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Lanzones are local berry-like fruits with light brown skin. The fruit itself is white
inside. When ripe enough they have a subtle sweetness that tantalizes the taste buds
and make them want to sample for more. But according to a local myth, it used to be a
harmful fruit.
Before, according to the myth, the lanzones fruit was poisonous. The fruit looked
edible enough, and in fact many were tempted to sample it. The myth says, the people
wondered: How could anything that looked so good be so dangerous? Some people,
despite the death toll, could not fight off the temptation once they see the fruits
abundantly display themselves in clusters hanging invitingly on the lanzones tree.
Several deaths in the village had been linked to eating its fruits, the myth adds.
One day, the myth says, a hungry old woman came to the village begging for
food. The kind villagers gladly gave the old woman food and water and clothes to wear.
They even offered her free lodging as long as she saw the need to stay with them.
According to the myth, the woman was awed by the kindness of the villagers. One day,
while staying with the people, she learned about the lanzones fruits that could not be
eaten because they were poisonous. She asked the people where the tree was. They
gladly obliged. Then, according to the myth, upon seeing the lanzones tree and its fruits,
the old woman smiled knowingly. She announced to the people that the fruit was
edible, to everyone’s wary delight.
She taught the villagers the proper way to pick, peel and eat the fruits of the
lanzones tree. According to the myth, the old woman said that peeling the fruit by
pinching it lets out a small amount of the white sticky sap from the fruit, and that served
as an antidote to the poison of the fruit. Then, the myth says, she did it with a fruit and
ate it. She did the same with another fruit, and another, and another. The myth says the
villagers also discovered for themselves that the fruits were very edible and delicious.
Since then, the villagers started planting more lanzones trees and it became a very
lucrative source of income for everyone, the myth adds.
The Philippine myth on the lanzones tree and fruit reminds us that there is a
proper procedure for doing things, even things untried before, to end up with a safe
outcome.
The Philippine Myth on Maria and
the Crab
Crabs or “alimango” in the vernacular is a very sumptuous dish to feast on. Here’s
a unique myth on a crab haunted by the spirit of a loving mother to protect her child.
How mother, child, and crab are connected is narrated by this myth.
According to the myth, there was a beautiful girl named Maria. Her mother died
when she was still young. Her father married again to a widow with two daughters. The
daughters, says this myth, were envious of Maria’s natural beauty. The myth says envy
forced them to get Maria to do all the housework. The poor girl was the last to eat and
sometimes even missed meals together.
The myth says that one day, due to hardship, Maria cried by a well. The girl had
missed breakfast and had just finished fetching water. She was about to begin washing
clothes when a kind voice spoke to her saying “Don’t cry Maria, here’s some food. Eat,
my child.” The myth says Maria saw some food but there was nobody around. Then the
girl was shocked to see a big crab.
According to the myth, it was the crab speaking all along: “Don’t be scared, my
child. I’m your dead mother. From this day on my spirit in this crab will take care of you.”
The myth continues that when Maria left for the market the big crab came to
bring food for Maria. The stepmother saw it and cooked and ate it with her two
daughters. The myth says that when Maria saw the shells that were left of the crab, the
pitiful girl cried. But she heard a voice again, saying, ”Don’t cry, just pick up the shells
and bury them in the yard. ” She did so, and the next morning, Maria saw a full grown
tree on the spot where she buried the crab’s shells. The tree was laden with ripened
golden fruits.
The myth says, there was a handsome man who saw the golden fruits and asked
Maria’s two step sisters for some. For some mysterious reason they could not get close
to the tree. Only Maria could. When the man reached out and saw Maria, he fell in love
and asked her hand for marriage.
This Philippine myth on Maria and the Crab reminds us of a mother’s boundless
love for her child, and how she would get out of her way just to protect her children.
The Creation
Igorot
Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into pairs
which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, "You must speak."
Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk, but
the language of each couple differed from that of the others.
Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there were many
children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married and had many children.
In this way there came to be many people on the earth.
Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so he
set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell
it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the
next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.
Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. These did as he
directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that the
other peoples must buy of them.
Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got the clay,
Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to
Samoki. When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well
shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told
them that they should always make many jars to sell.
In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.
A Myth on the Coconut Tree
The banana fruit is one of the favorite tropical fruits in the Philippines. Its luscious meat is healthy and
enjoyable to munch. How did the plant originate according to myths?
According to a myth, there was a couple named Martha and Pedro. Their daughter was Selya. The myth
says Selya was so beautiful people in their place admired her so much. She was also kind hearted and
good mannered. The myth adds that obedience and thoughtfulness was always seen in the way she
treated her parents.
The couple was over protective with Selya. They feared that someday, somebody would take her away
from them. The myth says, they always guarded the young woman, and tried to discourage any guy who
even came near her. But unknown to the couple, Selya met a young, tall man named Aging. According to
the myth, being a farmer like Selya’s father, the arms of the man were roughened by the sun from tilling
the rice fields. But the myth says Selya’s parents were against Aging.
Although Selya did not mean to disobey, the myth says, the girl decided to make good friends with
Aging. Every afternoon before sunset, Aging would secretly meet Selya by the well near the house.
According to the myth, their meeting continued for months unseen by anyone .They enjoyed each
other’s company and soon fell for each other.
The myth further says, that Selya’s mother left the house one afternoon to go to town. They were so
engrossed with each other that they didn’t realize Selya’s father would be coming home soon. They
talked of a lot of things. The myth says the father, while still some distance away from home, saw Aging
and Selya leaning against the window. The myth continues that the father burst with wrath and ran to
the house to swing a sharp bolo at the young man. Aging was hit on the arm. Consequently, his arm was
cut off and fell to the ground.
The myth adds, Aging was shocked and run away. Selya went out and carefully picked up Aging’s lifeless
arm and buried it in the backyard. The next morning Selya noticed a strange plant that seemed showing
itself off. Its trunk was tall, it had green leaves, and its yellow fruits were shaped like clusters of fingers.
Since then, the plant has been called “Saging” or banana.
This Philippine myth on the banana plant shows us that true love only grows further, the more it is
opposed.
The Amazing Myth on Lam-ang
An amazing epic hero from Naguilan, La Union, according to the myth, is Lam-ang. At birth, the myth
says Lam-ang was already able to talk like an adult and also possess a powerful physique. While an
infant, he decided what his name would be—and that was the name given to him. The myth adds, at
nine months, he was fully grown with supernatural physical prowess. He was feared in their village. Yet,
despite his superiority, he was discontented. He missed his father. The father had been hunting
somewhere in the lands of the Igorot, a feared head-hunting mountain tribe, before he was born and
never came back.
