The Gods and the Creation of the World:

Philippine myths show that our ancient peoples believed in one supreme god and in a number of
lesser gods and goddesses. Sometimes the name of the god is not given, he is simply referred to as
the Supreme God, great Being, or God the Most high. Most of the time, their names were given, and
these names varied with the different tribes: Bathala for the Tagalogs, Mangetchay for the
Pampangos, Gugurang for the Bicols, Lumawig and Kabunian for the Bontoc and Igorot, Liddum for
the Ifugao, Mahal Makakaako for the Mangyan, Laon for the Visayans, Magbabaya for the Bukidnons,
Sualla or Tullus for the tiruray, Melu for the Blaan, Makalidug for the Manobo of the Agusan Valley,
Diwata for the Bagobo, Manama for the Munuvu, the couple-god Kadaw La Sambad and the Bulon La
Mogaw for the Tiboli.

In many myths, the supreme god is the creator of the world. Sometimes people were merely told that
the god made the earth and no further details. In some myths, the creation of the world was not the
work of a supreme being but rather the outcome of a struggle between hostile forces.

Early Conceptions of the Universe:

Stories of creation contain scattered references which indicate the early Filipinos' conception of the
universe. This universe consists of the Skyworld, the earth or middleworld, and the
underworld. Almost all the different regional groups believe that the universe has many layers with
which each layer is inhabited by different kinds of being. Part of the early Filipinos' concept of the
universe is the belief that once upon a time the sky was low, and many myths attest to this belief.

The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars:

Myths about the sun, the moon and the stars explain the following:
1. why the sun and the moon shine at different times of the day,
2. why the sun shines more brightly than the moon,
3. why there are spots on the face of the moon, and the sun,
4. the origin of the stars.

A central motif in many of these myths is the enmity or quarrel of the sun and the moon.

The Great Flood

Mythology speaks of such world calamities as a great fire and a deluge that happened a long time
ago, and myths describing such calamities are worldwide in occurrence. In the Philippines, there
seems to be no myth about great fires, but flood myths are quite common. In majority of the myths,
the flood occurs as a punishment for the people's failure to fulfill their sacrificial obligations to the
gods or to observe God's laws. Other reasons or causes of the flood are given in the myths. A Nabaloi
version blames the flood on the negligence of the woman guarding the river. She fell asleep and
wood and thrash clogged the river and caused it to swell and overflow.
Establishment of Natural Order:

Myths try to explain many kinds of natural phenomena: why there is rain, rainbow, thunder,
lightning, earthquake, eclipse, and the like. The rain is believed by many as the tears shed by a man
longing for his vanished wife, a Diwata (fairy) throwing out water in the sky. The rainbow is believed
to be the flower loving daughter of Bathala, who was cursed by the latter to stay on earth forever
because of her failure to attend a family council ordered by the Bathala. Other believed that the
rainbow is not a person but a road from the sky to the earth that a man built so that his star wife and
child could visit him without any difficulty. The origin of the lightning and thunder are stories about
the marriage of a god and a mortal wife. The earthquake is what early Filipinos believed as the
movement of the body part of a great being or by the movement of the post or being that supports
the earth. Others believed that the eclipse of the moon occurs whenever the moon is swallowed or
embraced by a monster --huge snake, lion, or gigantic tarantula.

Origin of Man:

The creation of man in myths follows immediately after the creation of the world. Philippine myths
explain the origin of the first people on earth in three ways: (1) man came to earth from
heaven/skyworld; (2) the first man and woman emerged fully formed from two nodes of a piece of
bamboo, from two stumps of banana plant, hatched from two eggs of a bird; and (3) they were
created by a god and his helpers out of earth or some other material.

Relationship between Gods and Men:

Myths portray some of the gods and goddesses as being in frequent and intimate communication with
the mortals on earth. This is especially true among the tribes living in the mountains of the northern
parts of the the main Island.

Acquisition of Culture and the Origin of Fire:

After the creation of man, he has to have fire to keep his surroundings warm and to use for his own
needs. How fire was brought to man is explained in different stories. Many believed that fire came to
man as a gift from the gods or that it was stolen from a giant as it was told in the folktale Biag ni Lam-
ang (life of Lam-ang) of the North.

