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, and folklore are being studied as part of the curriculum of ©



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, and includes a collection of tales and superstitions about magical creatures and
entities. Some Filipinos, even though heavily Westernized and Christianized, still believe in such
entities. The prevalence of belief in the figures of Filipino mythology is strong in the provinces.
Many common folk attribute psychological problems to these superstitions and considered
significant for psychologists in understanding the Filipino psyche.

Because the country has many islands and is inhabited by different ethnic groups, Philippine
Mythology and superstitions are very diverse. However, certain similarities exist among these
groups, such as the belief in Heaven (Kaluwalhatian or Kalangitan), Hell (Impiyerno), and
human soul (kaluluwa).


ëhide]

?Y G Animism
?Y u Filipino mythology gods and goddesses
?Y ΠCreation Stories
?Y £ Mythological Stories
?Y º Mythological Creatures
|Y º.G Aswang
|Y º.u Dila
|Y º.Œ Diwatas and Engkantos
|Y º.£ Dwende
|Y º.º Kapre
|Y º.6 Manananggal
|Y º.7 Mangkukulam
|Y º.8 Matruculan
|Y º.9 Multo
|Y º.G Nuno sa punso
|Y º.GG Putol na kamay
|Y º.Gu Santelmo
|Y º.GŒ Sirena and siyokoy
|Y º.G£ Tikbalang
|Y º.Gº Tiyanak
^  
Animism, can be used to describe the indigenous spiritual traditions practiced by people in the
Philippines during pre-colonial times. Some indigenous people continue to practice it today. It is
a set of belief and cultural mores anchored in the idea that the world is inhabited by spirits and
supernatural beings, both good and bad, and that respect be accorded to them through
ritual.These spirits in nature and all around are known as "

". Some worship specific deities,
such as the supreme deity, Bathala. Variations of animistic practices occur in different ethnic
groups. Magic, chants and prayers are often key features. Its practitioners were highly respected
(and some feared) in the community, as they were healers, midwives (

), shamans, witches
and warlocks, priestesses (   
), tribal historians and wizened elders that
provided the spiritual and traditional life of the community. In the Visayan regions, there is a
belief in the existence of witches or mangkukulam and local monsters or "aswang", despite
external profession of the Catholic and Christian faith. In general, the spiritual and economic
leadership in many pre-colonial Filipino ethnic groups was provided by women, as oppose to the
political and military leadership accorded to men. Spanish occupiers during the G6th century
arrived in the Philippines noting about warrior priestesses leading tribal spiritual affairs. Many
were condemned as pagan heretics. These matriarchal tendencies run deep in Filipino society and
can be seen in the strong leadership roles modern Filipino women are assuming in business,
politics, academia, the arts and in religious institutions. 



 remains a deep source of
comfort, belief and cultural pride among many Filipinos. Nominally animists constitute about
one percent of the population. But animism's influence pervade daily life and practice of the
colonial religions that took root in the Philippines. Elements of folk belief melded with Christian
and Islamic practices to give a unique perspective on these religions.

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The famous gods and goddesses of Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Chinese, and Japanese
mythology are the most widespread popular mythology in the world today. These different
countries contain different gods and goddesses. Even if Filipino Mythology is not as well-known
as the others, they still contain similar elements, such as gods, goddesses, creation stories,
mythical creatures and beliefs.

Filipino Mythology varies according to the different tribal people of the Philippines so there are
very many tales and theories of the myths. Here are the famous gods and goddesses of Filipino
Mythology

Idinalé. The goddess of harvest. If you want to work with her, offer here a plate of rice when the
moon is full at around seven in the evening. She will help you in times of trouble provided that
you tend plants and herbs of any kind.

Bathla. The sky god, later called as Bathala. He offers the knowledge of the air element.
Offerings of frankincense are very appealing to him.
Sidapa. The god of death. Although seen as a dark god, he is kind and caring and will help his
priest or priestess in times of need.

Sol. The god of the sun.

