SI BATHALA

The TAGALOGS Origin Myths: 

Bathala the Creator

Who is BATHALA?

In ancient mythology among the Tagalogs, there was a creator, a supreme god. He was known as Bathala Maykapal or Lumikha. According to F. Landa Jocano’s Outline of Philippine Mythology (1969), Bathala is the grand conserver of the universe – the caretaker of nature and the creatures of the earth. “Hence the beautiful word “bahala” or “mabahala” meaning “to care.” From this evolved the Filipino attitude of “bahala na” or “Let Bathala take care of it” which gives a person tremendous courage in the face of danger.”

We can only speak about the worship of Bathala with varying degrees of certainty. Most of the foundations of Philippine Mythology are rooted in documentation by the Spanish. This creates a bit of a dilemma. The same documentation that re-enforces mythological stories about gods and creation are one and the same with the documentation that is being used to discredit belief in folkloric creatures (I’ll speak more on this in a future article). Using this documentation, we know that pre-Spanish Tagalogs on Luzon “worshipped” Bathala, the creator. We also know that, for a time, Bathala was incorporated into Christian teaching by the friars in order to assist with converting the population to Christianity.

“As for their sacrifices, each one of the natives, so far as I have seen, has in his house many idols, to whom they pray. They call God, Batala (Bathala), and the chief idol which they have is thus named; but others call him Diobata (Diwata) – at least among the Pintados (term used by Spanish to describe indigenous people with tattooed bodies in Cebu, Bohol, Samar and Leyte) they give him this name. The natives of this island (Luzon) usually call him Batala, and even consider him God of all creation. Accordingly, after the religious came to this land and commenced to preach the faith of Jesus Christ, and to baptize, the natives have not known how to give any other name in their language to God our Lord, except that of Batala.”

 – Fernando Riquel – Endorsed: June 19, 1572, Manila

                 
                           


                              

The Creation Story (Tagalog)

When the world first began there was no land, but only the sea and the sky, and between them was a kite. One day the bird which had nowhere to alight 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 alight 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. 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, 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.



Bathala and his adversary, Sitan

Bathala’s adversary is believed to be “Sitan”, guardian of Kasamaan and the keeper of all souls therein. His task was to lead man to sin and destruction. The relationship between Bathala and Sitan was first documented by Juan de Plasencia in 1589. How much of this can be taken as certainty and how much is a Christian interpretation will always be up for debate, but the concept of “hell” certainly predates the Spanish arrival in the region.  The Tagalogs “Kasamaan” may have more in common with Naraka – a place of temporary torment in Hinduism – than it does with the eternal damnation in Christianity.

“They said also that in the other life and mortality, there was a place of punishment, grief, and affliction, called casanaan (Kasamaan), which was “a place of anguish;” they also maintained that no one would go to heaven, where there dwelt only Bathala, “the maker of all things,” who governed from above. There were also other pagans who confessed more clearly to a hell, which they called, as I have said, casanaan; they said that all the wicked went to that place, and there dwelt the demons, whom they called sitan.”

– Customs of the Tagalogs, Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F.; Manila, October 21, 1589

sources: the aswang project, clark (2013). Retrieved from https://www.aswangproject.com/bathala/

THE STORY OF MALAKAS AND MAGANDA

(ENGLISH VERSION OF “ANG ALAMAT NI MALAKAS AT MAGANDA”)

A LONG TIME AGO, THE HOUSE OF GOD WAS A FATHOMLESS VAST OF EMPTINESS.

HE WAS SADDENED BECAUSE HE CAN’T SEE NOR HEAR ANYTHING.

THE SUN ROSE, BRIGHT AS A GOLD AND THE HEAVENS WERE EMBELLISHED WITH CLEAR BLUE SKIES. IN A DISTANCE THE FULL MOON PEEKED AMIDST THE DARKNESS WITH THOUSANDS OF SPARKLING AND TWINKLING STARS.

GOD GRACEFULLY LIFTED HIS POWERFUL HANDS AND IN JUST A SNAP, THE EARTH WAS CREATED. TREES AND GRASSES SPROUTED FROM THE LANDS AND FRAGRANT FLOWERS CAME INTO BLOOM.

OCEANS WAVED AND SURGED; RIVERS OUTRAGEOUSLY FLOWED. BIRDS FLEW FREELY IN THE SKIES AND THEY REST TO SING FOR A WHILE.

