pre-spanish period literature and mythology of the philippines

ignatius joseph n estroga

Pre-Spanish Period and Mythology

Philippine Literature


• Long before the Spaniards and other foreigners landed or set foot on Philippine shores, our forefathers already had their own literature stamped in the history of our race.


•Our ancient literature shows our customs and traditions in everyday life as traced in our folk stories, old plays and short stories.


•Our ancestors also had their own alphabet which was different from that brought by the Spaniards. The first alphabet used by our ancestor was similar to that of the Malayo-Polynesian alphabet.


•Why certain things existed in their physical environment must have intrigued the ancient Filipinos as it did other early peoples. In their effort to define their world, to account for the realities in it, and to explain their feelings, beliefs, and judgments, they made up interesting narratives.


•These have come down to us in the form of origin myths, legends, fables, tales of the supernatural, and humorous accounts about some trickster, like Pusong or Pilandok, or some bungling character who got by in spite of or because of his lack of wit.


• And there were also metrical accounts of native Filipino gods and their deeds. Songs and verses filled early religious practices: to express devotion, to atone for sins, to minister to the sick, and to bury the dead. • Verses were composed also to pray for abundance and happiness: in the home, on the farm, on the sea, and elsewhere. In like manner, verses aired love for and loyalty to the barangay and its rulers. These were supplemented by accounts of battle (kudanag), songs of victory (tagumpay, talindad), songs of hanging a captured enemy (sambotan, tagulaylay), and songs expressive of manliness. From the people’s social life evolved.


• But whatever records our ancestors left were either burned by the Spanish friars in the belief that they were works of the devil or were written on materials that easily perished, like the barks of trees, dried leaves and bamboo cylinders which could not have remained undestroyed even if efforts were made to preserve them.


•Other records that remained showed folk songs that proved the existence of a native culture truly our own. Some of these were passed on by word of mouth until they reached the hands of some publishers or printers who took interest in printing the manuscripts of the ancient Filipinos.


• Although attempts have been made to compile these folk narratives by such collectors as Fr. Jose Ma. Pavon (Las antiguas leyendas de la isla de Negros) during the Spanish period Fay-Cooper Cole (Traditions of the Tinguian, 1915), Mable Cook Cole (Philippine Folk Tales, 1916), and Dean S. Fansler (Filipino Popular Tales, 1921) during the early part of the American regime, and some Filipino and American antropologists and folklorists in more recent times, many of the theme still remain in the memory of the folk, uncollected and unwritten.


MythologyPhilippine Literature


•Philippine mythology include a collection of tales and superstitions about magical creatures and entities. Many Filipinos, even though heavily Christianized, still believe in these tales. The prevalence of belief in the figures of Filipino mythology is strong in the provinces.


Aswang


•Because the country has many islands and is inhabited by different ethnic groups, Philippine mythology and superstitions are very diverse. However, certain similarities exist among these groups, such as the belief in Heaven (kaluwalhatian, kalangitan, kamurawayan), Hell (impiyerno, kasamaan), and the human soul (kaluluwa).


•Philippine mythology is derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the traditional oral literature of the Filipino people. This refers to a wide range of material due to the ethnic mix of the Philippines. Each unique ethnic group has its own stories and myths to tell.


White Lady


Classifications of Mythology

•1) Myth: an account of the deeds of a god or of a supernatural being; a kind of imaginative precursor of scientific investigation.

- are permanent, they deal with the greatest of all problems – the problems which do not change because men and women do not change. They deal with love (the romantic element), war, sin, tyranny, courage, and faith; all in the same way in relation to man.



2) Legend: a widely-accepted but unverified story of the origin of things, persons or places. Myths and legends deal largely with gods, their deeds, adventures, dealing with supernatural beings and culture heroes with origins and explanation of things and phenomena in the surrounding world.


•3) Folktale: Pure fiction that seems to have no other origin than a desire to amuse and interest.

- bring knowledge and understanding of men’s motives and tolerance that recognizes faith where ignorance would only see superstition. It is especially necessary to have this knowledge now when modern science and invention have brought the world into a closer community of nations.- widely disseminated through all places in the world might bring to reality what we all bring about our world.- The folktales are shaped by the thoughts and the actions, the aspirations and fears of a people. Often the outline of a story and sometimes even the characters are common to several characters (epic and folklore).



•Philippine folklore isn't like the Greek or Roman mythologies, which are long situational epics connected and happened to form cities and lands. Philippine myths are timeless and they are only made up by rural townspeople. Somehow, these countless myths gave birth to Philippine mythical creatures. These are considered fictitious yet rural towns believe in their existence. They also say that only pure and good mortals are able to see these creatures.


Myth Creatures


Why Myths are Studied1) They have had such a deep influence on all great literatures.2) The great writers in the English language have been fascinated by the stories that these ancient people told.


Why Myths are Studied3) We can hardly understand Shakespeare or without being familiar with the myths of Greece and Rome.4) They also provide modern drama with themes and spectacles.5) Mythology is an important link to the past.


Philosophical Bases of Mythology

1) Scriptural Theory, according to which , all stories of myths and legends are derived from the Scriptures, though the real facts and names have been disguised and altered.


Tunkong Langit and Alunsina


Philosophical Bases of Mythology2) Historical Theory, according to which, all the persons mentioned in mythology were once real human beings, and the legends and fabulous traditions relating to them are merely the additions and embellishments of later times.


Philosophical Bases of Mythology3) Allegorical Theory, supposes that the ancient Greek myths were allegorical and symbolical, and contained some moral, religious, or philosophical truth or historical fact, under the form of an allegory, but came in the process of time to be understood literally.


Philosophical Bases of Mythology

4) Physical Theory, according to which the elements of air, fire, and water were originally the objects of religious adoration and the principal deities were personifications of the powers of nature. The transition was easy from a personification of the elements to the notion of supernatural beings presiding over and governing the different objects of nature.


PHILIPPINE FOLKLORE

•A knowledge of a nation’s folklore is a knowledge of the creative workings of the mind of its folk; it is a key to a nation’s values, a path that leads into the heart of its people.


PHILIPPINE FOLKLORE

•Folklore – oral literature of the people usually found among the masses. It includes traditions, customs, fairytales, ballads, songs, accounts of ancient festivals, games, superstitions, beliefs, proverbs, popular sayings, nicknames (e.g., Juan Tamad), nursery rhymes, riddles, and jingles of every sort.


•Literature is expressed in many forms, and are preserved in the memory of local bards and old folks and handed down by word of mouth.•Oral or written literature is one of the means through which people express the inner quality and strength of their culture.


• www.read-legends-and-myths.com• Philippine Myths and Legends by Johnny C. Young

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Johnny_C._Young&action=edit&redlink=1

pre-spanish period literature and mythology of the philippines

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