So one day, the myth says, Lam-ang decided to look for his father in the land of the Igorots up further
North. Then he discovered his father’s remains in an abandoned Igorot camp, beheaded. He determined
to have his revenge. So, the myth says he flew (yes, he could fly) up to the Cordillera mountain ranges
and attacked tribes of Igorots and defeated them savagely. Having completed his fierce revenge, he
went back to his village.
In his village, he recounted the ways he decimated the feared Igorot tribes and the village folks feared
him more. Then he heard about a rich heiress who lived in another place—in Caluntian—who was very
beautiful. Despite his mother’s pleas not to marry someone outside their tribe, Lam-ang, according to
the myth, pursued the heiress from Caluntian, Donya Ines.
In Caluntian, Lam-ang found himself up against formidable rivals But he bested them all with his powers
and the supernatural pets he had brought with him—a rooster, hen, and a dog. Finally, the last
challenge was to dive for a rare native fish called Rarang. According to the myth, Lam-ang had a
premonition of death in this last challenge, but he proceeded with it anyway. He was swallowed by a big
shark and died.
Donya Ines suffered the loss of Lam-ang, but his pets promised his resurrection if only his bones could
be salvaged from the sea. Marcos, Ines’ servant, recovered Lam-ang’s remains from the sea. And with
some magic, the myth says his pets were able to bring Lam-ang back to life. And so Lam-ang, Donya Ines,
and the pets lived happily ever after.
The myth on Lam-ang depicts a man of strength and passion. He was ready to face any challenge till the
end, even when the last challenge in his life meant his death. This somehow reflects the courage
The Quixotic Myth of Mayon Volcano
World famous for its perfect cone, Mayon is a world wonder tourists worldwide respect. But how did
the famous volcano come to be?
In olden days, a myth says there lived a lovely woman named Daragang Magayon. Her pulchritude
fascinated many suitors from various tribes. Among them was the arrogant Pagtuga, a great hunter and
authoritative tribal chief from Iriga.
The myth says, however, that Daragang Magayon did not love Pagtuga. She had given her heart to
Panganoron, the brave son of Rajah Karilaya of the distant Tagalog region. The myth says that he had
saved her from death in the river once. She had gone to bathe in the Yaw River which was swollen after
a night of heavy rain. Balancing herself on the stones, the myth says, she had slipped and fell into the
water. The myth says she did not know how to swim, and she would have been carried away by the
swift current if not for Panganoron arriving just in time.
Then he courted her. The myth says Daragang Magayon accepted his proposal. This gave the young man
courage to ask her hand from the girl’s father, Rajah Makusog. Makusog consented. But, the myth says
that Pagtuga heard the news and was very angry. So, one day, he accosted Rajah Makusog on a
mountain and took him captive. He would be released if his daughter consented to marrying Pagtuga,
the myth adds.
Daragang Magayon was brought before Pagtuga. The myth says she tearfully consented to marrying
him. On learning of the situation, Panganoron assembled his brave warriors and went after Pagtuga. The
myth says that in the battle that ensued, Panganoron slew Pagtuga. But while Magaron was rushing
joyously to meet her beloved victor, a stray arrow pierced her back. Panganoron, too, was struck dead
by a spear hurled by Linog, Pagtuga’s captain. Seeing this, the myth says Makusog rushed and killed
Linog.
According to the myth, Rajah Makusog himself dug the grave where he tenderly laid the bodies of the
lovers. After a few days, the people saw the grave rise. The myth says that as it grew higher, it roared
and trembled violently. The grave turned into a huge land form and the myth says that people started
calling it Mayon, short for Magayon.
They say a long and lasting love will always manifest its intensity even in the hereafter. This myth says
that eruptions of Mayon are signs of the ongoing love affair of Magayon and Panganoron.
The Myth of the Guava Fruit
The guava fruit was said to be a poisonous fruit before, according to a Philippine myth on it. So how did
it end up being so nutritious and delicious? There’s only one way to find out—read.
According to this myth, the guava fruit used to be a forbidden fruit. A long time ago, in a fruit orchard
somewhere in the countryside, there lived a boy from the family of the Abas, the family who owned the
fruit orchard. The boy Abas was very friendly and kind, says this myth, and soon the people in the place
started calling him “Bay” (pronounced “buy”), the term used in the locality for super friendly and kind
people. So as time went by, the myth says, the boy was known as Bay Abas.
Bay Abas was especially kind to the needy. So the myth says that every needy folk who came by to ask
for fruit from their orchard he gave to liberally. Various fruit-bearing trees were in their orchard, and
each one with ripe fruits he picked from and gave to anyone who asked. As he did, the myth purports
that the orchard noticeably bore more fruits than any orchard in the locality. And more new trees also
mysteriously appeared in their orchard, the myth adds.
But the myth says there was one tree in their orchard that bore inedible fruits. It was a tree of hard
wood with branches spreading wide and open instead if straight up. Other fruit trees, the myth notes,
grew straight up first and bore fruits high up there where they’re fruits were hard to pick. But this tree
bore fruits even at low levels. But nobody dared, says this myth.
One day an old woman came by the orchard and asked Bay Abas some fruits to eat. Unfortunately, says
the myth, not a tree had fruit that time, save the forbidden tree. Nonchalantly, he whispered a wish, or
something like a prayer and, according to this myth, he thought of sampling the fruit to find out once
and for all. HIs wish, says the myth, reached the ears of the forest gods. The fruit quickly turned edible
just before he took his first bite. And so from that time on, the myth says the fruit became edible and
named “Bayabas.”
This Philippine myth about the guava or “bayabas” tree compares the multi-nutritious guava fruit with
the multi-faceted kindness of a boy named Bay Abas.
Philippine Myth on Mango Fruits
Philippine succulent mangoes are among the well patronized products in the international market since
early times. One of the Philippine myths on the mango fruit goes this way.
Long time ago, so this Philippine myth goes, in a wooden villa deep in the forest was a beautiful lady. An
only daughter of an old, old couple, they wanted her married as soon as possible. They feared dying
without seeing her married. This Philippine myth says Pangga was her name, meaning “object of love” in
the vernacular. Aside from her arresting natural pulchritude, she was very industrious, kind, and smart
with rustic wisdom. Moreover, Pangga knew a lot of trade skills that had earned her quite a bit of
money. Thus, her parents wanted nothing but the best man for her.
