Long ago, a massive crab displaced the sea, causing a flood that covered all land. Forewarned by a wise man, villagers built a sturdy raft bound with rattan to a pole. When the flood came, only those on the raft survived. After the waters receded, the raft returned near their home, leaving its passengers as the sole survivors on Earth.
Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916
► Themes of the story
Creation: This tale explains a significant event that reshaped the world, akin to creation myths that describe the origins or reformation of the earth.
Loss and Renewal: The flood represents destruction, followed by the renewal of life through the survival of the people on the raft.
Divine Punishment: The catastrophic flood can be interpreted as a form of punishment or a cleansing event, a common motif in various cultural myths.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Philippines peoples
A long time ago there was a very big crab which crawled into the sea. And when he went in he crowded the water out so that it ran all over the earth and covered all the land.
Now about one moon before this happened, a wise man had told the people that they must build a large raft. They did as he commanded and cut many large trees, until they had enough to make three layers. These they bound tightly together, and when it was done they fastened the raft with a long rattan cord to a big pole in the earth.
► Continue reading…
Soon after this the floods came. White water poured out of the hills, and the sea rose and covered even the highest mountains. The people and animals on the raft were safe, but all the others drowned.
When the waters went down and the raft was again on the ground, it was near their old home, for the rattan cord had held.
But these were the only people left on the whole earth.
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