Lesson 3: Philippine Folk Literature ENG S211

Philippine Folk Literature

From our previous lessons, we have already mentioned that literature came from the word ‘Littera’ or
‘Litteratura’ which means writing formed with letters. We have defined literature as something mainly
written, although in some cases, some of its genres are performed such as poetry, especially its kind that
has become recently popular--the spoken word poetry, and drama, which is performed on stage or on any
platform, witnessed by an audience.
However, just as how most of the things in the world have begun, literature, even before it was
defined and labeled as the kind in which we know it today, has already been existing. Earlier forms of
literature include texts produced from the early civilizations. People in the ancient times also have what
we labeled as ‘oral literature’ which is also interchangeable with the term ‘folklore’ at times, though some
literary scholars argue that ‘oral literature’ or ‘orature’ is much of a broader term. But basically, from the
term itself, you get to figure out what it is--it’s a type of literature that was spoken and was passed on
through word of mouth. It was just later on when people thought there was a need to preserve these
stories that they wrote it down on pieces of paper and save it for the next generations to read.
Ever heard of the story ‘Ang Pagong at ang Matsing?’ Yup, that’s one of the classic examples
and yup, the brief history I just mentioned is the reason why we have variations of this story.
Folklore refers to a collection of fictional stories about animals and people, of cultural myths,
jokes, songs, tales, and even quotes. These, again, were originally passed from one generation to another
through oral tradition. If I’m not mistaken, earlier civilizations have a bard or a group of people who tell
stories in front of an audience for the sake of entertainment. The thing about folklore also is that it’s
deeply embedded with the culture of the people where the stories originated, although most of the folklore
that we know now are those which have a universal tone to it, meaning it’s applicable not only in one
culture but to others as well. These stories were also those that our ancestors used in order to somehow
make sense of how the world works. These are stories that for them explained how things come to order.
For example, explanations about why there is day and night or an explanation as to why and how a
specific fruit existed. Or sometimes, a set of beliefs and values.
These stories, sometimes, might not make sense to us in this time and age, but these were very
relevant to make us understand also a portion of our ancestors’ world before and how it worked.
Generally, folklore could be categorized into four: folktales, fables, legends, and myths. There are
fine thin lines to distinguish one from another. Other cultures might not also conform as to how these four
are generally described. A quick differentiation though is that myths refer to stories about gods and
goddesses, who despite having supernatural abilities somehow reflect human emotions as well. Stories
ENG S211: 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
MLCGR
So Lit: Podcast for Literature
Lesson 3: Philippine Folk Literature ENG S211

from the Greek and Roman mythology are great examples of these timeless tales. Legends, on the other
hand, talk about people who could've probably existed in history but whose stories were also exaggerated
to make them look like "heroes." An example of a legend is Robin Hood's story as well as the legend of
King Arthur. Fables are stories that star animals as their main characters. But these animals embody
human attributes and characteristics and their stories often tell morals which are usually reiterated and
summarized at the end of the story. Lastly, folktales are stories about the usual and everyday life of the
people during the earlier times, though from time to time, if you have read it, you'd notice the existence of
magic and the supernatural in the narratives, only because that was how people perceived life before.
They believed in magic and the supernaturals and practiced rituals and ceremonies. Fairytales are a
subcategory, but take note that most of the popular fairytales that we know today were somehow
modernized and changed to appeal to one's liking. Also, fairytales that have authors aren't considered as
folk literature basically because it's not a work originally produced the ancient time.
However, just like what I have mentioned, aside from these four general categories, there are still
other subcategories of folk literature, and not all cultures have the same definition and take about these
categories I have just mentioned.
The Philippines, for example, is rich with folk literature, a proof that the country has its identity
already even before Spain came to conquer it. According to the literature textbook written by Solmerano,
Ondevilla, Palencia, Jerusalem, and Cruz (2017), “Pre-colonial inhabitants of our islands showcase a rich
past through their folk speeches, folk songs, folk narratives, and indigenous rituals and mimetic dances.”
In her book about the Philippine folk literature, University of the Philippines professor, Damiana
Eugenio classified Philippine folk literature into three: Folk narratives, folk speech, and folk songs.
Folk narratives could either be in prose or in poetry. Those which take the prosaic form are
myths, alamat (legends), and kwentong bayan (folktales). Take note that in the Philippine setting, myths
and folktales are similar to how it was described a while ago. Myths are stories about gods and goddesses.
They are stories that usually tell about the creation of things-- the world, people, culture, animals, etc. The
thing also with myths is that these stories were believed to be true and recognized by the people as part of
their religious beliefs before. Kwentong bayan or folktale refers to the stories of people’s everyday lives
at that time. However, legends are taken differently in the Philippine setting. Ever heard of “Ang Alamat
ng Pinya?” or “Ang Alamat ni Maria Makiling?” What about “Ang Alamat ng Pasig?”
If you’re quite familiar with these stories, you might take notice that these narratives do not
always talk about people who had heroic deeds. Usually, these stories are explanations of how things
came to be--an explanation of their existence. For example, “Ang Alamat ng Pinya” talks about the
spoiled Pinang who was so loved by her mom that she got a little too lazy. One day, Pinang’s mom got
sick but Pinang-- the oh so lazy little girl--did not bother to take care of her mom, much more follow her
ENG S211: 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
MLCGR
So Lit: Podcast for Literature
Lesson 3: Philippine Folk Literature ENG S211

