Group One

(Leader: Rivera | Acuna, Angeles, Duque, Enriquez, Lugut, Macabulos, Sanchez)

I. Answer the following exhaustively!

A. Identify: Who is each entity? (10 points)

a. Lihangin - is a popular diwata for the ancient Visayans as the king of the winds, and the
husband of Lidagat in their stories. Lihangin was the only son of Makaptan, the god of the sky,
created from his breath and was given control over the winds that move his Sky Kingdom.

b. Lidagat -The ancient Visayans thought of Lidagat as the only daughter of Magwayen, the
ruler of the seas, and when she was born, her mother gave her the powers over the watery
domain. She is often pictured as a beautiful woman of the seas, some pictured her as having a
body made of water, waves for hair and fish and merfolk for company, while others thought of
her sharing the same appearance as the merfolk or a mermaid. She is widely venerated in
ancient times as the goddess of sea life and therefore, the goddess of fishermen as well.

c. Licalibutan - was the eldest child of Lihangin and Lidagat. He was described as a god who
had a large body made of rock and has a very aggressive attitude. His brothers Liadlaw and
Libulan always looked up to him and they were ready to follow his every command. He was also
Lihangin’s favorite son and was spoiled very much by him.

d. Liadlao/ Liadlaw - (god of the sun) was always happy and was covered with gold Liadlao,
the grandson of the celestial entities Magwayen and Makaptan, possessed a remarkable
resemblance to various sun gods depicted throughout different cultures. Like these deities, he
embodied the pinnacle of male perfection, exuding strength and handsomeness in his late
twenties to early thirties. Yet, what set him apart were his unique attributes: a body of golden
hue and the status of a second son. As the middle child, Liadlao grappled with the conflicting
influences of his elder brother Licalibutan, and his younger sibling Libulan. This internal struggle
often clouded his judgment, rendering him both brilliant and lacking in wisdom. Moreover, his
susceptibility to the allure of female spirits and other deities further complicated matters, making
it all the more challenging for Libulan to guide him towards a focused path.

e. Libulan - (Moon Deity) Libulan stood out among his brothers as the most delicate and
idiosyncratic. Unlike his muscular siblings, Likabutan and Liadlaw, Libulan possessed a slender
and graceful physique, drawing him closer to their sister, Lisuga. Though shy and reserved,
Libulan's enigmatic nature was reflected in the depiction of the moon's phases, as he preferred
not to reveal his complete radiance for extended periods. Libulan's influence extends to the
cross-dressing babaylan men of the community, who engage in traditionally feminine tasks such
as cooking, sewing, and housekeeping, deemed unconventional during those times. These
individuals form an esteemed and segregated class, akin to later eras' celibate priests and
chaste nuns. Respecting their autonomy, they are not compelled to marry and are permitted to
attire themselves in women's garments while carrying out domestic chores. Renowned for their
proficiency in magic, particularly in healing and prophecy, these individuals pay homage to
Libulan. The Philippine sea turtle, known as the pawikan, holds a sacred place in Libulan's
realm, owing to a tale of a water spirit who assumed the form of a sea turtle to nurture and
protect him after his fall from Lihangin's embrace. Feathers and exquisitely woven garments
serve as favored offerings to honor this revered deity.

B. Short Answers: (10 points)

1. Which of Lihangit and Lidagat’s children plotted against Captan?

Based on Visayan Divinities, a Philippine Mythology, Licalibutan, the eldest son of

Lihangin and Lidagat was a victim of his own selfishness that led him to plan a surprise assault
on heaven to take over from his grandfather, Captan. Further, his two brothers namely, Liadlaw
and Libutan were just too scared to back out, thus, they went together to heaven to follow their
brother's plan. In line with this, we can consider Licalibutan as the one who originally
plotted against their grandfather as he was the one who had intentions to gain control
from Captan. His two brothers, on the other hand, come after out of fear.

2. In the beginning, there was the sky and the sea. What was always missing?

Upon reading the Philippine Mythology, the sky and sea were always mentioned as the
beginning or the starting point of the universe. One thing that is always missing in the origination
is the earth. Philippine Mythology just mentioned how the land formed, but there was no definite
explanation for several things related to earth. And if we were to compare it in Greek Mythology,
earth was often mentioned as one of the beginnings of everything.

3. Which dialect spoke of a spinster woman, and what items became the moon and the
stars?
In the Tagalog myth, the spinster woman is referred to as "Mayari." She is said to be the
one who holds the moon, while her two siblings, Tala and Hanan, became the stars.

