Legend,Myths and Folktales

LEGENDS

(April 28)

The Legend of Sampaguita

               A long time ago, there were neighboring Baranggays named Balintawak and Gagalangin. Between the two baranggay, is a very sturdy fence made up of dried bamboo. Every five years, they destroy it and build a new fence. Sometimes, the guardsmen from Balintawak watch over the fence, oftentimes the guardsmen from Gagalangin. Everything is working according to the rules of each datu.

The datu of Barangay Balintawak has a daughter with incomparable beauty and kindness. Her name is Rosita. Her mother died when she was young, however, she has four maids to assist her every need. There are a lot of handsome young men who admires her. But the only man who captured her heart is the son of Gagalangin’s datu, whose name is Delfin.

            The conflict between their parents did not stopped Delfin and Rosita from loving each other. At the end of the bamboo fence lies there secret lair. Every night when the moon is bright, they meet at the end of the fence and stroll along with Rosita’s maids. Their relationship is hidden from both of their datu parents.

One day, the datu of Gagalangin heard that the fence is being destroyed by the servants of datu Balintawak so that they can build a new one. He asked one of his guards to watch at the said fence-making. When the guard came back, he told the datu that the new fence was moved. He was mad because the datu of Balintawak took five meters of their land. Immediately, he sent a man to the datu of the neighboring baranggay.

”Tell the datu of Balintawak to put the fence back where it is supposed to be. They are being unlawful and stealing one’s land is a crime!” said the datu of Gagalangin.

             When the datu of Balintawak heard about it, he became furious and asked the servant to give a message to their datu. “Tell your datu that I never stole anything from him. I just placed the bamboo fences at its right place according to the documents that I discovered, written by my ancestors.”

Delfin’s father was very much displeased with the other datu’s response. This kind of conflicts usually results bloodshed among the two baranggays.

              The datu of Gagalangin prepared his unit for the upcoming battle. He needs to get their baranggay’s stolen land even by violent means.When the news reached the datu of Balintawak, he eagerly prepared his battle unit as well. The two leaders are now ready for a never-ending war.

A few days before Gagalangins planned to attack the Balintawak, the datu got sick. He became seriously ill that lead him to his death. The responsibility was then handed to Delfin. He will be the one to lead the battle troops of baranggay Gagalangin.

              The female servants told Rosita what was about to happen and she started to become frightened. Delfin is so young and does not have any experience when it comes to war. His father, on the other hand, had been trained to fight since he was still a child. She worried too much. She wanted to talk to Delfin and ask him to forfeit the war and simply talk to his father and settle the conflict peacefully. However, they do not have time to converse anymore. Tomorrow is the start of an endless battle between the two baranggays.

Both parties lost so many lives. Delfin was badly hurt and shed a lot of blood. He started to be blurry. He was half conscious when he fell to the ground. Before his last breath, he told one of his comrades to bury him near the end of the fence where he and Rosita used to secretly see each other.

              Nobody can ever tell what really happened to the young lovers or the result of the war. All they knew is that Rosita became seriously ill when she knew that Delfin died in the battle. Her father called for so many doctors to make her feel well but neither one of them can treat Rosita. When she was about to die, Rosita told her father to bury her near Delfin, at the end of the bamboo fence. Though it is hard for the datu to do, she still obeyed her daughter’s last wish.

                Many years had passed and the existence of baranggays gradually disappeared. Spaniards came and the city of Manila was established. Balintawak and Gagalangin became populated. But all the people living in these two places were having a mysterious experience. During the month of May, especially when the moon is bright, they hear a mystical sweet voice of a lady saying “Sumpa kita! ... Sumpa kita!” (I swear, I swear) but nobody can see from whom it is coming from. It seems as if it comes from the bushes where little white flowers grow. Although the flowers are so tiny, it bursts out a different kind of scent that everybody loves to smell. That’s what usually happens every month of May, each year.

             Because everyone was so curious about the voice, they all decided to dig up the spot and uncover the mystery behind it. To their surprise, they found the roots of the bushes where the lovely flower grows, comes from the mouth of the two bodies buried not so far from each other. The elders remembered the memoir of the two lovers – Delfin and Rosita.

         The story spread fast. The words “Sumpa kita” evolved as “Sampaguita” that signifies an everlasting love of Delfin and Rosita.

The Legend of the Banana

Banana tree with flower

When the world was still new, spirits and ghosts roamed everywhere especially in gloomy caves and in every niche and corners under the houses of mortals. Their presence can be felt and their voice can be heard at night but they were never seen.

A brave and beautiful young girl named Raya, would always search for spirits inside the caves and along the forests, bringing along a lighted candle. She has always felt the presence of a kind spirit, following her all the time. 

One day, Raya heard someone call her name and when she looked up, she saw a handsome young man. The young man's name is Sag-in, the spirit who kept on following her. Sag-in confessed that he had fallen in love with a mortal. They eventually got married and had a child.

Sag-in knew that his time on earth is short-lived for he is a spirit-man and he had to return to the spirit world soon. When the time has come and he had to leave, he called Raya and explained why he had to go. As he was vanishing, he told Raya that he was going to leave a part of him. Raya saw a bleeding heart on the ground, she took it and planted it. She took care of it night and day until one day, long green leaves sprouted from the grave.

