*Note this story is in Ilocano
Maysa a rabii, nagkintayeg ti langit. Maysa a dakkel nga espiritu ti natinnag iti daga ken naparmek.
Nagkamang daytoy iti kabanbantayan, nga ammona a napasamaken iti naminsangagasut – saan, maminribo a daras iti napalabas.
Ti kayatna laeng nga aramiden ket ti aginana agingga ti idadateng ti sumaruno a bulan.
Ngem adda sabali a banag nga ipasimudaag dayta a rabii.
Nagkukot daytoy nga espiritu iti abay ti maysa a kueba, ket inkidemna, mangnamnama iti makapnek a pannaturog.
Maalana koman ti turognan no di nariing ti maysa a timek.
“Dumalannak man?”
Binirok ti espiritu iti aglawlaw ti naggapuan ti boses. Saan a sanay nga agbirok ti banbanag a basbassit ngem ti bulan.
Nagpukkaw, “Sino ka? Agpakita ka!’
“Saanmo a masapul ti agpukkaw. Addaak ditoy.”
Timmalliaw ti espiritu. Iti ruangan ti kweba, adda maysa a napintas a lalaki.
Nagsennaay ti espiritu. Maysa kaniada.
Awan ti dakes a panggep ti espiritu kadagiti napipintas gapu ta addada iti babaenna, literal man wenno metapora. Ammoda a saan a nasayaat ti makipulapol kadagiti espiritu, ta mabalin a mariknada ti pungtot daytoy.
“Maserraaam ti kuebak, ” kuna ti napintas.
” Bilbilinennak kadi a pumanaw?” nairita ti dakkel nga espiritu.
“Idawdawatko ti ipapanmo iti sabali a lugar, makadanonka iti law-ang kas kalaka ti maysa a billit. Pangngaasim ta saanmo a serraan ti kwebak.”
“Ket apay koma a mapanak iti sabali a lugar? Apay a mapanunot ti maysa a gagangay nga espiritu a kas kenka nga adda karbengam a mangidiktar kenni Kedu ti papananna?”
“Pangngaasim, kayatko koma ti agmaymaysa.”
“Saan kadi a dayta ti kayat tayo amin?
“Ket, umaliska kadi?”
“Saan, diak mapanunot dayta.”
Nagsennaay ti napintas nga espiritu. Ammona nga awan ti pamuspusanna tapno mangabak. Nasdaaw pay ta pinagsarita isuna ni Kedu iti nabayag. Iti imetna a bileg, apagbiitna laeng a dadaelen ti napintas nga espiritu. Awan met ti aniaman a mapukaw para iti napintas nga espiritu isu a nagtugaw iti maysa a bato ket nakipatpatang iti dakkel nga espiritu.
“Apay a napilim daytoy a lugar a paginanaan?”
“Nakitak manipud iti ngato ket kasla nakanamnam-ay, isu nga apay a mapanak pay laeng iti sabali a disso?”
“Kasla nabannogka la unay.”
“Wen, nabannogak.
“Ania kadi ti napasamak?”
“Kas iti dati. Natiliwko ti bulan ngem diak matengngel daytoy.”
“Apay a saan mo a kaya?”
“Ania koma ti pagdumaanna?”
“Kayatko la a maamuan.”
“Nagsennay ni Kedu ket nalagipna nga saanna a naestorya daytoy iti sumagmamanon a bulan. Natured unay ti napitas nga espiritu nga agsaludsud, isu a pagang-awanan na laengen.”
“Nangrugi iti oras sakbay dagiti tiempo. Idi pagturayan dagiti espiritu nga daddadakkel ngem siak wenno sika dagiti amin a banbanag iti naglabas, ita, ken iti umadani.”
“Kayatmo a sawen, saanka a taga ditoy a daga.?
“Saan, bassit nga espiritu. Saanak a taga ditoy.”
Nasdaaaw ti napintas nga espiritu. Iti sakupda, awan banag dagiti nagtaudan. Maipagarup nga uray ania kaman a klase nga espiritu ket gagangay a pasetka daytoy a daga. Nagargari ti panagusiusona ken adu pay ti kayatna a maammuan.