But Pangga fell for a local poet, a professional dreamer. He was known in the village as a desperate
writer whose works of poetry made meager money. This Philippine myth continues that Manong, the
dreamer, lived in the fields and slept in mangers. He was the town’s vagrant. But one thing about him;
he had a knack for speaking sweet nothings, a full-pledged sweet talker who could promise the sun,
moon and stars to the one his eyes beheld. Girls in town went crazy for him (though they never bought
his poems) but his eyes were only for Pangga.
His sweet nothings never fooled old folks, though. His own parents, when still alive, often remarked
“Please cut out the sweet pleasantries!” when he was at his verbal talent again. In the vernacular the
remark went “Manong magtigil ka nga!” So, as this Philippine myth goes, they gave him the nickname
Manong.
Pangga’s parents never bought Manong’s promises of bringing down the sun and moon to shine on their
forest-dimmed bungalow and other sweet nothings. “You’re always saying that sun-moon conversation
of yours. That’s all you know!” Pangga’s parents mocked him. But Manong and Pangga sought to
stubbornly keep their love vows till their dying day. Then, the Philippine myth says, one day they
disappeared in the woods.
The Philippine myth ends with a discovery of a new kind of tree. Its fruit was a bit crescent-shaped like
the moon, yellow like the sun, and sweet like Manong’s tongue. It was rich in nutrition as Pangga’s
multi-faceted genius. In time it was called “Manga,” a mix of their names, and today’s vernacular for
mango.
The Philippine myth on mango fruits is a local version of Romeo and Juliet but which went sweeter as to
create a sweet offspring—the mango fruit.
Philippine Myth: Origin of the Moon and Stars
A long, long time ago, some Filipinos thought the moon was a silver crescent comb and the stars were
necklaces of diamonds. The sky was said to be a mere arm-stretch away overhead. The Philippine myth
goes this way.
The myth says that once, a small community lived in the middle of a rice field. They focused on rice and
corn agriculture and they brought in abundant harvest each year. One of the families in the community
was Maria’s family. The myth continues that people in the community were so close that they knew
each other well. Maria was know there as a pretty girl.
Particularly, she was known for caring too much for her long, silky hair. The myth says it was her pride,
and lots of other girls in the neighborhood envied her for it. And Maria loved it. She fancied herself the
star of her village. So, the myth goes that she worked double time on her beauty, especially her long, jet
black hair.
Maria cared so much for her hair. The myth says, aside from daily comprehensive herbal rituals, she
regularly brushed her hair with a special silver crescent-shape comb. The myth says she let nothing
touch her hair except the best material around. Even as she went about her daily chore she wore a
coiled string of jewels and diamonds (supposedly common as ordinary rocks that time) to crown her
hair—that’s aside from the jeweled necklace she wore.
One day, according to the myth, as she was pounding grains of corn and palay (rice stalks) in a native
wooden pestle with a wooden mortar, her mother noticed the jeweled string around her head , the
silver comb stuck in her hair, and the jeweled lace round her neck. She scolded her and told her to lay
aside everything while working. So, continues the myth, Maria hanged the comb and jewelry on the sky
above her. Wanting to finish her work in a hurry, she pounded the grains hard by raising the mortar
really high. She didn’t notice hitting the sky which went up higher as she hit it with her pounding. Soon
the sky went all the way up, along with her comb and jewelry. And they became the moon and the stars,
according to his Philippine myth.
The myth’s lesson? Don’t be too preoccupied with vain personal beauty. Work always comes first. Too
much self indulgence is bound to compromise on things that really count.
Philippine Myth on the Origin of the Pineapple
An unpeeled pineapple has lots of medium-size dots that resemble a human eye. How did it get such
skin covering? A Philippine myth tells us why.
Pina, a rustic girl, lived with her mom as tenants in a fruit plantation. Her mom was the hard-working
type—working almost all the time, and Pina was also hard-working—but not with household chores. She
loved playing all the time.
When her mom told her to do a household chore, she always procrastinated—she started the work but
later laid it aside for tomorrow—a tomorrow which often never came. The myth adds that she often
stopped in the middle of her household chore to play. She usually reasoned she couldn’t find what it
was her mom wanted her to do. But actually, the truth was she didn’t pay attention to any of her mom’s
instructions in favor of playing. She felt confident in the thought of surely finishing a task later or
tomorrow. And this to the chagrin of her mom.
The myth goes on to say that the mother, used to being too vocal with her careless ill wishes or curses
on people who didn’t delight her, was liberal on such habit on her only daughter. She reasoned that
vehement scolding did some hidden wonders to juvenile stubbornness.
But one day, the myth says, Pina’s procrastinations went too far for her mom to tolerate them anymore.
Her mother had told her to get her wooden shoes from the under their hut. She went down their hut
and looked under it. But on seeing her old rug doll, her imagination started working. She was soon
playing with it. Her usual dialogue, saying “I can’t see it,” when actually she wasn’t searching but playing,
did it this time. Her mom shouted invectives plus a curse that, “May you grow dozens of eyes” so Maria
would stop ever mentioning her favorite dialogue. Then suddenly, Maria just disappeared.
A search party looked all over the plantation for Maria, to no avail. And then Maria’s mom saw a curious
new plant species at their backyard. It was covered with eyes. She remembered her latest curse on
Maria and knew the plant was her. From then on, she called the plant, a pineapple, or “Pinya” in Filipino.
The myth on the origin of pineapples aims at fostering obedience to parents as a priority, and that
parents ought to watch how they deal with their kids.
The Myth on the Gracious Maria Makiling
Makiling is a mountain between Laguna and Quezon and towers all over most major towns of Laguna.
According to myths, it is guarded by a local nymph-god named Maria Makiling. Ever met her yet?
A lot of local and foreign poets have been inspired by the myth on Maria Makiling. One of them was the
national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. There are countless myths and tales on her, and one of them is her kind
disposition on both good and bad people.
This myth has it that Maria Mikiling, in earlier days, would be often seen roaming the forests of the
mountain, or even visiting nearby towns around the foothills disguised as an old lady or teenage girl. She
would dole out wealth to town folks who were in need by sending fruit baskets stashed with gold
nuggets or pieces of expensive jewelry. The myth avers that she often sent newly weds precious stones
as wedding gift. But as modernity became more pronounced in the nearby localities, the myth alleges
that she had stopped doing so.