Origin of the Water Features:

Like so many Philippine legends explaining the origin of rivers revolve around the fate of
lovers. Legends have also been woven around some popular spring resorts in the country, among
them Sibul Springs in San Miguel Bulacan, Tiwi Hot Springs in Bicol, Salinas Salt Spring in Nueva
Vizcaya, Mambucal Springs in Negros Occidental, and Mabinay Spring in Negros Oriental.

In legends explaining the origin of lakes, a common motif is the sunken city in which a god causes a
town or village to sink to punish its inhabitants for some great sin.

Of many waterfalls in the country, a few has been immortalized in legend. One was formed because
it was dug by a genie in a futile attempt to recover a golden crow which had fallen and which had
been given to a princess by the god of the mountain. Other lakes said to have been formed by the
inundation or flooding of what were once villages.

Origin of Land Features:

Legends about land features explain the origin of mountains and volcanoes in general and some
specific and famous volcanoes and mountains. A motif that is found in few of these mountains are the
rising from the common grave of faithful lovers. Others come from the grave of huge animals or a
giant who lived in it pulled it out from its foundations and carried it and moved it to a different place to
show its strength.

Origin of Animals:

Animal legends present an interesting array of Philippine fauna, especially of the smaller specie--
birds, fishes, and insects. Of beasts, legends deal mostly with monkey, rarely with cats and rats.
There seem to be legends of the origin of monkeys in every region of the Philippines. Motifs varied
from one place to another. One motif is that that those who became monkeys are hungry children
who are denied of proper food by their mothers and stepmothers. In lowland Filipino legends, it is
usually a lazy boy who is transformed into a monkey. In these motifs, the transformation into a
monkey happened as a form of punishment for laziness and selfishness. In some stories, irreverence
in children may also change them into monkeys.

Legends about other small animals like birds vary from one place to another. Common motif includes
girl or boy cruelly treated by their parents or step-parent. They run away and become a bird,
oftentimes by merely wishing to escape the cruelty of the parent. Some birds that make peculiar
noises are also subject of legends. The owl was said to be an old woman who kept weeping and
crying for her dead son Juan to come back to her. An interesting legend about the bat says that it is
once a rat on which the wings of a bird got stuck. He was however, rejected by both the birds and the
rats, and so in shame he hides during the daytime and flies only at night.

Origin of Plants:

Plant myths and legends abound in Philippine Folklore. They give highly fanciful accounts of the
origin of various kinds of plants, flowers, and fruits. Among the most widely known of these are those
about rice, the staple food of the Philippines. Legends believed that rice was only known by the gods
until they gave people the detailed instruction on how to plant, have a good harvest, and cook
it. Other motifs include, lovers eloping, a child hiding and running away, and a lover who died in

behalf of his/her love.

Again, just like the creation myths, gods and goddesses vary from region to region. Ive
mentioned a few in the creation stories, but I actually want to discuss a few different ones this
time (though, in some cases, they can be linked to the creation gods from the previous
lesson).

The Tagalog Pantheon

Below, I have listed the major Pantheon gods and goddesses. This may or may not include
the Diwata, who were believed to have been gods in ancient times. Now, the term diwata
refers to mythical creatures akin to fairies and nymphs (and in some cases, demons), but
well get to that in a later lesson.

Bathala
Bathala, or Bathalang Maykapal (or any other spelling variations), is the head honcho of the
gods in the Tagalog myths. There are definitely counterparts in the other dialects, and you
might recognize him as Captan/Kaptan from the Visayan creation myth. Bathala reigns
supreme in the heavens, though his beginnings were not necessarily so set.

