Pre-colonial Period

Objectives

 Describe the ancient
Philippine literature
 Identify literary form
during the pre-Spanish
colonialism.
 Understand myths and
Philippine Mythology
 Know the different
influences of Philippine
myths.
 Appreciate the nature of
Philippine myths
Map of Ancient
Southeast Asia

The map is an
interpretation of the
ancient Southeast
Asia by an artist.
Meaning, this image
is representative of
the people’s
understanding of
Southeast Asia.
 Ancient Philippine Literature

 A literature of a formative past
possessed by the various groups
of people who once inhabited the
Archipelago.
 A literature of varying human
interest..
 A literature which language was
describe through its ancient
Philippine script known as Badlit
in Visayan or Baybayin in Tagalog.
 Stories, and verses were
addressed to the ears rather than
the eyes.
Badlit
 It is an Ancient pre-Filipino writing system, it's member

of the Brahmic family and closely related to other
writing system in Southeast Asia.
 It is an Abugida or an alpha-syllabary writing system,
like most writing system used in Southeast Asia, where
any consonants is pronounced with a vowel and using a
diacritical marks to express other vowels.
 It is written from left to right and requires no spaces
between words, space is use only after end of a
sentence or punctuation,
 

Philippine Mythology
It is the body of myths, tales,
and superstitious held by
Filipinos, mostly originating
from beliefs held during the pre-
Hispanic era.
 Creation
Myths


Myths
Mythological
Creatures

Heroic
Narratives
Mythology
Folklore Folk Tales

Legends
 Understanding Myths

 A story that is usually of unknown origin and at least
partially traditional that ostensibly relates historical
events usually of such description as to serve to explain
some particular event, institution, or natural
phenomenon. (Webster definition)
Theoretical Understanding of
Myths

• The rational myth theory • According to structural
states that myths were
made to better
understand natural
events and forces that
occurred in the everyday
lives of people.
• myths represent an early
form of logical thinking:
they all, have a logical
base.
theory, a myth is the
sum of all stories of a
particular type within a
cultural system;
furthermore the
meaning and
interpretation of the
myth is only clear when
one views how it relates
to the other myths in
the same system.
• Functional theory • Freudian Psychology
postulates that myths were postulates that myths
used to teach morality and are based on human

justify social norms and

social behaviour and/or to emotion and that they
come from the human
institutions. subconscious mind.
• this theory draws attention • Myths reflect strong
to the function that a story fears and desires that
or myth serves within a are taboo.
society.
• Jungian psychology believed that myths and dreams were
expressions of the collective unconscious, in that they
express core ideas that are part of the human species as
a whole.
• myths express wisdom that has been encoded in all
humans, perhaps by means of evolution or through some
spiritual process.
 Philippine Myths

 A myth is "a sacred narrative explaining how
the world and man came to be in their present
form" .
The countless myths circulating throughout the
Filipino countryside contain a large variety of
mythical creatures.
It also includes narratives of tribal heroes and
their adventure.
Philippine Mythological
Influences

 Animism
 the belief in innumerable spiritual beings

concerned with human affairs and capable of
helping or harming human interests.
 Negritos in the Philippines believes in no gods
and goddesses, but a series of spirits, called
Talunanon which they placate to ensure an
easy existence.
 Animism evolved through time into believing
ancestor worship and deities who can be
communicated through lower spirits.
 Indian Influences

 According to Dr. Pardo de Tavera ,Indians came to the
region and settled. This brought the influence of India
from trade and settlers.
Some of Indian influences

Bathahala was apparently derived from Sanskrit

“bhattara” (noble lord) or “batara” in the
southern Philippines and Borneo.
Diwata From Indian beliefs of Devata beings.
Tikbalang Its image is from the indian god Hayagriva.

The 7 layered worlds Based from Hindu Purunas’ 17 layered

universe.
 Chinese Influence

 Chinese folklore
features a rich
variety of ghosts,
monsters, and other
supernatural
creatures.
 Muslim Influence

 The Moro’s belief in “bagih” (destiny determined only by
Allah), made them formidable opponents in battle.


END