Filipino mythology
The mythology of the Philippines consists of a collection of accounts of gods and magical beings. Although over 80% of Filipinos are Catholics , the belief in the real existence of such beings has persisted, especially in rural areas.
The country consists of many islands on which there are many different ethnic groups. That is why the mythology of the Philippines is not uniform. All they have in common is their belief in heaven, hell and the human soul .
Filipino Folk Literature
Filipino mythology is derived from Filipino folk literature , which comes from oral traditions. Because of the ethnic diversity, there are so many stories about it. Each individual group has its own stories and myths .
Oral traditions are subject to constant change and thus falsification. To avoid this, many stories have now been put down in writing. Professor Damiana Eugenio from the University of the Philippines distinguishes Filipino folk literature into three groups, narrative, spoken and folk songs. With the first he means legends, fairy tales or verses, what is spoken is riddles and proverbs. Folk songs in particular form a rich legacy.
The gods of Filipino mythology
Before the Spaniards conquered the islands, some groups believed in a single higher being who created the world. Others worshiped a multitude of deities whose home was trees and forests.
The supreme god was Bathala, the Almighty who created the universe. Lakampati, the god of fertility, was a hermaphrodite, he united both sexes in himself. Farmers sacrificed to him to save them from famine. Food should also be offered and prayers should be given to get water for the fields and fish when fishing. The rain was also a god; it was called Pati. Lakambakod healed diseases and protected houses. Idiyanale was the god of animal husbandry and fish farming . The fishermen had the god Amansinaya whom they invoked when they cast their nets. The hunters also had their god, Amanikable was their patron saint. Of course there was also a goddess, Diyan Masalanta. She was the goddess of love, helped fertility and protected the birth of children.
The creation myths
Here, too, the fact that there are different ethnic groups is the reason for the different creation myths. The two most important are the story of Bathala, according to which at the beginning of time there were three gods who did not know each other. The second story is the Visayan creation account.
The mythological figures
There were also a number of mythical creatures described in different guises. Vampires , giants and dwarfs , witches , goblins and ghosts , the world was full of characters who helped people or who punished them and, in the worst case, even cruelly killed them.
literature
- Philippine fairy tales - retold by Josef Genzor, Verlag Werner Dausien, Hanau / Main Germany 1978, ISBN 3-76843842-2
- Philippine Fairy Tales - Ed. Hazel Wrigglesworth, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Vienna Austria 1993, ISBN 3-424-01095-2
- Eugenio, Damiana (2007): Filipino Folk Literature : An Anthology, 2nd, Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 498. ISBN 978-971-542-536-0