#HINILAWOD

[character-imagination-aiarts]

Ito ang mukha ni Kaptan nang Siya ay nagagalit sa gustong lumusob SA kanyang kaharian.

[epikocharatersaiart]

House in The Sky Dominion of Kaptan, an aiart inspired by HINILAWOD

[arkipelagic]

Yawa the goddess and yawa the expression might have arisen separately and have no connection with each other whatsoever. Nagmalitong Yawa figures heavily in the Sulod epic Hinilawod. The Sulod, or Bukidnon, was a loose group of highland dwellers in the island of Panay, consisting of the Panaynon, Agburin-on, etc. Yawa, the expletive, is commonly associated with eastern Visayans who speak Bisaya. There are no current studies that includes a goddess “Yawa” in the mythologies of Bisaya-speaking Visayans, so it’s highly possible that the Panay Yawa and the Bisaya yawa emerged in a convergent manner: right around the same time, but share no actual relationship.

Another line of investigation suggests that the denigration of Yawa might have occurred earlier, even before the Spaniards arrived in the archipelago. Sanjaya, progenitor of the formidable Sailendra dynasty of ancient Java, launched several offensives against many of his maritime neighbours to cement his kingdom’s place in the region. He had successfully defeated Srivijayan forces in the 8th century and even managed to annex parts of Cambodia. Academic transcriptions of Indonesian historical texts spell the name of their polity as “Yava”. Their expansive influence and naval conquests in the waters of southeast Asia may have given them a reputation of ruthlessness, so much so that in the traditional accounts, Airlangga, one of Java’s most prominent kings, first had to “struggle with ‘demons’ in central Java, a struggle that lasted from 1025 to 1037” to consolidate his rule in the central region. Over time and distance, pronunciations must have changed. What was once Yava or Jawa (in Indonesia, people from Java are called Orang Jawa), may have morphed into yawa in Bisaya tongues, and owing to their past military encounters with them, the Bisaya may have adopted it as a word to remember their enemies, their “demons”.

Excerpt from “History as a Progressive Fantasy Land” (2022) by Pippo Carmona

[pinoy-culture]

I keep trying to find out more about Buyong Saragnayan but his only source seems to be in the Hinilawod. (personalliy I think labaw donggon is trash but that's my opinion pfft) I'd love to know more about him because although we know a lot about beloved pagan gods and so on learning about the gods that were feared and hated also gives a lot of insight into the kind of society it was like back then.

So Buyong Saranayan is specifically more from the Panay Bukidnon, not of all the Bisayans. It's possible he was also known to the rest of Panay, Buglas (island of Negros), and possibly other Bisayan groups, maybe even under a different name, but we have no record of this. The only stories of Buyong Saranayan are from the Hinilawod epics and directly from the Panay Bukidnon.

[randomshenaniganery]

oc ideas 

(all antagonists from the hinilawod because i still hate labaw donggon)

[las-filibusteras]

sorry, this doesn't have anything to do with the story - just letting you know that I love this concept so much and really want to see where it goes!! (I'd definitely read it in a novel format too)

Hey there, anon! I haven't touched this blog in over a year, so it's nice to hear people are still reading it.

This story won't be finished any time soon, and when I do work on it again it'll probably take a different format. That being said, I do want to spill the beans on what I have planned.

More under the cut.

Here are some cast profiles:

Aurelio de los Santos: A Europe-educated freethinker and heir to the wealthy de los Santos family. Returned to the town of San Diego to manage the affairs of his late father Capitan Tiago. Has an astute sense of business, but his sharp tongue can get him into trouble. Real name: Maria Clara.

Sisang Baliw: The town's local kook, always talking in rhyme or singing a mysterious lullaby. Many fear her for her supposed knowledge of the dark shamanic arts, although people like Aurelio still come to her for her advice. Isn't actually insane, and is just doing it so the townspeople leave her and her kids alone.

Salome: A long-serving maid of the de los Santos household and Aurelio's close friend. Has a magical amulet (anting-anting) that allows her to turn into a man and perform miraculous feats of strength, as well as become invisible. Always has Aurelio's back.

Dra. Torina: A charlatan doctor moving around in Manila's high society circles. Thanks to her charm and eloquence, she can easily scam her patients into paying vast amounts of money for her services.

Paulita Gomez: An art-loving socialite and Dra. Torina's niece. She aims to establish a night school for women in her hometown, and is currently gathering funds and connections for such an endeavor.

Dimasupil, the Bandit Queen: The leader of a horde of bandits headquartered in the mountains of Laguna. Lost her father and brother to the cruelty of the guardia civil. Routinely conducts raids on rich towns in the area. Real name: Lucia de Dios.

Jacinta del Fuego: A beautiful painter from Cuba with a mysterious past. Acts as the adviser of the current Governor-General, and is making a splash among Manila's elite due to her exquisite portraits. Is actually Maria Clara, back for vengeance after all the suffering she endured thirteen years ago.

Some additional thoughts on this AU:

Its climax is the same as El Fili's: a bomb at Juanito and Paulita's wedding reception. Instead of revenge, it's Maria Clara's final act of spite; she has no intention of escaping the explosion. I imagined this to be the logical extension of the self-destructive tendencies we see in Maria Clara in Noli canon - after all, in the epilogue chapter she almost jumps off the tower of the Sta. Clara convent.

