The Sun and the Moon

This myth explains the celestial and natural phenomena of the Sun, Moon, stars, tides, and lightning. The Sun, depicted as quarrelsome, chases the Moon eternally, symbolizing their cosmic dance. Their children include the scattered stars, created from a violent act, and a colossal crab responsible for tides and lightning. The crab’s hostility toward the Moon is thwarted by humans’ protective actions during lunar eclipses.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale explains natural phenomena, such as the creation of stars from the Sun’s actions and the behavior of tides and lightning attributed to their crab offspring.

Cosmic Order and Chaos: The eternal chase between the Sun and the Moon symbolizes the balance and tension in the cosmos, reflecting themes of order and disorder.

Mythical Creatures: The inclusion of a gigantic crab with supernatural abilities introduces a mythical being that influences natural events.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Mandaya Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

The Sun and the Moon were married, but the Sun was very ugly and quarrelsome. One day he became angry at the Moon and started to chase her. She ran very fast until she was some distance ahead of him, when she grew tired and he almost caught her. Ever since he has been chasing her, at times almost reaching her, and again falling far behind. The first child of the Sun and Moon was a large star, and he was like a man. One time the Sun, becoming angry at the star, cut him up into small pieces and scattered him over the whole sky just as a woman scatters rice, and ever since there have been many stars.

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Another child of the Sun and Moon was a gigantic crab. He still lives and is so powerful that every time he opens and closes his eyes there is a flash of lightning. Most of the time the crab lives in a large hole in the bottom of the sea, and when he is there we have high tide; but when he leaves the hole, the waters rush in and there is low tide. His moving about also causes great waves on the surface of the sea.

The crab is quarrelsome like his father; and he sometimes becomes so angry with his mother, the Moon, that he tries to swallow her. When the people on earth, who are fond of the Moon, see the crab near her, they run out of doors and shout and beat on gongs until he is frightened away, and thus the Moon is saved.

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The Children of the Limokon

In ancient times, the limokon, a powerful talking dove, laid two eggs along the Mayo River. From these hatched a man and a woman. The man, lonely by the river, discovered a woman’s hair and followed the river upstream, finding his companion. They married and became the ancestors of the Mandaya people who still live along the Mayo River today.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Creation: The tale explains the origin of the Mandaya people, detailing how the first man and woman came into existence.

Ancestral Spirits: The narrative underscores the connection between the Mandaya people and their mythical ancestors, emphasizing the significance of lineage and heritage.

Sacred Spaces: The Mayo River serves as a sacred location in the story, being the birthplace of the first ancestors and the homeland of their descendants.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Mandaya Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

In the very early days before there were any people on the earth, the limokon (a kind of dove) were very powerful and could talk like men though they looked like birds. One limokon laid two eggs, one at the mouth of the Mayo River and one farther up its course. After some time these eggs hatched, and the one at the mouth of the river became a man, while the other became a woman. The man lived alone on the bank of the river for a long time, but he was very lonely and wished many times for a companion. One day when he was crossing the river something was swept against his legs with such force that it nearly caused him to drown.

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On examining it, he found that it was a hair, and he determined to go up the river and find whence it came. He traveled up the stream, looking on both banks, until finally he found the woman, and he was very happy to think that at last he could have a companion.

They were married and had many children, who are the Mandaya still living along the Mayo River.

In the Beginning

In the beginning, four beings lived on a tiny island with one bird. They sent the bird across the waters, and it returned with earth, rattan, and fruit. Melu, the greatest of the four, shaped the earth and planted seeds, creating a lush world. To populate it, they first attempted to make people from wax but failed. Using clay, they succeeded, leaving the mark of Melu’s hurried touch on human faces.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Creation: The narrative describes the formation of the earth by Melu, the greatest of the four beings, who shapes the land and plants seeds to create a lush world.

Origin of Things: It explains natural phenomena, such as the presence of rattan and fruit-bearing trees, and cultural practices, like the mark on human faces attributed to Melu’s hurried touch.