There were countless times when foreign hunters out to trace her tracks actually came face to face with
her, says this myth, and had a sampling of her awesome fiery stares which were a mixture of angst,
wrath, and gentleness. At times, says this myth, she would just let her vapory figure be felt or glimpsed
as she crossed over shrubberies or fields with speed and grace. People would often see her gliding past,
long hair waving in a mysterious wind, and her soft violin music filling the air with sweet serenity—
another one of her liberality. According to this myth, her music and presence usually repaired the
mountain forest after a fierce storm had passed by.
Once, the myth says, a hunter was after a wild bore which ran and hid under an old sagging hut deep in
the forest. Suddenly a beautiful young lady came out of the hut and declared ownership of every wild
creature in the mountain forest. The lady was said to be of native brown skin color, tall, long haired,
with delicate hands and feet, and a serious but gentle countenance. She was visibly annoyed, and yet
she treated the hunter with abundance of food, natural refreshment, and later sent him home with
some jewelry.
The Philippine myth on the graciousness and liberality of Maria Makiling also reflects the legendary
traits of a cultured and pure Filipina.
The Monkey and the Turtle
A monkey and a turtle were once friends. One day, they saw a banana-plant floating on
the water. They decided to split it and planted each half. Monkey thought the top part was
better, so he planted it and watched in dismay as it died. Turtle planted the roots and was
rewarded with a fine tree with fruits. But since he could not climb to get the bananas himself,
he asked Monkey to get it for him.The cunning simian, however, ate all of the fruits! In
retaliation, Turtle put sticks around the tree and then tricked Monkey to go down, killing him.
Monkey’s friends then tried to exact revenge on Turtle, who deceived them into throwing him
into the lake, his home.
According to Ong, this folk tale “could be the most famous Philippine folk tale because Jose
Rizal published an illustrated retelling in Trubners Oriental Record.” She says that part of the
appeal of the story is that “it's a battle between the strong and selfish, and the physically weak
but crafty. Children might identify with and root for the turtle.”
Find this story in Tahanan Books’ “The Carabao-Turtle Race and Other Classic Philippine Animal
Folk Tales”, available at National Bookstore, Fully Booked, and The Learning Basket.
The Necklace and the Comb
In the early days, the sky hung low and people could easily reach the
clouds. Inday, a beautiful girl who was given family heirlooms for her sixteenth
birthday, loved to wear her precious necklace and comb even while she worked.
One day, as she was husking rice with a mortar and a pestle, she put her jewelry
on a cloud to avoid spoiling them. As she pounded on the rice with her pestle, one
end also pounded the sky. Before she knew it, the sky went up high with her
heirloom pieces. In time, her comb became the quarter moon and the beads of
her necklace became the stars.
Folktales being stories that people created to explain the natural world, “The
Necklace and the Comb” is a charming tale on how the moon and stars were
formed. Ong likes this story especially because “the imagery is so charming and
fanciful.”
Why the Fish has Scales
Once there was a very beautiful girl who was born to a farmer and his wife. She
was so beautiful that her parents refused to let her do any work. She grew up to
be vain and spoiled. One day, as she was by the river admiring her reflection, the
chief of the crabs was drawn to her beauty and spoke to her. The girl screamed
and drove the ugly crab away. Humiliated, the chief of the crabs scratched the
girl’s face with his claws and cursed her to become a fish covered with scales. This
is why it is said that instead of admiring their reflection, fishes dart around and
avoid it.
This cautionary tale about beauty and vanity is something little girls need to know
about.
The Story of the Piña
Pinang was a beautiful but lazy girl. One day, her mother got sick and asked her to
cook food for them. Having never really done anything around the house, Pinang
refused at first. She finally relented through her mother’s insistent shouting, but
had trouble finding the ladle. Frustrated, Pinang’s mother wished a hundred eyes
to grow on her for being so lazy. After this, Pinang was never seen again. A
strange yellow fruit with a hundred eyes, however, was soon found growing in
their backyard.
Like all folk tales, the story of the piña has several versions. According to Ong, the
popular version is didactic or moralistic – “that’s what you get for being lazy and
unmotivated.” Tahanan’s version has Pinang doing her best, but her mother just
assumed that she was being lazy again.
For Ong, the story of the piña is “a cautionary tale for both parent and child.”
Mother Mountain
In one of the islands in Batanes, a widow lived with her two daughters who only
wanted to play the whole day. The only thing that the mother asked of her
daughters was to have supper ready by the time she got home from working in
the fields. One night, when she got home and her daughters were nowhere to be
seen, she made dinner herself. When the girls returned and saw their mother
busy in the kitchen, they decided to play some more. The mother could not take it
anymore and calmly walked away from their house. Though the girls eventually
followed her, it was already too late. The mother had taken the shape of a
mountain, now called Mount Iraya.
“Mother Mountain” resonated with Ong “because it's a story that deals witha
basic childhood fear: if you’re not good, your mother will leave.” It is also a
wonderful tale about how a mountain that looks like a woman was formed.
The Giant Crab Mandaya Folklore
The belief in giant monsters swallowing the moon, and the wild efforts to frighten them away, are
very widespread. It is found throughout the Philippines, as well as parts
of Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, China, and Thailand. These Asian stories were spread through
trade with the expansion of the Indianized Kingdoms. In Vedic Mythology , Rahu is a Hindu demi-
God who attempted to become immortal by swallowing a divine nectar. The Sun and Moon deities
told Vishnu about this, which led to Rahu’s decapitation. To take his vengeance, he occasionally
attempts to swallow the sun or moon – causing an eclipse. As Hinduism spread, it was absorbed
into other cultures which evolved and adapted Rahu’s story to fit the society and animist beliefs of
the time. It was these animist beliefs that we have to thank for such fantastical beasts. We know
this because stories of moon-eating giants spawned all over the world without the help of
Hinduism. For Instance, Vikings believed that two “sky wolves” were chasing the Sun or the Moon
and an eclipse occurred whenever the wolves caught one of them. Hinduism evolved the moon
swallowing beasts into pantheistic tales of vengeance, filled with adversaries and even
love. Before, they were just giant beings doing what they were supposed to be doing, whether it
be malevolent or benevolent.
While Bakunawa may be the most popular moon-eating giant in Philippine Mythology, he is
certainly not the only one. In areas of Mindanao, there is Minokawa, a giant bird-like being. Also
from Mindanao, buried in an old Mandaya folk tale recorded in 1916 by Mabel Cook Cole,
is Tambanokano, a colossal crab, brought into the world through the union of the Sun & Moon.
The Legend of Mount Kanlaon
There once lived on the island of Negros a princess named Anina who lived a very sheltered
life.