With Aurelio and Salome in particular, I wanted them to have a closer relationship than Ibarra and Elias. They've known each other for a long time. I also wanted them to be similar to each other - Aurelio lives disguised as a man, while Salome literally turns into one using her amulet (this is a reference to Nagmalitung Yawa of the Hinilawod story). Something something becoming a man is necessary for them to operate. I feel like I'm not articulate enough to communicate/tackle this theme just yet.

At the end of the first half of the story, Maria Clara sheds her Aurelio persona and instead turns into Jacinta del Fuego. (Funnily enough, she never actually goes by Maria Clara in this AU.) I wanted Jacinta to somewhat contrast Simoun - while Simoun is lowkey and works behind the scenes, Jacinta steals the spotlight, hiding her plans in plain sight. How could anyone ever suspect the eccentric, loony foreign painter, right? I imagine Jacinta to be in a bright red dress with floral designs.

As a final thought, I think what I struggle with is trying to come up with a story that has AU!Salome as her own character, trying to reinterpret what we see of her in the Noli canon while also finding ways to give her a role similar to Elias. Ditto for Maria Clara and the others.

That's it for my ramble. Hope you enjoyed reading!

[character-imagination-aiarts]

Nagmalungkutin si Alunsina dahil sa hiwalayan nina Tungkung Langit. Nalungkot siya dahil hindi na siya magbago Ng isip, at dito na siya sa ibayong lugar.

[stoicaswang84]

Fun facts about Bulan, Libulan, Sidapa, Haliya and Mayari in Filipino myths

Fiction inspired by or based from precolonial Filipino mythologies, in a way, help preserve our ancestors' myths. Unfortunately, there are people out there who are spreading Filipino mythology-inspired stories reeking of modern concepts as actual precolonial myths either due to ignorance or a deliberate act to further personal biases or self-inserts influenced by the folly of identity representation - to make it look as if the very modern sociopolitical movement they are forcing into society was already a thing during our ancestors' time; take modern gender sensibilities, for example. Even worse are those who fetishize the myths. It's also lamentable that there are artists who spread poorly researched artwork on precolonial Filipino mythology and beliefs. These only confuse and misinform those who are new to Filipino mythology, doing further damage to what remains of our ancestors' myths. Centuries of colonization almost wiped out these myths and, sadly, today some of our own people are finishing what the colonizers started. With that in mind, let me present some facts to debunk the misconceptions some people are insinuating about the myths on Sidapa, Bulan, Libulan, Haliya and Mayari.

The Bulan/Libulan and Sidapa love story

The love story of Sidapa and Bulan or Libulan, that resulted to insinuations that they are "queer" deities with Bulan or Libulan being tagged as “patron god of homosexuality” is nothing but a modern fabrication. The tale is a hoax peddled online as actual precolonial Philippine mythology and belief. There aren't any old documents to prove that such a narrative is part of precolonial myths nor is the story featured in any oral tradition. The story is also borderline pedophilia. There are people who justify the narrative as a result of "evolving myths" or that it could be considered as a modern myth when in fact it is nothing but a certain group of people forcing their modern identity politics into our ancestors' myths. These people don't really give a damn about the culture behind our ancestors' myths. What matters to them is their own "culture" which they are projecting into the myths. They're warping indigenous myths to conform with their own agenda, with their own culture just like what the colonizers did. I guess facts are irrelevant when a narrative is being pushed.

Sidapa

Sidapa was first recorded in Miguel Loarca’s Relacion de las Islas Filipinas (1582), a report about the archipelago and it’s people. During Loarca’s time the people of what is now Arevalo District, Iloilo City and neighboring villages believed that Sidapa was responsible for the length of an individual’s lifespan and that he had a huge tree up Mt. Madiaas in Antique Province. On the said tree he carved a notch every time a person was born to set the length of the said person's life. According to Loarca he got such info through the natives' songs about their deities and ancestors, which they sang during communal gatherings, communal work and even during mundane tasks. There is no mention of Sidapa having an affair with a fellow deity. Also, he doesn’t mention Sidapa being revered in neighboring Visayan islands.

In the Diccionario Mitologico de Filipinas, there is a theory that Sidapa (the name particularly) must have been originally Sri Pada, a name identified with the Hindu god Vishnu. It’s not that far fetched considering that belief in Sidapa was only among the coastal people of precolonial Iloilo and some parts of Antique who were mostly descendants of Hindu Srivijayan migrants. There’s no mention of Sidapa in the Hinilawod or Sugidanon, epics of the inland and mountain people, the Sulod or Panay Bukidnon of Panay Island in Western Visayas. Blumentritt doesn’t mention Sidapa having any affair.

Sidapa appears in the Tagalog tale “Why the Cock Crows at Dawn” in Damiana Eugenio’s The Myths where said deity is portrayed as a war god who turns a servant into a rooster after failing to wake him early in the morning many times. There's no mention of Sidapa having an affair with another deity.

In Jocano’s Outline of Philippine Mythology (1969), Sidapa is a female deity with a husband and lives in a place called Kamariitan. Again, no mention of Sidapa having an affair with a moon deity.