Luna. The godddess of the moon. She weeps for her lover, Kertes, who died in a battle with the
sun. That is why we cannot see her sometimes because she hides her mourning face.

Habagat. The god of winds. He rules the whole of the Himpapawirin, the kingdom of silver and
gold found in the sky. He will invite his worshipers to his magnificent kingdom.

Amihan. Personification of the Northeast Wind.

Pughe. The king of the Dwendes of the North. A dwende is a Filipino gnome. Most are divided
into the black and white varieties.

Kuntalapa. The goddess of childbirth.

Pamahres. The god of knowledge. He told Sol how he can break the protection given by Luna to
Kertes.

Dal'lang. The goddess of beauty. She bestows the gift of Beauty to her followers.

Lalahon. The goddess of volcanoes. In the olden days, a virgin girl was sacrificed in order to
keep the goddess satisfied. But in this time, an offering of fire will please her.

Kidul. The god of earthquakes.

Bagobo. The god of war.

Kalinga. The god of thunder.

Agui. The god of fire, brother of Agwe.

Agwe. The god of waters

Mangaragan. The goddess of war.

Lalahon. The maiden aspect of Idianalé.

Siginaugan. The god of hell.

Somilge. The goddess of magic, queen of witchery, crone aspect of Idianale. She bestows upon
her priestess the gift of magic.

Deltise. The god of "mambabarangs".

Martes. The son of Bagobo. He is the Prince of pain and war.

Kilubansa. The god of healing. He is the father of Dihas.

Dihas. The goddess of medicinal herbs.

Pasipo. The god of music.

Detinos. The god of evil. Enemy of Bathla.

Sirenha. The goddess of fishes. The Sirenas or mermaids are her children.

Oghep. The god of mountains and hills.

S'dop (sodop). The goddess of gold.

Dayea. The goddess of secrets.

Bayoa. The god of pacts. Invoke during bloodpacts.

Aspene. The shell goddess.

Punho. The god of trees.

Kertes. The lover of Luna, killed by Sol. Born as a human, Kertes was transformed into a god
after his death.

Haspe. King of the Tamaos.

Halmista. The god of Magic. Highest of all the Magickal Gods, he is the father of Deltise and
Kilawnea

Kapalaran. Although he is not a God, he is still considered as a high power. He has the power to
change destiny at his will. He is the strongest of all Eternal Beings.

Sehana. The goddess of love. She has the power to bestow love on any mortal or Immortal being

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/realmu/mdf/

  

In Filipino Mythology, there are different kinds of creation stories according to the different
people(tribal groups) of the Philippines.

 
Another popular legend tells the story of how Bathala created the people of the islands.

In the beginning when the Earth was still young, the gods, Bathala; Aman Sinaya; and Amihan,
were the only beings that existed. Bathala was god of the Sky (Langit) and Aman Sinaya was
goddess of the Sea (Linaw). The two have been fierce rivals for a long time, and everyday, they
would try to outdo each other. Bathala used his lighting bolts and thunder, and Aman Sinaya
used her waves and typhoons.

One day, Aman Sinaya decided to send her tempests into the Sky to cause a wild comotion. In
order to stop her, Bathala threw giant boulders that came from atop of the mountains. It created
thousands of islands onto the surface of the Sea, which became the Philippine archipelago.
Amihan, the Northeast Wind in the middle of the two realms, decided to stop the battle once and
for all by taking the form of a bird. She then flew back and forth between them. This made the
Sky and the Sea closer than it was before. At the point where the two realms met, both deities
agreed to end the fight and become friends.

As a sign of friendship, Bathala planted a seed underneath the ocean floor. It soon grew into a
bamboo reed, sticking out of the edge of the Sea. Amihan had gazed upon it one day and heard
voices, coming from inside the bamboo. "Oh, North Wind! North Wind! Please let us out!", the
voices said. Shee pecked the reed once, then twice. All of a sudden, the bamboo cracked and slit
open. Inside were two human beings; one was a male and the other was a female. Amihan named
the man "Malakas" (Strong) and the woman "Maganda" (Beautiful). She then flew them onto one
of the islands where they settled, built a house, and had millions of offspring that populated the
Earth.