Intuloy ni Kedu. ” Adu ti didiosen idi kasta met dagiti demonyo. Nakabutbuteng dagiti ginnubatda ket adu ti dara a nagsayasay. Ngem awan met latta ti nagsayaatanna uray idi kayatda ti agtitinnulong. Mapanpanunotko met no ania ngata ti napasamak no sabali dagiti desisyonko. Baka agingga ita ket sibubukelak pay laeng.”
“Sibubukel?”
“Ilugarmo ti bagim. Bay-annak nga mangisarita ti estoryak.”
“Dispensarennak, dakkel nga espiritu. Mabalin nga ituloymo.”
Naguyugoykami ti kari ti kina-immortal. Dakami ket naloko gapu iti panangpati kadagiti kinaulbod da. Nagtakder kami iti igid ti taaw, ket impallangatokmi dagiti dalluyon iti kapigsaan a maabot ti bilegmi. Limmabas dagiti kinaagnanayon agingga a rimsua manipud iti kaunegan ti premyomi. Ti Amrita.”
“Amrita?”
“Ti diro ti kina-immortal. Dayta laeng ti rason no apay a makitinnulong kami kadakauda.”
“Ania ngarud ti napasamak idin?”
“Impaidamda ti bingaymi. Nagayus ti pungtot kadagiti ur-uratmi bayat ti panagplanomi iti panagibales. Ngem nangpiliak idi sabali a plano.”
Binalkot ti ulimek dagiti espiritu kas iti panagdisso ti linnaaw kadagiti bulbulong.
“Siak -” Nagkatawa ni Kedu. “Diak pay malagip no ania idin ti naganko.”
“Ania ti kayatmo a sawen?”
” Awan ti kaes-eskan dagiti nagnagan. Sabali ti panawen idi. Sibubukelnak idi. Kabayatan nga agplanplano dagiti kadduak, nagkuti akon. Nagpammarangnak a kas maysa kaniada ket innalak dagiti diro ken naaramidko ti panggepko.”
“Nagbalinka nga immortal.”
“No aniaman ti pagsayaatan a naitedna. Nakita dagiti dua ti panangallilawko ket binallaaganda ti kabilegan kaniada.
“Dagiti dua?”
“Ti init ket ti bulan, syempre.”
Nagtung-ed ti napintas nga espiritu. Impagarupna nga ni Kedu ken ti bulan ket mangisarming iti lubong, maysa a saan a maungpot a sala iti balkot ti law-ang. Nakakasdaaw a maammuan a daytoy ket personal.
Intuloy ni Kedu, ” Ania pay ti maibagak? Naputulan ti ulok ket ita, siak ita daytoy, maysa a bagi nga saan a kompleto.”
“Ket apay nga immayka ditoy a daga?”
Sursurotek ti init ket ti bulan sadinnoman ti pangiturunganda iti raniagda. Iti dadduma a daga, ti ulok iti mangbirok iti bulan; iti sabali, ti nabati a bagi ti mangkamat kadagiti manglokloko. Ngem saanmi ida a matengngel, naigup met dagiti dua ti diro. Siguro naited a gasatmi ti agnanayon a mangaramid kadaytoy nga ay-ayam.”
“Agyamanak iti estoriam, dakkel nga espiritu. Mapagasatanak a nakangngeg iti daytoy.”
” Nasyaat, ket ngarud matay ka a sidadayaw.”
Iti apagdarikmat, naitupa ti dakkel nga ipus ni Kedu iti bagi ti napintas nga espiritu.
Iti isasangbay ti ulimek, nagkukot ni Kedu iti sango ti kueba ket naalana met laeng ti kinalkalikagumanna nga inana.
=————-=
English Version
One night, the heavens churned. A great spirit fell to the ground and was defeated.
It retreated to the mountains, keenly aware that this had happened a hundred—no, a thousand times before.
All it wanted to do was rest until the next moon would come.
But that night had something else in store.
The spirit huddled beside a cave and closed its eyes, hoping for the sweet tranquility of sleep.
And it would have succeeded if not for a voice that jolted it awake.
“Excuse me?”
The spirit looked around for the source of the noise. It was not accustomed to looking for things smaller than the moon.