Bulan & Libulan aren't deities

There aren't any evidence that explicitly cite Bulan and Libulan as lunar deities revered by the natives back then. Even the title "patron god of homosexuality" is nothing but a modern embellishment resulting from the Sidapa and Bulan/Libulan love story hoax.

There’s no such thing as a Bulan deity in precolonial Bicolano myths. In 1754, Fr. Marcos de Lisboa published the Vocabulario dela lengua Bicol, a dictionary of Bicolano words, terms. It contains entries on Gugurang, Aswang & other supernatural and mythical entities but no entry on a youthful male moon deity. It has an entry about the moon, just the moon as it is.

Bulan as a deity is even absent in Fr. Jose Castaño’s Breve Noticias acerca del origin, religion, creencias y supersticiones de los antiguos Indios del Bicol, a cultural monograph on ancient Bicolanos published in late 19th century.

In the original written record of the Bicolano epic Ibalon – included in Castaño’s Breve Noticia – there is also no mention of Bulan as a deity.

In Ferdinand Blumentritt’s Diccionario Mitologico de Filipinas (1895), there is no mention of a Bicolano deity named Bulan.

The only mention of Bulan - as a primordial entity representative of the moon - is in the Bicolano creation myth included in H. Otley Beyer’s Ethnography of the Bikol People (1923).

Libulan, on the other hand, is from an old Visayan creation myth titled "How the World was Made" from John Maurice Miller's Philippine Folklore Stories (1904).

Libulan as a deity having some sort of an affair with Sidapa was shown in the television series Indio where Sidapa expressed admiration to Libulan (a female character in the series).

Thus, claims of Bulan, Libulan and Sidapa as queer deities from precolonial Filipino myths are nothing but the result of a hoax fooling a lot of people who are new to Philippine mythology and folklore or the deliberate act of a group of people to further their own agenda.

The misconception with Haliya

Unfortunately, the so-called masked goddess of the moon who battled the moon-eating bakunawa in Bicolano mythology is not really a moon goddess nor a lunar entity. Haliya was originally halea (pronounced as hali-a or halya), an ancient Bicolano women’s game, which involved singing to the moon as described by Fr. Lisboa in his Vocabulario dela lengua Bicol (1754). Unfortunately, years later, scholars misinterpreted Lisboa’s description and wrote it down as a song-dance ritual to drive away the eclipse-causing bakunawa. This misinterpretation was adapted and further embellished by later works particularly in Bikol Literary History where halea is portrayed as a moon goddess battling the bakunawa.

There is no mention of a goddess called Haliya from the various writings of Spanish missionaries who documented the culture, ways of the natives of Bicol nor is there a documented oral tradition about such a goddess in various ethnographic works from later scholars. Why are there numerous mentions of the bakunawa - the creature the goddess Haliya supposedly battles with - from old writings and oral lore but never a mention of a Haliya moon goddess? Well, that's because there never was a Bicolano moon goddess named Haliya.

Mayari or Kulalaying?

Contrary to popular belief, Mayari is not the actual Tagalog goddess of the moon, it's Kulalaying (Colalaiyng in Spanish) a.k.a. Dalaga nasa Buwan; as documented in the Noceda-Sanlucar Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (1754) and the letters of Felipe Pardo, former archbishop of Manila (1686-1688). So, yeah, some anito/diwata worship revivalists today have been paying reverence to the wrong Tagalog lunar goddess, no thanks to those flowery, poorly-researched posts about Mayari online. Imagine Kulalaying rolling her eyes every time someone posts about Mayari with the following modern embellishments "Goddess of Combat, War, Revolution, Hunt, Weaponry, Strength" with her being reduced to just another name for Mayari.

Mayari is from F. Landa Jocano's Notes on Philippines Divinities (1968). Unfortunately, on some of his entries on Tagalog deities including Mayari, Jocano forgot cite any source for them nor did he mention if he got their myths from oral tradition. Even after the entries were incorporated into his book, Outline of Philippine Mythology (1969), sources for some of the Tagalog deities including Mayari were not cited. Mayari is probably derived from Apo Namalyari or Malayari, the supreme deity of precolonial Sambal, Aeta and Kapampangans on the Zambales range. Some Aeta communities in Zambales still revere Apo Namalyari to this day. Even the story of Mayari and Apolaki (Tagalog god of the sun and war) fighting over who should rule may have been derived from the battle for supremacy between Apo Namalyari, also known as a moon god and Sinukwan or Aring Sinukuan, the Kapampangan god of the sun, war and death.

Myths and legends were essential to our ancestors' indigenous culture. Unfortunately, many people today even modern media are treating indigenous pre-colonial culture as a mere pool from which they could fish out characters and ideas for them to appropriate to fit their biases and modern sensibilities.