Then, it finally came when the children were too numerous for Malakas and Maganda to control.
One day, they were ordered to work in the fields, but instead, they did nothing. When the parents
arrived home, they noticed that their instructions weren't followed. Asking for some guidance,
they prayed to the great god, Bathala, and he came to them and said, "Let your anger be shown to
everyone and it shall make them into what they are meant to be." So out of their anger, they
grabbed spoon ladles and began to give blows to everyone.

All the children started running away. Some hid under the bamboo tables and became slaves. A
few of them went inside the burning cauldron and turned into the Aetas of the islands. Others
climbed up the rooftop and became the datus of the villages. While some climbed on top of the
trees and were believed to have become the commoners. Those who fled to the mountains turned
into hunters and the ones who ran to the seashore turned into fishermen.

 


 




Malakas and Maganda is about the origin of how the Philippines' land and people started from
two giants.
"When God was done creating the world, he was bored. He looked down over the earth and sent
a bird into the world. It flew around until it heard a sound. The bird found a piece of bamboo and
the sound came from it. He started tapping on it and pretty soon it broke in two and a man came
out of it. His name was Malakas, which means strong, and he told the bird, "My mate is in the
other piece of wood." They got her out and her name was Maganda which means beautiful. The
two got on the bird's back because they need to find some place to live. They flew through the
world, and then, the bird saw land and let the two giants live on it. Malakas and Maganda
stepped on the land and separated the land into islands. Through their living on the islands, they
had children and that is the story of the Philippine Islands.

 
 

  

Once upon a time, a diwata lived in a mountain of Laguna, called Maria Makiling. She has light
olive skin, long shining black hair and twinkling eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Maria
was always about helping other people. One time, the children of a farmer got sick. When he
went to Maria to seek help, he was given a

(a flat, woven container) full of ginger. The
farmer sadly went home carrying the bilao of ginger. When he reached his hut, he was greatly
surprised: the ginger had turned to gold! Because of Maria's kindness, the townsfolk had grown
to love her.

Maria was a great beauty. She was sought for and wooed by many suitors. Three of them were
very much determined to have her. One is Captain Lara, a Spanish soldier who always brought
her gifts from Europe. The other is Joselito, a Spanish mestizo who was studying in Manila .
Every time Joselito visits Maria, he had many stories to tell her about foreign countries and the
things that he had read in books. He dreamed of going to Spain. He didn't like to live in the
Philippines. Of the three, it was Juan who is the most industrious. He is a common farmer. But
despite of his lowly status, he is so hard working, and his fruits and vegetables grew fat and
juicy. He also had many pet animals and birds. But if truth be told, it was Juan who Maria
secretly admired. As time passed, her suitors became more and more impatient and demanded
that Maria tell them who she loves. So the diwata was forced to promise: "By the night of the full
moon, I will tell you my answer."

When the night of the full moon arrived, all of her suitors climbed up the mountain to know her
decision. All was startled when Maria told them that it was Juan whom she loved. The suitors
went away feeling dejected. On the other hand, Joselito and Captain Lara were very much angry
with Juan. They thought of a plan against him.

One day, all was surprised when a huge fire devoured the cuartel of the Spanish. Because of the
fire, Captain Lara ordered many Filipinos to be captured. Secretly, Joselito helped him. Juan was
among those who they imprisoned and tortured.

Many prisoners did not last long from the tortures the Spanish had inflicted upon them. One
night, Captain Lara and Joselito secretly spoke with the prisoners. The next day, Juan was
blamed for the burning of the Spanish cuartel. "I did not do it!" cried Juan. But the prisoners
pointed at him because Captain Lara and Joselito frightened them.
The soldiers brought Juan to the plaza. In front of hundreds of people, Juan was shot as the
enemy of the Spaniards. He was killed even though he didn't commit any wrongdoing. But
before he died, he managed to shout out loud Maria's name. It was heard by the diwata so she
quickly went down from her mountain.