One day, the tree bore a fruit that is shaped like a heart. She caressed it believing that this could be Sag-in's heart until it slowly opened and long golden fruits sprouted from it. She peeled and bit the fruit and heard Sag-in's voice telling her:

"Yes, Raya, it is my heart. I have reappeared to show you that I will never forsake you and our child. Take care of this plant, and it will take care of you in return. It's trunk and leaves will give you shelter and clothing. The heart and fruits will be your food. And when you sleep at night, I will stand and watch by your window. I will stay by your side forever!"

MYTHS

The myth about the lanzones fruit

Lanzones are local berry-like fruits with light brown skin. The fruit itself is white inside. When ripe enough they have a subtle sweetness that tantalizes the taste buds and make them want to sample for more. But according to a local myth, it used to be a harmful fruit.

Before, according to the myth, the lanzones fruit was poisonous. The fruit looked edible enough, and in fact many were tempted to sample it. The myth says, the people wondered: How could anything that looked so good be so dangerous? Some people, despite the death toll, could not fight off the temptation once they see the fruits abundantly display themselves in clusters hanging invitingly on the lanzones tree. Several deaths in the village had been linked to eating its fruits, the myth adds.

She taught the villagers the proper way to pick, peel and eat the fruits of the lanzones tree. According to the myth, the old woman said that peeling the fruit by pinching it lets out a small amount of the white sticky sap from the fruit, and that served as an antidote to the poison of the fruit. Then, the myth says, she did it with a fruit and ate it. She did the same with another fruit, and another, and another. The myth says the villagers also discovered for themselves that the fruits were very edible and delicious. Since then, the villagers started planting more lanzones trees and it became a very lucrative source of income for everyone, the myth adds.One day, the myth says, a hungry old woman came to the village begging for food. The kind villagers gladly gave the old woman food and water and clothes to wear. They even offered her free lodging as long as she saw the need to stay with them. According to the myth, the woman was awed by the kindness of the villagers. One day, while staying with the people, she learned about the lanzones fruits that could not be eaten because they were poisonous. She asked the people where the tree was. They gladly obliged. Then, according to the myth, upon seeing the lanzones tree and its fruits, the old woman smiled knowingly. She announced to the people that the fruit was edible, to everyone’s wary delight.

The Philippine Myth on Maria and the Crab

Crabs or “alimango” in the vernacular is a very sumptuous dish to feast on. Here’s a unique myth on a crab haunted by the spirit of a loving mother to protect her child. How mother, child, and crab are connected is narrated by this myth.

According to the myth, there was a beautiful girl named Maria. Her mother died when she was still young. Her father married again to a widow with two daughters. The daughters, says this myth, were envious of Maria’s natural beauty. The myth says envy forced them to get Maria to do all the housework. The poor girl was the last to eat and sometimes even missed meals altogether.

According to the myth, it was the crab speaking all along: “Don’t be scared, my child. I’m your dead mother. From this day on my spirit in this crab will take care of you.”The myth says that one day, due to hardship, Maria cried by a well. The girl had missed breakfast and had just finished fetching water. She was about to begin washing clothes when a kind voice spoke to her saying “Don’t cry Maria, here’s some food. Eat, my child.” The myth says Maria saw some food but there was nobody around. Then the girl was shocked to see a big crab.

The myth continues that when Maria left for the market the big crab came to bring food for Maria. The stepmother saw it and cooked and ate it with her two daughters. The myth says that when Maria saw the shells that were left of the crab, the pitiful girl cried. But she heard a voice again, saying, ”Don’t cry, just pick up the shells and bury them in the yard. ” She did so, and the next morning, Maria saw a full grown tree on the spot where she buried the crab’s shells. The tree was laden with ripened golden fruits.

The myth says, there was a handsome man who saw the golden fruits and asked Maria’s two step sisters for some. For some mysterious reason they could not get close to the tree. Only Maria could. When the man reached out and saw Maria, he fell in love and asked her hand for marriage.

This Philippine myth on Maria and the Crab reminds us of a mother’s boundless love for her child, and how she would get out of her way just to protect her children.

FOLKTALES

THE BOY WHO BECAME A STONE

Tinguian

One day a little boy named Elonen sat out in the yard making a bird snare, and as he worked, a little bird called 

to him: "Tik-tik-lo-den" (come and catch me).

"I am making a snare for you," said the boy; but the bird continued to call until the snare was finished.

Then Elonen ran and threw the snare over the bird and caught it, and he put it in a jar in his house while he went with the other boys to swim

While he was away, his grandmother grew hungry, so she ate the bird, and when Elonen returned and found that his bird was gone, he was so sad that he wished he might go away and never come back. He went out into the forest and walked a long distance, until finally he came to a big stone and said: "Stone, open your mouth and eat me." And the stone opened its mouth and swallowed the boy.

When his grandmother missed the boy, she went out and looked everywhere, hoping to find him. Finally she passed near the stone and it cried out, "Here he is." Then the old woman tried to open the stone but she could not, so she called the horses to come and help her. They came and kicked it, but it would not break. Then she called the carabao and they hooked it, but they only broke their horns. She called the chickens, which pecked it, and the thunder, which shook it, but nothing could open it, and she had to go home without the boy.

How the First Head Was Taken

Igorot

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 Cal-chal, the Sun, came by and stopped to watch her mold 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.

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.