[hoshianaarts]

“Binukot or Ba’i Pilla”

t's been a long time since I draw characters from my upcoming comic, "Ang Timbangan Sa Daragangan". I took inspirations from one of the illustrations in the book Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas (1668), as well as Panubok Embriodery from Panay Bukidnon for the backgrounds and songket for her clothes. I first encountered the word Binukot from Kara David's I-Witness Documentary, "Ang Huling Princesa," (The Last Princess) which is taken from Panay Bukidnon. What I learned about them is their routines, like they should not step on the ground, they should not be exposed to sunlight, and many more. By the way, Binukot is translated as a secluded princess/maiden (that's the reason for her white complexion) and has an equal power rank to the datu or ruler. One of the jobs of a binukot is to do epic chants which, according to the historians, will take about 1 day or more. An example would be Hinilawod which takes 3-days to finish 29,000 verses. That's why my artwork depicts a binukot holding a Faglung (originally Kudyapi). More information about Binukot: https://www.aswangproject.com/binukot/ Program used: Adobe Photoshop 2021

[boughtwithaprice]

The Literary Forms in Philippine Literature

by: Christine F. Godinez-Ortega

        The diversity and richness of Philippine literature evolved side by side with the country's history. This can best be appreciated in the context of the country's pre-colonial cultural traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial and contemporary traditions.         

       The average Filipino's unfamiliarity with his indigenous literature was largely due to what has been impressed upon him: that his country was "discovered" and, hence, Philippine "history" started only in 1521.

       So successful were the efforts of colonialists to blot out the memory of the country's largely oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and journalists are trying to correct this inequity by recognizing the country's wealth of ethnic traditions and disseminating them in schools and in the mass media.

       The rousings of nationalistic pride in the 1960s and 1970s also helped bring about this change of attitude among a new breed of Filipinos concerned about the "Filipino identity."

Pre-Colonial Times

       Owing to the works of our own archaeologists, ethnologists and anthropologists, we are able to know more and better judge information about our pre-colonial times set against a bulk of material about early Filipinos as recorded by Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and other chroniclers of the past.

       Pre-colonial inhabitants of our islands showcase a rich past through their folk speeches, folk songs, folk narratives and indigenous rituals and mimetic dances that affirm our ties with our Southeast Asian neighbors.

       The most seminal of these folk speeches is the riddle which is tigmo in Cebuano, bugtong in Tagalog, paktakon in Ilongo and patototdon in Bicol. Central to the riddle is the talinghaga or metaphor because it "reveals subtle resemblances between two unlike objects" and one's power of observation and wit are put to the test. While some riddles are ingenious, others verge on the obscene or are sex-related.

       The proverbs or aphorisms express norms or codes of behavior, community beliefs or they instill values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming verse.

       The extended form, tanaga, a mono-riming heptasyllabic quatrain expressing insights and lessons on life is "more emotionally charged than the terse proverb and thus has affinities with the folk lyric." Some examples are the basahanon or extended didactic sayings from Bukidnon and the daraida and daragilon from Panay.

       The folk song, a form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations, the people's lifestyles as well as their loves. These are often repetitive and sonorous, didactic and naive as in the children's songs or Ida-ida (Maguindanao), tulang pambata (Tagalog) or cansiones para abbing (Ibanag).

       A few examples are the lullabyes or Ili-ili (Ilongo); love songs like the panawagon and balitao (Ilongo); harana or serenade (Cebuano); the bayok (Maranao); the seven-syllable per line poem, ambahan of the Mangyans that are about human relationships, social entertainment and also serve as a tool for teaching the young; work songs that depict the livelihood of the people often sung to go with the movement of workers such as the kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing song) or the mambayu, a Kalinga rice-pounding song; the verbal jousts/games like the duplo popular during wakes.

       Other folk songs are the drinking songs sung during carousals like the tagay (Cebuano and Waray); dirges and lamentations extolling the deeds of the dead like the kanogon (Cebuano) or the Annako (Bontoc).

       A type of narrative song or kissa among the Tausug of Mindanao, the parang sabil, uses for its subject matter the exploits of historical and legendary heroes. It tells of a Muslim hero who seeks death at the hands of non-Muslims.

       The folk narratives, i.e. epics and folk tales are varied, exotic and magical. They explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess certain characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or fauna and, in the case of legends, an explanation of the origins of things. Fables are about animals and these teach moral lessons.

       Our country's epics are considered ethno-epics because unlike, say, Germany's Niebelunginlied, our epics are not national for they are "histories" of varied groups that consider themselves "nations."

       The epics come in various names: Guman (Subanon); Darangen (Maranao); Hudhud (Ifugao); and Ulahingan (Manobo). These epics revolve around supernatural events or heroic deeds and they embody or validate the beliefs and customs and ideals of a community. These are sung or chanted to the accompaniment of indigenous musical instruments and dancing performed during harvests, weddings or funerals by chanters. The chanters who were taught by their ancestors are considered "treasures" and/or repositories of wisdom in their communities.

       Examples of these epics are the Lam-ang (Ilocano); Hinilawod (Sulod); Kudaman (Palawan); Darangen (Maranao); Ulahingan (Livunganen-Arumanen Manobo); Mangovayt Buhong na Langit (The Maiden of the Buhong Sky from Tuwaang--Manobo); Ag Tobig neg

Keboklagan (Subanon); and Tudbulol (T'boli).

