Deities of Philippine Mythology
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The deities of ancient Philippine mythology, while not as widely known as its European and East Asian counterparts, have similar elements and characteristics when compared to other mythologies. The deities, creation stories, mythical creatures, and beliefs have similarities. Ancient Philippine mythology varies among the many indigenous tribes of the Philippines. Some tribes during the pre-Spanish conquest era believed in a single Supreme Being who created the world and everything in it, while others chose to worship a multitude of tree and forest deities (diwatas). Below are some of the gods and goddesses of the various ancient Philippine tribes:
[edit] Luzon gods
Anitun Tabu is the Tagalog goddess of the wind and rain.
Apo Laki is the Tagalog god of the sun and lord of war. He is the son of Bathala and brother of Mayari, but in the other myth his sister is Dian Masalanta and his parents were Anagolay and Dumakulem. He is identified to the Pangasinense god Ama-Kaoley.
Batala is a kingfisher considered sacred by early Kapampangans, the visit of which either hints of bad omen or good fortune.
Bathala, also known formally as Bathalang Maykapal or Maykapal is the Tagalogs chief god that is the creator of the universe and humanity. To the Cebuano people, he is known as Abba.[citation needed]
Dian Masalanta is the ancient Tagalogs goddess of love, pregnancy, childbirth.
Idianalé is the ancient Tagalogs goddess of animal hunsbandry.
Kimat is the lightning dog, owned by Tadaklan. When Kimat attacks, he comes down from heaven and bites whatever it is aimed at.
Lakan Bakod is the ancient Tagalog god of gardens who protect and watchover plants and sometimes the crops.
Lakan Pati (Ikapati) is the ancient Tagalogs deity of cultivated fields, a hermaphrodite. Her/his title is "The giver of food" and her/his worshippers pray to her/him to protect them from starvation. During the early period of Spanish Colonialization, Lakan Pati was used by evangelists as a native equivalent for the Holy Spirit.
Makiling in Kapampangan mythology does not have a consistent character. Some accounts say he is a deity dwelling in the Tagalog region, whose three sons courted the daughters of Suku in Mount Arayat. Some accounts say she is wife of Suku, who fetched her at Mount Makiling and back to Mount Arayat for them to live together as couples. The trail caused by the godly chariots became the Pampanga River. In a much older account, Makiling is the deity who brought the spirits out of the navel of the giant crocodile Dapu/Laut, the Sea, into the surface of the earth, using a bamboo raft (makiling is a type of bamboo). Thus, in this version, Makiling is responsible for bringing the first man and woman on earth, which in Kapampangan mythology are named Manalaksan (woodcutter) and Mangkukuran (potmaker).
Malyari (Apo Namalyari) is the Kapampangan / Aeta / Sambal god ruling over night and representing the moon (Bulan). His/Her brother/sister is Sinukuan and the two of them often had rock-throwing battles. He/She settles at Mount Pinatubo and is said to have caused the June 1991 eruption. In another version, he/she is the Preserver. He/she is also renowned as the god whom all things were possible, thus Malyari (Possible).
Mangatia (Mangetchay) is the demiurge of Kapampangan mythology, who created the universe. The term literally means a netmaker, and the holes of the universe net are the stars.
Mayari is the ancient Tagalog goddess and protector of the moon, one-eyed but extremely beautiful. She is the daughter of Bathala and sister of Tala and Apo Lake. Apo Lake and Mayari once got into argument about who would be the better ruler of the world. Apo Lake referred to his male strengths and Mayari insisted on equal rights. The dispute intensified and the two started to hit each other with wooden bars. Mayari received a blow on her face and was blinded in one eye. Apolake was very sorry for his deed and he offered her friendship and mutual change in the power over the world and Mayari agreed.
Suku (Apung Sinukuan) is the Kapampangan deity ruling over daylight and representing the sun (Aldo). Winning a bamboo pole combat against his/her brother/sister Malyari, he/she chose Mount Arayat as his/her abode for it was the center of the Kapangpangan region. He/She is renowned as the Destroyer. His/her constant enmity with Malyari the Creator keeps the balance of nature and cycle of harmonious life. Suku, literally meaning peak of time or an indeterminate end, is also renowned as the Kapampangan god of time and space.
Tadaklan is the Tinguian god of thunder, as worshiped by those people of central Luzon.
[edit] Other gods
Aswang is the Bicolano god of evil, where he is both the brother and enemy to Gugurang.
Gugurang is the Bicolano chief god and keeper of a sacred fire atop Mt. Mayon.
Haliya is the Bicolano goddess of the moon and protector of women.
Kan-Laon (Lalahon) is the southern Visayan supreme deity, especially in the island of Negros where her abode is Mt. Kanlaon.
Kaptan is the ancient Visayan sky god, for those people who still believe in him. In mythology, he is often shown as the sibling of Maguayen, who is the god of the sea.
[edit] References
- Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society by William Henry Scott
- http://sambali.blogspot.com/2004/12/apung-iru.html
- http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/mdf/
- http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10771/10771-8.txt
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