How the Moon and the Stars Came to Be

In a time when the sky was near the ground, a spinster hung her beads and comb on the low sky while pounding rice. Striking the sky with her pestle, she caused it to rise higher. The comb transformed into the moon, and the beads became scattered stars, forever adorning the heavens, beyond her reach.

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

► Themes of the story

Creation: The story explains the origins of celestial bodies—the moon and stars—detailing how they came into existence.

Transformation: The narrative describes the metamorphosis of everyday objects—a comb and beads—into celestial entities, highlighting themes of change and metamorphosis.

Sacred Objects: The comb and beads, ordinary items, transform into sacred celestial bodies, emphasizing the significance and power attributed to these objects in the narrative.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Bukidnon Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

One day in the times when the sky was close to the ground a spinster went out to pound rice. Before she began her work, she took off the beads from around her neck and the comb from her hair, and hung them on the sky, which at that time looked like coral rock.

Then she began working, and each time that she raised her pestle into the air it struck the sky. For some time she pounded the rice, and then she raised the pestle so high that it struck the sky very hard.

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Immediately the sky began to rise, and it went up so far that she lost her ornaments. Never did they come down, for the comb became the moon and the beads are the stars that are scattered about.

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Tilin, the Rice Bird

A little girl, eager to eat raw rice, is refused by her mother, who insists it must be cooked. While the mother fetches water, the girl sneaks a handful but accidentally falls into the rice basket. Upon returning, the mother finds a small bird calling, “Goodbye, Mother,” as it flies away—symbolizing the girl’s transformation into a rice bird for her disobedience.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The girl’s metamorphosis into a rice bird highlights the theme of physical change as a consequence of her actions.

Family Dynamics: The interaction between the mother and daughter emphasizes familial relationships and the significance of adhering to parental advice.

Cultural Heroes: While not a hero in the traditional sense, the girl’s story serves as a cultural lesson, embodying values and warnings pertinent to the community.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

One day when a mother was pounding out rice to cook for supper, her little girl ran up to her and cried: “Oh, Mother, give me some of the raw rice to eat.” – “No,” said the mother, “it is not good for you to eat until it is cooked. Wait for supper.” But the little girl persisted until the mother, out of patience, cried: “Be still. It is not good for you to talk so much!” When she had finished pounding the rice, the woman poured it into a rice winnower and tossed it many times into the air. As soon as the chaff was removed she emptied the rice into her basket and covered it with the winnower. Then she took the jar upon her head, and started for the spring to get water.

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Now the little girl was fond of going to the spring with her mother, for she loved to play in the cool water while her mother filled the jars. But this time she did not go, and as soon as the woman was out of sight, she ran to the basket of rice. She reached down to take a handful of the grain. The cover slipped so that she fell, and was covered up in the basket.

When the mother returned to the house, she heard a bird crying, “King, king, nik! nik! nik!” She listened carefully, and as the sound seemed to come from the basket, she removed the cover. To her surprise, out hopped a little brown rice bird, and as it flew away it kept calling back:

“Goodbye, Mother; goodbye, Mother. You would not give me any rice to eat.”

The Tattooed Men

Two close friends, envious of others’ tattoos, decide to tattoo each other. One skillfully tattoos his friend, but when it’s his turn, the other covers him in soot, sparking a fight. In anger, the tattooed one transforms into a lizard and hides, while the sooty one becomes a crow, flying away. Their disagreement explains the origins of lizards and crows in this tale.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The friends undergo physical changes, turning into a lizard and a crow, symbolizing the consequences of their actions.

Cunning and Deception: The act of smearing soot instead of properly tattooing reflects deceit between the friends.

Mythical Creatures: The transformation into a lizard and a crow ties into the cultural significance of these creatures in folklore.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Once there were two young men, very good friends, who were unhappy because neither of them had been tattooed. They felt that they were not as beautiful as their friends.