In his story, Bathala was more known to have ruled over the barren Earth, while two other
gods (brothers, perhaps)Ulilang Kaluluwa (a snake living in the clouds) and Galang
Kaluluwa (the winged wanderer)ruled the skies. None of the three knew each other, and
when Ulilang met with Bathala, tempers ran high. In a violent duel, Bathala emerged as the
victor, and Ulilang was killed, giving Bathala control of the heavens. Galang, the more good-
natured of the sky rulers, became Bathalas best friend, and after the sky wanderers
illnessleading to an ultimate deathBathala ruled supreme. The god is known to have
married a mortal woman, and from her sprang three of his powerful offspring: Apolaki (God
of War and Guardian of the Sun), Mayari (Goddess of the Moon), and Tala (Goddess of the
Stars).

Apolaki and Mayari

Im putting these two together for a reason. Apolaki is also known as Adlaw (remember
Liadlaw?), and he holds dominion over the sun. His sister, Mayari (whose Visayan equivalent
is Bulan), rules over the moon, and is known to be the most beautiful goddess in Bathalas
kingdom.

According to one myth (generally believed to be Pampangan), when Bathala passed away,
he did not designate the Earth to any of his children. Apolaki and Mayari both fought over
the Earths dominion; the sun god wanted to be the sole ruler, but the goddess of the moon
wanted an equal share. This resulted in a ferocious battle, Apolaki taking out one of his
sisters eyes. Regretting his actions, he conceded and ruled the earth with Mayari, only they
would rule at different times. In the day, it was Apolakis moment, and at night, Mayari shone
in the sky (though her luminescence is dimmer, due to the loss of one eye).

Tala
Not much is said about Tala as the daughter of Bathala, only that she ruled the stars (and is
usually referred to as the evening and morning star). There are, however, varied accounts
of her origination. One myth tells us that she is not the daughter of Bathala, but in fact the
child of moon goddess Buan (probably a variation of Bulan). It is said that Tala warns her
mother of sun god Araos (Adlaw) rampage, and only when the sun is gone is it safe for Buan
to bring forth the stars in the sky.

Amihan
The bird of legend is said to be the first creature inhabiting the universe, and has been
linked to the saving of Earths first humans: Malakas (strong) and Maganda (beautiful).
While this name is particularly not used in the Tagalog creation myth about the bird who
stirred up the waters and the heavens, I believe there may be a correlation.

The Marias
Maria Cacao, Maria Makiling, and Maria Sinukuan are mountain goddesses (or fairies) with
their own separate jurisdictions. The most famous of the three, Maria Makiling, is the
guardian of Mount Makiling, located in Laguna. The mountain is said to resemble the profile
of a woman, perhaps of Maria herself. Maria Cacao watches over Mount Lantoy in Cebu, and
it is said that her domain houses the Cacao plants, a useful ingredient in most Filipino
chocolate delicacies. Lastly, Maria Sinukuan holds dominion over Mount Arayat in
Pampanga. There, she is said to bring forth bountiful harvests from the mountains fruit trees.

Bakunawa
Moon eater Bakunawa is most akin to that of a gigantic sea serpent or dragon, and is said
to be the god of the underworld. Bakunawa is apparently a major cause of the eclipse, for he
swallows the moon at that time.
According to some accounts, Bathala and Bakunawa are mortal enemies. In ancient times, it
was believed that Bathala created seven moons to light up the night sky. Enchanted by the
beauty of the seven moons, Bakunawa leapt from the sea and swallowed the moons,
angering the king of the gods. To keep the giant serpent from swallowing the moons whole,
people in the ancient villages would bang their pots and pans noisily outside their homes, in
hopes of scaring Bakunawa into spitting the moons back out.

Post-Spanish Philippines

In time, the gods and goddesses roles, names, and myths changed to better fit a more
Spanish and Christian influence. Because of the Spaniard settlements on the islands of the
Philippines, missionaries of the time have worked to assimilate the idea of Bathala and the
major gods into a monotheistic principle, with saints as the lesser divinities. The missionaries
may have been successful, but even then, some of the Filipino culture is steeped with
allusions to the gods and goddesses of old.

I have included a more comprehensive list of Visayan, Bicolon, and Tagalog gods and
goddesses in a separate page if you would like to take a look at them and see the similarities
among those of its Western mythological counterparts. For a longer list, you might want to
check this link out.

References:

F. Landa Jocano, Outline of Philippine Mythology (Centro Escolar University Research and
Development Center, 1969)