*Note this story is in Tagalog
Noo’y may isang mangangaso na lubusang nagkamali. Hinanap n’ya ang kanyang hukay sa anino ng bundok Daeogdog, kung saan nakatira ang mga diyos ng kanyang bayan. Ang pinakamakapangyarihan sa lahat ng diyos ay si Gamhanan, at mayroon siyang espesyal na alaga. Ang alaga ng makapangyarihang diyos ay nagngangalang Panigotlo, isang purong puting usa na buo ang sungay.
Noo’y may isang bayan na walang ibang pwedeng nagawa. Ang kabilugan ng buwan at ang ingay ng Panigotlo ay nagsisimbolo ng masaganang araw para magtanim kinabukasan. Ang pagpipista at pagsasaya ay biglang natigil nang may nakita silang anino na naglalakad sa kabilang baybayin ng ilog. Ang mangangaso, si Dagasanan, ay bitbit-bitbit sa kanyang mga balikat ang walang buhay na katawan ng alaga ni Gamhanan. Alam nilang lahat sa bayan na hindi nila maaaring palampasin ang pambabastos na ito sa kanilang diyos. Kinuha ng mga taong bayan ang kanilang mga sibat at itak mula sa kani-kanilang tahanan at pinaslang si Dagasanan sa may ilog, at ang kanyang ama sa kanilang tahanan.
Noo’y may kaluluwang nauuhaw para sa paghihiganti. Sa lugar kung saan pinaslang si Dagasanan, may tumubong puno ng inyam. Ayaw manahimik ng kaluluwa ng mangangaso. May anino ang puno, at sa anino nito mapupuna ang uhaw nito para sa paghihiganti. Isang kabataan mula sa bayan ang magbabayad sa ginawa ng kanilang mga ninuno. Isang kabataan bawat taon hangga’t malaman ng mga mamamayan ang pighati na naramdaman niya nang pinagtinaksil siya ng kanyang mga kaibigan.
Noo’y may isang batang lalaki na hindi naniwala sa mga kwento ng kababalaghan. Hinamon siya ng kanyang mga kaibigan na lumangoy sa may puno ng inyam at natawa lang s’ya. Tinawag niyang duwag ang kan’yang mga kaibigan sa paniniwala nila sa mga kwento ng kanilang mga lolo at lola. Alam ng batang lalaki na iba s’ya sa kanyang mga kaibigan, at na siya ang pinakamatapang, kaya tinanggap n’ya ang hamon at tumalon sa ilog.
Mayroon pa ring bahagi ng isang ilog sa Aklan na pinangalan mula sa mangangasong si Dagasanan. Sinasabing ang mga malalakas na tunog na nanggagaling sa mga bato ay ang kaniyang kaluluwang sumisigaw sa sakit; naghahanap ng susunod na mabibiktima.
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English Version
There was once a hunter who made a terrible mistake. He searched for his quarry in the shadow of Mount Daeogdog, where the gods of his people lived. The most powerful of all the gods was Gamhanan, and he had a special pet. This favored creature of the great god was called the Panigotlo, a pristine, white deer with full antlers. One spear was all it took to silence the majestic sound of this enchanted creature.
There was once a village that had no choice. A full moon and the bleating of the Panigotlo signaled an abundant day for planting the next morning. The festivities and merriment suddenly stopped when they saw a figure approaching across the river. The hunter, Dagasanan, had on his shoulders the carcass of Gamhanan’s pet. They all knew that they could not abide by this sacrilege of the great god. The villagers took their spears and swords and slew Dagasanan by the river and his father in their home.
There was once a spirit that thirsted for vengeance. On the spot where Dagasanan was killed, an inyam tree grew. The hunter’s ghost would not know rest. The tree cast a shadow and on that spot his hunger for revenge would be sated. One child of the village would pay for what their ancestors had done. A child every year until the villagers would know the pain that he felt when his friends betrayed him.
There was once a boy who didn’t believe in ghost stories. His friends dared him to swim by the inyam tree and all he did was laugh. The boy called his friends cowards for believing in the stories that their lolos and lolas told them. He knew he was different and the bravest of their group, so he took the challenge and jumped in the water.
There is still a part of a river in Aklan named after the hunter, Dagasanan and an inyam tree that people avoid. They say that the loud noises that come from the rocks are his spirit crying in pain, looking for his next victim.
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*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
*Story originally printed in ‘Much More than an Archipelago…Tales from the Philippines’
Written by Karl Gaverza
Tagalog Translation by Ghost Kendrick
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Ghost Kendrick
Story Adapted from ‘Legend of Aklan’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.
Dagasanan Illustration and Watercolor by Robert Rañosa Del Prado