Philippine Legends, Mythology and Folklore

Lecture by;
Elbert Olaso Baeta

CDE,Faculty

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 tree-
residing giant), Manananggal (a self-
segmenter), 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.

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,

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

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Lecture by;

Elbert Olaso Baeta

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