21st Cent. (Lesson 5)

• Arsenio Manuel divided the Philippine precolonial literature into three, Mythological Age, Heroic Age, and Folktales from all ages.
• Baybayin writing system - derived from Kavi, a Javanese (Indonesian) script
• Mythological Age the period when our ancestors told stories about the creation of human beings and the world, natural phenomena, and deities and spirit
• Pre-colonial Literature Ordinary mortals and cultural heroes became the chief subject matter in this period Epics became a popular genre chanted during important events in the community to inspire people also performed to remind the community of their ideals and values
• Folktales of all ages traditional stories that had humans, animals, and even plants as characters Fictional tales that have been modified through successive retellings before they were finally recorded and written down
• Proverbs are practical observations and philosophy of everyday life that are written usually in rhyming scheme.
• Riddles are like proverbs but it demand answers and used to test the wits of those who are listening to them . Riddles are bugtong , it seems to be referring to something laughable but in reality the answer is more serious than expected.
• Folksongs are beautiful songs that are informal expressions of our ancestors` experiences in life ranging from courtship, lullabies, harana, harvests, funerals and others.
• Tales are stories of origin for certain places, their names and creation . It is also known as myths and legend. Examples are The Legend of Mt Makiling, Mount Arayat and Legend of Bernardo Carpio.
• Epics are long winded poems about a hero and his adventures and misadventures. Usually tells a male hero who is born with pleasing qualities who has a superhuman capabilities and sometimes supernatural elements are also introduced.