Cultural Heroes: Melu and his companions serve as foundational figures who shape the world and humanity, playing a crucial role in the cultural heritage of the Bilaan people.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bilaan Lore

From the Bilaan, Philippines, Southeast Asia lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

In the beginning there were four beings, and they lived on an island no larger than a hat. On this island there were no trees or grass or any other living thing besides these four people and one bird. One day they sent this bird out across the waters to see what he could find, and when he returned he brought some earth, a piece of rattan, and some fruit. Melu, the greatest of the four, took the soil and shaped it and beat it with a paddle in the same manner in which a woman shapes pots of clay, and when he finished he had made the earth. Then he planted the seeds from the fruit, and they grew until there was much rattan and many trees bearing fruit.

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The four beings watched the growth for a long time and were well pleased with the work, but finally Melu said:

“Of what use is this earth and all the rattan and fruit if there are no people?”

And the others replied, “Let us make some people out of wax.”

So they took some wax and worked long, fashioning it into forms, but when they brought them to the fire the wax melted, and they saw that men could not be made in that way.

Next they decided to try to use dirt in making people, and Melu and one of his companions began working on that. All went well till they were ready to make the noses. The companion, who was working on that part, put them on upside down. Melu told him that the people would drown if he left them that way, but he refused to change them.

When his back was turned, however, Melu seized the noses, one by one, and turned them as they now are. But he was in such a hurry that he pressed his finger at the root, and it left a mark in the soft clay which you can still see on the faces of people.

The Story of the Creation

In the beginning, Melu, a colossal being with golden teeth and pure white skin, created the earth from his dead skin. He shaped two humans but clashed with Tau Tana, who gave them upside-down noses. After rain endangered them, Melu fixed their noses, saving their lives. Grateful, the people obeyed his guidance, leading to the creation of more humans.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Creation: Melu forms the earth from his dead skin and creates the first humans, detailing the origins of the world and humanity.

Supernatural Beings: The narrative features Melu and Tau Tana, both possessing extraordinary abilities and influencing the mortal realm.

Origin of Things: The tale explains the beginnings of the earth, human beings, and certain human features, providing cultural context for their existence.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bilaan Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

In the very beginning there lived a being so large that he can not be compared with any known thing. His name was Melu, and when he sat on the clouds, which were his home, he occupied all the space above. His teeth were pure gold, and because he was very clean and always rubbed himself with his hands, his skin became pure white. The dead skin which he rubbed off his body was placed on one side in a pile, and by and by this pile became so large that he was annoyed and set himself to consider what he could do with it. Finally Melu decided to make the earth; so he worked very hard in putting the dead skin into shape, and when it was finished he was so pleased with it that he determined to make two beings like himself, though smaller, to live on it.

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Taking the remnants of the material left after making the earth he fashioned two men but just as they were all finished except their noses, Tau Tana from below the earth appeared and wanted to help him.

Melu did not wish any assistance, and a great argument ensued. Tau Tana finally won his point and made the noses which he placed on the people upside down. When all was finished, Melu and Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved. Then Melu went to his home above the clouds, and Tau Tana returned to his place below the earth.

All went well until one day a great rain came, and the people on the earth nearly drowned from the water which ran off their heads into their noses. Melu, from his place on the clouds, saw their danger, and he came quickly to earth and saved their lives by turning their noses the other side up.

The people were very grateful to him, and promised to do anything he should ask of them. Before he left for the sky, they told him that they were very unhappy living on the great earth all alone, so he told them to save all the hair from their heads and the dry skin from their bodies and the next time he came he would make them some companions. And in this way there came to be a great many people on the earth.

Lumabet

Lumabet, a legendary figure believed to be sent by Manama, the Great Spirit, performed extraordinary feats throughout his life. Renowned for his perseverance, he chased a white deer around the world nine times, surviving on magically replenished food. He demonstrated divine power by reviving his father multiple times. Leading followers to the sky, Lumabet left doubters transformed into animals. A homesick spirit returned to earth, becoming an owl.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Quest: His relentless pursuit of the white deer around the world nine times exemplifies a classic quest, showcasing determination and endurance.

Journey to the Otherworld: Leading his followers to the sky, a realm beyond the earthly plane, signifies a transition to another world or dimension.

Supernatural Beings: The narrative is populated with spirits, buso, and other entities beyond the mortal realm, indicating interactions with supernatural beings.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bagobo Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Soon after people were created on the earth, there was born a child named Lumabet, who lived to be a very, very old man. He could talk when he was but one day old, and all his life he did wonderful things until the people came to believe that he had been sent by Manama, the Great Spirit.

