The First Monkey

Long ago, in a hillside town, a lazy boy lived with his hardworking grandmother, who earned a living by processing cotton. One day, after losing at gambling, he angrily threw coconut shells at her. In her fury, she struck him with her spindle, transforming him into a monkey. Fleeing to the forest, he turned his gambling friends into monkeys too, marking their origin.

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 narrative provides an explanation for the existence of monkeys in the world.

Divine Punishment: The grandmother’s act of turning her grandson into a monkey serves as retribution for his disrespect and laziness.

Family Dynamics: The relationship between the boy and his grandmother highlights intergenerational challenges and conflicts.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Visayan Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Many years ago at the foot of a forest-covered hill was a small town, and just above the town on the hillside was a little house in which lived an old woman and her grandson.

The old woman, who was very industrious, earned their living by removing the seeds from cotton, and she always had near at hand a basket in which were cotton and a long stick that she used for a spindle. The boy was lazy and would not do anything to help his grandmother, but every day went down to the town and gambled.

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One day, when he had been losing money, the boy went home and was cross because his supper was not ready.

“I am hurrying to get the seeds out of this cotton,” said the grandmother, “and as soon as I sell it, I will buy us some food.”

At this the boy fell into a rage, and he picked up some cocoanut shells and threw them at his grandmother. Then she became angry and began to whip him with her spindle, when suddenly he was changed into an ugly animal, and the cotton became hair which covered his body, while the stick itself became his tail.

As soon as the boy found that he had become an ugly creature he ran down into the town and began whipping his companions, the gamblers, with his tail, and immediately they were turned into animals like himself.

Then the people would no longer have them in the town, but drove them out. They went to the forest where they lived in the trees, and ever since they have been known as monkeys.

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The Sun and the Moon

The tale explains the origin of the stars, the Moon’s markings, and the Sun and Moon’s eternal chase. Once married, the Sun’s intense heat burned their star-children, angering the Moon. After disobedience, the Sun caused more harm, prompting a quarrel where the Moon was marked with sand. Their chase across the sky symbolizes their unresolved conflict, creating a timeless celestial dance.

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 provides an explanation for the creation of stars and the celestial dynamics between the Sun and Moon.

Cosmic Order and Chaos: The narrative reflects the balance and discord in the cosmos, represented by the harmonious creation of star-children and the subsequent chaos following their destruction.

Love and Betrayal: The initial union between the Sun and Moon, followed by the Sun’s actions leading to the loss of their children and the ensuing conflict, highlights themes of love and betrayal.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Visayan Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

Once upon a time the Sun and the Moon were married, and they had many children who were the stars. The Sun was very fond of his children, but whenever he tried to embrace any of them, he was so hot that he burned them up. This made the Moon so angry that finally she forbade him to touch them again, and he was greatly grieved. One day the Moon went down to the spring to do some washing, and when she left she told the Sun that he must not touch any of their children in her absence. When she returned, however, she found that he had disobeyed her, and several of the children had perished.

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She was very angry, and picked up a banana tree to strike him, whereupon he threw sand in her face, and to this day you can see the dark marks on the face of the Moon.

Then the Sun started to chase her, and they have been going ever since. Sometimes he gets so near that he almost catches her, but she escapes, and by and by she is far ahead again.

The Creation Story

In this origin myth, the world begins with only sea, sky, and a restless kite. The kite stirs the sea, leading the sky to create islands. The kite later discovers a bamboo from which a man and woman emerge. Ordered to marry, they birth humanity. Overcrowding drives their father to frighten the children, scattering them. Their hiding places determine their societal roles, from chiefs to free men, slaves, and eventually white people.

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 world’s beginning, detailing the emergence of land from the sea and sky, and the origin of humanity from a bamboo stalk.

Origin of Things: It explains natural phenomena, such as the formation of islands and the existence of different human races, providing cultural context for these occurrences.

Cultural Heroes: The first man and woman serve as foundational figures, symbolizing the ancestors from whom all people descend, shaping societal structures and hierarchies.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Tagalog Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

When the world first began there was no land, but only the stea and the sky, and between them was a kite. One day the bird which had nowhere to light grew tired of flying about, so she stirred up the sea until it threw its waters against the sky. The sky, in order to restrain the sea, showered upon it many islands until it could no longer rise, but ran back and forth. Then the sky ordered the kite to light on one of the islands to build her nest, and to leave the sea and the sky in peace.