The Spanish Colonial Tradition

       While it is true that Spain subjugated the Philippines for more mundane reasons, this former European power contributed much in the shaping and recording of our literature.   Religion and institutions that represented European civilization enriched the languages in the lowlands, introduced theater which we would come to know as komedya, the sinakulo, the sarswela, the playlets and the drama. Spain also brought to the country, though at a much later time, liberal  ideas and an internationalism that influenced our own Filipino intellectuals and writers for them to understand the meanings of "liberty and freedom."

       Literature in this period may be classified as religious prose and poetry and secular prose and poetry.

       Religious lyrics written by ladino poets or those versed in both Spanish and Tagalog were included in early catechism and were used to teach Filipinos the Spanish language. Fernando Bagonbanta's "Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas" (Unending thanks) is a fine example that is found in the Memorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala (Guidelines for the Christian life in the Tagalog language) published in 1605.

       Another form of religious lyrics are the meditative verses like the dalit appended to novenas and catechisms. It has no fixed meter nor rime scheme although a number are written in octosyllabic quatrains and have a solemn tone and spiritual subject matter.

       But among the religious poetry of the day, it is the pasyon in octosyllabic quintillas that became entrenched in the Filipino's commemoration of Christ's agony and resurrection at Calvary. Gaspar Aquino de Belen's "Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon natin na tola" (Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Verse) put out in 1704 is the country's earliest known pasyon.

       Other known pasyons chanted during the Lenten season are in Ilocano, Pangasinan, Ibanag, Cebuano, Bicol, Ilongo and Waray.

       Aside from religious poetry, there were various kinds of prose narratives written to prescribe proper decorum. Like the pasyon, these prose narratives were also used for proselitization. Some forms are: dialogo (dialogue), Manual de Urbanidad (conduct book); ejemplo (exemplum) and tratado (tratado). The most well-known are Modesto de Castro's "Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza" (Correspondence between the Two Maidens Urbana and Feliza) in 1864 and Joaquin Tuason's "Ang Bagong Robinson" (The New Robinson) in 1879, an adaptation of Daniel Defoe's novel.

       Secular works appeared alongside historical and economic changes, the emergence of an opulent class and the middle class who could avail of a European education. This Filipino elite could now read printed works that used to be the exclusive domain of the missionaries.

       The most notable of the secular lyrics followed the conventions of a romantic tradition: the languishing but loyal lover, the elusive, often heartless beloved, the rival. The leading poets were Jose Corazon de Jesus (Huseng Sisiw) and Francisco Balagtas. Some secular poets who wrote in this same tradition were Leona Florentino, Jacinto Kawili, Isabelo de los Reyes and Rafael Gandioco.

       Another popular secular poetry is the metrical romance, the awit and korido in Tagalog. The awit is set in dodecasyllabic quatrains while the korido is in octosyllabic quatrains. These are colorful tales of chivalry from European sources made for singing and chanting such as Gonzalo de Cordoba (Gonzalo of Cordoba) and Ibong Adarna (Adarna Bird). There are numerous metrical romances in Tagalog, Bicol, Ilongo, Pampango, Ilocano and in Pangasinan. The awit as a popular poetic genre reached new heights in Balagtas' "Florante at Laura" (ca. 1838-1861), the most famous of the country's metrical romances.

       Again, the winds of change began to blow in 19th century Philippines. Filipino intellectuals educated in Europe called ilustrados began to write about the downside of colonization. This, coupled with the simmering calls for reforms by the masses gathered a formidable force of writers like Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, Emilio Jacinto and Andres Bonifacio.

       This led to the formation of the Propaganda Movement where prose works such as the political essays and Rizal's two political novels, Noli Me Tangere and the El filibusterismo helped usher in the Philippine revolution resulting in the downfall of the Spanish regime, and, at the same time planted the seeds of a national consciousness among Filipinos.

       But if Rizal's novels are political, the novel Ninay (1885) by Pedro Paterno is largely cultural and is considered the first Filipino novel. Although Paterno's Ninay gave impetus to other novelists like Jesus Balmori and Antonio M. Abad to continue writing in Spanish, this did not flourish.

       Other Filipino writers published the essay and short fiction in Spanish in La Vanguardia, El Debate, Renacimiento Filipino, and Nueva Era. The more notable essayists and fictionists were Claro M. Recto, Teodoro M. Kalaw, Epifanio de los Reyes, Vicente Sotto, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Rafael Palma, Enrique Laygo (Caretas or Masks, 1925) and Balmori who mastered the prosa romantica or romantic prose.

       But the introduction of English as medium of instruction in the Philippines hastened the demise of Spanish so that by the 1930s, English writing had overtaken Spanish writing. During the language's death throes, however, writing in the romantic tradition, from the awit and korido, would continue in the novels of Magdalena Jalandoni. But patriotic writing continued under the new colonialists. These appeared in the vernacular poems and modern adaptations of works during the Spanish period and which further maintained the Spanish tradition.

The American Colonial Period

       A new set of colonizers brought about new changes in Philippine literature. New literary forms such as free verse [in poetry], the modern short story and the critical essay were introduced. American influence was deeply entrenched with the firm establishment of English as the medium of instruction in all schools and with literary modernism that highlighted the writer's individuality and cultivated consciousness of craft, sometimes at the expense of social consciousness.

