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Philippine Epic Stories

Introduction

Centuries before the first Spanish ship set sail on Philippine shores, the country was
already steeped in cultural traditions, folklore, myths and epic stories. Usually in the
form of poetry, these pre-colonial Philippine epic stories were tales of adventure, love,
heroism, magic and origin passed on through story-telling.
Early Spanish records from historians like Antonio Pigafetta record the existence of the
incredibly imaginative, vivid and colorful stories from the natives. In fact, it is said that
when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in Philippine shores in 1565, the natives
performed a dramatic play for him.
These Philippine epic stories, which were usually named after the hero of the story,
were usually performed on special occasions and events like feasts or rituals. They
were usually about the life of a native hero, his relationship with the native gods, battles
and victories, feats of bravery and adventures.
A lot of people think that the arrival of the Spaniards and their successful propagation of
their faith and culture erased all traces of the epic stories that told so much of pre-
colonial culture, beliefs and traditions of the Filipinos. In fact, the common story is that
the Spaniards destroyed all old records of the natives in an effort to fully colonize them.
Fortunately, however, this is not fully true. Though perhaps the colonizers did destroy
some of the records of the natives upon their arrival, we still have records of Philippine
epic stories to give us a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors and how they lived.
Examples of Philippine Epic Stories
Bicol Epic Poetry: The Ibalon – An origin tale, the Ibalon tries to explain how man
came to be. Much like the story of Adam and Eve; it follows the tale of the first man and
woman in the regions Aslon and Ibalon (now Camarines, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and
Albay).
It also narrates the adventures of the heroes of Ibalon and how they fought against
monsters before establishing their own village and learning to farm. The Ibalon also has
an account reminiscent of the flood story, where rains poured for days and almost
destroyed the whole land.
Visayan Epic Poetry: The Maragtas Chronicles of Panay – This epic attempts to
explain the origins of the Filipinos and tells the story of 10 Datus or chieftains from
Borneo that sail across the oceans to escape the cruel reign of the Sultan Makatunaw.
Upon arrival on Panay islands, the datus meet a tribe of natives called the Aetas. The
Aetas eventually sell a piece of their land to the datus and they live side by side in
harmony.
Old rules of conduct are also sometimes told in epic poetry form. The Haraya, also from
the Visayas, is a collection of moral conduct stories told in the form of heroic tales.
Mindanao Epic Poetry – Epic stories from Mindanao were only very recently put into
writing. Known locally as “Darangan”, these poems are very much like Greek
mythology. The Darangan tells the romantic adventures of noble warriors from
Mindanao. A lot of the stories focus on one warrior-prince, Bantugan, who owned magic
shield and was protected by divine spirits.
A lot of the stories revolved around war and love, much like Homer’s Trojan War. But
what makes the Darangan extra special is that it is sung, instead of just said, in twenty-
five beautiful chapters.
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Igorot Epic Poetry: Aliguyon – The Aliguyon follows the life of the hero after which the
story is named, who is gifted with great powers (he can travel to far places without
resting or eating and has never been beaten in a battle). He embarks on a series of
fights with his arch-rival, Pumbakhayon, the only warrior with skills that match his.
