Flies are abundant in tropical countries like the Philippines that locals are sometimes wondering how the creature came to be. This folklore seems to say it all.
The folklore goes that once there was a resident fly of the tiny coconut kingdom of Agama Niyog (coconut). This was no ordinary fly that we see around today. The foklore says this fly was God’s favorite. It didn’t fly around working to seek food. All it did was wish (or pray?) for something and God would give it that.
For a long time the fly enjoyed God’s uncommon favor, the myth folklore says. But one day, while idly flying around, it inadvertently entered a mysterious palace. There was the palace sultan surrounded by his wives and mistresses. Envious, the fly asked God to be a sultan. The fly’s wish was granted immediately, the folklore says.
Just like other sultans, the fly had several wives and concubines. But, the folklore says, it got fed up of its families. It sullenly asked the Archangel Gabriel to ask God to make him a prophetinstead, the folklore says. So the Archangel begged God, saying, “Oh God! This special fly desires to be a prophet.” Behold, it became so.
But prophesying was no easy job, the fly discovered. According to the folklore, it had to travel from one place to another talking to people about faith and love—which nobody wanted to listen to, coming from a fly. The folklore says people started to hate it. One day, the folklore continues, the fly really got tired of everything and called the Archangel Gabriel again. “Please tell God I’m tired of being a prophet, too.”
“So, what now?” Archangel Gabriel asked.
“I think being a god is what’s really exciting,” The fly said. “Perhaps I’d be satisfied when I become one.” However, the folklore says Archangel Gabriel thought this was too much. Just the same, he begged God and said: “Oh God, now it wants to become a god! Is this possible?”
The folklore says that when God heard this he promptly changed the fly to its original form. So today, one would notice that a fly keeps on rubbing its front and hind legs together. It’s the punishment for wanting (or praying?) to become a god.
This folklore teaches that wishy-washy thinking never really pays. And it’s always wise to be realistic in one’s ambitions.
Related topics:
Folklore on the Iguana and the Turtle
Swindling is often shrouded or masqueraded as friendship. It is usually a wolf in sheep's clothing. A Filipino folklore illustrates an obvious foolery that a gullible iguana always fails to recognize as a malicious trickster. This folklore mirrors so many...
Folklore on Why the Lion Is King of the Forest
Courage, strength and wit are necessary qualities of a leader. A Philippine folklore on why the lion became king of the jungle shows that the animal kingdom recognizes the virtues are necessary to put the jungle in order. If it's...
Folklore on How Bataan Got Its Name
A big part of native hospitality is to accomodate even the opinions of a visitor without resistance. A folklore on how Bataan got its name illustrates how foreign opinion easily influenced local folks in naming their own locality. This folklore...
The Folklore on The King an
This Philippine folklore reminds us how people should be valued. The heart of a person dictates the way people are given value, not really religion. Thus, this folklore centers on how a misjudgment happened right inside a church building. ...
The Folklore on Balintawak
Folklores mostly mirror fact than fiction. A Filipino folklore on Balintawak is an example. Filipino hospitality stands out in folklores as well as in history. ...
Philippine Folklore: The Kind and the Pure
Needing money is not the problem, but loving money is. A Philippine folklore on money stewardship reminds readers of the need to use money to serve us, rather than letting it use us to subservience. And there's one gauge to...
Folklore on Life Wisdom
A Philippine folklore on life wisdom teaches generations of Filipinos to consider education and wisdom. They must always go together. The folklore says education without the practical applications of wisdom can prove fatal in times of emergencies---in personal, community, national,...
The Folklore on How Manila Got Its Name
Nilad plants once proliferated along the banks of the Pasig River near its mouth that opens to Manila Bay. A folklore says this scene of Nilad plants that daily graced the windy delta area started talks of a kind and...
Folklore on Why We Cook the Foods We Eat
When something is urgently sought for, an accidental discovery is bound to show up---or at least that's what a Philippine folklore says. The folklore on why we cook the foods we eat is an example of how an urgent activity...
The Folklore About Tabaco, Albay
Though provoked, some people have the discipline and propensity to choose peace than violence. A man from Tabaco, Albay in Legaspi City, according to a folklore, showed this character though faced with a perceived threat. This folklore says, raised up...