It bellowed, “Who is there?! Show yourself!”
“You don’t need to shout. I am right here.”
The spirit tuned its head and at the entrance of the cave was a beautiful man.
Sigh, the spirit thought. One of them.
The spirit had nothing against the beautiful ones, they were beneath him, both literally and metaphorically. They also knew better than to engage with the spirit, lest they suffer its wrath.
“You’re blocking my cave,” the beautiful one said.
“Are you demanding that I leave?” the great spirit eyed this inconvenience.
“I’m asking you to go somewhere else, you can move through the sky as easily as a bird. Please do not block my cave.”
“And why would I go elsewhere? What makes you think that an insignificant spirit such as yourself has any right to tell Kedu where to go.”
“Please, I would just like to be left alone.”
“Don’t we all.”
“So, will you move?”
“No, I don’t think I will.”
The beautiful spirit sighed. He knew there was no way he could win. He was also surprised that Kedu let him speak this long. With its enormous power it could destroy the beautiful spirit in an instant. There was nothing left to lose for the beautiful spirit anyway so he decided to sit on a nearby rock and have a conversation with the great spirit.
“Why did you choose this place to rest?”
“I saw it from above and it looked comfortable, why else would I go here?”
“You seem very tired.”
“I am.”
“What happened?”
“The same as always. I caught the moon but could not hold it.”
“Why couldn’t you?”
“What difference does it make?”
“I would like to know.”
Kedu sighed and realized he had not told that story for many moons. The beautiful spirit was brash enough to ask, might as well humor it.
“It started in the time before times. Where spirits greater than you or I held dominion over everything that was, is, and will be.”
“You mean that you were not from this land?”
“No, small spirit, I was not.”
The beautiful spirit was surprised. In their realms origins did not matter. It was assumed that, whatever spirit you are, you had always been a part of this land. His curiosity was piqued and he wanted to know more.
Kedu continued, “There were many gods then as well as demons. Their battles were fierce and much blood was spilt. Though it was not any better when they decided to work together. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had made different choices. Maybe then I would still be complete.”
“Complete?”
“Know your place. Let me tell my story.”
“I apologize great spirit, please continue.”
“We were enticed by the promise of immortality. And fools we were for believing their lies. By the great ocean we stood, tossing the waves as violent as our powers allowed. The eternities passed by, until our prize rose from the depths. The Amrita.”
“Amrita?”
“The nectar of immortality. The only reason why we would ever work with them.”
“What happened then?”
“They denied us of our share. Anger flowed through our veins as we planned our revenge. Though I chose a different ploy.”
Silence blanketed the spirits like dew settling on leaves.
“Great spirit? Is there something wrong?”
“I—” Kedu let out a chuckle. “I don’t even remember what my name was.”
“What do you mean?”
“Names do not matter. It was a different time. I was complete then. While others of my kind planned, I set out into action. I disguised myself as one of them, taking in the nectar and achieving my goal.”
“You became immortal.”
“For whatever good that did. The two had seen through my ruse and warned the most powerful of their kind.”
“The two?”
“The sun and the moon, of course.”
The beautiful spirit nodded. He had always assumed that the Kedu and the moon were reflections of nature, an endless dance in the cloak of the sky. It was surprising to find out it was so personal.
Kedu carried on, “What else is there to say? My head was severed and now I am what I am, a body left incomplete.”
“And why did you come to this land?”
“I follow the sun and moon wherever they shine their light. In some lands it is my head that hunts the moon, in others what is left of our body pursues those fools. But we cannot hold them, the two had also imbibed the nectar. Maybe we are forever destined to carry out this charade.”
“Thank you for your story, great spirit. I feel honored to have heard it.”
“Good, then you will die with that honor.”
In a split second Kedu’s massive tail crashed onto the beautiful spirit’s form.
In the silence that followed Kedu curled up in front of the cave, finally able to get the rest that he sought.
=———————-=
*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Inspired by the Ketu/ Kedu descriptions in Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates by Jean Paul Potet (2016) and Diccionario mitológico de Filipinas in
by Ferdinand Blumentritt ed Jordan Clark
Kedu Illustration by Yuriko Yoshida
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