The duel lasts 3 years without anyone winning. So, in order to end things, Aliguyon
decides to marry Pumbakhayon’s sister, thus unifying their tribes.
Ilokano Epic Poetry: Biag ni Lam-ang – This tale follows the unusual life of a boy who
could talk and right after he was born. At nine months old, he embarked on a journey to
avenge his father’s death, accompanied by his pets, a rooster and a dog. In one of his
adventures, he is eaten by a sea monster but comes back to life.
He then goes on a quest to win the heart of the famed beauty, Ines Kannoyan. When he
arrives, Ines’ house is filled with suitors. But with the help of his pet rooster who knocks
the whole house down and builds it up again with a flap of his wings, he eventually wins
her heart.
The Bagobo tribe has an epic hero named Tuwaang (Tatuwang) Tuwaang was a brave
and strong warrior with various powers. In one story, he rode a lightning to the land of
Pinanggayungan and later, met the maiden of the Buhong Sky who was running
awayfrom the young man of Pangumanon: A giant with great vigor. Tuwaang and the
giant fought but it was an even match. So the giant used his magical powers and threw
a flaming bar at the hero. Entwining itself at Tuwaang, our hero escaped this or dead
and used his own magical ability to call the wind to fan the flames and let the giant be
engulfed by the flames.
Ifugao epic story, the Hud-Hud is about the life and heroism of the native Ifugao. The
most prominent andwell admired native Ifugao is Aliguyon of the Gohandan tribe.
Aliguyon possessed strange power and strength. He had the ability to travel to far away
places without the need to rest, eat or sleep. He could also arrive in a place, after a long
journey without feeling tired.
The Ullalim is the epic of the Kalinga of northern Luzon. Recorded and published by Fr.
Lambrecht CICM and Fr. Billiet CICM, it is actually a series of ballads recounting the
fantastic deeds of the Kalinga heroes such as the lovers Banna and Laggunawa.
Among the northern Kalinga, these narratives are called gassumbi; the hero is Gawan.
Among the western Kalinga, they are called dangdang-ay; the hero is Magliya or Cono.
In one song, “The Heroic Exploits of Banna,” Laggunawa sends her lovers Banna and
Dungdunan on a kayaw (headhunt). While Banna slays the inhabitants of Bibbila, a
giant, and a powerful warrior, his rival idles, thinking that Banna will not succeed. Banna
wins Laggunawa’s hand, but Dungdungan marries Banna’s sister.
Handiong is considered by the Bicol to be their epic. Fragments of the Handiong were
first transcribed and translated into Spanish by Fr. Bernardino de Melendreras. Later,
Fr. Jose Castaño included these fragments in his book on the Bicol. The epic was later
translated into Dutch by Hendrik Kern, from which came the English translation made by
A.V.H. Hartendorp and H. Otley Beyer in 1920. Attempts to translate it back into the
original Bicol were done by Jose Calleja-Reyes and Merito B. Espinas. The epic
recounts how Handiong kills different monsters, including a monocular beast, a winged
tiburon (shark), a wild buffalo, huge crocodiles, and snakes. It also celebrates
Handiong’s domestic contributions, such as the invention of the plow and harrow.
The Gaddang of Cagayan have the epic of Biwag and Malana, the leading mythic
figures in their ancient tales. They are the children of the earth god Bunag and the sea
god Limat, respectively. Their mothers are Beling and Casta, daughters of the queen of
Sumatra. The two princesses and their sons are banished from Sumatra. Landing in
Aparri, they are adopted by the Gaddang. Biwag and Malana later prove themselves
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heroes when they lead the Gaddang to victory against the Ilongot, the tribe’s traditional
enemy, known to be a fierce head-hunting group.