One day, Anina overheard her father talking to the kingdom's chief priestess. The priestess was
frantic about a report that they could not find a single maiden who was unblemished.
Later, Anina asked her father what it was all about, and the king finally broke down. There had
long been a seven-headed dragon threatening the kingdom, and the monster could only be
appeased if an unblemished maiden was sacrificed to it.
In fear, all the women in the kingdom had cut themselves to disqualify themselves from the
sacrifice. Parents cut their own baby girls so as to spare the infants from the sacrifice. But the
king and the queen couldn't bring themselves to mar their daughter's beauty, and so Anina was
the only remaining unscarred female in the kingdom.
Anina did not weep. Instead, she willingly offered herself for the sacrifice. Fortuitously, on the
day she was to be brought to the mountain where the dragon lived, a man calling himself Khan
Laon appeared. (Khan in his language meant a noble lord.) He said he came from a kingdom far
away in order to slay the dragon and spare Anina's life.
No one believed the dragon could be killed, but Khan Laon insisted that his ability to talk to
animals would help him. He asked the help of the ants, the bees and the eagles.
The ants swarmed over the dragon's body and crept under its scales to bite its soft,
unprotected flesh, while the bees stung the fourteen eyes of the dragon till it was blind. The
largest eagle carried Khan Laon to the mountain where he was able to easily chop off the seven
heads of the writhing beast.
In gratitude, the king gave Khan Laon his daughter Anina to be his bride, and the people named
the mountain after the noble lord.
And that is how, according to the story, Mount Kanlaon got its name. That it is a volcano is
because of the spirt of the dead dragon.
Alamat ng Ibong Adarna (English Version)
King Fernando of Berbania had three sons, Pedro, Diego and Juan of whom the last was the favorite. He
so loved Juan that when one night he dreamed that his two children conspired against their youngest
brother, the king became so frightened that he fell sick with a malady, which non of the physicians of
the kingdom were able to cure. Persons were not lacking, however, who would advise him that bird
Adarna was the one living being in the world which could restore to him his lost health and tranquility.
Acting on this advice, he sent out his oldest son Pedro to look for this coveted animal. After days of
wandering through the dense forests ad extensive thickets, he came to a tree of diamond, at the foot of
which he fell down tired and thirsty. He never suspected that it was this tree the very one in which the
famous bird was accustomed to pass the night; and when the night was setting and the Adarna flung
into the air the first of its seven songs, his melody was so softly sweet that Pedro was lulled into a
profound sleep. After emitting its seventh melody for the night, the bird defecated on the sleeping
prince who was thereby converted into a stone.
When Pedro had not returned after the lapse of one year, the impatient king commanded his second
son Diego also to launch out in search of the same bird. Diego underwent the same vicissitudes and
hardships and came to exactly the same fate as Pedro - converted into a stone at the foot of the
enchanted tree. At last Juan, the youngest and most favored son was sent forth, after his elder brothers
in search of the treacherous bird. Juan, however, had the fortune to meet on his way an old hermit who
impressed by the virtuous and good manners of the young prince on knowing the mission on which he
embarked, put him on guard against the treacheries, intrigues and cunning of the famous bird. First, he
provided him with a knife and a fruit of lemon, warning him that if he wanted to free himself from the
irresistible drowsiness into which one would to be induced by the seven melodies of the Adarna, he had
to open on his body seven wounds and distil into them the juice of the lemon that the pain thereby
caused might present him from sleeping. Next, the hermit warned him to avoid any defecation that
might fall from the bird after it had sung its seven songs, so that he would not suffer the fate of his
brothers. Lastly, he told him that after finishing his seventh song the famous bird would fall sleep and
that the prince should take advantage of this occasion to take him prisoner. The hermit gave him a
golden cord to tie the bird when caught and two pails of water to pour over his two petrified brothers
and thereby bring them back to life. Juan did as was bidden and soon found himself in possession of the
desired bird and on his way back to his home country with his two brothers, Pedro and Diego.
On the way, however, being envious on account of the fact that Juan had obtained what they were not
able to do so, the two older brothers conspired between themselves to do away with him. Pedro
suggested that they should kill him but Diego who was less brutal convinced Pedro that it was sufficient
to beat him, which they did. After beating Juan to whom they owed their lives, they left him unconscious
in the middle of the road and the two brothers continued their way to the palace where they presented
themselves to their fathers as the ones who actually caught the bird Adarna. To their surprise, the bird
refused to sing for the king in the absence of Prince Juan and the monarch did not get well. It was also
fortunate that the old hermit who guided Juan to the Adarna found him stretched out helpless on the
road, after curing him of his wounds the prince could return safe and sound to his father's kingdom. It as
then the bird, out of sheer contentment, burst into most harmonious song recounting it its proper time
to the king after he was cured the truth about the absence of Juan. The monarch, blinded by his ire,
decreed the death of his two elder sons; but Juan with a noble heart interceded for them as always and
once again reigned in the kingdom peace and merriment.
But on a certain night when Juan fell asleep while guarding the Adarna bird in its golden cage, his two
elder brothers again entered into conspiracy with one another to put him in bad with their father by
letting out the bird from the cage. Juan, ashamed of what he thought was his fault, slipped out of the
palace and started to go in search of the famous bird. King Fernando hurriedly ordered Pedro and Diego
to start pursuit of the bird and Juan. During the search the bird could not be found anywhere, but the
three brothers happened to meet at a place close to a well which they decided to explore instead of
returning to the palace for the fear of the ire of their father. Pedro, the eldest, was the first to descend
by means of a cord lowered by the two brothers who remained above; but he had scarcely gone a third
of the way when he felt afraid and gave sign for his two brothers to pull him out of the well. Presently,
Diego was let down but he too could not go farther down than half of the way. When it was Juan's turn
to go he allowed himself to be let down to the lowest depths of the cistern.
There the prince discovered two enchanted palaces, the first being occupied by Princess Juana who
informed him she was being held prisoner by a giant, and the second by Princess Leonora, also the
prisoner of a big seven-headed serpent. After killing the giant and the serpent, the prince tagged on the
cord and soon came up to the surface of the earth with the two captive princesses, whom his two
brothers soon wanted to take away from him. Pedro desired Princess Juana for himself and Diego
wanted Princess Leonora. Before the parting, however, Leonora discovered that she left her ring in the
innermost recesses of the well. Juan voluntarily offered to take it for her but when he was half way
down, the two brothers criminally let him fall to the bottom and abandoned him to his face.