One day they agreed to tattoo each other. One marked the breast and back of the other, his arms and legs, and even his face. And when he had finished, he took soot off the bottom of a cooking-pot and rubbed it into all the marks; and he was tattooed beautifully.

The one who had done the work said to the other: “Now, my friend, you are very beautiful, and you must tattoo me.”

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Then the tattooed one scraped a great pile of black soot off the cooking-pots, and before the other knew what he was about, he had rubbed it all over him from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet; and he was very black and greasy. The one who was covered with soot became very angry and cried:

“Why do you treat me so when I tattooed you so carefully?” They began to fight, but suddenly the beautifully tattooed one became a great lizard which ran away and hid in the tall grass, while the sooty one became a crow and flew away over the village.

The Serpent Eagle

Two boys were forced by their unkind mother to fetch wood daily, receiving little food despite their efforts to please her. When their offerings failed to satisfy her, one boy sacrificed himself, leaving his bones as “wood.” His grieving brother, helped by the boy’s transformed spirit as a serpent eagle, returned the grim gift. Frightened, the mother fled as the eagle declared independence from her cruelty.

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

► Themes of the story

Sacrifice: One brother sacrifices himself to provide what their mother demands.

Family Dynamics: The narrative explores the relationship between the brothers and their unkind mother.

Divine Punishment: The mother’s cruelty leads to her being frightened and abandoned.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Once there lived two boys whose mother sent them every day to the forest to get wood for her fires. Each morning, as they started out, she gave them some food for their trip, but it was always poor and there was little of it, and she would say: “The wood that you brought yesterday was so poor that I cannot give you much to eat today.”

The boys tried very hard to please her, but if they brought nice pine wood she scolded them, and if they brought large dry reeds she said: “These are no good for my fire, for they leave too much ashes in the house.”

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Try as they would, they failed to satisfy her; and their bodies grew very thin from working hard all day and from want of enough to eat.

One morning when they left for the mountains the mother gave them a bit of dog meat to eat, and the boys were very sad. When they reached the forest one of them said:

“You wait here while I climb the tree and cut off some branches.”

He went up the tree and soon called down, “Here is some wood,” and the bones of his arm dropped to the ground.

“Oh,” cried his brother, “it is your arm!”

“Here is some more wood,” cried the other, and the bones of the other arm dropped to the ground.

Then he called again, and the bones of his leg fell, then those of his other leg, and so on till all the bones of his body lay on the ground.

“Take these home,” he said, “and tell the woman that here is her wood; she only wanted my bones.”

The younger boy was very sad, for he was alone, and there was no one to go down the mountain with him. He gathered up the bundle of wood, wondering meanwhile what he should do, but just as he finished a serpent eagle called down from the tree tops:

“I will go with you, Brother.”

So the boy put the bundle of wood on his shoulder, and as he was going down the mountain, his brother, who was now a serpent eagle, flew over his head. When he reached the house, he put down the bundle and said to his mother:

“Here is your wood.”

When she looked at it she was very much frightened and ran out of the house.

Then the serpent eagle circled round and round above her head and called:

“Quiukok! quiukok! quiukok! I do not need your food any more.”

How the First Head was Taken

This myth recounts how Kabigat, the Moon, was crafting a copper pot when the Sun’s son stopped to observe her work. Enraged by his presence, she struck him, severing his head. The Sun revived the boy but decreed that her act would forever echo on Earth, establishing the human practice of beheading, symbolizing the Moon’s impulsive violence and its lasting consequences.

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

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: It explains the inception of headhunting among humans, attributing it to a celestial event.

Divine Intervention: The Sun’s act of reviving his son and decreeing the future behavior of humans illustrates the influence of deities on mortal affairs.

Cosmic Order and Chaos: The tale reflects the balance between celestial beings and earthly practices, showing how discord among deities can lead to chaos in the human world.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

One day the Moon, who was a woman named Kabigat, sat out in the yard making a large copper pot. The copper was still soft and pliable like clay, and the woman squatted on the ground with the heavy pot against her knees while she patted and shaped it.

