ACTIVITY 02 Find the major Gods and Goddesses in the Philippines.

Indicate five
sentences description in each God and Goddess with matching Photographs. (5 Gods
and Goddesses will do)

1. Bathala.
Also known as Abba, this highest-ranking deity was described
as “may kapal sa lahat,” or the creator of everything. His origin
is unknown but his name suggests Hindu influences. According
to William Henry Scott, Bathala was derived from the
Sanskrit bhattara which means “noble lord.”
From his abode in the sky called Kawalhatian, this deity looks
over mankind. He’s pleased when his people follow his
rules, giving everything, they need to the point of spoiling
them (hence, the bahala na philosophy). But mind you, this
powerful deity could also be cruel sometimes, sending lightning and thunder to those
who sin against him.
Interesting fact: Other indigenous groups in Luzon also believed in a creator god, but
they didn’t call him Bathala. For instance, the Bontoks and Kankanays of the Central
Cordillera considered Lumawig the “creator of all things and the preserver of life.” This
deity later sired two pretty daughters–Bugan, the goddess of romance; and Obban, the
goddess of reproduction.

2. Dumangan.

Dumangan was the Tagalog sky-God of good harvest, the

husband of Idianale, and father to Dumakulem and Anitun Tabu.

In Zambales culture, Dumangan (or Dumagan) caused the rice

to “yield better grains.” According to F. Landa Jocano, the early
people of Zambales also believed Dumagan had three brothers
who were just as powerful as him.

3. Dumakulem.

Dumakulem was the son of Idianale and Dumangan, and brother of wind

goddess Anitun Tabu. The ancient Tagalogs revered him as the guardian of the
mountains. He is often depicted as a strong and skillful hunter.
 This Tagalog sky-God later tied the knot with another major deity, Anagolay, known as the
goddess of lost things. The marriage produced two children: Apolaki, the sun god, and Dian
Masalanta, the goddess of lovers.

4. Mapulon.
In Tagalog mythology, Mapulon was the god of seasons. F.
Landa Jocano, in the book “Outline of Philippine
Mythology,” described Mapulon as one of the lesser divinities
assisting Bathala.

Not much is known about this deity, aside from the fact that he
married Ikapati/Lakapati, the fertility goddess, and
sired Anagolay, the goddess of lost things.

5. Apolaki.
Arguably the Filipino counterpart of the Roman god
Mars, Apolaki appeared in several ancient myths. The Tagalogs
revered Apolaki as the sun god as well as patron of the
warriors. He shares almost the same qualities with the
Kapampangan sun god of war and death, Aring Sinukuan.

Early people of Pangasinan claimed that Apolaki talked to them. Back

when blackened teeth were considered the standard of beauty,
some of these natives told a friar that a disappointed Apolaki had
scolded them for welcoming “foreigners with white teeth.”

In a book by William Henry Scott, the name of this deity is said to

have originated from apo, which means “lord,” and laki, which
means “male” or “virile.” Jocano’s Outline of Philippine Mythology details
how Apolaki came to be: He was the son of Anagolay and Dumakulem, and also the
brother of Dian Masalanta, the goddess of lovers.

1. Idianale
If Bathala was the boss, the other lesser deities who lived with him in
the sky were his assistants. Each of these lower-ranking gods and
goddesses had specific responsibilities. One of them
was Idianale (Idiyanale or Idianali in other sources), the goddess of labor and
good deeds.

There are varying accounts as to what specific field Idianale was worshiped for.

Historian Gregorio Zaide said that Idianale was the god of agriculture, while other
sources suggest that she was the patron of animal husbandry, a branch of agriculture.

Idianale married Dumangan, the god of good harvest, and later gave birth to two more
Tagalog deities: Dumakulem and Anitun Tabu.

2. Anitun Tabu
Among ancient Tagalogs, Anitun Tabu was known as the “fickle-
minded goddess of the wind and rain.” She’s one of the two
children of Dumangan and Idianale.

In Zambales, this goddess was known as Aniton Tauo, one of the

lesser deities assisting their chief god, Malayari. Legend has it
that Aniton Tauo was once considered superior to other Zambales
deities. She became so full of herself that Malayari reduced her rank
as a punishment.

The Zambales people used to offer her with the best kind
of pinipig or pounded young rice grains during harvest season. Sacrifices that made use
of these ingredients are known as mamiarag in their local dialect.

3. Ikapati/Likapati
Probably one of the most intriguing deities of Philippine
mythology,  Ikapati (or Lakapati) was the Tagalog goddess of fertility. F. Landa
Jocano described her as the “goddess of the cultivated land” and the “benevolent
giver of food and prosperity.”

Some sources describe Lakapati as androgynous, hermaphrodite, and even a

“transgender” God. In William Henry Scott’s “Baranggay,” Lakapati is described
as a major fertility deity represented by a “hermaphrodite image with both male and
female parts.”

4. Dian Masalanta
If the Greeks had Aphrodite, our Tagalog ancestors had Dian Masalanta. The
patron goddess of lovers and childbirth, this deity was the brother of the
sun god Apolaki to parents Anagolay and Dumakulem.

5. Anogolay
Pre-colonial Tagalogs who were hopelessly looking for their missing stuff
prayed to Anagolay, the goddess of lost things. She was the daughter of
two major Tagalog deities–Ikapati and Mapulon.

When she reached the right age, she married the hunter Dumakulem and
gave birth to two more deities: Apolaki and Dian Masalanta, the ancient gods
of sun and lovers, respectively.

Interesting fact: In September of 2014, the Minor Planet Center (MPC), the
international agency responsible for naming minor bodies in the solar
system, officially gave the name (3757) Anagolay to an asteroid first
discovered in 1982 by E. F. Helin at the Palomar Observatory.