed. Before night falls, one of the
warriors informed him that Ilaya was already dead and he will
be freed on the day of Damara’s birthday. They will also be
 married the same day. Days passed and the day of Mohan and
Damara’s wedding came. Everything in Kahangtoran was
prepared for the wedding of Datu Kinaadman’s daughter - the
death of Ilaya seemed already forgotten quickly. The babaylan
officiated the wedding of Mohan and Damara in the presence
of the datu and his constituents. After the wedding, an abundant
feast was served. While everyone was happily celebrating,
Mohan was just sitting with his wife Damara without any
emotion but grief. Suddenly, a bird came towards Mohan’s
direction and settled on his shoulder. Mohan was charmed by
the bird's color - it has blue feathers on its back and yellow ones
on its chest. The bird chirps as if it was saying something to
Mohan. As Mohan was about to catch the bird, it flew away.
The day after the wedding, the bird would always come to
Mohan and Damara’s abode before night falls from dusk. It
carries small fishes in its beak and leaves it on Mohan’s
window.
A year after the death of Ilaya, Datu Kinaadman died.
Mohan became the datu of Kahangtoran. Still, the bird
continued to visit him. Mohan loved the bird so much and
ordered a craftsman to make a golden pedestal for it beside his
throne.
The Resolution Ever since then, with the presence of the mystery bird,
Kahangtoran has become more abundant in resources like
living would be endless. Datu Mohan and his wife Damara
conceived a beautiful daughter with a complexion like Ilaya’s.
While the bird who visits the datu with a fish in its beak before
night falls also became famous not only in the barangay but also
in the neighboring barangays. When one time an English
captive brought along by Chinese traders heard about the story,
two words came from his mouth which were “king’s fisher”.
The meaning of what the English captive’s words were not
known to the Kahangtoran’s and other natives but they kept
repeating it. Since then, whenever the story is told, the bird was
referred to as the king’s fisher that later on became kingfisher
as storytellers found it difficult to utter “king’s” followed by
“fisher” quickly.