       The poet, and later, National Artist for Literature, Jose Garcia Villa used free verse and espoused the dictum, "Art for art's sake" to the chagrin of other writers more concerned with the utilitarian aspect of literature. Another maverick in poetry who used free verse and talked about illicit love in her poetry was Angela Manalang Gloria, a woman poet described as ahead of her time. Despite the threat of censorship by the new dispensation, more writers turned up "seditious works" and popular writing in the native languages bloomed through the weekly outlets like Liwayway and Bisaya.

       The Balagtas tradition persisted until the poet Alejandro G. Abadilla advocated modernism in poetry. Abadilla later influenced young poets who wrote modern verses in the 1960s such as Virgilio S. Almario, Pedro I. Ricarte and Rolando S. Tinio.

       While the early Filipino poets grappled with the verities of the new language, Filipinos seemed to have taken easily to the modern short story as published in the Philippines Free Press, the College Folio and Philippines Herald. Paz Marquez Benitez's "Dead Stars" published in 1925 was the first successful short story in English written by a Filipino. Later on, Arturo B. Rotor and Manuel E. Arguilla showed exceptional skills with the short story.

       Alongside this development, writers in the vernaculars continued to write in the provinces. Others like Lope K. Santos, Valeriano Hernandez Peña and Patricio Mariano were writing minimal narratives similar to the early Tagalog short fiction called dali or pasingaw (sketch).

       The romantic tradition was fused with American pop culture or European influences in the adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan by F. P. Boquecosa who also penned Ang Palad ni Pepe after Charles Dicken's David Copperfield even as the realist tradition was kept alive in the novels by Lope K. Santos and Faustino Aguilar, among others.

       It should be noted that if there was a dearth of the Filipino novel in English, the novel in the vernaculars continued to be written and serialized in weekly magazines like Liwayway, Bisaya, Hiligaynon and Bannawag.

       The essay in English became a potent medium from the 1920's to the present. Some leading essayists were journalists like Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge Bocobo, Pura Santillan Castrence, etc. who wrote formal to humorous to informal essays for the delectation by Filipinos.

       Among those who wrote criticism developed during the American period were Ignacio Manlapaz, Leopoldo Yabes and I.V. Mallari. But it was Salvador P. Lopez's criticism that grabbed attention when he won the Commonwealth Literay Award for the essay in 1940 with his "Literature and Society." This essay posited that art must have substance and that Villa's adherence to "Art for Art's Sake" is decadent.

       The last throes of American colonialism saw the flourishing of Philippine literature in English at the same time, with the introduction of the New Critical aesthetics, made writers pay close attention to craft and "indirectly engendered a disparaging attitude" towards vernacular writings -- a tension that would recur in the contemporary period.

The Contemporary Period

       The flowering of Philippine literature in the various languages continue especially with the appearance of new publications after the Martial Law years and the resurgence of committed literature in the 1960s and the 1970s.

       Filipino writers continue to write poetry, short stories, novellas, novels and essays whether these are socially committed, gender/ethnic related or are personal in intention or not.

       Of course the Filipino writer has become more conscious of his art with the proliferation of writers workshops here and abroad and the bulk of literature available to him via the mass media including the internet. The various literary awards such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines Free Press, Philippine Graphic, Home Life and Panorama literary awards encourage him to compete with his peers and hope that his creative efforts will be rewarded in the long run.

       With the new requirement by the Commission on Higher Education of teaching of Philippine Literature in all tertiary schools in the country emphasizing the teaching of the vernacular literature or literatures of the regions, the audience for Filipino writers is virtually assured. And, perhaps, a national literature finding its niche among the literatures of the world will not be far behind.

[ilaw-at-panitik]

In Spanish colonial discourse, the runaways were variously called brutos, tulisanes, remontados, salbahes, infieles, cimarrones, vagamundos, and the native word buyung—all accounting as synonymous for “traitor.” In fact, in the western Visayas languages (Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon, and Aklanon) the word “buyung” continues to be used to this day to mean “bandits” and “cattle hustlers” if in the countryside, and “drunken bums” if in the city. Originally, however, “buyung” was the title given to the tribal datu (chief) and now retains its original meaning only in the western Visayas epic Hinilawod, where the three epic heroes, who are brothers, are called Buyung Labaw Donggon, Buyung Humadapnon, and Buyung Dumalapdap. Presumably, it was the buyung who led his people in resisting the Spanish colonial forces and therefore became the central object of Spanish vituperation.

Rosario Cruz-Lucero, from “Judas and His Phallus: The Carnivalesque Narratives of Holy Week” in Ang Bayan sa Labas ng Maynila = The Nation Beyond Manila (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2007)

[bisexualcell]

i have been thinking of hinilawod and lam-ang for years since I heard about them in grade school and then high school actually i'm just really tense when it comes to reading especially with things that have huge cultural impacts

anyways. some guy

one time he bathed in a river so he could get clean and impress a lady, but he was so stinky that all the fishes died

[randomshenaniganery]

oc stuff

Saragnayan Toledo father of two, single and a simp for a cloud 

ignore the background im really bad at it

[lipunanghinirang]

