kultura-salin
- MA-Isa(gunita)
- Mar 19, 2019
- 5 min read
by Giselle Jordan
Philippine mythology is a collection of tales, myths, and superstitions that were from our indigenous Filipino forefathers. Majority of these stories originated during the indigenous period in the Philippines, a time before the Spanish colonization. Since we had no formal religion during that time, Philippine mythology is believed to have been rooted on paganism and animism. Paganism is a form of polytheism (belief in many gods) in which the followers worship a nature-revering god or follow a nature-based spiritual path. On the other hand, animism is known to be the attribution of a soul to plants, non-living things, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.
Philippine mythology is said to be a mixture of different elements from various cultures. It manifests with its similarities with mythology of neighboring countries such as Indonesia, the Malay-dominated countries, and a dash of Christian practices. Closely comparable elements include the concept of heaven (langit), hell (impiyerno), and soul (kaluluwa).
Philippine mythology tells about a different take on our surroundings and the world as it follows the lives of gods and goddesses, as well as other heroes and creatures. These stories were then passed on to generations and generations of Filipinos through oral tradition and storytelling.
However, the Philippine mythology lost its shine as the Spanish colonizers tried to bring it down and impose Christianity to the Filipinos. They dismissed our own mythology as mere unfactual myths and superstitions, and called anyone who believed in it as barbaric.
Today, some of these beliefs are still held and passed on by Filipinos especially those who are in the rural areas.
In this blog post, I'm gonna talk about the different deities that are present in Luzon.
1. Bathala
Bathala was the highest among all gods. He was also referred to as the Maykapal, the creator of all things. He is said to have Hindi influence, as the Sanskrit word "bhattara" meant "noble god".
He watches over us in his abode in the heaven or langit. He blesses people who do good deeds, but punishes people who do wrong ones. It is said that he could send thunders and lightnings as a sign of his fury.
There are various names for creator goda in different ethnic groups in Luzon. For Central Cordillera, it was Lumawig. Those from Benguet called theirs as Apo. Ifugaos had Kabunian. Zambales called their god Malayari.
2. Idianale
The other gods, aside from Bathala, had specific roles. Idianale (Idiyanale or Idianali) was the goddess of labor and good deeds.
Some people said that Idianale's main role was to take good care of agriculture. It was also said that she was the patron of animal husbandry.
Idianale married the God of Good Harvest, known in the name of Dumangan. They had two children, each of who were named as Anitun-Tabu and Dumakulem.
3. Dumangan
Dumangan was the god of good harvest. He was the husband of Idianale and father of both Anitun-Tabu and Dumakulem.
It is known among Zambales people that he had 3 brothers, each of which had a unique specialization.
Kalasakas - god for ripening rice stalks Kalasokus - makes the rice stalks yellow
Damulag - makes sure that the rice is safe from natural disasters like cyclones
4. Anitun Tabu
Anitun Tabu was the goddess of wind and rain. She was the daughter of Idiniale and Dumangan.
However, the Zambales people call her as Aniton Tauo, a goddess who used to be the right-hand woman for Malayari, but she came proud, and was demoted to a lower position. It has been a tradition of locals to give her pinipig at the start of every season of harvesting.
5. Dumakulem
Dumakulem is the god of hunters, and the protector of the woods and mountains. He is the brother of goddess Anitun Tabu, and the son of Idianale to Dumangan.
He married Anagolay, the goddess of lost things, and had two children, namely: Apolaki and Dian Masalanta.
6. Ikapati/Lakapati
Lakapati is a goddess famous for her being known as an androgynous, hermaphrodite, or transgender. She is the goddess of fertility, cultivated land, and prosperity. Her being attributed as transgender was rooted from her having both male and female genitalia as a sign of fertility. Farmers would often pray to her for the abundance of harvest and protection of crops from pests.
She was said to be the kindest of all the deities. She then proceeded into marrying Mapulon, the god of seasons. She also became mother to Anagolay, goddess of lost things.
7. Mapulon.
Mapulon was one of the lower-ranked gods, and is the god of seasons. Of all the deities, he is also one of the least known ones. He is husband to fertility goddess, Lakapati; and father to goddess of lost things, Anagolay.
8. Anagolay.
Anagolay was the daughter of gods Ikapati and Mapulon. She was the goddess for lost things.
She married Dumakalem, god of mountains and hunting, and bore 2 children, Apolaki and Dian Masalanta.
A Filipino student named Mohammad Abqary Alon once submitted the name Anagolay in an asteroid naming contest hosted by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), and it defeated thousands of other name suggestions. In September 2014, the Minor Planet Center gave the name Anagolay to an asteroid that was discovered in 1982.
9. Apolaki.
Apolaki is the Tagalog god of the sun. His Kapampangan counterpart is Aring Sinukuan,sun god of war and death.
He is also a brother to Mayari, goddess of the moon.
10. Dian Masalanta.
Dian Masalanta is the goddess of love and childbirth. She was the sister of Apolaki and daughter of Anagolay and Dumakalem.
People offer to her sacrifices for successful and safe childbirth among the women in their communities.
11. Amanikabli
Amanikabli (Amanikable or Aman Ikabli) is the god of the sea and patron of hunters.
He was also known as the father of Aman Sinaya, protector of the sea, and inventor of the first fishing gear.
12-13. Mayari and Hana.
Mayari and Hana are Bathala's daughters with a mortal woman who died during childbirth. Mayari is the goddess of the moon, and Hana is the goddess of the morning.
14-15. Galang Kaluluwa and Ulilang Kaluluwa.
Ulilang Kaluluwa was an orphaned spirit whose home is in the clouds, and Galang Kaluluwa was a wandering or nomadic spirit. They shared the world with Bathala when everything else wasn't even there yet.
Ulilang Kaluluwa wanted everything to himself so he fought Bathala but lost. Galang Kaluluwa and Bathala met years after, and they became friend. Galang Kaluluwa died from a sickness.
16. Sitan
Sitan is the ruler of Kasanaan, a place of punishment. It was said to be derived from the Christian name Satan, the ruler of hell. But other people argue that it was from Shaitan, the Islamic ruler of the underworld.
17. Mangagaway
Manggagaway was Sitan's assistant. With his skull ornament and necklace, he could either cure a sickness or cause someone's death.
18. Mankukulam
The Mankukulam is a very powerful witch who can kill just through a mere greeting. He can also cause fires through spells.
Given this rich mythology that our country actually has we feel as though we should celebrate it and commemorate it just like other mythologies. This can be done by releasing materials through different forms of media, be it print (novels) or digital. In this re-imagining we thought of Philippine mythology being featured in films, with that here is a movie poster to better serve that idea.
We hope to bring what's ours to our cinemas, our country's film industry in the future. How about you? Would you go and see this film if it were to be produced? Leave your answers in the comments section down below.
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