When Lumabet was still a young man he had a fine dog, and he enjoyed nothing so much as taking him to the mountains to hunt. One day the dog noticed a white deer. Lumabet and his companions started in pursuit, but the deer was very swift and they could not catch it.

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On and on they went until they had gone around the world, and still the deer was ahead. One by one his companions dropped out of the chase, but Lumabet would not give up until he had the deer.

All the time he had but one banana and one camote (sweet potato) for food, but each night he planted the skins of these, and in the morning he found a banana tree with ripe fruit and a sweet potato large enough to eat. So he kept on until he had been around the world nine times, and he was an old man and his hair was gray. At last he caught the deer, and then he called all the people to a great feast, to see the animal.

While all were making merry, Lumabet told them to take a knife and kill his father. They were greatly surprised, but did as he commanded, and when the old man was dead, Lumabet waved his headband over him and he came to life again. Eight times they killed the old man at Lumabet’s command, and the eighth time he was small like a little boy, for each time they had cut off some of his flesh. They all wondered very much at Lumabet’s power, and they were certain that he was a god.

One morning some spirits came to talk with Lumabet, and after they had gone he called the people to come into his house.

“We cannot all come in,” said the people, “for your house is small and we are many.”

“There is plenty of room,” said he; so all went in and to their surprise it did not seem crowded.

Then he told the people that he was going on a long journey and that all who believed he had great power could go with him, while all who remained behind would be changed into animals and buso. He started out, many following him, and it was as he said. For those that refused to go were immediately changed into animals and buso.

He led the people far away across the ocean to a place where the earth and the sky meet. When they arrived they saw that the sky moved up and down like a man opening and closing his jaws.

“Sky, you must go up,” commanded Lumabet.

But the sky would not obey. So the people could not go through. Finally Lumabet promised the sky that if he would let all the others through, he might have the last man who tried to pass. Agreeing to this, the sky opened and the people entered. But when near the last the sky shut down so suddenly that he caught not only the last man but also the long knife of the man before.

On that same day, Lumabet’s son, who was hunting, did not know that his father had gone to the sky. When he was tired of the chase, he wanted to go to his father, so he leaned an arrow against a baliti tree and sat down on it. Slowly it began to go down and carried him to his father’s place, but when he arrived he could find no people. He looked here and there and could find nothing but a gun made of gold. This made him very sorrowful and he did not know what to do until some white bees which were in the house said to him:

“You must not weep, for we can take you to the sky where your father is.”

So he did as they bade, and rode on the gun, and the bees flew away with him, until in three days they reached the sky.

Now, although most of the men who followed Lumabet were content to live in the sky, there was one who was very unhappy, and all the time he kept looking down on the land below. The spirits made fun of him and wanted to take out his intestines so that he would be like them and never die, but he was afraid and always begged to be allowed to go back home.

Finally Manama told the spirits to allow him to go, so they made a chain of the leaves of the karan grass and tied it to his legs. Then they let him down slowly head first, and when he reached the ground he was no longer a man but an owl.

Origin

This Philippine origin myth recounts the story of Toglai and Toglibon, the first man and woman, whose children dispersed from their home on Mt. Apo due to a devastating drought. Each group founded new tribes named after their carried possessions or settled locations, such as the Magindanau and Bilaan. Two children who stayed survived through sugarcane, leading to the Bagobo lineage.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Creation: The tale describes the origin of different tribes from the first human couple, Toglai and Toglibon.

Loss and Renewal: The drought signifies loss, leading to the dispersal (renewal) of the population into new tribes.

Conflict with Nature: The severe drought forces the characters to leave their homeland in search of sustenance.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bagobo Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

In the beginning there lived one man and one woman, Toglai and Toglibon. Their first children were a boy and a girl. When they were old enough, the boy and the girl went far away across the waters seeking a good place to live in. Nothing more was heard of them until their children, the Spaniards and Americans, came back. After the first boy and girl left, other children were born to the couple, but they all remained at Cibolan on Mt. Apo with their parents, until Toglai and Toglibon died and became spirits. Soon after that there came a great drought which lasted for three years. All the waters dried up, so that there were no rivers, and no plants could live.