Panahon ng Barangay

Sa pag-unlad ng isang sibilisasyon, waring mayroon itong mga komunidad itong kaakibat sa pag-usbong, at sa pag patuloy ng pamumuhay ng mga miyembro nito. Bago pa man dumating ang mga mananakop, mayroon na tayong sariling sibilisasasyon na bumabatay sa sinaunang komunidad at sistema ng Barangay na buhat ng impluwensiya ng mga kabitbahay sibilisasyon tulad ng Malayo. Nagmula sa salitang Balangay, na tumutukoy sa sinaunang bangka na ginamit ng mga sinaunang Pilipino upang maglakbay, ang Barangay ay lipon ng mga tao na di-kinalaunan ay pinapangunahan ng isang rinerespetong pinuno na aasahan ng mga mamamayan.¹ Repleksyon ang Barangay sa pinag-ugatan ng mga sinaunang Pilipino na dumedepende sa tubig sa kanilang pamumuhay na umiikot sa paglalakbay, at pangingisda. Bilang isang komunidad, ang Barangay ay ang unang nating encounter sa pulitika dahil nagkaroon ng sistema ng pagkaantas-antas ang mga tao kung saan nanguna sa hierarkiya ang mga datu o rajah at maharlika at nasa ilalim naman ang mga timawa at alipin. Kaya naman sa panahon ng Barangay, nagkaroon ng pokus sa mga nabibilang sa mas mataas ng antas upang bigyang diin ang kanilang hawak na kapangyarihan sa kanilang komunidad.

Na iringi kadun thothol 

Sige, tularan ka na kuwento

 Ko miyakalabao a tao,

 Ng pambihirang tao,

 Na borod kadun iringa

 Ngunit doon ka na manularan

 Ko miyakapanalondong,

 Sa naging magigiting,

 Ka maramanay gilingun

 Sapagkat uulit-ulitin

 I thothol a minangoao

 Ay kuwentong kagitingan

 Ko Batara Dithanongun,

 Ng Punong Di-malupig,

 A Dato Panondiongan,

 Na Datu Iginagalang,

  A igira tanto buton,

 Na kung tahasang bibigkasin,

 Na Radia Dimacaling,

 Ay Raha Dimatinag,

Sa isang epiko na nagmula sa tribong Maranao sa Mindanao na nagngangalang Radia Dimacaling o Raha Dimatinag sa Tagalog, makikita ang prominensya ng paglalarawan kay Radia Dimacaling bilang isang malakas at magiting na nilalang. Nabanggit rin ang apat na lalawigan na kaniyang pinapamugaran na higit pang nabibigyang diin ang kaniyang impluwensiya dahil malaki sakop ng kaniyang pamumuno. Mapapansin na ang panitikan noong panahon ng Barangay ay nagbibigay halaga sa gampanin ng mga datu. Pinapakita kung gaano sila ginagalang sa kanilang lipunan at kaya naman nagagawang idealisihin ang kanilang mga buhay.²

Sa epiko na Hinilawod mula sa Panay, makukuha ang “micro-epic” ukol kay Labaw Donggon. Mas nagtataglay ng aspeto ng hiwaga ang epiko ni Labaw Donggon at hindi madalian mapapansin ang sistema ng barangay. Ang epiko ay ukol sa malakas na anak ng isang diwata at mortal, at nakasentro ang storya sa kanyang pakikipagsapalaran sa iba’t ibang hamon upang makapagpakasal sa kaniyang mga natitipohan. Pumasok ang aspeto ng barangay sa epiko sa bandang dulo kung saan ang kapatid ni Labaw Donggon na si Humadapnon ay pumalit na pinuno pagkatapos pakasalan ang anak ng dating datu.³ Kahit na si Humadapnon at Labaw Donggon ay may lahing diwata at may kapangyarihang mistikal ngunit sumusunod pa rin sa kapangyarihang politikal na itinakda ng sistema ng Barangay. 

Pinapakita nito na ang sistemang Barangay ay signipikante sa panitikan ng mga sinaunanang Pilipino dahil binigyan nito ng aspeto ng realidad ang mga epiko na kadalasan ay kinakatawan ng pantasya at mahika. Ngunit gamit din ang mga supernalistikong elemento upang mas bigyang hagkis ang kapangyarihan na mayroon ang mga mas mataas na antas sa baranggay, tulad sa epiko ng Hinilawod, kung saan si Humadapnon na isa nang mahiwagang nilalang na nirerespeto ng marami ay naging datu pa kaya’t mas higit na ang kanyang posisyon sa kanilang lipunan. Mapapansin din na ang panitikan sa panahon ng Barangay ay kadalasan may pagpupuri sa nakakataas, tinawag silang magigiting na tao na mayroong tungkulin o may kagustuhang gusto matupad. Makikita na sa panahon ng Barangay ang mga panitikan ay mas binibigyang pansin ang mga mas mataas ang antas sa lipunan na makapangyarihan, hindi ang mga timawa o alipin. Madalang din ang pagbanggit sa mga ito, marahil dahil nakareserba ang mga kuwento at panitikan sa makapangyarihan dahil ito lamang ang nakikitang karapat-dapat na ikuwento at ipagkalat.

____________________________________________

¹ William Henry Scott. “ Barangay: Sixteenth-century Philippine Culture and Society“  Ateneo de Manila University Press. 1994.

