mythology

• Philippine mythology is the body of stories and epics originating from the 7,000 islands of the Philippine archipelago
• This mythology is inspired and influenced by the numerous folk religions and other ethnic and religious influences in ancient times
• Philippine mythology exhibits influence from Indonesian, Hindu, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian traditions
• Philippine mythology tries to explain the nature and functioning of the world through various stories revolving around gods, mortals and other mythological creatures
• The majority of these myths were passed on through oral tradition, and preserved through the aid of community spiritual leaders, shamans, priests and village elders
• Ancient Philippine mythology varies among the many indigenous tribes of the Philippines
• The stories of ancient Philippine mythology include deities, creation stories, mythical creatures, and beliefs
• Deities of Philippine Mythology

  The gods, goddesses and diwatas worshiped by ancient Filipinos before the Christianization of the natives after the Spanish conquest of the Philippines
• Bathala


  Supreme god and creator deity, also known as Bathala Maykapal, Lumilikha, and Abba, an enormous being with control over thunder, lightning, flood, fire, thunder, and earthquakes, considered very humanlike in appearance as he created human beings in his own image, all powerful and commanded obedience and reverence
• Mayari


  Goddess of the moon and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman, known as the most beautiful deity in Bathala's court, had two sisters Tala and Hanan, Goddess of Combat, War, Revolution, Hunt, Weaponry, Beauty, Strength, Moon and Night, uses weapons made from bamboo or kamagong woods
• Tala


  Goddess of the stars, sister of Mayari and Hanan and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman, epitomizes guidance and protection, diligently watches over individuals, ensuring their safety and overall well-being
• Hanan


  Goddess of morning, sister of Mayari and Tala and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman, her skin exudes a warm, golden glow, mirroring the brilliance of the morning sun, a symbol of the light and hope she bestows upon the world, uses her radiant light to blind Bakunawa temporarily, allowing Mayari to escape
• Amanikable


  The ill-tempered god of the sea, among the first generation gods (aside from Bathala), never married after his love was spurned by a beautiful mortal maiden, Maganda, in frustration, he swore vengeance against the humans by sending turbulent waves and horrible tempests in order to wreck boats and to drown men
• Sitan


  Deity of Kasanaan, the god of the afterlife, as well as the guardian of the realm, has the help of four other gods in reigning sin and destruction among the people, the ancient Tagalogs believed in the final judgment of men—that is, the punishing of the evil and the rewarding of the good
• Mangagauay


  The most wicked among them, responsible for the occurrence of disease, possessed a necklace of skulls, and her girdle was made up of several severed human hands and feet, sometimes changed herself into a human being and roamed about the countryside as a healer, could induce maladies with her charms
• Manisilat


  The second agent of Sitan, known as the goddess of broken homes, restless and mad whenever there was a happy home within sight, would disguise as a woman healer or an old beggar, enter the dwelling of her unsuspecting victims, and then proceed with her diabolical aims, used charms and magic powers to turn the husband and wife against each other
• Mankukulam


  The third agent of Sitan, whose duty was to emit fire at night, especially when the night was dark and the weather was not good, often assumed human form and went around the villages pretending to be a priest-doctor, then would wallow in the filth beneath the house of his victim and emit fire, if the fire was extinguished immediately, the victim would die
• Mangkukulam / Filipino witches

  Users of black magic and related practices from the Philippines, a mangkukulam can be considered a Filipino witch, literally meaning "a practitioner of kulam", a curse is called a "sumpa" - which can also be translated as a "vow" or "oath" and "curse", may use a voodoo doll and a needle to cast spells on people they want to take revenge on but largely use natural magic and superstitions similar to an arbularyo, or witch doctor
• Hukluban


  The shapeshifting Tagalog goddess of death who can transform herself into any form she desires, one of the goddesses of Kasamaan, the Tagalog equivalent of hell, her name means "crone" or "hag" or from the old Tagalog word huklob which means "enchantment", typically refers to a supernatural being or creature commonly associated with folklore, often depicted as a female ghoul or monster, usually an old woman or a witch with long, disheveled hair, said to have the ability to shape-shift and may appear as ordinary-looking individuals during the day but transform into their ghastly forms at night
• Idiyanale