Not long after wedding bells were rung in the palace. Pedro married Princess Juana but Princess Leonora
before casting her lot with Prince Diego requested her marriage to him delayed for a term of seven
years because she might still have a chance to unite herself with Don Juan. Don Juan, thanks to
Leonora's enchanted ring found in the well, could avail himself of the help of a wolf which cured him of
his wounds, fix his dislocations, bringing him the medicinal waters of the Jordan, and took him out from
the profundities of the well. Already shorn of all hope of ever finding the Adarna, Don Juan resolved to
return to the Kingdom. But to his confusion, he was unable to find his way. No one could tell him
precisely which was the way that would lead him to the kingdom of his father. He came across two or
three hermits neither of whom could give him the necessary information. The last of these called into
conference all the birds big and small marauding around in those parts, but none of them could tell the
prince the direction towards the Berbanian Kingdom. But the king of all the crowd, a swiftly soaring
eagle, having compassion for his troubles, offered to take the prince to wherever he desired. In long
continued flight the prince and the eagle traversed through infinite spaces until they came to a distant
crystal lake on whose shores they landed to rest from their long and tiresome flight. Then the eagle
relate to his companion the secrets of the crystal lake. This was the bathing place where in certain hours
of the day the three daughters of the most powerful and most feared king fo the surrounding regions
used to plunge and dive into the water and swim; and for this reason it was not proper for the prince to
commit any indiscretion if he desired to remain and se the spectacle of the bath. Don Juan remained
and when the hour of the bathing arrived he saw plunging into the pure crystal water the figures of the
three most beautiful princesses whom his sinful eyes had ever seen in all his life; and then he secretly
hid and kept one of the dresses. When one of the princesses noticed the outrage, her two sisters had
already gone away and the prince hurriedly ran to her and on his knee begged her pardon placing at her
feet her stolen dresses and at the same time poured forth the most ardent and tender professions of
love. Pleased by his gentleness and gallant phrases, the princess also fell in love with him; but she
advised him that it would be better for him to go away before her father would come to know of his
intrusion because if he did not do so she would be converted into another piece of stone for the walls of
the enchanted palace in which they live, in the same way that all the other suitors who aspired for their
hands had been converted into.
On being informed of the adventure of the bold prince the king sent for him. Don Juan would dare
everything for the privilege of seeing his beloved, presented himself to the king in spite of the princess'
warning; and the king greatly impressed with the youth's tact and self-possession chose to give him to
series of tests both gigantic and impossible of accomplishment by ordinary mortals. The first was to
plant two baskets full of wheat given to him by the king on the top of the mountain after converting
same into a level land, and to prepare on the following day with the grain they produce the bread for
the breakfast of the king and all his courtiers. The second was to remove the mountain found in front of
the king's palace to a place behind it, to make way for the cool breezes which he would like to enter his
palace. The third was to gather in a single day a number of negroes and negresses thrown into the sea,
and to deposit them together in a big bottle. The fourth was for him to construct a feudal castle in the
sea together with its complements of troops and ammunitions, everything to be ready for the king's
inspection on the following day. For the fifth and last test the king threw his ring into the ocean and
made the prince recover it from its bottomless depths. To all these tests Do Juan submitted himself and
in all he came out triumphant, thanks to the talisman which was given him by his beloved Dona
(Princess) Maria who shared with her father king his power of enchantment. The last proved to be most
difficult, as in order to look for the royal ring in the bottomless depths of the ocean, the princess had to
allow her body to cut up into pieces and then thrown into the sea as this was the only way whereby the
lost jewel could be recovered by her for the sake of her beloved prince.
It happened however that when her body was being cut into pieces the end of one of her fingers was
dropped from the aggregate of her flesh and on the account it not recovered. But the king, who as may
be seen was more obstinate than the legitimate proverbial Briton, wanted him finally to choose from
the three princesses without seeing their persons except on their finger which would be places through
a small hole in each of their respective rooms. The princess Dona Maria inserted her cut finger and it
was not hard for Do Juan to pick her out from among the three. At this juncture, the royal monarch
declared himself satisfied; but the princess fearing that her father might resort to a new trick to foil their
happiness ordered the prince to direct himself to the royal stables in order to take there from the best
horse, which was the seventh counting from the left, and to saddle him and have him ready for them to
flee on that same night. Unfortunately, the prince made a mistake taking in his hurry the eight instead of
the seventh charger which was the fastest in the whole stable, and when the king came to know of their
flight he himself mounted the seventh and immediately went in pursuit of the fugitives whom he soon
was about to overtake. In this contingency, the princess in order to save themselves, unfastened and
dropped her hair pins which, on touching the ground, were converted into an extensive pile of thorns
that obliged their tenacious persecutor to along way around. When the next time he came in sight close
behind them, the princess shook off the sweat drops on her face and they were converted into a wide
mass of impassable clasp which caused the king to be detained long a second time. For the last time the
princess poured out over the ground a bottle of enchanted water, which was converted into a big
rapidly flowing stream which proved to be an insurmountable barrier between them and their pursuer.
When at last they found themselves safe and free, it did not take them long before they could reach the
portals of the Berbanian Kingdom. But the prince, alleging that he should have such preparations duly
made for entry into the royal palace as are appropriate her category and dignity, left Dona Maria on the
way promising to return for her once he had informed the committee that was to receive her. But Oh!
the unfaithfulness of human heart! Once in the midst of the gay life of the palace after his triumphant
reception by his people, Don Juan soon forgot his professions of love to Dona Maria. The worst thing
about it however was that he became dazzled by the beauty of Princess Leonora who had been waiting
for him during all the days of his absence that he sought her hand in marriage; while Dona Maria was
impatiently waiting for his return. When she came to know of the infidelity of Don Juan, the pilgrim
princess made use of the talisman which she always carried with her and adorned with the most
beautiful royal garments and carried in a large coach drawn by eight sorrel-colored horses with four
palfreys, she presented herself at the door of the palace practically inviting herself to the royal wedding
of the Prince Don Juan and the Princess Dona Leonora.
Out of respect for so beautiful a guest from far away foreign lands and on the occasion of the wedding
itself, there were celebrated tournaments, in one of which Dona Maria succeeded in inserting as one of
the number dance of a negrito and a negrita created from nothing through her marvelous talisman. In
the dance the negrita carried a whip in her hand and with it she pitilessly lashed her negrito partner,
calling him Don Juan while she proceeded to remind of all the vicissitudes of fortune undergone by him
at the side on Dona Maria, the part which was played by the whipping negrita: the scene of the bath, the
different tests to which he had been subjected by her father, the flight of both that was full of accidents,
and his cruel abandonment of her on the way. Every crack of the whip which fell on the shoulders of the
negrito seemed at the time to the true Don Juan as it is was lashing his own body and flesh. At the end
of the scene, the prince repentant of his grave offense came down from his throne to implore pardon
from the princess Dona Maria and to offer her his hand, promising to take her for his wife in the
presence of all the people of his Kingdom.
