Major characters:

• Ibong Adarna (Adarna bird)-An enchantress

bird. It has a very long fancy tail with numerous
shiny metallic colors. It knows a total of seven
songs that are believed to lull anyone to sleep as
well as cure any type of afflictions and it
changes its feathers into more colorful hues and
shades after each song. It is believed that its
droppings can turn any living things into stone.
• King Fernando-Great ruler of Berbania
kingdom.
• Queen Valeriana-Faithful wife of King Fernando
and a loving mother to her three sons : Don Pedro,
Don Diego and Don Juan.
• Don Pedro-Eldest son of the King and Queen. He
is a deceitful man, very envious and greedy of
power.
• Don Diego-The second son, he does not have his
own decision. He follows whatever his older
brother, Don Pedro tells him to do.
• Don Juan-The youngest of the siblings. He is a man
of integrity and compassion. These good qualities
makes him the King's favorite child.
 Summary of Ibong Adarna
 Three princes are in search for a mythical bird, the
Ibong Adarna, not only for the cure to the ailing king
but also to rival for the rightful claim to the throne. In
their perilous journey, they were captured by tribes and
encountered an old woman who was an enchanted
princess. The two brothers failed as the Ibong Adarna
sang them to sleep, turning them into stone. Finally,
Don Juan and Princess Maria Blanca got married while
Princess Leonora married Don Pedro. In the end, Don
Pedro became the new king of Berbania while Don
Juan became the king of Reyno delos Cristales.
 Readers Response
• This amazing folklore is about love, sacrifice and
fantasy. Ibong Adarna literally means Adarna Bird.
The story centers about catching the mythical bird
that possesses magical powers. The Adarna bird is
so beautiful and could change in a lot of stunning
forms. It is very much hard to catch. It knows a
total of seven songs which could either enchant
anyone to sleep, turn into stone or heal a deadly
sickness. Which is why the almost dying King
Fernando of Berbania tasked his three sons to
catch the magical bird. That’s where the story
begins…