Now while she was working a son of Chal-chal, the Sun, came by and stopped to watch her mould the form. Against the inside of the jar she pressed a stone, while on the outside with a wooden paddle dripping with water she pounded and slapped until she had worked down the bulges and formed a smooth surface.

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The boy was greatly interested in seeing the jar grow larger, more beautiful, and smoother with each stroke, and he stood still for some time. Suddenly the Moon looked up and saw him watching her. Instantly she struck him with her paddle, cutting off his head.

Now the Sun was not near, but he knew as soon as the Moon had cut off his son’s head. And hurrying to the spot, he put the boy’s head back on, and he was alive again. Then the Sun said to the Moon, “You cut off my son’s head, and because you did this ever after on the earth people will cut off each other’s heads.”

Lumawig on Earth

This tale recounts the adventures of Lumawig, the Great Spirit, who descended to help two sisters gathering beans. Demonstrating divine powers, he filled baskets with a single bean pod, grew livestock instantly, and provided for a wedding feast. Lumawig’s interactions, including outwitting his brother-in-law, showcased his might. Eventually, he returned to the sky, leaving his wife in a mystical journey that led her to a new life with a widower.

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

► Themes of the story

Divine Intervention: Lumawig, the Great Spirit, descends from the sky to assist two sisters, demonstrating his divine powers by filling baskets with beans and instantly growing livestock.

Magic and Enchantment: Lumawig’s abilities to perform miraculous feats, such as filling baskets from a single bean pod and causing animals to grow instantly, highlight elements of magic and enchantment.

Sacred Objects: The use of specific items, like the bean pod that fills baskets and the materials for the wedding feast, can be seen as sacred objects imbued with mystical significance through Lumawig’s actions.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

One day when Lumawig, the Great Spirit, looked down from his place in the sky he saw two sisters gathering beans. And he decided to go down to visit them. When he arrived at the place he asked them what they were doing. The younger, whose name was Fukan, answered: “We are gathering beans, but it takes a long time to get enough, for my sister wants to go bathing all the time.” Then Lumawig said to the older sister: “Hand me a single pod of the beans.” And when she had given it to him, he shelled it into the basket and immediately the basket was full. The younger sister laughed at this, and Lumawig said to her: “Give me another pod and another basket.”

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She did so, and when he had shelled the pod, that basket was full also. Then he said to the younger sister: “Go home and get three more baskets.”

She went home, but when she asked for three more baskets her mother said that the beans were few and she could not need so many. Then Fukan told her of the young man who could fill a basket from one pod of beans, and the father, who heard her story, said:

“Go bring the young man here, for I think he must be a god.”

So Fukan took the three baskets back to Lumawig, and when he had filled them as he did the other two, he helped the girls carry them to the house. As they reached their home, he stopped outside to cool himself, but the father called to him and he went up into the house and asked for some water. The father brought him a cocoanut shell full, and before drinking Lumawig looked at it and said:

“If I stay here with you, I shall become very strong.”

The next morning Lumawig asked to see their chickens, and when they opened the chicken-coop out came a hen and many little chicks. “Are these all of your chickens?” asked Lumawig; and the father assured him that they were all. He then bade them bring rice meal that he might feed them, and as the chickens ate they all grew rapidly till they were cocks and hens.

Next Lumawig asked how many pigs they had, and the father replied that they had one with some little ones. Then Lumawig bade them fill a pail with sweet potato leaves and he fed the pigs. And as they ate they also grew to full size.

The father was so pleased with all these things that he offered his elder daughter to Lumawig for a wife. But the Great Spirit said he preferred to marry the younger; so that was arranged. Now when his brother-in-law learned that Lumawig desired a feast at his wedding, he was very angry and said:

“Where would you get food for your wedding feast? There is no rice, nor beef, nor pork, nor chicken,”

But Lumawig only answered, “I shall provide our wedding feast.”

