Philippines Guide
For Travelers, Expats and Pinoys
The Quixotic Myth of Mayon Volcano
World famous for its perfect cone, Mayon is a world wonder tourists worldwide respect. But how did the famous volcano come to be?
In olden days, a myth says there lived a lovely woman named Daragang Magayon. Her pulchritude fascinated many suitors from various tribes. Among them was the arrogant Pagtuga, a great hunter and authoritative tribal chief from Iriga.
The myth says, however, that Daragang Magayon did not love Pagtuga. She had given her heart to Panganoron, the brave son of Rajah Karilaya of the distant Tagalog region. The myth says that he had saved her from death in the river once. She had gone to bathe in the Yaw River which was swollen after a night of heavy rain. Balancing herself on the stones, the myth says, she had slipped and fell into the water. The myth says she did not know how to swim, and she would have been carried away by the swift current if not for Panganoron arriving just in time.
Then he courted her. The myth says Daragang Magayon accepted his proposal. This gave the young man courage to ask her hand from the girl’s father, Rajah Makusog. Makusog consented. But, the myth says that Pagtuga heard the news and was very angry. So, one day, he accosted Rajah Makusog on a mountain and took him captive. He would be released if his daughter consented to marrying Pagtuga, the myth adds.
Daragang Magayon was brought before Pagtuga. The myth says she tearfully consented to marrying him. On learning of the situation, Panganoron assembled his brave warriors and went after Pagtuga. The myth says that in the battle that ensued, Panganoron slew Pagtuga. But while Magaron was rushing joyously to meet her beloved victor, a stray arrow pierced her back. Panganoron, too, was struck dead by a spear hurled by Linog, Pagtuga’s captain. Seeing this, the myth says Makusog rushed and killed Linog.
According to the myth, Rajah Makusog himself dug the grave where he tenderly laid the bodies of the lovers. After a few days, the people saw the grave rise. The myth says that as it grew higher, it roared and trembled violently. The grave turned into a huge land form and the myth says that people started calling it Mayon, short for Magayon.
They say a long and lasting love will always manifest its intensity even in the hereafter. This myth says that eruptions of Mayon are signs of the ongoing love affair of Magayon and Panganoron.
The Philippine Myth on Why Roosters have Crowns
Roosters anywhere in the world seem to be encumbered with a mission just before daylight appears on the horizon. Why do they have to crow? This popular folk myth offers an amusing suggestion why.
The myth begins by stating that long ago, before roosters were known to crow, Batalla was a great kingdom nestled on a hill between two huge and majestic mountains somewhere in the North. Thick mists covered the hilltop early in the morning and in the evening. Thus, according to the myth, Batalla was a cold mountain fortress. The people’s eating habits increased which, they claim, was due to the cold weather. So they gained weight and became increasingly sleepy. This affected the health of the people, according to the myth.
Learning of Batalla’s growing health predicament, a rival kingdom from the plains below planned on an attack. The myth goes on that they planned an all-out attack at dawn. The King of Battalla asked everybody’s help to save the kingdom; the soldiers, men and women, and even the children and animals. Haphazard preparations were done to defend the kingdom. But, says the myth, most of them found their physical unfitness the main concern—in fact, it was the number one hindrance to counter the impending attack. It was too late to limber up and train for battle. Hence, the myth adds, at dawn when the enemies were about to start the attack, everybody in the kingdom was fast asleep. It was a very cold night and everybody in Batalla, including the king himself, had a heavy supper the night before, according to the myth.
The myth continues that the enemies were poised to deal the first fatal blow on the kingdom when suddenly, for some reason, all the roosters in Batalla crowed loudly and simultaneously, waking up everybody in Batalla. Not only that, but the enemies were shocked and dumbstruck at what was going on. The myth says the enemies thought the crowing came from the people. In panic, the enemies imagined that ambush teams were hiding in the dark, and the crowing was a signal for the ambush. According to the myth, the attack was successfully repelled and the enemies ran away like mad chickens scampering for safety. In gratitude, the king put a crown on every rooster’s head.
The myth on why roosters have crowns shows the significance of being warned as a preventive measure against any problem.
The Philippine Myth on Maria and the Crab
Crabs or “alimango” in the vernacular is a very sumptuous dish to feast on. Here’s a unique myth on a crab haunted by the spirit of a loving mother to protect her child. How mother, child, and crab are connected is narrated by this myth.
According to the myth, there was a beautiful girl named Maria. Her mother died when she was still young. Her father married again to a widow with two daughters. The daughters, says this myth, were envious of Maria’s natural beauty. The myth says envy forced them to get Maria to do all the housework. The poor girl was the last to eat and sometimes even missed meals altogether.