When the king, his father Don Fernando, came to know of the rivalry of the two princesses, Dona Maria
and Dona Leonora, both aspiring to the hand of Don Juan, he consulted with the archbishop of the
kingdom on the case, the church dignitary deciding in favor of Dona Leonora invoking for her the priority
of the right. But Dona Maria was determined to fight to the last for the prince of her love and, taking
advantage of the power of her talisman, sent all over Barbanina Kingdom a big inundation which
threatened to carry away the whole nation together with all its inhabitants. King Fernando and his
subjects trembled in the face of the imminent danger and all supplicated Princess Dona Leonora to be
content with marrying Don Diego, the brother of Don Juan, which she did for the good of all, occasioning
for this reason a double marriage - an occasion which brought a
The Creation Story
Thousands of years ago there was no land nor sun nor moon nor stars, and the world was only
a great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom of the god
Maguayan, and the sky was ruled by the great god Captan.
Maguayan had a daughter called Lidagat, the sea, and Captan had a son known as Lihangin, the
wind. The gods agreed to the marriage of their children, so the sea became the bride of the
wind.
Three sons and a daughter were born to them. The sons were called Licalibutan, Liadlao, and
Libulan, and the daughter received the name of Lisuga.
Licalibutan had a body of rock and was strong and brave; Liadlao was formed of gold and was
always happy; Libulan was made of copper and was weak and timid; and the beautiful Lisuga
had a body of pure silver and was sweet and gentle. Their parents were very fond of them, and
nothing was wanting to make them happy.
After a time Lihangin died and left the control of the winds to his eldest son Licalibutan. The
faithful wife Lidagat soon followed her husband, and the children, now grown up, were left
without father or mother. However, their grandfathers, Captan and Maguayan, took care of
them and guarded them from all evil.
After a time, Licalibutan, proud of his power over the winds, resolved to gain more power, and
asked his brothers to join him in an attack on Captan in the sky above. At first they refused; but
when Licalibutan became angry with them, the amiable Liadlao, not wishing to offend his
brother, agreed to help. Then together they induced the timid Libulan to join in the plan.
When all was ready the three brothers rushed at the sky, but they could not beat down the
gates of steel that guarded the entrance. Then Licalibutan let loose the strongest winds and
blew the bars in every direction. The brothers rushed into the opening, but were met by the
angry god Captan. So terrible did he look that they turned and ran in terror; but Captan, furious
at the destruction of his gates, sent three bolts of lightning after them.
The first struck the copper Libulan and melted him into a ball. The second struck the golden
Liadlao and he too was melted. The third bolt struck Licalibutan and his rocky body broke into
many pieces and fell into the sea. So huge was he that parts of his body stuck out above the
water and became what is known as land.
In the meantime the gentle Lisuga had missed her brothers and started to look for them. She
went toward the sky, but as she approached the broken gates, Captan, blind with anger, struck
her too with lightning, and her silver body broke into thousands of pieces.
Captan then came down from the sky and tore the sea apart, calling on Maguayan to come to
him and accusing him of ordering the attack on the sky. Soon Maguayan appeared and
answered that he knew nothing of the plot as he had been asleep far down in the sea. After a
time he succeeded in calming the angry Captan. Together they wept at the loss of their
grandchildren, especially the gentle and beautiful Lisuga; but with all their power they could
not restore the dead to life. However, they gave to each body a beautiful light that will shine
forever.
And so it was that golden Liadlao became the sun and copper Libulan the moon, while the
thousands of pieces of silver Lisuga shine as the stars of heaven. To wicked Licalibutan the gods
gave no light, but resolved to make his body support a new race of people. So Captan gave
Maguayan a seed and he planted it on the land, which, as you will remember, was part of
Licalibutan's huge body. Soon a bamboo tree grew up, and from the hollow of one of its
branches a man and a woman came out. The man's name was Sicalac, and the woman was
called Sicabay. They were the parents of the human race. Their first child was a son whom they
called Libo; afterwards they had a daughter who was known as Saman. Pandaguan was a
younger son and he had a son called Arion.
Pandaguan was very clever and invented a trap to catch fish. The very first thing he caught was
a huge shark. When he brought it to land, it looked so great and fierce that he thought it was
surely a god, and he at once ordered his people to worship it. Soon all gathered around and
began to sing and pray to the shark. Suddenly the sky and sea opened, and the gods came out
and ordered Pandaguan to throw the shark back into the sea and to worship none but them.
All were afraid except Pandaguan. He grew very bold and answered that the shark was as big as
the gods, and that since he had been able to overpower it he would also be able to conquer the
gods. Then Captan, hearing this, struck Pandaguan with a small thunderbolt, for he did not wish
to kill him but merely to teach him a lesson. Then he and Maguayan decided to punish these
people by scattering them over the earth, so they carried some to one land and some to
another. Many children were afterwards born, and thus the earth became inhabited in all parts.
Pandaguan did not die. After lying on the ground for thirty days he regained his strength, but
his body was blackened from the lightning, and all his descendants ever since that day have
been black.
His first son, Arion, was taken north, but as he had been born before his father's punishment he
did not lose his color, and all his people therefore are white.
Libo and Saman were carried south, where the hot sun scorched their bodies and caused all
their descendants to be of a brown color.
A son of Saman and a daughter of Sicalac were carried east, where the land at first was so
lacking in food that they were compelled to eat clay. On this account their children and their
children's children have always been yellow in color.
And so the world came to be made and peopled. The sun and moon shine in the sky and the
beautiful stars light up the night. All over the land, on the body of the envious Licalibutan, the
children of Sicalac and Sicabay have grown great in numbers. May they live forever in peace
and brotherly love!
Mangita and Larina
This is a tale told in the lake district of Luzon. At times of rain or in winter the
waters of the Laguna de Bai rise and detach from the banks a peculiar vegetation that
resembles lettuce. These plants, which float for months down the Pasig River, gave rise, no
doubt, to the story.
Many years ago there lived on the banks of the Laguna de Bai a poor
fisherman whose wife had died, leaving him two beautiful daughters named Mangita and
Larina.