In the morning they all set out for Lanao, for Lumawig did not care to stay any longer in the house with his brother-in-law. As soon as they arrived he sent out for some tree trunks, but the trees that the people brought in were so small that Lumawig himself went to the forest and cut two large pine trees which he hurled to Lanao.

When the people had built a fire of the trees he commanded them to bring ten kettles filled with water. Soon the water was boiling hot and the brother-in-law laughed and said:

“Where is your rice? You have the boiling water, but you do not seem to think of the rice.”

In answer to this Lumawig took a small basket of rice and passed it over five kettles and they were full. Then he called “Yishtjau,” and some deer came running out of the forest. These were not what he wanted, however, so he called again and some pigs came. He told the people that they were each to catch one and for his brother-in-law he selected the largest and best.

They all set out in pursuit of the pigs and the others quickly caught theirs, but though the brother-in-law chased his until he was very tired and hot he could not catch it Lumawig laughed at him and said:

“You chase that pig until he is thin and still you cannot catch it, though all the others have theirs.”

Thereupon he grasped the hind legs of the pig and lifted it. All the people laughed and the brother-in-law said:

“Of course you can catch it, because I chased it until it was tired.”

Lumawig then handed it to him and said, “Here, you carry it.” But no sooner had the brother-in-law put it over his shoulder than it cut loose and ran away.

“Why did you let it go?” asked Lumawig. “Do you care nothing for it, even after I caught it for you? Catch it again and bring it here.”

So the brother-in-law started out again, and he chased it up stream and down, but he could not catch it. Finally Lumawig reached down and picked up the pig and carried it to the place where the others were cooking.

After they had all eaten and drunk and made their offerings to the spirits, Lumawig said:

“Come, let us go to the mountain to consult the omen concerning the northern tribes.”

So they consulted the omen, but it was not favorable, and they were starting home when the brother-in-law asked Lumawig to create some water, as the people were hot and thirsty.

“Why do you not create water, Lumawig?” he repeated as Lumawig paid no attention to him. “You care nothing that the people are thirsty and in need of drink.”

Then they quarreled and were very angry and Lumawig said to the people, “Let us sit down and rest.”

While they rested, Lumawig struck the rock with his spear and water came out. The brother-in-law jumped up to get a drink first, but Lumawig held him back and said he must be the last to drink. So they all drank, and when they had finished, the brother-in-law stepped up, but Lumawig gave him a push which sent him into the rock and water came from his body.

“You must stay there,” said Lumawig, “because you have troubled me a great deal.” And they went home, leaving him in the rock.

Some time after this Lumawig decided to go back to the sky to live, but before he went he took care that his wife should have a home. He made a coffin of wood and placed her in it with a dog at her feet and a cock at her head. And as he set it floating on the water, he told it not to stop until it reached Tinglayen. Then, if the foot end struck first, the dog should bark; and if the head end was the first to strike, the cock should crow. So it floated away, and on and on, until it came to Tinglayen.

Now a widower was sharpening his ax on the bank of the river, and when he saw the coffin stop, he went to fish it out of the water. On shore he started to open it, but Fugan cried out, “Do not drive a wedge, for I am here,” So the widower opened it carefully and took Fugan up to the town, and then as he had no wife of his own, he married her.

The Flood Story

In a time when the world was flat and without mountains, two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit, flooded the earth to raise mountains. This act drowned all but one brother and sister in Pokis. Lumawig saved them by bringing fire to warm them, evaporating the floodwaters. The siblings married, repopulating the earth, now adorned with mountains.

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 transformation of a flat world into one with mountains, explaining the origin of the earth’s topography.

Loss and Renewal: The flood leads to the destruction of the existing world, followed by the renewal of life through the siblings who repopulate the earth.

Rebirth: The world undergoes a rebirth from a flat, lifeless expanse to a vibrant, mountainous terrain inhabited by a new generation of people.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Once upon a time, when the world was flat and there were no mountains, there lived two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit. The brothers were fond of hunting, and since no mountains had formed there was no good place to catch wild pig and deer, and the older brother said: “Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and then mountains will rise up.” So they caused water to flow over all the earth, and when it was covered they took the head-basket of the town and set it for a trap. The brothers were very much pleased when they went to look at their trap, for they had caught not only many wild pigs and deer but also many people.

