The giant moved slowly across the path to Kalanutian, the place where he would find his prize.
He was tired of the games he played, visiting houses and courting maidens, intimidating other suitors so that he could claim the woman as his own. Sumarang needed something new, something that was worth his effort.
The giant found his answer carried on the lips of the gossiping women of the village. There was a woman, Doña Ines Cannoyan, the daughter of the richest man in Kalanutian. This was what he had been seeking all along.
The maidens of the village were too ordinary, they could not capture his heartbeat, not like before. There was no point in him chasing their skirts, not when he knew he would just move on to the next one once he got bored.
She was, to him, more valuable than a pile of gold. He dreamt that they would go hand in hand towards the future, as king and queen. Things would be perfect once she saw him. Sumarang would court her with flowery words and shows of strength, and if any other suitor tried to get near her, well, his spear was never far from his hands.
That was a month ago.
Now, Sumarang was a broken man. Rejected, lost and disappointed, he spent his days traveling not far from Kalanutian, hopeful that he would get a second chance to be near Doña Ines Cannoyan.
He did not realize the competition that he faced. Sumarang was sure that his stature and his spear would frighten even the most stalwart of suitors, but it was not to be. Rich men who sailed from faraway seas and golden towns didn’t know how to accept defeat. Gold was in their hearts and Doña Ines Cannoyan was another trinket to add to their collection.
There were even Spaniards, enamored by the stories of her beauty and grace. They came alone or in groups, all trying to be a Juan de Salcedo to her princess Kandarapa*.
All her other suitors were more handsome than he could ever be. Sumarang never had to think about his nose as wide as two wheels, his long, flowing hair or even his gigantic stature. He would always take what he wanted through force, that was all that he knew.
But gathered here among datus and conquistadores he knew his place. The giant could not fight for his love, not when he had so many rivals to contend with. True, he might be able to take them on one by one, but he would never get that opportunity. Every day they would go to her house and bring her gifts, expensive and excessive.
And what did the giant have to offer? Nothing but his words and his spear.
Crestfallen, he knew when he was beaten. Sumarang packed up his things and started the long journey towards the village. He would never be able to get Doña Ines Cannoyan, but maybe the village girls would help him forget.
The path was long and arduous. The tiredness seeped into his bones. Many times, he looked back and wondered if he had made the right decision. Maybe the other suitours would get tired and go back to where they came from, leaving Sumarang an opening. Maybe they would catch each other’s eyes and fall in love instantly, with her pushing away her suitors until she embraced the giant.
These were fantasies that he allowed himself as a respite. He rubbed his plate-sized eyes and rested by a rock.
As he looked at the horizon, he spotted a man with a white rooster and a hairy dog. Sumarang bade him hello, and went to the man to talk. The man introduced himself as Lam-ang and sat down with the giant.
Sumarang asked, “My friend, brave Lam-ang, where are you headed for? Which forest do you intend to trap in? Which mountain do you intend to hunt in? My friend Lam-ang?”
Lam-ang asked the giant the same question.
Sumarang replied, “Since you ask me, I came from the north, the town of Kalanutian. I went there to compete for the hand of Doña Ines Cannoyan.”
There was a pause before Lam-ang answered. He looked the giant in the eyes and told him that he also intended to go to Kalanutian to fight for Doña Ines Cannoyan. Without pause Lam-ang said they must go their separate ways. He had to go to Kalanutian and who knows? Maybe he would be chosen by Doña Ines Cannoyan.
Sumarang laughed, a booming sound that echoed through the nearby forest. “You cannot be, with your looks, one Doña Ines Cannoyan can possibly choose. So many rich men and Spaniards are there already and Doña Ines Cannoyan has yet to look out her window for anyone. I say it again: it is futile for you to continue your journey,” he said.
The giant looked at the man before him. He thought Lam-ang arrogant for even thinking he could win the heart of Doña Ines Cannoyan. There were other suitors that had wealth, looks, power. To him, Lam-ang was an ant, not worthy of even a second of Doña Ines Cannoyan’s time.
Sumarang suddenly added, “Prepare for your end and try defending yourself from my spear- it will be too bad if you can’t catch my hooked spear.”
Lam-ang did not move an inch. This angered the giant even more. Why did Lam-ang not cower? This was not like the suitors back in the giant’s village where fear would take them and running away was their only option.
With all his might, Sumarang tossed his hooked spear at Lam-ang and waited for the sound of ripping flesh.
The giant would be disappointed as Lam-ang caught the spear with his little and ring finger. The warrior twirled the spear nine times around his neck and body and told Sumarang that he would return the giant’s spear as Lam-ang did not want to be in the giant’s debt.
Lam-ang added that if Sumarang was not careful the giant’s corpse would be littered around, the giant felled by his own spear.
Sumarang’s anger boiled over. Who was this cretin that had the gall to threaten him? This puny rat that got lucky and captured his spear. The giant would not let this stand.
He prepared to rush headlong into Lam-ang but the warrior waved at the seawinds and tossed the spear towards the giant. The spear hooked Sumarang and flung the giant across nine hills.
The last thing he thought of was Doña Ines Cannoyan and how happy they would have been together.
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*Juan de Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador that explored the northern regions of the Philippines in 1571. He traveled through the Ilocos region and established several Spanish municipalities. When he was 22 he fell in love with the 18 year old Dayang-dayang (Princess) Kandarapa, said to be the niece of Lakandula. Their love was against their forebearer’s wishes. The legend goes that Kandarapa sent Salcedo a message within a cluster of white lotus flowers, but she mistakenly thought that Salcedo had been unfaithful to her and died of a broken heart. Salcedo learned of her death and kept the white lotus with him until he died.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Ilocano Epic: The Life of Lam-ang.
Sumarang Illustration by Ren Lopez III
Instagram: @ren_lo.iii
https://www.instagram.com/ren_lo.iii/