Plant Stories

Long ago, plants ruled our planet. Who knows for certain if they started the way they look today-silent, fragile and immobile. But set-up a time-lapse movie and you will see strength, movement, and protection. And sometimes, you will catch a flower staring back, observing you. Are plants mute, just because we don't hear them? Or inconsequential, because we can easily crush them? Go ahead. Peer into the past. Turn over a new leaf...

The Legend of the Corn

What strange red and golden seeds closely lined up in several rows, she wondered, and wept as she remembered her lover who died on this very spot, his blood watering the soil from which sprouted that unusual plant with the red seeds. And what of the golden ones? She painfully remembers a young and handsome dying man, delirious in death, frantically repeating he wrapped into a dried banana leaf the golden necklaces, beads, bracelets, rings and earrings he stole from various graves. She helped him escape from the guards. They were going to start a new life together. They were going to... "If only that old woman hadn't seen him! If only our Chief had not sentenced him to die!" she wailed while clutching the tear-sodden ears of red and golden corn, as she rhythmically rocked back and forth behind her dead lover's silent hut, in the slowly yellowing dawn of Panay island.
Note: That's just my adaptation or version, if you will, about a grave robber and his woman. He was caught and sentenced to "die by the inch" -- tied to a tree to starve and get bitten my red ants. His lover helps him escape but he gets mortally wounded. He kills one guard while she kills the other. They plan to leave the place but not before taking the buried golden trinkets. He bleeds to death near the spot where he buried the things he stole from the graves, while she cares for the plant that sprouted there in loving memory of her dead lover.

The First Garlic

There once lived a beautiful maiden whose mother arranged to be married to the son of one of the richest datus in the land. She was so lovely that a rival suitor murdered her fiance. That rival was, in turn, killed by the dead fiance's loyal slave. As news of the double-deaths spread, the young maiden runs up a sacred mountain and implores Bathala to take her away so that her beautiful face will no longer cause any future killings. She gets zapped by lightning. Her mother buries her and grieves, watering her grave with tears. One day, the mother sees some grass-like plants sprouting on top of her dead daughter's graves. Thinking it was some useless weed, she pulls it out and sees seeds that look like her dead daughter's teeth. She hears a supernatural voice boom: "Those are your daughter's teeth." She gives thanks, knowing this is Bathala's way of giving her something that will remind her of her daughter. She plants the seeds all over her land to spread the memory of her daughter, and that's how the garlic plant began.

How Butterflies Came To Be *

There once lived an old woman who tended a fine flower garden by the shore of a lake. The fisherfolk who lived in a nearby village loved her dearly, and would often visit her to exchange their fish for lovely flowers. They somehow knew there was something magical about her, for her house seemed mysteriously bright at night (no, she didn't have any electricity), and some even saw a few dwarfs assisting what appeared to be a beautiful young woman... but only at night, never during the day. One time, a young couple visited the village. They were proud and hated anything ugly. They chanced upon the old woman's flower garden at the edge of the lake, and entered it to gather some bouquets. The old woman asked them to leave, but instead of obeying, the young man and woman made fun of her because they found her ugly. To punish them, the old woman touched them with a cane and said that since they like only beautiful things, they will be turned into the most beautiful insects. So the next time you see two lovely butterflies hovering near some flowers, you'll remember that haughty young couple.

The First Monkey

Long ago, in a forest, lived a young girl who served as an apprentice of the goddess of weaving. She was cared for and well-provided for by her supernatural benefactor. One day, the goddess instructed her to prepare a dress by cleaning some cotton, beating it, spinning it, weaving it into cloth, cutting it, and finally sewing it. Unfortunately, the young girl was quite lazy and found the dress-making process too tedious. So she took the leather cloth (used to beat the cotton on), a wore it thinking it would make a much longerlasting dress. Enraged, the goddess punished the young girl by making the leather stick to her skin, and by attaching the beating stick to her body. So when you see a monkey with leather skin and a long tail, remember that lazy girl who once didn't have to struggle in the forest to keep herself alive.

The Legend of the First Rainbow

A farmer noticed that a wall he built keeps getting knocked down. He waits one evening and surprises three star maidens. Two are able to escape while one is left behind because the farmer hid her magic wings. They get married and have a son. One day, the star maiden finds her missing wings hidden near their house, wears them and takes her son up to her skyworld. The gods take pity on the farmer and so they built a rainbow so that the mortal can sometimes climb up to the sky to visit his wife and son.

Why the Sun Follows the Moon The Sun and the Moon used to be married and shared the sky. One day the Moon had to gather vegetables in the forest and asked the Sun to watch over their children. She warned him not to get too near the sleeping kids because they might get burned. He watches the kids from a distance but, because he wanted to kiss them, forgot his wife's warning. He bends over near his children and, horrified, sees them melt. He hides in the forest. His wife, the Moon, returns to find her children all melted. After some time, the Sun shows himself to the Moon. They fight: He throws the vegetables to her face and she leaves him. On a clear night, when the Moon is full, you will see traces of vegetable leaves on her face. Their children have turned into stars, while the Sun keeps chasing after the Moon in an attempt to reconcile.