orders. Because of that, her mom cursed, wishing Pinang to have many eyes so she could easily see the
things her mom ordered her to look for. Unfortunately, even without her mom really desiring for her little
girl to have many eyes, Pinang suddenly turned into then an unknown fruit shaped as if a head with dots
embedded at it, looking as if they’re eyes. And that--the folks say, is the origin of Pineapple.
Legends, or alamat, in the Philippine setting talk about the origins of things. You might ask:
What’s the difference then between legend and myths? Myths, again, are stories involving gods believed
and worshipped by the earlier Filipinos before, whereas alamat or legends are those stories that somehow
have historic validity that made it seem to be more “truthful” to the locals.
Folk epic, on the other hand, is a type of folk narrative written in verse. These are stories that
involve a “hero” whose deeds are larger than life. One of the best examples of a folk epic is the Ilocano
epic called “Biag ni Lam-ang” which celebrates Lam-ang’s expedition in looking for his father who was
killed by the Igorots of the Cordillera Mountains.
Another classification of Philippine folk literature is folk speech which has two kinds-- Bugtong
(riddles) and Salawikain (proverbs). Riddles, as defined by Oxford Dictionary is “a question or statement
intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented
as a game.” Now this word game wasn’t just created for fun but it was originally an ancient verbal,
poetic, or literary form that expresses a hidden meaning. It is metaphorical in nature as it subtly reveals
similarities of seemingly two unlike objects. Proverbs, or salawikain, “expresses norms or codes of
behavior, community beliefs, or they instill values by offering nuggets of wisdom in short, rhyming
verse” (Solmerano, Ondevilla, Palencia, Jerusalem, Cruz, 2017).
Lastly, we have folk songs as another classification of Philippine folklore. A folk song is usually
written in verse, a form of lyric poetry that people’s hopes and aspirations, even their lifestyles. These
could be lullabies or harana--songs used for courtship. There are also folksongs about drinking, for
livelihood, wakes, etc. (Solmerano, Ondevilla, Palencia, Jerusalem, Cruz, 2017).
The Philippines is indeed rich in folk literature that there’s still so much more to read and
explore. Ever wondered who were the deities believed by our ancestors before? What are their powers?
What can they do? Or are you curious as to where the name of your place probably originated? The
answer’s now within reach. With just a click of your hand using the internet, you can now explore
numbers of Philippine folk literature.

ENG S211: 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
MLCGR
So Lit: Podcast for Literature
Lesson 3: Philippine Folk Literature ENG S211

References:

About : What is Oral Literature? (2011, November 11). From University of Cambridge:
http://www.oralliterature.org/about/oralliterature.html
Ang Alamat ng Pinya. (2017). From Buklat: https://buklat.blogspot.com/2017/10/ang-alamat-ng-
pinya_20.html
Rice, D, & Peralta, J. (n.d.). Biag ni Lam-Ang Epic. From https://www.unesco-
ichcap.org/eng/ek/sub3/pdf_file/domain1/001_Biag_ni_Lam-ang_Epic.pdf

Solmerano, E., Ondevilla, M., Palencia, M., Jerusalem, V., & Cruz, J. (2017). 21st century
literature from the Philippines and the world (2nd ed.). Manila: Fastbooks Educational
Supply, Inc.

ENG S211: 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
MLCGR
So Lit: Podcast for Literature