Now at this time the land breeze and the sea breeze were married, and they had a child which was a bamboo.

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One day when this bamboo was floating about on the water, it struck the feet of the kite which was on the beach. The bird, angry that anything should strike it, pecked at the bamboo, and out of one section came a man and from the other a woman.

Then the earthquake called on all the birds and fish to see what should be done with these two, and it was decided that they should marry. Many children were born to the couple, and from them came all the different races of people.

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around, and they wished to be rid of them, but they knew of no place to send them to. Time went on and the children became so numerous that the parents enjoyed no peace. One day, in desperation, the father seized a stick and began beating them on all sides.

This so frightened the children that they fled in different directions, seeking hidden rooms in the house–some concealed themselves in the walls, some ran outside, while others hid in the fireplace, and several fled to the sea.

Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the chiefs of the Islands; and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves. Those who ran outside were free men; and those who hid in the fireplace became negroes; while those who fled to the sea were gone many years, and when their children came back they were the white people.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

How the Tinguian Learned to Plant

The Tinguian people, once reliant on forest foods and unaware of farming or healing, were taught by Kaboniyan, a servant of Kadaklan, the Great Spirit. Kaboniyan guided Dayapan, a sick woman, to plant rice and sugarcane and perform the Sayung ceremony, which healed her and introduced agriculture. However, an accidental sign foretold that while some would be cured through the ritual, others might still perish.

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 narrative explains the introduction of rice and sugarcane cultivation to the Tinguian, detailing how these essential agricultural practices began.

Divine Intervention: Kaboniyan, a servant of the Great Spirit Kadaklan, directly intervenes by teaching Dayapan how to plant crops and perform healing ceremonies, showcasing the gods’ influence in human affairs.

Ritual and Initiation: The introduction of the Sayung ceremony represents the establishment of rituals that mark transitions, in this case, from illness to health and from foraging to agriculture.

► From the same Region or People

Southeast Asia
- Philippines
  - Tinguian Lore

Learn more about Philippines peoples

In the very old times the Tinguian did not know how to plant and harvest as they now do. For food they had only the things that grew in the forests and fish from the streams. Neither did they know how to cure people who became ill or were injured by evil spirits, and many died who might otherwise have lived.

Then Kadaklan, the Great Spirit who lives in the sky, saw that the people often were hungry and sick, and he sent one of his servants, Kaboniyan, to the earth to teach them many things. And it happened this way:

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Dayapan, a woman who lived in Caalang, had been sick for seven years. One day when she went to the spring to bathe, there entered her body a spirit who had rice and sugar-cane with him, and he said to her:

“Dayapan, take these to your home and plant them in the ground, and after a while they will grow large enough to reap. Then when they are ripe, build a granary to put the rice in until you shall need it, and a sugar-press to crush the cane. And when these are finished, make the ceremony Sayung, and you will be well.”

Dayapan was filled with wonder at these strange things, but she took the rice and the sugar-cane and went home as she was commanded. While she was trying to plant them in the ground the Spirit again entered her body and showed her just what to do. Since then the Tinguian have planted crops every year, and because they do as Kaboniyan taught the woman they have plenty to eat.

When Dayapan had reaped the first rice and cane, she began to make the ceremony Sayung, and the Spirit came again and directed her. And when it was finished and she was cured, he told her to take a dog and a cock and go to bathe in the river as a sign that the ceremony was finished. So she went to the river and tied the dog and the cock near the water, but while she was bathing the dog ate the cock.

Dayapan wept bitterly at this and waited a long time for Kaboniyan, and when at last he came, he said:

“If the dog had not killed the cock, no person would die when you make this ceremony; but this is a sign, and now some will die and some will get well.”

Dayapan called all the people together, and told them the things that the spirit had taught her; and they could see that she had been made well. After that, when people became ill they called Dayapan to treat them. And it was as the Spirit had said; some died and others were made well.