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“Surely,” said the people, “Manama is punishing us and we must go elsewhere to find food and a place to dwell in.”

So they started out. Two went in the direction of the sunset, carrying with them stones from Cibolan River. After a long journey they reached a place where were broad fields of cogon grass and an abundance of water, and there they made their home. Their children still live in that place and are called Magindanau, because of the stones which the couple carried when they left Cibolan.

Two children of Toglai and Toglibon went to the south, seeking a home, and they carried with them women’s baskets (baraan). When they found a good spot, they settled down. Their descendants, still dwelling at that place, are called Baraan or Bilaan, because of the women’s baskets.

So two by two the children of the first couple left the land of their birth. In the place where each settled a new people developed, and thus it came about that all the tribes in the world received their names from things that the people carried out of Cibolan, or from the places where they settled.

All the children left Mt. Apo save two (a boy and a girl), whom hunger and thirst had made too weak to travel. One day when they were about to die the boy crawled out to the field to see if there was one living thing, and to his surprise he found a stalk of sugar-cane growing lustily. He eagerly cut it, and enough water came out to refresh him and his sister until the rains came. Because of this, their children are called Bagobo.

Bulanawan and Aguio

Twin brothers Bulanawan and Aguio, separated in infancy by a magical wind, grew into powerful warriors in distant lands. Unknowingly meeting as rivals, they fought fiercely over Bulanawan’s wife, causing the earth to tremble. Their brothers and father failed to stop the chaos, but their grandfather, a wise peacemaker, intervened. Peace was restored as the truth of their brotherhood and shared lineage emerged.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Guardian Figures: The intervention of their grandfather, a wise peacemaker, emphasizes the role of elder family members in guiding and restoring harmony among younger generations.

Hidden or Forbidden Realms: Bulanawan’s abduction by a magical wind to a distant land introduces elements of mysterious and unknown territories, adding depth to the narrative’s mystical aspects.

Echoes of the Past: The revelation of the brothers’ shared lineage and the grandfather’s role in resolving their conflict highlight how ancestral connections and past events influence present circumstances.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bukidnon Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Langgona and his wife had twin boys named Bulanawan and Aguio. One day, when they were about two years old, the mother took Bulanawan to the field with her when she went to pick cotton. She spread the fiber she had gathered the day before on the ground to dry near the child, and while she was getting more a great wind suddenly arose which wound the cotton around the baby and carried him away.

Far away to a distant land the wind took Bulanawan, and in that place he grew up. When he was a man, he became a great warrior.

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One day while Bulanawan and his wife were walking along the seashore, they sat down to rest on a large, flat rock, and Bulanawan fell asleep. Now Aguio, the twin brother of Bulanawan, had become a great warrior also, and he went on a journey to this distant land, not knowing that his brother was there. It happened that he was walking along the seashore in his war-dress on this same day, and when he saw the woman sitting on the large, flat rock, he thought her very beautiful, and he determined to steal her.

As he drew near he asked her to give him some of her husband’s betel-nut to chew, and when she refused he went forward to fight her husband, not knowing they were brothers. As soon as his wife awakened him Bulanawan sprang up, seized her, put her in the cuff of his sleeve, and came forth ready to fight. Aguio grew very angry at this, and they fought until their weapons were broken, and the earth trembled.

Now the two brothers of the rivals felt the earth tremble although they were far away, and each feared that his brother was in trouble. One was in the mountains and he started at once for the sea; the other was in a far land, but he set out in a boat for the scene of the trouble.

They arrived at the same time at the place of battle, and they immediately joined in it. Then the trembling of the earth increased so much that Langgona, the father of Aguio and Bulanawan, sought out the spot and tried to make peace. But he only seemed to make matters worse, and they all began fighting him. So great did the disturbance become that the earth was in danger of falling to pieces.

Then it was that the father of Langgona came and settled the trouble, and when all were at peace again they discovered that Aguio and Bulanawan were brothers and the grandsons of the peacemaker.

How Children Became Monkeys

A mother took her children to dye cloth near a mud hole, where she used leaves and shell spoons in her process. When hot water splashed and burned her hand, her children’s laughter magically transformed them into monkeys, with their tails forming from the spoons. Their nails remain black, a reminder of their role in helping dye the cloth.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The children undergo a physical change into monkeys as a consequence of their actions.

