Philippine Literature

during the Precolonial

Period
The Precolonial Period
 Identify the geographic,
linguistic, and ethnic
dimensions of Philippine
Learning 1 literary history from pre-
Competencies colonial to the contemporary.
(EN12Lit-Ia-21)

Explain the relationship of

2 context with the text’s
meaning. (EN12Lit-Ie-30)
Objectives

● define and describe precolonial literature; and

● explain the development of precolonial
literature.
● distinguish the types of Philippine folk
narratives;
● describe the features of Philippine folk
narratives; and
● analyze Philippine folk narratives in terms of
their features.
Learn about It!
 Learn about It!

● Most literary works during the precolonial period were

transmitted through oral tradition

● In some cases, our ancestors made use of a writing system

to pen down some works of literature

● Early literary written forms of pre-colonial Filipinos were

destroyed by the Spanish friars

● Surviving texts were restored because of resistance and

geographical isolation
Baybayin writing system - derived from Kavi,
a Javanese (Indonesian) script
 Learn about It!

● Early Filipinos wrote on palm leaves or bamboo using knives

as pens and sap from plants and trees as ink
● The ancient Tagalog script had seventeen basic syllables
composed of three vowels and fourteen consonants
○ Vowels: a, e/i, o/u
○ Consonants: ba, ka, da/ra, ga, ha, la, ma, na, nga, pa, sa, ta,
wa, ya
● Symbols used could be modified to present different vowel
sounds.
 Learn about It!

Conventions of Oral Literature

1. Common experiences of the community as subject matter

2. Communal authorship
3. Formulaic repetitions
4. Stereotyping of characters
5. Regular rhythmic and musical devices
 Learn about It!

E. Arsenio Manuel, a literary scholar notable for his

studies on Philippine folk literature, divided Philippine
precolonial literature into three, namely the Mythological
Age, Heroic Age, and Folktales from all ages.

Mythological Age

● the period when our ancestors told stories about the

creation of human beings and the world, natural
phenomena, and deities and spirits
 Learn about It!

Heroic Age

● Ordinary mortals and cultural heroes became the chief

subject matter in this period
● Epics became a popular genre
● chanted during important events in the community to
inspire people
● also performed to remind the community of their ideals
and values
 Learn about It!

Folktales

● traditional stories that had humans, animals, and even

plants as characters
● Fictional tales that have been modified through successive
retellings before they were finally recorded and written
down
Philippine Folk
Narratives
 Learn about It!

Myths

● Stories that make use of gods, goddesses, and other

fantastical creatures as characters
● means for our ancestors to explain the occurrence of
supernatural events, the beginning of cultural traditions,
and the existence of mysteries
● A myth may also attempt to explain the origin of the
world and of the people
 Learn about It!

Myths

The Creation Story (Tagalog)

The Creation Story (Igorot)
The Creation Story (Bukidnon)
 Learn about It!

Legends

● Believed to be historical but cannot be verified as true

● Often about famous persons or events
● may tell of an encounter with marvelous creatures, which
the folks still believe in: fairies, ghosts, water spirits, the
devil, and the like

● “How the Angels Built Lake Lanao” (Maranaws)

 Learn about It!

Folktales

● Prose narratives usually told to amuse or entertain

● Instructional in nature
● Deal with events set in an indefinite time and space

● The Monkey and the Turtle (Bilaan)

● The Story of the Orphan Girl ( Subanon)
 Learn about It!

Epics

● A long narrative poem that describes the adventures of a

hero, warrior, god, or king
● Influenced by the traditions, culture, beliefs, moral code,
and attitudes of the people who created it

Hinilawod (Panay) Darangan (Maranao)

Ibalon (Bicol) Biag-ni-Lam-Ang ( Ilocos)
Hudhud (Ifugao)
 Learn about It!

Characteristics of a Classical Epic

● Main character or protagonist is considered a hero

● Hero’s actions are presented without bias; the epic presents
both the character’s faults and virtues
● Epics often involve battles, which reveal the extraordinary
strength of the protagonist as he engages in acts of bravery
● The setting may span several countries, involve the whole
world, or even be set in the universe
● Gods and other divine beings are portrayed as having a role
in the outcome of events
Philippine Mythology
and Philippine Folk
Lyric and Speech
 Learn about It!

Ancient Tagalog Deities

● Pre-colonial Filipinos practiced worshipping gods and

goddesses
● Animism is a belief that souls or spirits exist in plants,
animals, or objects.
● Animism comes from the Latin word anima, which,
according to psychologist Carl Jung, means a person’s
inner self or soul
● In the Philippines, deities vary in different regions
 Learn about It!

Kaluwalhatian is the term used to refer to the home of

ancient Philippine gods and goddesses.
● Bathala or Bathalang Maykapal is the king of the gods in
Tagalog myths. He married a mortal, with which he had
three children: Apolaki (god of war and guardian of the
sun), Mayari (goddess of the moon), and Tala (goddess of
the stars).
● Apolaki and Mayari (or Adlaw and Bulan in Visayan) ruled
the earth at different times. This is because of a conflict
between them when Bathala died and he did not pass the
title to any of his children.
 Learn about It!

● Tala is the goddess who warns Mayari that the sun god is
gone and that it is safe for her to come out along with the
stars.
● Amihan is believed to be a bird, which is said to be the
first creature that inhabited the earth. It is linked to the
story of creation of the Tagalogs.
● Bakunawa, or the “moon eater,” is the god of the
underworld. Believed to have an image of a serpent or
dragon, he is the one responsible for eclipses.
 Learn about It!

Philippine Folk Lyric and Speech

● Base form is poetry

● Poetry is a form of literature that emphasizes rhythm,
metrical structure, and the use of imagery and sound
patterns
● Organized in stanzas, which are groups of consecutive
lines in a poem, with each stanza forming a single unit
 Learn about It!

Folk Songs

● Repetitive, sonorous, and have a playful melody

● May be about love and courtship, a long day’s work, or
may be songs sung at a funeral

● Doon po sa amin (struggle/ hardship)

● Leron- Leron Sinta (courtship)
 Learn about It!

Proverbs (Salawikain)

● Short sayings enveloped in rhymed verse

● Meant to give advice to the young, offering words of
wisdom or stating how one should live

● “Huwag magbilang ng sisiw hanggang di pa napipisa ang

itlog” (Don’t count chicks until the eggs are hatched)
● “Matibay ang walis, palibhasa’y magkabigkis” (A broom is
sturdy because its strands are tightly)
 Learn about It!

Riddles (Bugtong)

● Perplexing questions meant to be guessed or solved

● Used for entertainment
● Require one to observe, analyze, and imagine to provide
the right answer

● Nagtago si pedro nakalitaw ang ulo (Pedro hides, but you can
still see his head)
● Ako ay may kaibigan kasama ko kahit saan. (I have a friend
who is with me wherever I go)