But Juan was already dead when Maria arrived. Tears falling down her face, she embraced
tightly his lifeless body. Afterwards, she faced the crowd. "Why did you not take care of him?"
she shouted. Meanwhile, Captain Lara and Joselito fled to Manila because they were afraid of
Maria. When she learned of this, she cursed the two. She also cursed those men who cannot
accept failure in love. Soon, the curse took effect. Joselito suddenly became ill. There was no
cure for his illness.

Captain Lara, on the other hand, was called back to Laguna when the Filipinos revolted against
the abuse that the Spaniards had inflicted upon them. The revolution quickly spread to many
parts of the Philippines. The revolutionary Filipinos killed Captain Lara.

From then on, Maria never let herself be seen by the people again. Every time somebody gets
lost on the mountain, they remember the curse of the diwata. Yet they also remember the great
love of Maria Makiling.

 



^


The Aswang, analogous to the European vampire or werewolf, is perhaps the most famous
Filipino mythological creature. The aswang is a ghoul, an eater of the dead, and a lycanth.

Aswangs can change from a human to an animal form, usually as a bat, a pig or a black dog.
Some aswangs can change form at will, others through the use of foul oils concocted by evil
magicians. Aswangs appear at night to prey upon unwary travellers or sleeping people. It is said
that they have a peculiar liking for the taste of human liver. The myth of the Aswang is popular
in the Visayas, especially in provinces such as Capiz, Antique and Iloilo.




In the Filipino Tagalog language, the word "dila" means tongue. The Dila is a tongue of a spirit
that pass through the bamboo flooring of provincial houses. It then licks certain people to death.

 


Diwatas, or fairies, are said to reside in large trees, such as acacia and balete. They are the
guardian sprits of nature, bringing blessing or curses upon those who bring benefits or harm to
the forests and mountains. One such famous Diwata is Maria Makiling, guardian of Mount
Makiling in Laguna province.
Engkantos (sometimes spelled as Encantos), or male fairies, reside primarily in the sea. It is a
customary way for Filipino fishermen to offer meat and other delicacies to the engkanto by
throwing it onto the sea, after a day of bountiful harvest.

In other parts of the country, Diwatas are analogous to the Greek gods and goddesses. Some of
the famous Diwatas (Tagalog deities) are:

Bathala - Ruler of Heaven, fate, and earth in other myths. Amanikable - god and ruler of the sea.
Diyan Masalanta - goddess of love and pregnancy, patron of lovers Apolake (or Adlaw) - god of
the sun and war, patron of warriors. Mayari (or Bulan, in other areas) - goddess of the moon;
Tala - goddess of the stars; Anitun Tabu- goddess of wind and rain. Idianale- goddess of
agriculture and animal husbandry, protector of farmers. Ikapati- goddess of cultivated fields,
lands, farms, and gardens, protector of fields, crops, and farm animals. Dumangan- goddess of
good harvest. Sitan- god of afterlife and guardian of Kasanaan. And his helpers were: Hukluban-
goddess of death. Mankukulam- god of fire Mangangaway- goddess of sickness. Manisilat- god
of broken relationship of lovers and spouses.

About the filipino gods (tagalog deities), comments and questions, e-mail
kcerviel@yahoo.com.ph



Dwende is the Spanish term for dwarf. Dwendes frequently live in houses or in trees in rural
areas. They are known to be either blessing or mischievous, depending on your treatment of
them. Filipinos usually leave food on the floor (as Americans do for Santa Claus), and it is done,
so that the dwende residing (or as they say, guarding) the house would not be offended but
instead give them blessings. You may find Dwende residing in ant hills, and so before you pass
an ant hill, you may ask the Dwende to allow you to pass.



The Kapre, which is a tall and dark giant, are known to inhabit forests. Kapres tend to smoke
tobacco leaves, that is why Filipinos living in rural areas are very sensitive about tobacco smell.