Cultural Heroes: The mother serves as a central figure whose experience conveys cultural values and teachings.

Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for why monkeys have black nails, linking it to the children’s involvement in dyeing cloth.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bukidnon Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

One day a mother took her two children with her when she went to color cloth. Not far from her home was a mud hole where the carabao liked to wallow, and to this hole she carried her cloth, some dye pots, and two shell spoons.

After she had put the cloth into the mud to let it take up the dark color, she built a fire and put over it a pot containing water and the leaves used for dyeing.

Then she sat down to wait for the water to boil, while the children played near by.

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By and by when she went to stir the leaves with a shell spoon, some of the water splashed up and burned her hand, so that she jumped and cried out. This amused the children and their laughter changed them into monkeys, and the spoons became their tails.

The nails of the monkeys are still black, because while they were children they had helped their mother dye the cloth.

Magbangal

Magbangal, a skilled hunter, prepared to clear land for planting, instructing his wife to stay home. Using his magical powers, his tools worked autonomously, astonishing his curious wife. Her secret observation disrupted his magic, leading him to cut off his own arm. Enraged, Magbangal ascended to the sky, becoming a constellation that signals planting season, while his wife transformed into a fish.

Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Both Magbangal and his wife undergo significant changes: he becomes a constellation, and she transforms into a fish.

Forbidden Knowledge: The wife’s curiosity leads her to secretly observe Magbangal’s magical practices, which he had forbidden, resulting in dire consequences.

Sacred Objects: The autonomous tools (bolos and hatchets) possess magical qualities, performing tasks without human guidance.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bukidnon Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Magbangal was a good hunter, and he often went to a certain hill where he killed wild pigs for food. One night as it was nearing the planting season, he sat in his house thinking, and after a long time he called to his wife. She came to him, and he said:

“Tomorrow I shall go to the hill and clear the land for our planting, but I wish you to stay here.”

“Oh, let me go with you,” begged his wife, “for you have no other companion.”

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“No,” said Magbangal, “I wish to go alone, and you must stay at home.”

So finally his wife agreed, and in the morning she arose early to prepare food for him. When the rice was cooked and the fish ready she called him to come and eat, but he said:

“No, I do not want to eat now, but I will return this afternoon and you must have it ready for me.”

Then he gathered up his ten hatchets and bolos, a sharpening stone, and a bamboo tube for water, and started for the hill. Upon reaching his land he cut some small trees to make a bench. When it was finished, he sat down on it and said to the bolos, “You bolos must sharpen yourselves on the stone.” And the bolos went to the stone and were sharpened. Then to the hatchets he said, “You hatchets must be sharpened,” and they also sharpened themselves.

When all were ready, he said: “Now you bolos cut all the small brush under the trees, and you hatchets must cut the large trees.” So the bolos and the hatchets went to work, and from his place on the bench Magbangal could see the land being cleared.

Magbangal’s wife was at work in their house weaving a skirt, but when she heard the trees continually falling she stopped to listen and thought to herself, “My husband must have found many people to help him clear our land. When he left here, he was alone, but surely he cannot cut down the trees so fast. I will see who is helping him.”

She left the house and walked rapidly toward the field, but as she drew nearer she proceeded more slowly, and finally stopped behind a tree. From her hiding-place, she could see her husband asleep on the bench, and she could also see that the bolos and hatchets were cutting the trees with no hands to guide them.

“Oh,” said she, “Magbangal is very powerful. Never before have I seen bolos and hatchets working without hands, and he never told me of his power.”

Suddenly she saw her husband jump up, and, seizing a bolo, he cut off one of his own arms. He awoke and sat up and said:

“Someone must be looking at me, for one of my arms is cut off.”

When he saw his wife he knew that she was the cause of his losing his arm, and as they went home together, he exclaimed:

“Now I am going away. It is better for me to go to the sky where I can give the sign to the people when it is time to plant; and you must go to the water and become a fish.”

Soon after he went to the sky and became the constellation Magbangal; and ever since, when the people see these stars appear in the sky, they know that it is time to plant their rice.

The Flood Story

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

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bukidnon Lore

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.

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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.