GOD THEN CREATED THE WORLD. IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND PLEASURE PARADISE TO BEHOLD!

ONE DAY, THE KING OF BIRDS FLEW AND EXPLORED THE WILD BLUE YONDER.HE PROUDLY SPREAD HIS STURDY MASSIVE WINGS AND FLEW TO THE FOREST.

FROM A DISTANCE, HE SAW A LOFTY BAMBOO BENDING FROM ITS WAIST AS A GENTLE BLOW OF WIND TOUCHED IT.

HE HURRIED THROUGH THE BAMBOO AND STOPPED FOR A SHORT REST.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

HE FELT A RESOUNDING KNOCK COMING FROM THE TALL BAMBOO. HE WAS SURE HE HEARD A VOICE!

“SET ME FREE, O, STALWART KING OF BIRDS!”, WAS THE PLEAD. “PECK HARDER! I CAN’T BREATHE. IT’S A CONFINEMENT!”

“IT MIGHT BE A TRAP!”, THE BIRD THOUGHT. AFTER A WHILE, A LIZARD CRAWLED UP TO THE BAMBOO. THE STARVING BIRD TRIED TO GRAB THE CRAWLING LIZARD.

HE HARDLY PECKED THE BAMBOO IN HIS ATTEMPT TO CATCH THE LIZARD.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE TALL BAMBOO BROKE. TO THE BIRD’S SURPRISE, A HANDSOME MAN EMERGED FROM THE BAMBOO.

“THANKS, O, GREAT KING OF THE BIRDS! MY NAME IS MALAKAS. PLEASE CONTINUE PECKING THE BAMBOO. RELEASE MY PARTNER WITH YOUR GRACE AND POWER!”

ONCE AGAIN, THE BIRD PECKED THE BAMBOO.

A MODEST AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN CAME OUT FROM THE BAMBOO. “SHE IS MY WIFE. HER NAME IS MAGANDA. YOU FREED US, O, KING OF THE BIRDS! YOU MUST LIVE WITH US FOREVER!”

“I CAN’T”, REPLIED THE BIRD. “I AM BUT ONE BIRD AND MY HOME IS THE IMMENSE BLUE SKIES. I TRAVEL WITH THE WIND. MY WINGS WERE INTENDED FOR FLIGHT. BUT, I WOULD ALWAYS SING FOR YOU. EVEN IF WHEN I’M GONE, MY NESTLINGS WOULD ALSO SING FOR YOU. WITH THEIR RHYTHMIC VOICES, THEY WOULD SING THE SONG I SANG FOR THE BOTH OF YOU!”

“COME! RIDE IN MY MASSIVE WINGS. I WOULD BRING YOU TO THE LAND OF THE MORNING. THERE YOU MUST LIVE AND STAY!”

MALAKAS AND MAGANDA REACHED THE LAND OF GREEN ISLANDS. IT SHONE WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF GOLDEN SUN. THE WHOLE LAND WAS A VAST OF GLISTENING PEARLS OF THE EAST!

THERE, IN THE LAND OF THE MORNING, MALAKAS AND MAGANDA LIVED TOGETHER – THE FIRST PARENTS OF THE FILIPINO RACE.

SOURCES: ANGEL (2016). RETRIEVED FROM https://itscamilleangela.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/the-legend-of-malakas-and-maganda-english-version-of-ang-alamat-ni-malakas-at-maganda/

THE STORY OF TUNGKUNG LANGIT AND ALUNSINA

                                   

Once upon a time when the earth was but a shapeless, formless void appeared the god called Tungkung Langit (“ Pillar of Heaven”) and the virgin goddess of the eastern skies, Alunsina (“ The Unmarried One”).

The old Visayan folklore states that Tungkung Langit fell in love with Alunsina. After he had courted her for many years, they married and made their home in the highest part of heaven. There the water was always warm and the breeze was forever cool, not a bad weather was in sight, and the couple was happy. In this place in the heavens, order and regularity began.