The myth says that one day, due to hardship, Maria cried by a well. The girl had missed breakfast and had just finished fetching water. She was about to begin washing clothes when a kind voice spoke to her saying “Don’t cry Maria, here’s some food. Eat, my child.” The myth says Maria saw some food but there was nobody around. Then the girl was shocked to see a big crab.
According to the myth, it was the crab speaking all along: “Don’t be scared, my child. I’m your dead mother. From this day on my spirit in this crab will take care of you.”
The myth continues that when Maria left for the market the big crab came to bring food for Maria. The stepmother saw it and cooked and ate it with her two daughters. The myth says that when Maria saw the shells that were left of the crab, the pitiful girl cried. But she heard a voice again, saying, ”Don’t cry, just pick up the shells and bury them in the yard. ” She did so, and the next morning, Maria saw a full grown tree on the spot where she buried the crab’s shells. The tree was laden with ripened golden fruits.
The myth says, there was a handsome man who saw the golden fruits and asked Maria’s two step sisters for some. For some mysterious reason they could not get close to the tree. Only Maria could. When the man reached out and saw Maria, he fell in love and asked her hand for marriage.
This Philippine myth on Maria and the Crab reminds us of a mother’s boundless love for her child, and how she would get out of her way just to protect her children.
The Philippine Myth about the Sun
According to a local myth, the sun was designed to be on earth. To begin with, it was supposed to light up the Earth. So, how come the sun ended up in the sky?
In the beginning, according to this myth, the Earth was so dark because there was nothing in the sky that could give light to it. Hence, there was no day. All throughout the day, 24 hours daily, there was only night time. So what the ancients did, says this myth, was to make bonfires to light up their surroundings, dry clothes on, and keep warm, aside from cook food, boil water, or burn debris. Sometimes, they had to build huge fires to light up whole surroundings on special occasions and community rituals. But they eventually realized, the myth adds, that bonfires, no matter how huge, were not enough to provide enough heat and light drive for all of them. Bonfires were not enough to sustain any kind of development.
So the people thought of ways to remedy the situation. The myth continues that they knew there had to be some kind of a continuous supply of heat and light from a permanent source that didn’t need human supervision. The supply had to be self-sustaining. So what did the people do? What they usually did. They resorted to what they discerned to be gods and goddesses that they believed controlled nature, the myth says.
After some worship rituals and offerings, finally the god of fire purportedly came down from above, according to the myth, and answered their supplication—a perpetual source of heat and light. The god was said to create a very big ball of fire. The myth says, the giant ball of fire was enough to warm and light up the whole surroundings—and even beyond. Miles upon miles of land was amply lighted up by this ball of fire. But it merely rested on the Earth. The myth continues, it was so big and hot that everybody had to stay inside caves to avoid being burned. Even the ground where it rested started to melt.
Seeing this, the god of fire threw the ball of fire to the sky. It was hurled away so strongly that it reached the sky and stayed there.
The local myth about the sun shows us that mere human efforts at life survival and progress is not enough. The sustaining power of nature and belief in a superior force or presence is needed.
The Myth on Why Fireflies Have Lights
Fireflies in the Philippines are fond of roaming around star apple trees. They can be seen especially in summer when apple trees are in season. At first they appear like twinkling stars around the tree, but going closer they become obviously flying insects with curious lights in their bodies. How did they have those lights in them? A myth goes like this.
According to a local myth, fireflies were simply “flies” a longtime ago before they were called fireflies. But they did not fly around dirt or garbage dumps like ordinary flies do. They liked flying around star apple trees. The myth says the tree and its fruit so mesmerized them that they frequented star apples when the day started to fade out. And they especially became a gleeful congregation around the tree when the night became very dark. The myth says at such time, they only had the moonlight to guide them and see everything around them.
Then one night, as they were flying around the star apple tree, the myth says they noticed the twinkling stars above. According to the myth a story went that time that a tribe was said to have been languished and famished by a long hunting travel and had ended up in the middle of the forest with nothing to eat. It had been so dark, but suddenly the nocturnal clouds were parted and revealed the silvery full moon and the stars.
The myth says that with aid from the faint light lent by the moon and stars, they were able to make out a tree nearby. They climbed it and ate its edible and soft, apple-like fruit. It was so sweet and fibrous, re-energizing them for the long trek the next day. The tribe, according to the myth, had called the tree and its fruits star apple, imagining that it was a gift from the stars.
So, the myth says, the flies thought that, since they were the guardians of the tree and its fruits, why weren’t they called starflies? So together they wished upon the stars to let them become starflies. But since stars were really burning balls, the stars gave them fire in their bodies instead. Since then, the myth says, they became (and were called) fireflies.
This local myth on why fireflies have light in their bodies somewhat shows that sometimes, admirers take on the image of the thing they admire or worship.
