11/28/2020 Bakunawa: Tale of a Dragon and the Seven Moons - Owlcation - Education

NOV 25, 2020

Bakunawa: Tale of a Dragon and the Seven

Moons
DARIUS RAZZLE PACIENTE

Darius is a former high school literary and feature writer with a Bachelor of Science degree
in Information and Communications Technology.

The Dragon and the Seven Moons

According to the ancient people of the Philippines, Bathala — a supreme being or god —
created seven moons that illuminated the earth, with one illuminating each of the dark
nights of the week. Every evening was ever so bright and so beautiful because of these
moons. The moons brought joy and happiness to the people of the earth and mesmerized
one particular dragon that wished to have them all.

The Bakunawa, a huge serpent-like dragon that coiled around the earth and ruled the
oceans, first fell in love with the heavenly magnificence of the "seven sisters" such that he
envied the almighty for his creations. And to the people's dismay, the dragon swallowed
the moons one-by-one as he yearned to possess them all. This growing yearning turned
into envy into greed, so as the Bakunawa arose again and again from the waters to
swallow the moons until the towering dragon that horrifyingly arose from the seas
devoured all — but one.

The Bathala became conscious of the sudden disappearances of the moons from the
heavens. And the last remaining was sight of a dismay to the people of Earth. They in turn,
however, learned to arm themselves to protect it from being swallowed by the dragon.
Hence, the dragon not only termed as a "Moon-eater," but as a "Man-eater" as well.

One night, deafening screams, moans, music, and banging of drums coming from the
people of Earth awakened the almighty to witness the Bakunawa swallowing the last
moon, enveloping the whole world in darkness. The people shouted, and they screamed
"Return our Moon!" among other unpleasant words. The dragon hastily retreated to his
caverns in the oceans as the sounds grew louder and louder. And the last moon
illuminated the dark skies once more and the people of earth rejoiced as the dragon
hastily returned to the seas, hiding inside his caves, and waiting for another right moment
to gobble the last remaining moon.

To prevent this from happening again, Bathala planted bamboos that looked like “stains”
on the surface of the moon from afar. The bamboo trees can be seen as dark spots in the
face of the moon.

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11/28/2020 Bakunawa: Tale of a Dragon and the Seven Moons - Owlcation - Education

The dragon never gave up, as he would attempt to swallow the last remaining moon in the
sky from time-to-time. But the people remain on alert if such an incident is to happen
again, ready to create thundering noises for the moon's return, guarding it with their lives.
And as long as the bamboo trees are not killed on the moon, the dragon will never
succeed in his malicious deed.

The literary origins of this story, a culture and folklore with deep roots, about a moon-
eating dragon are mostly traced back to two prolific Filipino writers: Damania Eugenio
and Fernando Buyser.

The Roots of the Mythology

Fernando Buyser was a Filipino Visayan poet, writer, and priest. He compiled Cebuano
traditional oral poetry and old verse forms, which he published in anthologies that were
considered seminal in Cebuano literature. He also wrote over 20 books in various genres,
was one of the early authors who wrote short stories, and initiated the study of Visayan
folklore.

Damiana Eugenio was a Filipina author and professor and was known as the Mother of
Philippine Folklore. Her works are considered valuable resources for those studying in the
Philippines and its various folklore. Her book "Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths" serves
as a compendium that promotes "national and international access to Filipino folklore,"
gathers from written sources rather than collected oral variants, and was intended to
foster interest in the subject matter.

Most of the literary interpretations of the Bakunawa are traced to Eugenio's book of
Philippine folk literature, but this is further documented in Buyser's writings. That is to say,
Eugenio's rewriting of the legend was interpreted and is rooted to Buyser's, with the former
written in English and the latter written in Visayan/Cebuano.

Cultural Impacts and Folklore

Variations
The myth of the Bakunawa and the Seven Moons can be interpreted as a real-life
phenomenon when the moon moves into the Earth's shadow, also known as a lunar
eclipse. While Bathala is deemed as the almighty being in various Filipino folklore, having
many and different names, the dragon, as well as the others similarly depicted in other
folklore, is also believed to be the god of the underworld.

The original legend serves more religious descriptions than those retold over and over
again, but they most likely did not intend to leave the evangelical meanings of the story
throughout various interpretations. Ever since the legend's retelling, people have
expanded the story by giving each of the moons their names by associating them with
various Philippine mythical gods, deities, heroes, and heroines. These mythological
characters also paved the way for epic conflicts. The myth itself also found its way to the
physical and digital world. Various Bakunawa tattoo designs represent love for the
eclipse, misfortune, strength, fortitude, and strong will. The dragon itself is also featured in
various games, online or offline. The myth itself is also featured in different art forms, such
as painting and drawing, as well as names for groups and songs.

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The common assumption is that the belief in Bakunawa is an indigenous legend and has
been a part of ancient astronomy and rituals in the Philippines since people first arrived in
the region.

Though the above folklore is Visayan in nature, there are other variations of it in different
regions of the Philippines, usually depicted and written by Philippine ethnic and
indigenous tribes/groups. And though they also swallow the moon, most of them are not
serpent-like like the Bakunawa. Some examples is that there's a giant dragon-like bird that
swallows the sun and a giant lion with forked tails that's responsible for swallowing sun
and the moon.

Bakunawa is believed to be originally a compound word meaning "bent snake", from Proto-
Western-Malayo-Polynesian ba(ŋ)kuq ("bent," "curved") and sawa ("large snake," "python").
Spelling variants include Vakonawa, Baconaua, or Bakonaua.

Stories of Bakunawa are directly linked to the Hindu demigod Rahu, from India’s Vedic
period and was brought to Southeast Asia through trade and the expansion of the
Indianized Kingdoms around 200 BCE.

And though these stories can be rewritten in a creative and literary aspect, there are some
risks in retelling myths. It's always a must to remember that the original publishing is a
representation of the people’s beliefs at the time of documentation.

References
1. Fernando A. Buyser, Mga Sugilanong Karaan (Sugbo, 1913), pp. 13-14.

2. Fernando A. Buyser, Mga Sugilanong Pilinhon, Philippine Church Printing (1926)

3. Damiana Eugenio, Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths, UP Press (2001)

4. https://www.aswangproject.com/bakunawa/

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant
to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2020 Darius Razzle Paciente

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