C. Compare and Contrast: (15 points)

In some mythology, gods have murderous tempers. Captan is one of them. Find another
king of the gods from a different mythology and compare and/or contrast this other god
with Captan. Minimum 200 words

Mythologies observe distinctive and similar features that are occurring over time in
different stories. Greek mythology served as one of the foundations where other mythologies
and beliefs were based on. In Greek mythology, certain gods and goddesses inhabit
characteristics and attributes that can be found in other gods of mythologies due to their
influence in literature over the years.
 Greek mythology consists of 3 Gods; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. As the God of Sky and
King of Gods, Zeus is one of the major pinnacle of Olympus. He serves as an iconic figure,
influencing many movies and literature such as Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning
Thief (2010), Clash of the Titans (2010) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Zeus is famous for
affairs with women, as well as being impulsive, hot-tempered and to sentencing punishments for
those who trouble him, setting a strong, bold masculine figure of a God.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, mythologies and folklores vary among the many
indigenous tribes. The three major islands; Luzon, Vizayas and Mindanao consist of many
deities, creation stories, mythical creatures and beliefs. In Vizayas, Captan is known to ancient
Visayans as the Sky God, he was highly venerated and known by ancient Visayans, especially
those who live in the South Central Visayas on the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Siland,
Samar, Leyte and in Panay he was regarded as the king of all the gods, which puts him on par
with Kan-Laon, the supreme deity of the Negrenses. Kaptan is pictured as a strong, capable,
middle-aged man, proud and protective of his domain like a proud datu. He is also impulsive
and easily angered or displeased, especially with deities or people worshiping other gods or
heroes before him, and his favorite weapon of punishment is his devastating lightning bolts.
Both being leaders of the leaders, Zeus and Captan possess similar attributes, characteristics
and qualities. Holding the same power of lightning bolts, both of them reigning as supreme and
influential characters in the mythologies.

D. So that’s How It Is...: (15 points each)

1. Knowing what you know about the many different dialects, write your own myth of how these
people came to speak so differently from each other. Minimum 200 words.(Next page)
2. knowing what you know about the Philippines making up 7,000 islands, write your own myth
of how the land was formed. Minimum 200 words. (Next page)
 Nubu'at Ibrahim (The Prophecy of Ibrahim)
The myth of different dialects

Once resided by the demi-gods, the Jabal Mathmūmah was the beacon of hope for the
mortals since time immemorial. Destruction after destruction, the pale mountain became the
greener side for these people, thus commencing the birth of society, language, and unison. Led
by the family of demi-gods, patriarch Ibrahim and his wife Harnez ruled Mathmūmah with dignity
and commitment, with their purpose of service to the mortals who treated them as their salvation
and faith. Because of their passion for being pathmakers, Allah granted the couple the blessing
of a lifetime through Harnez’s birth of 7 children, namely; Lungha (M), Malik (M), Arwa (W),
Kifah (W), Fez (W), Fajido (M), and Salma. The couple couldn’t be more thankful to Allah that
they celebrated the birth of their seven children at the eastern point of the mountain, to
symbolize the welcoming of sunrise. With the mortals, they had a seven-day feast, all in
commemoration of the seven children and the prosperity of the small community. With all this,
as time went by, Ibrahim got an incurable disease, preventing him from interacting with his
family with no chance of survival, despite
the greatest doctors and witches in the mountains. Soon after, Ibrahim met his end, his
deathbed left Harnez a note with all his testaments and will for the family and the people.

After the passing of the demi-god patriarch, Harnez was left with her sons and
daughters, who started arguing about who would succeed in their father’s throne. Malik, the
second eldest child, believed it was his calling and was deserving of the position, Lungha was
nothing but disapproving of the statement and assumed it was he who should be the successor.
The following siblings did the same thing, resulting in weeks of arguing.

Malik, who made sure that he’d possess the throne no matter what- climbed the highest
point of Jabal Mathmūmah, went up his father’s grave, and with the incantation that he secretly
learned from one of the witches outside the community, as the darkest moon lit up the dark
cemetery, he extracted his father’s powers in order to dominate his siblings. Unknowingly,
Lungha and Kifah were able to follow him, thus, creating chaos within the dark magic as it
scatters above the sky, creating an eclipse and alerting the rest of the siblings and arrive at the
scene. Ibrahim’s astral form arose, facing the siblings. It was there that he revealed the
prophecy;

No one was ever meant to be his successor, it was left in his note that one of his children
would attempt to extract his powers in order to fulfill his own desire, knowing that this may lead
to the death of his children, he settled with the alternative in letting his children lead different
areas in the world. Ibrahim made sure that they won’t be bothering one another anymore for he
manipulated their vocal chords differently, preventing them from speaking the same language.
Ibrahim also provided each demi-god their first man and woman with whom they could teach
their own words and lead them into multiplicity. The minority of the siblings did not agree to this,
however, it was not their decision to make. Knowing that Harnez has the ability to unify them
once more, Ibrahim took her with him and offered her to serve Allah wholeheartedly at Jannah
(promised paradise).

