Philippine mythology

Philippine mythology includes concepts akin to those in other belief systems, such as the notions of heaven (kaluwalhatian, kalangitan, kamurawayan), hell (kasamaan, sulad), and the human soul (kaluluwa, kaulolan, makatu, ginoand kud,...).

These myths were transmitted through oral tradition, handed down through generations guided by spiritual leaders or shamans, (babaylan, katalonan, mumbaki, baglan, machanitu, walian, mangubat, bahasa,...), and community elders.

Most species are myth diverged geographically[6] The two significant sources of Philippine mythologies are oral and written literature.

Examples include the Biag ni Lam-ang and the Tale of Bernardo Carpio, where certain characters were imposed with Spanish names and influence.

The book was utilized by the natives to express a "deliberate pact" with what the Spanish called with prejudice as "the devil", which contextually was an indigenous god and not a demon.

The scholar Beyer also noted of the time when a Spanish priest boasted about burning indigenous religious writings, specifically "more than three hundred scrolls written in the native character".

In 1349, the Chinese Wang Ta-yuan recorded that widows of important leaders spent the rest of their lives poring over religious texts.

Examples include Bakunawa and the Seven Moons and The Tambanokano, whose specifics depend on the locality, ethnicity, story origin, and cultural progression.

Scholars theorized that Austronesians arrived through the "Out-of-Taiwan model", crossing from mainland Asia to Taiwan, and later the Philippines, continuing to other islands.

The Austronesians are believed to have brought animist beliefs incorporating shamanism, ancestor worship, totemism, and tattoos.

[17] By 1300 CE, Muslim traders arrived in the southern Philippines, bringing with them Islamic myth and belief systems.

[18] In the middle of the 16th century, the Spanish arrived from Latin America and brought with them Ibero-American Christian myth (for example, veneration to Our Lady of Guadalupe).

[34][35][36][37] The 7,000 Philippines islands divide into three main regions:[38] Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (which is subdivided into North and South).

The Spaniards described some of the people who lived there as pintados, Pre-colonial Mindanao (around 900AD) was influenced by Hindu-Buddhist, Indonesian, and Malaysian beliefs and culture.

In some cases, a single ethnic group has multiple versions of its creation myth, depending on locality and sub-culture.

[77][78][79][80] The modern Filipino understanding of diwata encompasses meanings such as fairy, muse, nymph, dryad, or even deities (god or goddess).

[69][1][83][84][85][86][87]Each ethnic group has stories depicting mythical heroes, notably through oral traditions such as epic poems.

Spanish and American colonisation led some stories to be retrofitted with minor changes, notably to heroes' names.

Examples: At least two oral literatures, the Hudhud and the Darangen, and one indigenous game, Punnuk, appear in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

[142] The José Maceda Collection in the Memory of the World Register contains an array of traditional music from the Philippines containing stories from ethnic mythologies.

The registry safeguards Philippine heritage elements, including oral literature, music, dances, ethnographic materials, and sacred grounds.

[citation needed] Most entities that promote Philippine mythology for education are artists, scholars, television networks, publishers, and non-profit organizations.

Certain stories from Anitism, notably the mythical creatures, are promoted globally in book bazaars, films, art galleries, online games, and educational courses.

Portrait of the first man, Malakas, and woman, Maganda, who came out from a bamboo pecked by the bird form of the deity of peace, Amihan, in Tagalog mythology
The Maranao people believe that Lake Lanao is a gap that resulted in the transfer of Mantapoli into the center of the world.
The Tagalog people's Obando Fertility Rites , before becoming a Catholic festival, was initially an animist ritual dedicated to the intersex deity, Lakapati, who presided over fertility , the goddess of love, Diyan Masalanta, and the supreme god, Bathala. [ 13 ]
The Virgin of Antipolo has animist connections. Many of the rituals and prayers connected to the Lady of the Breadfruit ( Tipolo ) Tree have similarities to the pre-colonial indigenous cult of Maguayen, the Visayan god to whom people made offerings before building a boat or embarking on a voyage. Similarly, the Virgin of Antipolo is also asked for protection and well-being, as well as for the blessing of new cars, the modern mode of transportation. [ 14 ]
A Bontoc shaman performing a sacred wake ritual with a death chair.
The Agusan image statue (900–950 CE) discovered in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa River near Esperanza , Agusan del Sur , Mindanao in the Philippines .
Angalo , a creation giant, is said to be the first man and the son of the god of building in Ilokano mythology . [ 44 ]
Lingling-o are jewelries that are believed to aid in fertility , and also represent a person's social standing through the material used as medium
A symbol of Bathala , supreme god of the Tagalog people . The symbol also depicts a loyal anito at the bottom area and a tigmamanukan bird, which is sometimes wrongfully portrayed as a sarimanok .
Mayon volcano, within the Albay UNESCO biosphere reserve , is believed to have sprouted from the burial ground of lovers Magayon and Pangaronon. Later, the supreme god of the Bicolano people , Gugurang, chose Mayon as his abode and repository for the sacred fire of Ibalon.
The deity Namtogan, who has paraplegia , is said to have taught the Ifugao how to craft Bulul statues, which would serve as avatars of rice deities. The statues are bathed in animal blood and sometimes given rice wine in rituals performed by a mumbaki (Ifugao shaman).
The Sambal and Dumagat peoples believe that the foul odor of takang demonyo or kalumpang ( Sterculia foetida ) attracts two horse-like races, namely the tulung, monstrous tikbalang -like beings, and the binangunan, fire horses. [ 88 ]
A kolago/kagwang , Cynocephalus volans . The Waray and Bisaya peoples believe that when such a creature cries loudly during dawn, there will be no rain for the whole day. [ 88 ]
Manang , wooden idols of household deities of the Mandaya people .
The rotation of Bakunawa in a calendar year, as explained in Mansueto Porras' Signosan (1919)
Summit caldera of Mount Pinatubo (1991). In Sambal beliefs, the volcano is said to erupt whenever the flaming "sea turle", Bacobaco, comes out of the crater. The volcano is notable as the home of the Kapampangan god, Apûng Malyari, and the Sambal supreme deity, Malayari.
Mount Matutum is known for the many monsters that used it as a lair, such as Tarabusar, [ 12 ] Omaka-an, and Maka-ogis. [ 123 ]
A Visayan tenegre horn hilt, depicting the sea serpent deity, Bakunawa . Outside the Visayas and Bicol regions, horn hilt depictions often change into other designs as Bakunawa only exists in Visayan and Bicolano mythologies.
The upper part of a manananggal , hunting for food. The monster can be killed by putting salt or garlic on the wound of its lower portion left on the ground. This way, the upper part will fail to re-connect with its lower section, thus killing it once daylight comes.
A unique sculpture of a buraq crafted by Mindanao Muslims . The belief on buraqs was inputted by Arab traders and missionaries
Hanging coffins is a traditional practice in Sagada . The northern Kankanaey people believe that by doing so, the spirits will be closer to heaven while joining the community as protectors of the villages.
The Hinatuan Enchanted River is believed to be protected by supernatural beings. The local Surigaonon people believe that certain fishes in the river cannot be caught due to enchanted protection.
The critically endangered Philippine eagle is regarded by numerous ethnic groups in the Philippines as sacred. In Bagobo Tagabawa mythology, a hero chieftain named Banog, who founded four domains, was said to have been named after the local name for the raptor.
Aklanon participants at the vibrant Ati-Atihan festival , which honors the Ati people and the Aklanon since around 1200 AD. Spanish colonization used Catholic figures to replace the festival's original roster of honorees.