  The goddess of labor and good deeds, natives used to call for her guidance in order to make their works successful, married Dimangan and had two offspring
• Dimangan


  The god of good harvest, married to Idiyanale and had two offspring
• Dumakulem


  The strong, agile guardian of mountains and the son of Idiyanale and Dimangan, later married Anagolay
• Anion Tabu


  The fickle-minded goddess of wind and rain, the daughter of Idiyanale and Dimangan and the sister of Dumakulem
• Mapolan Masalanta


  The goddess of love, conception and childbirth and the protector of lovers, the daughter of Anagolay and Dumakulem and youngest of all the deities, after the conversion of the natives to Christianity during the Spanish Era, she was then referred to as Maria Makiling
• Biag ni Lam-Ang


  The Ilocanos' pre-Hispanic epic, believed to be the work of many poets from various generations, put down in writing around 1640 by Pedro Bukaneg, the father of Ilocano poetry, Lam-Ang is an extraordinary being, could talk immediately after birth, barely 9 months old, fought against the headhunters who killed his father, journeyed to get the beautiful Ines Kannoyan accompanied by his pets, a rooster and a dog, was eaten by a sea monster, Berkakan, but was reborn from his retrieved bones
• Tungkung Langit


  A popular deity of the Suludnon people of Panay, their version of the 'creator' who made the world out of primordial chaos, in other Visayan pantheons, Tungkung Langit was a lesser deity and brother of Panlinugon, god of earthquakes
• Alunsina


  A prominent goddess in the Suludnon people's Pantheon of Gods, considered to be the 'virgin goddess' of the eastern skies and the wife of Tungkung Langit, in a Panay version of the Creation Myth, her name has been translated as the "Unmarried One", "The One from Foreign skies" and "One who is Foreign", also appears in the Hinilawod Epic, after a quarrel with Tungkung Langit, she ran away from her beloved partner and never came back, vanished forever
• Alunsina


  The "Unmarried One", "The One from Foreign skies", "One who is Foreign"
• Alunsina appears in the Hinilawod Epic
• Tungkung Langit and Alunsina

  • They were gods in love and married
  • Tungkung Langit was away for his jobs
  • Alunsina was idle, used all her time to beautify her hair and appearance and doubted Tungkung Langit's faith in love
• Alunsina's actions


  1. Sent some breeze to spy on Tungkung Langit

  2. Tungkung Langit found out, confronted Alunsina and sends her away

  3. Alunsina ran away from her beloved partner and never came back

  4. Alunsina vanished forever
• Tungkung Langit's actions


  Terribly missed Alunsina, became depressed and looked for her but got upset every time he tried to find her
• Tungkung Langit's actions


  1. Made wonderful seas, the earth, flowers and trees to attract Alunsina

  2. Used Alunsina's jewels to add stars in the skies

  3. Used her favorite comb as the moon to add the brightest light in the night sky
• Whenever Tungkung Langit thinks about and yearns for Alunsina, the god cries... thus it rains
• Mythical creatures


  Supernatural animals/beings/hybrids that don't exist in real life, originating from ancient mythologies, stories and folklore
• Diwata/Fairy


  In the Philippines, fairies are called diwata; which are usually described as a beautiful woman that guards the forest, they are said to bring many blessings to the people
• Diwata


  • A type of deity or spirit, the term has taken on various levels of meaning since its assimilation into the mythology of the pre-colonial Filipinos, but its origin is in the Devata beings from Hinduism and Buddhism
• Maria Makiling


  • Guardian of Mount Makiling in Laguna Province
  • A beautiful guardian spirit of mountain surrounded with the magical mist
• Kapre


  • A tall and hairy brown-haired creature with a strong smell, commonly referred to as a tree demon
• White Lady


  A female ghost typically dressed in white, associated with countless versions of local legends of tragedy