Philippine Legends, Mythology and Folklore

Lecture by; Elbert Olaso Baeta CDE,Faculty

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Philippine legends, or alamat ng Pilipinas (legend of the Philippines), and mythology are derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the traditional oral literature of the Filipino people.

 This refers to a wide range of material due to the ethnic mix of the Philippines. Each unique ethnic group has its own stories and myths to tell.

 While the oral and thus changeable aspect of folk literature is an important defining characteristic, much of this oral tradition had been written into a print format.

 To point out that folklore in a written form can still be considered folklore, it should be pointed out that all the examples of folk literature cited in this article are taken from print, rather than oral sources.

 Philippine legends, mythology and folklore include a collection of tales and superstitions about magical creatures and entities. Some Filipinos, even though heavily westernized and Christianized, still believe in such entities.

 The prevalence of belief in the figures of Philippine mythology is strong in the provinces.

 Because the country has many islands and is inhabited by different ethnic groups, Philippine legends, mythology and superstitions are very diverse. However, certain similarities exist among these groups, such as the belief in Heaven, Hell and the human soul.

 University of the Philippines professor, Damiana Eugenio, classified Philippine Folk Literature into three major groups: folk narratives, folk speech, and folk songs.

 Folk speech includes the bugtong (riddle) and the salawikain (proverbs).

 Folk songs that can be sub-classified into those that tell a story (folk ballads) are a relative rarity in Philippine folk literature. These form the bulk of the Philippines' rich heritage of folk songs

 The stories of ancient Philippine legends and mythology include deities, creation stories, mythical creatures, and beliefs. Ancient Philippine mythology varies among the many indigenous tribes of the Philippines.

 Some groups during the pre-Spanish conquest era believed in a single Supreme Being who created the world and everything in it, while others chose to worship a multitude of tree and forest deities (diwatas).

 Filipinos also believed in mythological creatures. Below are some of the gods and goddesses of the various ancient Philippine tribes:

 The Aswang (monster) is one the most famous of these Philippine mythological creatures. The aswang is a ghoul or vampire, an eater of the dead, and a werewolf.

 Filipinos also believed in the Dila (The Tongue), a spirit that passes through the bamboo flooring of provincial houses, then licks certain humans to death.

 Philippine legends and mythology also have fairies, dwarfs, Kapre (a treeresiding giant), Manananggal (a selfsegmenter), witches, spirit-summoners, goblins (Nuno sa Punso), ghosts (Multo), fireballs (Santelmo),

 mermaids (Sirena), mermen (Siyokoy), demon-horses (Tikbalang), Hantu Demon and demon-infants (Tiyanak). These all contribute to the fascinating alamat ng Pilipinas (legend of the Philippines).

 A legend (Latin, legenda, "things to be read") is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude.

 Legend, for its active and passive participants includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility",

 defined by a highly flexible set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination where the legend arises,

 and within which it may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic

 A majority of legends operate within the realm of uncertainty, never being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being resolutely doubted.

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Legend, typically, is a short (mono-) episodic, traditional, highly ecotypified historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode,

 reflecting on a psychological level a symbolic representation of folk belief and collective experiences and serving as a reaffirmation of commonly held values of the group to whose tradition it belongs."

 Legends are tales that, because of the tie to a historical event or location, are believable, though not necessarily believed. For the purpose of the study of legends, in the academic discipline of folkloristics,

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the truth value of legends is irrelevant because, whether the story told is true or not, the fact that the story is being told at all allows scholars to use it as commentary upon the cultures that produce or circulate the legends.

Legends in folklore:

 Legends are used as a source of folklore, providing historical information regarding the culture and views of a specific legend's native civilization.

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Workshop