ON THE ORIGIN OF EARTH AND OF MAN*

(Bikol)
Many, many years ago there was no earth or man. There was only the sky. Now, in the sky
there were two brothers, Bulan and Adlao. The latter was the older and the stronger. But the
former was proud and hated his older brother.
One day they had a quarrel. Bulan hurled bad words at Adlao, claimed superiority, and
challenged Adlao to a fight. The older brother only laughed at his younger brother. But his
laugh was answered by Bulan who bellowed: "You coward, come and fight and I will show
you my superiority. If you don't fight, I will kill you." And Bulan suddenly rushed to Adlao
without waiting for an answer. Adlao was angered f and he was forced to fight his younger
brother.
And the fight commenced. It was a clash between twoFstrengths. With his dub, Bulan hit
Adlao, but Adlao dodged the hit quickly. Then Bulan used his bolo, but again he missed
Adlao. It was Adlao's turn to hit. So, with his club he hit with all his might, first the eye of
Bulan, then the arm of Bulan which became flat at the might of the stroke. Then with his
bolo he cut Bulan's flattened arm. When Bulan's e3e was hit and his arm was flattened and
cut from his body, he cried with pain. His tears fell on the cut flattened arm. As Bulan
foresaw his defeat with only one eye and one arm to fight with, he fled, and he was pursued
by Adlao who was very angry and wanted to kill Bulan. And they kept running on and on,
chasing each other.
Now, the cut flattened arm of Bulan with his tears fell. Down and down it went until it
finally settled. The flattened arm of Bulan became the earth, and the tears became the rivers
and seas. Time came when two hairs sprang from Bulan's cut arm, and from these two hairs
sprang man and woman. Thus the earth and man came into being.

* Nanated by Arturo M. Ardlla, in Bikol Paper No. 69, in H.O. Beyer, "Ethnogr phy of the
Bilcol Se," Vol It (Manila, 1923).