Mangita had hair as black as night and a dark skin. She was as good as she was
beautiful, and was loved by all for her kindness. She helped her father mend the nets and make
the torches to fish with at night, and her bright smile lit up the little nipa house like a ray of
sunshine.
Larina was fair and had long golden hair of which she was very proud. She was
different from her sister, and never helped with the work, but spent the day combing her hair
and catching butterflies. She would catch a pretty butterfly, cruelly stick a pin through it, and
fasten it in her hair. Then she would go down to the lake to see her reflection in the clear water,
and would laugh to see the poor butterfly struggling in pain. The people disliked her for her
cruelty, but they loved Mangita very much. This made Larina jealous, and the more Mangita
was loved, the more her sister thought evil of her.
One day a poor old woman came to the nipa house and begged for a little rice
to put in her bowl. Mangita was mending a net and Larina was combing her hair in the
doorway. When Larina saw the old woman she spoke mockingly to her and gave her a push that
made her fall and cut her head on a sharp rock; but Mangita sprang to help her, washed the
blood away from her head, and filled her bowl with rice from the jar in the kitchen.
The poor woman thanked her and promised never to forget her kindness, but
to her sister she spoke not a word. Larina did not care, however, but laughed at her and
mocked her as she painfully made her way again down the road. When she had gone Mangita
took Larina to task for her cruel treatment of a stranger; but, instead of doing any good, it only
caused Larina to hate her sister all the more.
Some time afterwards the poor fisherman died. He had gone to the big city
down the river to sell his fish, and had been attacked with a terrible sickness that was raging
there.
The girls were now alone in the world.
Mangita carved pretty shells and earned enough to buy food, but, though she
begged Larina to try to help, her sister would only idle away the time.
The terrible sickness now swept everywhere and poor Mangita, too, fell ill.
She asked Larina to nurse her, but the latter was jealous of her and would do nothing to ease
her pain. Mangita grew worse and worse, but finally, when it seemed as if she would soon die,
the door opened and the old woman to whom she had been so kind came into the room. She
had a bag of seeds in her. hand, and taking one she gave it to Mangita, who soon showed signs
of being better, but was so weak that she could not give thanks.
The old woman then gave the bag to Larina and told her to give a seed to her
sister every hour until she returned. She then went away and left the girls alone.
Larina watched her sister, but did not give her a single seed. Instead, she hid
them in her own long hair and paid no attention to Mangita's moans of pain.
The poor girl's cries grew weaker and weaker, but not a seed would her cruel
sister give her. In fact, Larina was so jealous that she wished her sister to die.
When at last the old woman returned, poor Mangita was at the point of
death. The visitor bent over the sick girl and then asked her sister if she had given Mangita the
seeds. Larina showed her the empty bag and said she had given them as directed. The old
woman searched the house, but of course could not find the seeds. She then asked Larina again
if she had given them to Mangita. Again the cruel girl said that she had done so.
Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding light, and when Larina could see
once more, in place of the old woman stood a beautiful fairy holding the now well Mangita in
her arms.
She pointed to Larina and said, "I am the poor woman who asked for rice. I
wished to know your hearts. You were cruel and Mangita was kind, so she shall live with me in
my island home in the lake. As for you, because you tried to do evil to your good sister, you
shall sit at the bottom of the lake forever, combing out the seeds you have hidden in your hair."
Then, she clapped her hands and a number of elves appeared and carried the struggling Larina
away.
"Come," said the fairy to Mangita, and she carried her to her beautiful home,
where she lives in peace and happiness.
As for Larina, she sits at the bottom of the lake and combs her hair. As she
combs a seed out, another comes in, and every seed that is combed out becomes a green plant
that floats out of the lake and down the Pasig.
And to this day people can see them, and know that Larina is being punished for her
wickedness.
The Tobacco of Harisaboqued
A legend of the volcano of Canlaon on the island of Negros. It is told generally in Western Negros and
Eastern Cebu. The volcano is still active, and smoke and steam rise from its crater.
Long before the strange men came over the water from Spain, there lived in Negros, on the mountain of
Canlaon, an old man who had great power over all the things in the earth. He was called Harisaboqued,
King of the Mountain.
When he wished anything done he had but to tap the ground three times and instantly a number of
little men would spring from the earth to answer his call. They would obey his slightest wish, but as he
was a kind old man and never told his dwarfs to do anything wrong, the people who lived near were not
afraid. They planted tobacco on the mountain side and were happy and prosperous,
The fields stretched almost to the top of the mountain and the plants grew well, for every night
Harisaboqued would order his dwarfs to attend to them, and though the tobacco was high up it grew
faster and better than that planted in the valley below.
The people were very grateful to the old man and were willing to do anything for him; but he only asked
them not to plant above a line he had ordered his little men to draw around the mountain near the top.
He wished that place for himself and his dwarfs.
All obeyed his wish and no one planted over the line. It was a pretty sight to see the long rows of
tobacco plants extending from the towns below far up to the line on the mountain side.
One day Harisaboqued called the people together and told them that he was going away for a long time.
He asked them again not to plant over the line, and told them that if they disregarded this wish he
would carry all the tobacco away and permit no more to grow on the mountain side until he had smoked
what he had taken. The people promised faithfully to obey him. Then he tapped on the ground, the
earth opened, and he disappeared into the mountain.
Many years passed and Harisaboqued did not come back. All wondered why he did not return and at
last decided that he would never do so. The whole mountain side was covered with tobacco and many
of the people looked with greedy eyes at the bare ground above the line, but as yet they were afraid to
break their promise.
At last one man planted in the forbidden ground, and, as nothing happened, others did the same, until
soon the mountain was entirely covered with the waving plants. The people were very happy and soon
forgot about Harisaboqued and their promise to him.
But one day, while they were laughing and singing, the earth suddenly opened and Harisaboqued sprang
out before them. They were very much frightened and fled in terror down the mountain side. When
they reached the foot and looked back they saw a terrible sight. All the tobacco had disappeared and,
instead of the thousands of plants that they had tended so carefully, nothing but the bare mountain
could be seen.
Then suddenly there was a fearful noise and the whole mountain top flew high in the air, leaving an
immense hole from which poured fire and smoke.
The people fled and did not stop until they were far away. Harisaboqued had kept his word.
Many years have come and gone, but the mountain is bare and the smoke still rolls out of the mountain
top. Villages have sprung up along the sides, but no tobacco is grown on the mountain. The people
remember the tales of the former great crops and turn longing eyes to the heights above them, but they
will have to wait. Harisaboqued is still smoking his tobacco