The Myth on the Undying Love of Sampaguita
A love that continues to the after-life—this is the gist of the myth on the undying Sampa-Guita love story.
Guita was a beautiful princess of a strict king who ruled his subjects ruthlessly. According to this myth, the king had high hopes for his only daughter and hoped that one day Guita would meet a fitting prince from a strong kingdom. The myth says she was educated in one of the best exclusive schools abroad designed for royalty.
However, according to the myth, Guita secretly befriended a slave named Sampague—or Sampa, as he was fondly called by friends—as she roamed her father’s kingdom. Guita eventually fell for Sampa. The myth says the cruel king learned of the affair, and became furious. He ordered Guita to stop seeing Sampa and cut the madness. The myth says, the king threatened his daughter about continuing the love affair.
According to the myth, to avoid the King’s wrath, Sampa and Guita eloped and went deep into the forest to hide, thinking that they could find refuge there and forever be out of harm’s way. But, the myth says, the king ordered an unrelenting search and destroy mission until Sampa and Guita. The soldiers left no stone unturned and vowed to fulfill their mission by any means.
The soldiers finally found Sampa and Guita in their forest hideaway and killed them right there and then. They buried the lovers on the spot where they were killed. The king was notified. But instead of triumph, he felt deep remorse and repented of his wickedness, though too late. The myth adds that the king wished that Sampa and Guita would live again so he could ask their forgiveness and give his approval to their love affair.
The myth says that after several days, the king, terribly disheartened by the death of the couple, went to the tomb of the lovers in the forest. He was surprised to see a healthy shrub with white flowers that emitted a strong and unique fragrance. He felt relieved seeing and smelling the flowers, taking them to be Sampa and Guita being given life again, and the powerful fragrance as the sign of the couple’s pardon for his grave mistake. Since then the king called the flower Sampaguita.
True love is said to be strong and eternal, not even the grave can stop it. Not even a furious king and his kingdom, this myth shows readers.
The Myth on the Gracious Maria Makiling
Makiling is a mountain between Laguna and Quezon and towers all over most major towns of Laguna. According to myths, it is guarded by a local nymph-god named Maria Makiling. Ever met her yet?
A lot of local and foreign poets have been inspired by the myth on Maria Makiling. One of them was the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. There are countless myths and tales on her, and one of them is her kind disposition on both good and bad people.
This myth has it that Maria Mikiling, in earlier days, would be often seen roaming the forests of the mountain, or even visiting nearby towns around the foothills disguised as an old lady or teenage girl. She would dole out wealth to town folks who were in need by sending fruit baskets stashed with gold nuggets or pieces of expensive jewelry. The myth avers that she often sent newly weds precious stones as wedding gift. But as modernity became more pronounced in the nearby localities, the myth alleges that she had stopped doing so.
There were countless times when foreign hunters out to trace her tracks actually came face to face with her, says this myth, and had a sampling of her awesome fiery stares which were a mixture of angst, wrath, and gentleness. At times, says this myth, she would just let her vapory figure be felt or glimpsed as she crossed over shrubberies or fields with speed and grace. People would often see her gliding past, long hair waving in a mysterious wind, and her soft violin music filling the air with sweet serenity—another one of her liberality. According to this myth, her music and presence usually repaired the mountain forest after a fierce storm had passed by.
Once, the myth says, a hunter was after a wild bore which ran and hid under an old sagging hut deep in the forest. Suddenly a beautiful young lady came out of the hut and declared ownership of every wild creature in the mountain forest. The lady was said to be of native brown skin color, tall, long haired, with delicate hands and feet, and a serious but gentle countenance. She was visibly annoyed, and yet she treated the hunter with abundance of food, natural refreshment, and later sent him home with some jewelry.
The Philippine myth on the graciousness and liberality of Maria Makiling also reflects the legendary traits of a cultured and pure Filipina.
The Myth on the First Man and Woman
How did the first man and woman came to be? This Philippine myth tells us how.
According to this myth, the first creations were the sea, the sky, and a giant bird. How they appeared was not mentioned, but they just existed. There was no land yet, so the giant bird just flew continuously. According to the myth, the bird finally grew tired of flying, but the predicament was that there was nothing yet to land on. Being smart, or so the myth avers, the bird instigated the sea to throw rocks on the sky.
Somehow the sky was hit, and it retaliated by a tremendous downpour. The rocks thrown plus the downpour later produced land masses all over the world, says the myth. The land produced plants much later. Now the giant bird had something to perch on. As it was relaxing on a branch, the myth says, it became thirsty. So the bird flew again in search of fresh water, this time. But the sea yielded nothing but salt water. So the bird tried searching on the land. It came upon a cluster of shrubberies where giant weeds grew nearby. The giant bird, the myth continues, knew that these giant weeds had stored water between their knots. So the bird started pecking on a bamboo, the name of the giant weeds.