Tungkung Langit was a loving, hard-working god. He wanted to impose order over the confused world. He decided to arrange the world so that the heavenly bodies would move regularly. On the other hand, Alunsina was a lazy, jealous, selfish goddess. She sat at the window of their home all day doing nothing but brush her long beautiful hair. Sometimes she would leave her home, sit down by a pool near the door, and comb her long, jet-black hair all day long. One day Tungkung Langit told his wife that he would be away for some time. He said he must make time go on smoothly and arrange everything in the world and did not return for a long time. Alunsina thought he was off to see a lover, so she summoned the breeze to spy on Tungkung Langit. Tungkung Langit caught the spying breeze and he became very angry with Alunsina. After he returned home, he told her that it was ungodly of her to be jealous since there were no other gods in the world except the two of them.

Alunsina resented this reproach, and they quarreled all day. In his anger, Tungkung Langit drove his wife away. And with that, Alunsina suddenly disappeared, without a word or a trace to where she went. A few days passed, Tungkung Langit felt very lonely and longed for his wife. He realized that he should not have lost his temper. But it was too late, Alunsina is gone.  Their home which was once vibrant with Alunsina's sweet voice, his home became cold and desolate. In the morning when he woke up, he would find himself alone. In the afternoon when he came home, he would feel loneliness creeping deep within him.

For months Tungkung Langit lived in utter desolation. Try as he did he could not find Alunsina. And so in his desperation, he decided to do something to forget his sorrow and win back his wife’s favor. So he came down to earth and planted trees and flowers that she may notice it, but she still didn’t come home. Then in desperation, he took his wife's jewels and scattered them in the sky. He hoped that when Alunsina should see them she might be induced to return home.

Alunsina's necklace became the stars, her comb the moon, and her crown the sun. But in spite of all his efforts, Alunsina did not return home. Until now, as the story goes, Tungkung Langit lives alone in his palace in the skies and sometimes, he would cry out for Alunsina and his tears would fall down upon the earth as rain and his loud voice, calling out for his wife, was believed to be the thunder during storms, begging for her to come back to their heavenly palace once more.

sources:
Luzvimida (2016). Retrieved from http://vizayanmyths.blogspot.com/2013/05/creation-myth-variant-1.html

BIAG NI LAM-ANG

BIAG NI LAM-ANG (Life of Lam-ang) is pre-Hispanic epic poem of the Ilocano people of the Philippines. The story was handed down orally for generations before it was written down around 1640 assumedly by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg.

THE SUMMARY OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG STORY

Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern part of the Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke and asked that he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his godparents and asked where his father was.

After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he would go look for him. Namongan thought Lam-ang was up to the challenge but she was sad to let him go. During his exhausting journey, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what had happened to his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one whom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lam-ang's greatness.

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the Amburayan river. All the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang's body.

There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo. She lived in Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated. Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom were trying to catch her attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall. This made Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he and Ines were married.

It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which she covered with a piece of cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to move. Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.

SOURCES: Blogger (2013). Retrieved from http://cielomariegementza.blogspot.com/2013/10/biag-ni-lam-ang-summary.html

Ang huling pag-ibig ni Gregorio del Pilar

Mayroong dalawang misteryosong burdadong kagamitan ang pinakasikat sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas.

Noong 21 August 1983, nakilala ang lalaking binaril na kasama ni Ninoy Aquino sa tarmac ng Manila International Airport dahil sa brief na may nakaburdang "Rolly." Makalipas ang ilang araw ipakikilala ang lalaki bilang si Rolando Galman. Magkakaroon pa ng plakard ang mga rallyista noon na may nakakabit na brief at may nakalagay na inskripsyon: "A brief encounter with history."

Noong 2 December 1899, matapos na mapatay sa Labanan sa Pasong Tirad si Gregorio del Pilar—si Goyo, ang batang heneral—natagpuan sa kanyang kasuotan ang isang gintong locket na may ilang buhok at isang sedang panyo na may nakaburdang pangalan: "Dolores Jose."

Gen. Gregorio del Pilar

Sa kabila ng pangalan sa panyo, nananatiling misteryo maging sa mga historyador ang katauhan ng huling pag-ibig ni Gregorio del Pilar. Ang kuwento ng huling pag-ibig ni del Pilar at ang katauhan ng babae ay hindi man lamang mababanggit sa mga istandard na talambuhay ni del Pilar tulad sa isinulat ng historyador na si Teodoro Kalaw na isinalin sa Ingles bilang An acceptable holocaust: Life and death of a boy-general.

source:
Retrieved from sources;  https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/610067/ang-huling-pag-ibig-ni-gregorio-del-pilar/story/ 

STORY OF Jose Rizal and Leonor Rivera.