Philippine Literature in the Spanish Colonial

Period

The Spanish colonizers wanted to undermine the native oral tradition by substituting for
it the story of the Passion of Christ. However, the native tradition survived and even
flourished in areas inaccessible to the Spaniards. Also, the Spaniards were late in
instituting a public educational system, which contributed to the survival of the existing
folk literature.

The church authorities adopted a policy of spreading the Church doctrines by

communicating to the natives in their own language. Doctrina Christiana (1593), the first
book to be printed in the Philippines, was a prayerbook written in Spanish with an
accompanying Tagalog translation.

The task of translating religious instructional materials forced the Spanish missionaries
to employ natives as translators. Eventually, these natives learned to read and write
both in Spanish and in their native tongue. These bilingual natives were called
the Ladinos. They published their works, mainly devotional poetry, in the first decade of
the 17th century. The most gifted among the Ladinos was Gaspar Aquino de Belen who
wrote Mahal na Pasion ni Jesu Christo, a Tagalog poem based on Christ's passion, was
published in 1704.

Until the 19th century, the printing presses were owned and managed by the religious
orders. Thus, religious themes dominated the literature of the time.

In the 18th century, secular literature from Spain in the form of medieval ballads inspired
the native poetic-drama form called the komedya, later to be called moro-moro because
these often dealt with the theme of Christians triumphing over Moslems.

Fransisco Baltazar (1788-1862), popularly called Balagtas, is the acknowledged master

of traditional Tagalog poetry. His narrative poem, "Florante at Laura," written in sublime
Tagalog, is about tyranny in Albanya, but it is also perceived to be about the tyranny in
his Filipino homeland.

Printing overtook the oral tradition, and it set for the development of prose. The first
Filipino novel was "Ninay," written in Spanish by Pedro Paterno.

National hero, Jose Rizal (1861-1896) chose the realistic novel as his medium. Rizal's
two novels, "Noli Me Tangere" and its sequel, "El Filibusterismo," chronicle the life and
ultimate death of Ibarra, a Filipino educated abroad, who attempts to reform his country
through education.

Inspired by Rizal and his two novels were Andres Bonifacio (1863-1897) and his closest
aide, Emilio Jacinto (1875-1899). Both were writers and social critics who were
profoundly influenced by the liberal ideas of the French enlightenment.

The Philippne revolutionary period also had its share of women writers. Gregoria de
Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio, wrote notable Tagalog poetry. In Vigan of the Ilocano
North, Leona Florentino, by her poetry, became the foremost Ilocano writer of her time.
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- According to Mariñas (1974) Philippine Literature in Spanish can be divided into
5 stages of development namely:
1. Works of Spanish Religious About the Philippines (1593–1800)
2. Formative Stage (1800–1900)
3. Nationalist Stage (1883–1903)
4. The Golden Age (1903–1966)
5. Modern Works (1966–present)

SPANISH INFLUENCES ON THE PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

1. ALIBATA
2. Christian Doctrine
3. Spanish language became the literary language this time
4. European legends and traditions
5. Ancient literature was collected and translated to Tagalog
6. Grammar books were printed in Filipino
7. Religious tone

THE FIRST BOOKS

1.Ang Doctrina Cristiana (The Christian Doctrine)
2.Nuestra Senora del Rosario
3.Libro de los Cuatro Postprimeras de Hombre
4.Ang Barlaan at Josephat
5.The Pasion
6.Urbana at Felisa
7.Ang mga Dalit kay Maria (Psalms for Mary)

LITERARY COMPOSITIONS
1. Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala (Art and Rules of the Tagalog language)
2. Compendio de la Lengua Tagala (Understanding the Tagalog language)
3. Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (Tagalog vocabulary)
4. Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga (Pampango vocabulary)
5. Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya (Bisayan vocabulary)
6. Arte de la Lengua Ilokana (The Art of the Ilocano language)
7. Arte de la Lengua Bicolana (The Art of the Bicol Language)

FOLK SONGS
• Leron-Leron Sinta (Tagalog)
• Pamulinawen (Iloko)
• Dandansoy (Bisaya)
• Sarong Banggi (Bicol)
• Atin Cu Pung Singsing (Kapampangan)

RECREATIONAL PLAYS
CENAKULO- Dramatic performance of the passion and death of Christ
ZARZUELA- The father of drama, a musical comedy or melodrama three acts which
death with men’s passion and emotions like love, hate, revenge, cruelty , avarice or
some political problem.
THE MORO-MORO- Like the Cenaculo, the Moro-Moro is presented also on a special
stage. This is performed during town fiestas to entertain the people and to remind them
of their Christian religion.
DUPLO- The Duplo replaced the Karagatan. This is a poetic joust in speaking and
reasoning.
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THE BALAGTASAN- This is a poetic joust or a contest of skills in debate on a particular
topic or issue.
AWIT- • is in dodecasyllabic verse. • are fabricated stories from writers’ imagination
although the setting and characters are European. • refers to chanting. Example:
Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas
CORRIDO- • is in octosyllabic verse. • were usually on legends or stories from
European countries like France, Spain, Italy and Greece. • refers to narration. Example:
Ibong Adarna by Jose de la Cruz

Philippine literature in Spanish includes poetry, short stories, novels, essay, and
epilogues,.