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Now Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his sons had flooded the earth and that in all the world there was just one spot which was not covered. And he saw that all the people in the world had been drowned except one brother and sister who lived in Pokis.

Then Lumawig descended, and he called to the boy and girl, saying:

“Oh, you are still alive.”

“Yes,” answered the boy, “we are still alive, but we are very cold.”

So Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire for the boy and girl. The dog and the deer swam quickly away, but though Lumawig waited a long time they did not return, and all the time the boy and girl were growing colder.

Finally Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer, and when he reached them he said:

“Why are you so long in bringing the fire to Pokis? Get ready and come quickly while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very cold.”

Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the flood, but when they had gone only a little way the fire was put out.

Lumawig commanded them to get more fire and they did so, but they swam only a little way again when that of the deer went out, and that of the dog would have been extinguished also had not Lumawig gone quickly to him and taken it.

As soon as Lumawig reached Pokis he built a big fire which warmed the brother and sister; and the water evaporated so that the world was as it was before, except that now there were mountains. The brother and sister married and had children, and thus there came to be many people on the earth.

The Creation

In the beginning, Lumawig, the Great Spirit, created humanity by transforming reeds into couples with unique languages. He taught them to marry, leading to the growth of diverse populations. Lumawig provided essential resources like salt and pottery, designating their guardians based on obedience and skill. By distributing tasks and knowledge, he ensured the people thrived and learned to cooperate through trade and craftsmanship.

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 humanity and various cultural practices.

Origin of Things: It describes the beginnings of essential resources like salt and pottery.

Cultural Heroes: Lumawig acts as a foundational figure shaping society by teaching essential skills and assigning roles.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Igorot Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

In the beginning there were no people on the earth. Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, “You must speak.” Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others. Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.

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Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki. When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.

Dogedog

Dogedog, a lazy man living in poverty, ventures into the forest to improve his home but repeatedly loses his food to a cat. After catching the cat and sparing its life, it magically transforms into a cock. Accompanied by an alligator, deer, ant mound, and monkey, Dogedog wins contests at a cockfight, earning wealth. He buys a mansion and lives in comfort, avoiding work forever.

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

► Themes of the story

Magic and Enchantment: The cat’s magical transformation introduces an element of the supernatural, highlighting the role of magic in the narrative.

Cunning and Deception: Dogedog’s cleverness in capturing the cat and later using the cock to win contests demonstrates the use of wit to achieve goals.

Quest: Dogedog’s journey to the cockfight at Magsingal represents a pursuit of fortune and a better life.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Tinguian Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Dogedog had always been very lazy, and now that his father and mother were dead and he had no one to care for him, he lived very poorly. He had little to eat. His house was old and small and so poor that it had not even a floor. Still he would rather sit all day and idle away his time than to work and have more things.

One day, however, when the rainy season was near at hand, Dogedog began thinking how cold he would be when the storms came, and he felt so sorry for himself that he decided to make a floor in his house.

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Wrapping some rice in a banana leaf for his dinner, he took his long knife and went to the forest to cut some bamboo. He hung the bundle of rice in a tree until he should need it; but while he was working a cat came and ate it. When the hungry man came for his dinner, there was none left. Dogedog went back to his miserable little house which looked forlorn to him even, now that he had decided to have a floor.

The next day he went again to the forest and hung his rice in the tree as he did before, but again the cat came and ate it. So the man had to go home without any dinner.

The third day he took the rice, but this time he fixed a trap in the tree, and when the cat came it was caught.

“Now I have you!” cried the man when he found the cat; “and I shall kill you for stealing my rice.”

“Oh, do not kill me,” pleaded the cat, “and I will be of some use to you.”

So Dogedog decided to spare the cat’s life, and he took it home and tied it near the door to guard the house.