²  Radia Dimacaling "The Immovable Raja", Episode 1: The Conception; Episode 2: Birth and Giving of a Name.  Ateneo de Manila University Archives System. Philippine Oral Epics. 2001.

³  Manuel, E. Arsenio. "A Survey of Philippine Folk Epics." Asian Folklore Studies 22. 1963.

[katharaya]

I don't think the PH folktales I'm already familiar with would suit AsRei but if you were to choose a legend/tale/Kung anuman what would suit them?

I had to think about this for a bit because of all the tales I know of, there aren’t a lot of love stories that aren’t either a) Strong Warrior meets Pretty Woman and decides he’s gonna marry her, or b) these two lovers died and that’s why X exists now, so like. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of options lmao

Hmmm if I had to pick one tho:

(Bear with me because I haven’t read the full story of this in years)

In the Hinilawod, Nagmalitung Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata is a powerful enchantress happily married to Saragnayan. And then Fuccboi McThot Labaw Donggon comes along and says he’s gonna steal Saragnayan’s wife, so naturally Saragnayan (who loves loves loves his wife) is like, “over my dead body binch"

Unfortunately Labaw Donggon takes that literally, but before Saragnayan dies he asks to be allowed to see Nagmalitung Yawa one last time, and he tenderly says goodbye to her and lulls her to sleep so she won’t have to watch him die

In the end after Saragnayan dies iirc Nagmalitung Yawa runs off, but not before cursing Labaw Donggon with madness, which is no less than what he deserves imo

Anyway uh, imagine an AU where the powerful witch Nagmalitung Asra is married to SaReignayan, but Lucio Donggon tries to kidnap Asra because… he wants Asra to use magic to cure him of the plague, I guess??? idk. But naturally Rei doesn’t take kindly to this, and tries to like, fist fight Lucio lmao but she loses rip and after she dies maybe Asra curses Lucio to turn into a goat ghost, or something

………this doesn’t make much sense but tbh I am mostly only here for a self-indulgent scene where Rei, knowing she’s a goner, gently wakes Asra up to bid him a tearful farewell, and then tenderly lulls him back to sleep so he won’t be awake to watch her die uwu

[argeriant18]

I really like that somehow our mythology and folklore is gaining some attention.

And this list of authors are just cool! I'll use them in the near future! And I like the fact that Trese is listed here because she's like super cool!

I also get the point of the whole title thing with a western author. It's kinda weird, to be honest. I remember the day I heard one Filipino composer being titled as the "Mozart of the Philippines". No offense to Mozart, his music is great but I don't see how people got into that conclusion.

As much as I use English more than my Filipino language, I love my language. But my language use isn't the point right now.

The whole story about mythology.

Dude, I had an idea. Little blurbs here and there. I was thinking about it yesterday even.

I mean, you could use tons of myths.

I had this idea when a son from the line of Humadapnon (from Hinilawod) is called to stop the rising of Humadapdon's famous enemy: Saragnayan. Also before that, he should at least have a fair number of people with him. I haven't established the details yet but so far I managed to make 3 characters, the main included.

One of the characters is a girl that is called by the sword of Princess Urdujah. I kinda wanted her to have this sort of conflict where she falls in love and she tries to avoid that love because if she succumbs to it, she could end up losing the blessing of Urdujah. But at some point, Urdujah will interfere with her saying that falling in love will not lose her worthiness of the sword. Okay, that may be cheesy but Urdujah is said that she didn't marry and I think our girl is trying to achieve that but lying to oneself is just really wrong.

Also, I plan for them to go to Mount Makiling because the main guy needs to have a special blessing from 3 ancient beings named Maria. One of them is Maria Makiling who didn't show herself from humanity ever again after her lover went to marry another girl. Well, forced to marry the girl because his parents wanted him to avoid the war that was happening at the time. I like to think Maria Makiling just went to sleep a lot since her story has different retellings. One story has her dying and that is why Mount Makiling looks like a woman I sleeping and the other is about her being an ethereal being and I could go one but really, her story is just passed down a lot I think it got lost somehow.

I also plan to have Biag Ni Lam-Ang here where he blesses one dude and no matter what happens, even if you chop the dude's body to pieces, he'd still be alive. If you get that, thank you.

And the story of the Waling-Waling. I also plan to put the story of Mount Mayon (famous landmark of my region, Region V! Haha!). I could honestly go on, there are tons of Filipino Myths.

Anyway, Filipino Myths and Folklore is so cool. A bit weird for some but still cool.

Anyway, thanks for reading! ✌️

Y’all I am going down the rabbit hole of FIlipino mythology and basically everything Filipino before the Spaniards came AND I AM LIVING FOR ALL OF IT. I NEED A RICK RIORDAN SERIES ON OUR MYTHOLOGY STAT OR I WILL WRITE IT MYSELF

I haven’t necessarily gone that deep into the rabbit hole, but the more I find, the more I wanna know where I came from. And this makes me really.. idk happy? LIke Idk why I never did this before.

If anyone wants to like send me anything about Pre-Colonial Philippines please do! I really wanna learn more! The same goes for any of the myths and folktales and creatures and deities we used to have