Jeremy L.

Abanco
2SEDE-A

The Legend of the Guava

Once upon a time, there was a king in a rich and abundant land named Barabas. He
is a greedy and corrupt leader. He acquired all of the foods and wealth that are
supposedly for the people, which led him in becoming an overweight man. King Barabas
spends most of his time in eating using his hands while his servants are just watching at
him. This king also abused his power by neglecting and ignoring the people who are
asking help due to the poverty and starvation.
One time, an old lady went to the king to ask for some foods. Unfortunately, King
Barabas didn’t granted what she is asking. The old lady didn’t stop in begging the king
but the latter just told her to leave him alone since he is busy eating. Suddenly, the old
lady stood up and spoke her frustrations to the greedy king. She cursed him, in a voice
that doesn’t seem like she’s old, that no people will remember and pay tribute to him once
he died.
After few days, King Barabas started to weaker until he became sick. His disease got
worse as days passes by but no one sympathized him. He looks pale as his disease
worsens. Days passed by and he already succumbed to death. Later on, the people
buried but there is no single person who mourned the death of the selfish king. After
several days, a plant started to grow in the grave site of King Barabas. When it reached
maturation, it bore a sour green round fruit with a crown-shaped under it. The people
named that fruit Barabas, as a reminder of the sour memories under his rule, before they
started to call it Bayabas.
Why some people believe in this legend? Nowadays, it is rare to see people who
believe in this legend. However, there are still people who believe in this. First, because
the sour taste of the fruit is a reminder of the “sour rule” and “sour personality” of King
Barabas. Second, the crown-shaped thing under it symbolizes the crown of the late
greedy king.
Why some people didn’t believe in this legend? In this time, almost all of the Filipinos
didn’t believe in this legend. It’s probably because they, as devout Christians, believe that
all of the fruits and vegetables are God’s creation. Another possible reason is that they
believe that it is impossible that a new plant can grow from a grave.
What is the lesson of this legend? The lesson of this legend is that people must avoid
being greedy and learn to give and share their blessings to the others.
Source: Anza, Precy. (2022, July 29). Philippine Legend: The Legend of the Guava.
Owlcation. https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Philippine-Legend-The-Legend-Of-
Guava