JOSE RIZAL – Here’s the love story of Jose Rizal and Leonor Rivera as to how they have met and the sad ending of their story.

For over 10 years, Jose Rizal was engaged with his distant cousin Leonor Rivera whom she met when he was 19 years old and the girl on age 13. She is our hero’s great and true love. Ideally and definitely pretty, Leonor possesses a wavy soft hair, high forehead, wistful almond eyes, small and pensive mouth, and charming dimples.

She is as well intelligent and talented as she can actually play the harp and the piano with a fascinating singing voice. She attends school at La Concordia while Rizal was a medical sophomore student at the University of Santo Tomas.

In their letters, Leonor used pen names such as La Cuestion del Oriente’ and ‘Taimis/Tamis’. However, around 1882, after some incident, Rizal left and went Spain without leaving any notice to his love which devastated her. Their only communication was through letters but due to Rizal being a Filibustero because of his published book Noli Me Tangere, Leonor’s mother bribed post office officials to give her the letters instead.

Due to this, Leonor was convinced to marry the Englishman Charles Henry Kipping which really hurt Rizal and indicated the end of their 11-year love affair. A couple of years after the marriage, Leonor died with her daughter during her second child birth. But she remained immortal because of “Maria Clara”. She was Rizal’s inspiration for the character in his books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Sources:
Retrieved from on 2018 https://philnews.ph/2019/09/19/jose-rizal-leonor-rivera-story-how-they-met-sad-ending/?fbclid=IwAR0UgkK7UfBg8OtR_zdnCHyGU4enwSGni9RVKowb8AL2925OVYoZfEKen-4  

A touching fictional love letter from Andres Bonifacio for his wife Gregoria De Jesus.

ANDRES BONIFACIO – Here is a fictional love letter of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio for his wife Oryang that touched numerous hearts.

In schools, we often hear the heroic acts that Andres Bonifacio and his wife Gregoria De Jesus have done for our country to have the freedom that people are actually enjoying until now. But little did we know, there lies a story and love put into words from the Supremo of Katipunan to the association’s “lakambini”.

Mali ka. Hindi kita nakasalubong upang sa dulo ng kalsada, ako ay liliko sa kanan at ikaw sa kaliwa. Sapagkat saan man tayo dalhin ng ating pakikibaka, ikaw lang ang aking itatangi at makailang ulit na ihaharap sa pulang bandila. Hindi tayo nagpalitan ng mga kwento upang sa pinakahuling tuldok ng pangungusap, ang karugtong ay alingawngaw ng katahimikan. Walang pagod kitang aawitan ng imnong pambayan, Oryang. Hindi kailanman ako mauubusan ng salita upang maialay sa iyo bilang mga tula. Maging ang bulong at buntung-hininga’y magpapahayag ng pagsinta sa tulad mong umiibig din sa bansa. Hindi tayo sabay na tumawa, nagkatinginan, at tumawa pa nang mas malakas, upang sa paghupa ng halakhak ay may butil ng luha na mamimintana sa ating mga mata. Loobin man ng Maykapal na pansamantala tayong magkawalay, tandaan mong ang halakhak at sigaw ng ating mga kasamahan ay sa akin rin. Hindi ka dapat masabik sa akin sapagkat ako’y mananatili sa iyong piling. Hindi kita niyakap nang ilang ulit upang sa pagkalas ng mga braso ko sayo ay maramdaman mong iniiwan kita. Habambuhay akong magiging tapat sa ating panata, Oryang. Kapara ng binitawan kong sumpa sa ngalan ng bayan, tayo’y mananatiling katipun, kawal, at bayani ng ating pagmamahalan. Hindi tayo bumuo ng mga alaala sa umaga, tanghali at gabi upang sa muli mong paggising ay maisip mong hindi tayo nagkasama sa pakikidigma. Hindi ko man hawak ang bukas, nais kong tanganan mo ang aking pangako na ilang ulit kong pipiliing mabuhay at pumanaw upang patunayan sa iyong mali ka. At kung magkataong ako’y paharapin sa ating anak na si Andres, buo ang loob kong haharap sa kanya at sasabihin ko sa kanyang mali ka. Hindi ako bumati sa simula upang sa huli ay magpaalam.