Some time later when he went to look at it, he was very much surprised to find that it had become a cock.

“Now I can go to the cock-fight at Magsingal,” cried the man. And he was very happy, for he had much rather do that than work.

Thinking no more of getting wood for his floor, he started out at once for Magsingal with the cock under his arm. As he was crossing a river he met an alligator which called out to him:

“Where are you going, Dogedog?”

“To the cock-fight at Magsingal,” replied the man as he fondly stroked the rooster.

“Wait, and I will go with you,” said the alligator; and he drew himself out of the water.

The two walking along together soon entered a forest where they met a deer and it asked:

“Where are you going, Dogedog?”

“To the cock-fight at Magsingal,” said the man.

“Wait and I will go with you,” said the deer; and he also joined them.

By and by they met a mound of earth that had been raised by the ants, and they would have passed without noticing it had it not inquired:

“Where are you going, Dogedog?”

“To the cock-fight at Magsingal,” said the man once more; and the mound of earth joined them.

The company then hurried on, and just as they were leaving the forest, they passed a big tree in which was a monkey.

“Where are you going, Dogedog?” shrieked the monkey. And without waiting for an answer he scrambled down the tree and followed them.

As the party walked along they talked together, and the alligator said to Dogedog:

“If any man wants to dive into the water, I can stay under longer than he.”

Then the deer, not to be outdone, said:

“If any man wants to run, I can run faster.”

The mound of earth, anxious to show its strength, said:

“If any man wants to wrestle, I can beat him.”

And the monkey said:

“If any man wants to climb, I can go higher.”

They reached Magsingal in good time and the people were ready for the fight to begin. When Dogedog put his rooster, which had been a cat, into the pit, it killed the other cock at once, for it used its claws like a cat.

The people brought more roosters and wagered much money, but Dogedog’s cock killed all the others until there was not one left in Magsingal, and Dogedog won much money. Then they went outside the town and brought all the cocks they could find, but not one could win over that of Dogedog.

When the cocks were all dead, the people wanted some other sport, so they brought a man who could stay under water for a long time, and Dogedog made him compete with the alligator. But after a while the man had to come up first Then they brought a swift runner and he raced with the deer, but the man was left far behind. Next they looked around until they found a very large man who was willing to contend with the mound of earth, but after a hard struggle the man was thrown.

Finally they brought a man who could climb higher than anyone else, but the monkey went far above him, and he had to give up.

All these contests had brought much money to Dogedog, and now he had to buy two horses to carry his sacks of silver. As soon as he reached home, he bought the house of a very rich man and went to live in it. And he was very happy, for he did not have to work any more.

The Alligator’s Fruit

Two women gathered wild fruit from an alligator’s vine, warned not to discard rinds with teeth marks where the alligator might see. Ignoring the advice, one woman threw a rind into the river. Enraged, the alligator demanded justice but was tricked by villagers into swallowing a red-hot iron tool, which killed him, ending his threat.

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

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The villagers employ a clever ruse, tricking the alligator into swallowing a red-hot iron tool to eliminate the threat.

Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson on respecting nature’s boundaries and the consequences of disregarding warnings.

Sacred Objects: The red-hot iron tool becomes a pivotal object in the story, symbolizing human ingenuity in overcoming danger.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Tinguian Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Two women went to gather some wild fruit from a vine which belonged to the alligator. “You must be careful not to throw the rind with your teeth marks on it where the alligator can see it,” said one of the women to the other as they sat eating the fruit.

But the other woman paid no attention and threw the rind showing teeth marks into the river, where the alligator saw it. Thus he knew at once who had taken his fruit, and he was very angry. He went to the house of the woman and called to the people: “Bring out the woman that I may eat her, for she has eaten my fruit.”

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“Very well,” answered the people. “But sit down and wait a little while.”

Then they put the iron soil-turner into the fire, and when it was red hot, they took it to the door and said to the alligator:

“Here, eat this first.”

He opened his mouth, and they pushed the red hot iron down his throat, and he died.