The Epic of Biag ni Lam-ang

A couple named Don Juan and Namongan

lived in a faraway barrio of Nalbuan. One day, Don
Juan left his pregnant wife nd went to the mounain t
punish group of Igorot. While he was in the
mountain, Namongan gave birth to a baby boy. The
baby was different from other babies because upon
birth he could already speak. He wanted his name to
be Lam-ng and he was the one who choosed his
god-father when he was baptized.
"Where is my father?" Lam-ang asked his
mother Namongan one day.
"He is in the mountain to settle his feud with
a group of Igoros there," said his mother.
Lam-ang felt sad. He hadn't seen his father since he
was born and he was terribly longing to see him.
"Would it be long before he comes back?"
"I don't know," answered his lonely mother
Namongan who was also terribly missing her
husband . "I don't even know if he still alive."
One day, Lam-ng had a dream. In his dream, he saw how his father was mercilessly
killed by a group of Igorots. He was see thing with anger when he woke up. He decided to follow
his father to the mountain. He was then nine months old. When he reached the Igorots village, he
saw them dancing around the head of his father that was on top of a thin bamboo pole. Including
the leader of the group whom he tortured first before he killed.
On his way home to Nalbuan, he passed by the Amburayan River. There he took a bath
with his lady friends scrubbing his body of dirt and blood that killed all the living creatures in the
river. When he ws old enough to marry, he heard of the beautiful Ines Kannoyan and fell in love
with her. He went to Ines's place to court her taking with him his white rooster nd his favorite
dog. When he arrived at her house, he was annoyed to see Ines' many visitors in front of the
house.
He asked his rooster to crow and the rooster did. At once, Ines' house crumbled to the ground
killing all her suitors. Then he asked his dog to bark and the dog did. The crumbled house stood
again at once. Ines and her parents went out of the house to meet him. The white rooster
expressed Lam-ang's feelings for Ines Kannoyan.
"My master, Lam-ang, loves you very much and he wants to marry you," the white
rooster said to Ines in the language she clearly understood.
"I'll marry you if your wealth could equal our riches," answered Ines Kannoyan.
Ines challenge to him did not dampen Lam-ang's spirit. He went home at once and came back
with a big boat full of gold, the value of which surpassed Ines' family's wealth. Then they were
married and they lived happily. Years passed nd came Lam-ang's turn to catch a fish known as
rarang. It was an obligation of every married man in the community to catch a rarang. Lam-ang,
however, felt that he would be killed by berkahan, a kind of fish that belonged to the shark
family once he set out to catch a rarang. Bu he had to do his duty and one night, he sailed out to
the sea. He was killed by a berkahan as he had foreseen.
Ines wept in sorrow. Lam-ang's while rooster thought of a way to bring Lam-ang back to
life again. Ines Kannoyan paid a deep-sea diver to locate all the bones of Lam-ang under the sea.
The diver found all the bones very easily and Ines put all the bones together. Then, together with
Lam-ang's white rooster and favorite dog, she held prayer vigils every night, until one day, Lam-
ang came back to life. And they lived happily ever after.