A Manananggal is a sorceress who has the power to divide her body into two. She usually
appears as a pretty newcomer to small villages and barrios. To feed, the self-segmenter chooses
an isolated place where she will leave her lower torso when she hunts at night. When she
separates from her lower torso, she loses her beauty and her true monstrous form emerges --
huge leather batwings sprout from her back and provides her with aerial mobility. She then goes
off in search of houses where pregnant women reside. Upon choosing a suitable victim, the
Manananggal alights on the house and inserts her tongue through the roof. The tongue is long,
hollow and extremely flexible. She uses it to puncture the stomache of the sleeping woman and
proceeds to suck out the fetus.
A story is told of a pregnant woman who awakes from sleep and sees a white thread hanging
from the ceiling. She cuts it with a pair of scissors, thinking it to be a stray thread from the
mosquito cover that surrounds her bed. The following day, she discovers that her newly arrived
neighbor has fled the night before, with witnesses saying that her mouth was pooling with blood
from a cut tongue. The pregnant woman rushes back to the bedroom and searches for the
"thread" she had cut the night before. Under the bed she finds, not a piece of thread, but rather a
bleeding human tongue.

Sunlight is deadly to the Manananggal when she is in her monstrous form. Should her two halves
still be separate with the coming of dawn, she will be destroyed. It is said that to destroy the
Manananggal, one should search for the lower torso that she leaves behind during her nightly
hunts. Salt and/or garlic should then be placed on the lower torso's opening, preventing the
monster from combining again and leaving it vulnerable to sunlight. Placing a mixture of salt,
ash and raw rice in small containers around the house is said to deter the Manananggal from
approaching. Burning rubber is also said to deter them from approaching the house as they abhor
the smell of it.





The Mangkukulam is a witch. In the Visayan provinces, it is known as Mambabarang. For more
details, please see the Kulam article. it has tongre




The Matruculan is the one who comes into a virgin's house and impregnates her. Another version
of the Matruculan is that it kills the mother, opens her abdomen and eats the fetus inside. It is
countered by the husband, who, when it is time for the woman to labor, slashes the air with his
knife, or balisong. The belief in Matruculan is now not as widespread as it was in the Spanish
days. See also ×  and  .




"Multo", the Tagalog word for ghost, comes from the Spanish word 'muerto', which means death.
Filipinos believe that some kind of multo, often a spirit of their former kin, regularly visits them.
It is also believed that in death, a dead person is first visited by and then fetched by another dead
spirit. This is called, in Tagalog, "sinusundo" (being fetched). Born Again Christian Filipinos
regard the multo as evil spirits, while the Catholic Filipinos regard them as true. The Tagalog
word for being visited by a multo is 'minumulto'(being haunted), or 'dinadalaw' (being visited).
See also *

.

‰

The Nuno sa Punso inhabits humps, such as anthills, in the ground. That is why Filipinos, when
passing through a hump in the sidewalk, say 'makikiraan lang po' (excuse me), as not to offend
the nuno, or 'tabi-tabi po, nuno'. They are often confused with è .
©


Putol na Kamay are usually seen in mailboxes or cupboards in the provincial homes. It means
"severed hand"




Santelmo, or Santo Elmo, is a fireball. It was seen by dozens of Filipinos, especially those living
in the Sierra Madre Moutains. It was scientifically explained as electric fields which have
diverged from the lines. However, the sightings were reported since the Spanish era (Gº s-
G8 s).

  

The Sirena is a mermaid. Sirenas are reportedly often seen ashore by fishermen, especially in the
towns bordering the Pacific Ocean. The Siyokoy is the male counterpart of the Sirena. The
Siyokoy has gill slits, is colored brown, and has scaly skin, comparable to that of fishes'.

 



The Tikbalang is a half-horse and half-man creature. Its head is the horse part, and its body is of
human form.

 

The Tiyanak (related to Changelings) is the offspring of a woman and a demon, as said by the
Filipinos. The Tiyanak can also be the aborted fetus of the mother, and then comes to life to
bring mischief and hardships to the woman. It is characterized as having red skin and no hair,
with glowing eyes.