Left with nothing else, the seven siblings separated and started their respective
communities around the world. As their first man and woman multiplied, more dialects and
languages emerged from these sub-communities. It is believed that the day will come when the
demi-gods will admit to their mistake to Harnez and Ibrahim and all will go back to how it was
back at Jabal Mathmūmah.
 The Origin of Philippine Archipelago
The myth of the 7,000 islands

There was only a great sky and great water called the sea in the beginning, each had its
ruler: the Sky was ruled by the powerful god Kalus, and the Sea was ruled by the goddess
Agwa. Kalus is described as powerful yet greedy, on the other hand, Agwa is described as
spectacular because of her shining beauty. One day, as Kalus was looking below his
possessions, he saw how the sea's hue was similar to his color, he thought that the sea kept
copying his tint. He cannot let this slide without doing anything as he wants his pigment to be
unique among everything. He, then, came down furious from his throne to confront Agwa with
his plan to demolish the sea's sovereignty and take over all the power.

As he went down, the sea waves went unruly, sensing the aura of fury led by Kalus. The
ruler of the sea was disturbed and coerced to come out from her royal seat, and a glimmering
incredible goddess arose. Kalus was astounded by Agwa's great beauty, and he failed to recall
his original intentions and why he arrived to approach Agwa. When both eyes of the God and
Goddess collided, Agwa suddenly felt a tickling feeling in her, that made her realize that she
was struck by the powerful aura of Kalus. The feelings are mutual between the two rulers, but
Agwa comes back to her senses, he asks Kalus what his intention is for why he was at the sea
but the God begins to walk away and go up again to his kingdom which is the sky. On the other
side, Agwa was left hanging there without any answers received from Kalus.

Another day passed, and Kalus came back to the sea but with a calm and nice character.
As he passes by the waves, it begins to swish gradually and calmly. Further, Goddess Agwa is
exactly outside her kingdom as she talks to different animals in the seas, because of this, the
eyes of the two rulers meet again and Agwa once more feels the feeling she perceives when
she and Kalus first meet. Kalus didn't waste any more time and immediately approached Agwa
to ask for forgiveness because he left Agwa for no reason at all when they last met. Along with
asking for forgiveness, Kalus also mentioned his feelings for Agwa, he expressed his true love
for Agwa. Many years have passed since Kalus confessed to Agwa about his love, and within
that year the two rulers got together. Many years have passed, and the two gods are happy
together but Kalus being greedy, cannot get rid of his temptation to take over the power of
Agwa. He, then, planned to assault her loving wife without knowing that Agwa was currently
carrying the fruit of their coalition. On the other hand, Kalus' plan never prevailed because he
could not ignore his unconditional love for Agwa.

One time, Agwa, carrying all connections with all the creatures of the sea, discovered the
plan of Kalus that never succeeded. She felt shattered and betrayed, and out of outrage, the
goddess who carries three children began to feel stressed and frustrated. Agwa loses her
temper because of what he found out about his lover, Kalus, the feeling of betrayal really
emerges to the heart of the Goddess that she cannot think rightfully. She, then commenced to
throw her children into the sea that over many years became the cause of the arousal of the
three main islands which were ruled by the three God and Goddesses, Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. The three are unaware of their connection to each other, meaning, they do not know
that they are siblings. Luzon, which was the God of the first island, was fascinated by the beauty
of Visayas. Luzon tried to make Visayas her lover and eventually they became married and had
many children, and their offsprings also ruled each own island. Furthermore, as time went by,
Luzon felt that his love for Visayas was disappearing. Luzon thought of traveling to different
lands of his children. While he was traveling, he saw Mindanao dancing with his other children,
enjoying the event on an island. He just watched Mindanao and when their eyes met, Mindanao
was immediately attracted to Luzon's appearance and the elegance of his body. Mindanao
approaches Luzon and she immediately gets to know him, soon, Luzon forgets about his first
lover Visayas, and seems to have transferred his love to Mindanao. Over the course of a few
days, Luzon proved that he was indeed in love with Mindanao, he loved the Goddess because
she had a unique quality of a woman that he had never seen or felt in Visayas. Soon, the two
also became lovers and their love also bore fruit which became a bridge for them to have
thousands of children who became the ruler of each own island as well.

As time passes, the children of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao get to know each other
and obviously, they meet each other as well. As a result of this happening, they also fall in love
even though they know that they are related by blood, their love is growing and growing that
leads them to have more children and the induce of more islands that show around the three
main islands and also in different parts of them. Moreover, this phenomenon has become the
reason for the formation of 7,000 islands which over time became known as the Philippine
Archipelago.