Biag ni Lam-ang in Tagalog
My isang mag-asawa ng nagngangalang Juan at Namongan ay nakatira sa malayong
baryo ng Nalbuan. Isang araw iniwan ni Don Juan ang kanyang buntis na asawa at pumunta sa
kbundukan upang parusahan ang isang grupo ng mga Igorot. Habang papunta sila sa kabundukan
ay ipinanganak ni Namongan ang isang batang lalaki. Kakaib ang sanggol sa iba sapagkat
pagkasilang pa lamang ay nakakapagsalita na ito. Gusto niyang pangalanan siyang Lam-ang.
Siya rin mismo ang pumili ng kanyang mga ninong nang siya ay binyagan.
"Nasaan ang aking ama?" isang araw ay tinanong ni Lam-ang ang kanyan ina na si
Namongan.
"Nasa kabundukan siya upang ayusin ang di pagkakaunawaan sa isang grupo ng mga
Igorot doon," sabi ng kanyang ina.
Nalungkot si Lam-ang. Hindi pa niya nakikita ang kanyang ama buhat ng siya ay
isinilang at nasasabik na siyang makita ito.
"Matatagalan kaya ang kanyang pagbabalik?"
"Hindi ko alam," malungkot na sagot ng kanyang ina na si Namongan na nsasabik din
itong makita. "Ni hindi ko man lamang alam kung buhy pa siya."
Isang araw ay nanaginip si Lam-ang. Sa kanyang panaginip ay nakita niya ang kanyng
ama na walang awang pinatay ng isang grupo ng mga Igorot. Lubos siyang namuhi nang siya ay
nagising. Nagpasya siya na sundan ang ama sa kabundukan. Siyan na buwan siya noon. Nang
marating niya ang pamayanan ng mga Igorot, nakita niya na nagsasayawan ng mga ito paikot sa
ulo ng kanyang ama na nakatusok sa isang kawayan. Sa kanyan galit ay kinalaban at pinatay niya
ang lahat ng Igorot, kasama ang kanilang pinuno na pinahirapan muna bago pinatay.
Sa kanyang pg-uwi sa Nalbuan ay napadaan siya sa ilog ng Amburayan. Doon ay naligo
siya sa tulong ng kanyang mga kaibigang babae na pinupunasan ang kanyang katawan upang
maalis ang mga dumi at dugo na nakapatay sa lahat ng hayop sa ilog.
Nang siya ay nasa hustong gulang na upang mag-asawa ay may nakita siyang isang
magndang babae, si Ines Kannoyan at umibig siya rito. Pumunta siya sa bahay ni Ines upang
umakyay ng ligaw kasama ang kanyang puting tandang at paboritong aso. Nang makarating siya
sa bahay ay nainis siya sa dami ng naunang manliligw sa kany. Inutusan niyang tumilaok ang
kanyng tandang at sinunod siya nito. Noon din ay gumuho ang bahay nila Ines at nangamatay
ang lahat ng kanyang manliligaw. At inutusan naman niyang tumahol ang kanyang aso at
tumahol nga ito. Mabilis na bumalik sa kanyang mga magulang upang salubungin siy.
Ipinaramdam ng tandang ang pagmamal ni Lam-ang kay Ines Kannoyan.

"Ang aking panginoon na si Lam-ang ay iniibig ka at gusto k niyang pakasalan," sabi ng
puting tandang kay Ines sa lenggwaheng naiinindihan niya.
"Pakakasalan kita kung matutumbasan mo ang aming kayamanan," sagot ni Ines
Kannoyan.
Ang pagsubok ni binigay ni Ines ay hindi nakapgpatinag sa loob ni Lam-ang. Umuwi siya
kaagad at bumalik kasang isang malaking bangk na puno ng ginto, hinigitan nito ang halaga ng
kayamanan nila Ines. Ikinasal sila at namuhay nang masaya. Lumipas ang mg taon at dumating
ng pagkakataon ni Lam-ang na humuli ng isda na tinatawag na rarang. Ito ay isang obligasyon ng
baway may asawang lalaki sa kanilang komunidad upang manghuli ng rarang. Ngunit
naramdaman ni Lam-ang na mapapatay siya ng isang berkahan, isang uri ng isda na kabiang sa
pamilya ng mga pating kapag pumalaot na siya upang manghuli ng rarang. Nguni kailangan
niyang tuparin ang kanyang tungkulin at isang gabi ay pumalaot siya sa karagatan. Napatay siya
ng berkahan tuland ng kanyang inaasahan.
Tumanging si Ines sa kalungkutan. Umisip ang kanyang puting tandang ng paraan upang
buhayin muli si Lam-ang. Umarkila si Ines Kannoyan ng mga maninisid upang hanapin ang mga
buto ni Lam-ang sa ilalim ng dagat. Madaling nahanap ng mga maninisid ang lahat ng kanyang
mga buto at pinagsama-sama ni Ines ang mga ito. Kasama ang puting tandang at paboritong aso
ni Lam-ang ay namanata siya gabi-gabi hanggang sa isang araw ay nabuhay si Lam-ang. At mula
noon ay namuhy silang ng masaya.




BUOD (SUMMARY) OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG

Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern
part of the Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan
went to the mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his
son Lam-ang was born. It took four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby
boy popped out, he spoke and asked that he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his
godparents and asked where his father was.
After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he would go look
for him. Namongan thought Lam-ang was up to the challenge but she was sad to let him go.
During his exhausting journey, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream
about his father's head being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned
what had happened to his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one
whom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lam-ang's greatness.

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the Amburayan river.
All the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang's body.

There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo. She
lived in Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way,
Lam-ang met his enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated.
Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom were trying to
catch her attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall. This made
Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's
parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The
parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at
double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he and Ines were
married.

It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the rarang fish.
Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had
Marcos get his bones, which she covered with a piece of cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog
barked and slowly the bones started to move. Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily
ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.