After much pecking, the bamboo remained the same. The myth says that when the bird was about to leave for another round of search, voices from inside the bamboo urged it to continue pecking. The bird obliged, but to no avail. Finally, being a smart bird, it picked up a big rock with its claws, flew high, and, the myth says, dropped the thing on the bamboo. It crashed open the bamboo and from inside, the myth declares, appeared a man and a woman, naked. That shooed scared the bird off. It was its first time to see humans.
Without realizing it, the bird was instrumental to the creation of the land masses all over the world and the first human beings, as far as this myth is concerned. But for the bird, all it wanted was something to land on to get some rest, and some fresh water to quench its thirst.
This Philippine myth on the origin of man and woman suggests that necessity is the mother of creation. And secondly, unsung heroes always take the back seats in any story.
The Myth on the Camachile Tree
Camachile trees sweep across the Northern landscape, especially along the Tarlac highway. They are known for their edible seeds protected inside a knuckled skin protection similar to the tamarind fruit. Seldom do people climb the thorny body of the tree, so people merely pick up the camachile seeds that fall on the ground. How did the camachile tree begin to have thorny trunks and branches? This myth gives us an idea.
A long time ago, the myth says that the Camachile tree had no thorns when it first appeared on the Earth. It was popular for its beautiful and colorful flowers that were the envy of other trees in the forest. It literally dazzled passersby of its rich array of multi-colored flowers that almost covered the entire tree—it was like a blooming flower with blooming flowers. According to the myth, the tree also radiated with the dominance of the red flowers. Thus, it was sometimes referred to as a bed of red and red orange flowers.
The myth further says that because of its beautiful flowers, children and old alike would climb it and pick the flowers. But gradually, without being aware of it, the myth says that the people were slowly destroying the tree by the indiscriminate climbing and picking. Lots of times, branches were broken off and a lot of young leaves and flowers were also destroyed just to get fully blooming flowers at the top of the tree, the myth adds.
Then, fed up by the people’s carelessness, the myth says the camachile tree finally voiced out its helpless situation to the heavens. It wished to have something on its trunks and branches to protect itself from the careless and thoughtless people who seemed hellbent on destroying the whole tree. The myth adds, the flowers were only thrown away later, anyway.
The god of the forest took pity and thought of something he could give the tree for protection. The camachile tree, according to the myth, was given thorns which grew all over its body, twigs and branches. The camachile tree also lost its flowering ability to make sure no one will ever dare climb it again. But, still being kind to its admirers, the myth says that the camachile opted to have edible seeds, in place of its flowers, to give to the people.
This Philippine myth on the camachile tree serves as a warning that nature should never be abused.
The Myth of the Guava Fruit
The guava fruit was said to be a poisonous fruit before, according to a Philippine myth on it. So how did it end up being so nutritious and delicious? There’s only one way to find out—read.
According to this myth, the guava fruit used to be a forbidden fruit. A long time ago, in a fruit orchard somewhere in the countryside, there lived a boy from the family of the Abas, the family who owned the fruit orchard. The boy Abas was very friendly and kind, says this myth, and soon the people in the place started calling him “Bay” (pronounced “buy”), the term used in the locality for super friendly and kind people. So as time went by, the myth says, the boy was known as Bay Abas.
Bay Abas was especially kind to the needy. So the myth says that every needy folk who came by to ask for fruit from their orchard he gave to liberally. Various fruit-bearing trees were in their orchard, and each one with ripe fruits he picked from and gave to anyone who asked. As he did, the myth purports that the orchard noticeably bore more fruits than any orchard in the locality. And more new trees also mysteriously appeared in their orchard, the myth adds.
But the myth says there was one tree in their orchard that bore inedible fruits. It was a tree of hard wood with branches spreading wide and open instead if straight up. Other fruit trees, the myth notes, grew straight up first and bore fruits high up there where they’re fruits were hard to pick. But this tree bore fruits even at low levels. But nobody dared, says this myth.
One day an old woman came by the orchard and asked Bay Abas some fruits to eat. Unfortunately, says the myth, not a tree had fruit that time, save the forbidden tree. Nonchalantly, he whispered a wish, or something like a prayer and, according to this myth, he thought of sampling the fruit to find out once and for all. HIs wish, says the myth, reached the ears of the forest gods. The fruit quickly turned edible just before he took his first bite. And so from that time on, the myth says the fruit became edible and named “Bayabas.”
This Philippine myth about the guava or “bayabas” tree compares the multi-nutritious guava fruit with the multi-faceted kindness of a boy named Bay Abas.
