*Note this story is in Tagalog
Noon unang panahon, ang isla ng Negros ay pinamumunuan ng isang mapayapa’t mabuting haring nagngangalang Laon.
Isang araw, bumuhos ang napakalakas na ulan. Umapaw ang mga ilog, at di kalauna’y bumaha nang abot-leeg. Lumapit ang mga tao sa kanilang hari upang humingi ng tulong.
Nagpatawag ng pagpupulong si Haring Laon. Iminungkahi niyang gumawa sila ng bundok ng lupa na di matitinag o malulubog ng anumang baha. Sumigaw ang mga tao, “Wala tayong kagamitan!” Iwinagayway ng hari ang kanyang panyo. Mula sa kawalan ay lumitaw ang pala at asarol. Hindi pa rin nakontento ang mga tao. “Paano tayo gagawa ng bundok nang walang mga bato?” Pumadyak si Haring Laon at muli ay lumitaw ang mga bato.
Nagtulung-tulong ang mga tao upang makabuo ng bundok na umabot nang anim na libong talampakan ang taas. Doon sila nanatili hanggang sa humupa ang baha.
Tila mapaya ang lahat hanggang sa isang umaga nang magising ang hari sa isang kaguluhan. Isang higanteng ahas na may pitong ulo ang papalapit sa bayan. Takot na takot ang mga tao sa pulang mga mata at umuusok nitong ilong. Sa gabi, bumubuga ng apoy ay ahas na siyang pumapatay sa mga tanim at hayop sa bayan.
Nauubos na ang pag-asa ng mga tao hanggang sa isang araw ay dumating ang isang binatang nagngangalang Kan. Sinabi niya kay Haring Laon na papatayin niya ang ahas. Tuwang tuwa naman ang hari sa pangakong ito ni Kan.
Sinabi ni Haring Laon na bibigyan niya ng pabuyang kayamanan si Kan kung matatalo niya ang ahas. Ipinangako din ni Haring Laon ang kamay ng kanyang anak na dalaga upang ipakasal kay Kan.
Si Kan ay hindi ordinaryong tao. Alam niya ang wika ng mga hayop at ibon. Nang dumating ang araw ng sagupaan, dumulog si Kan sa mga ito upang tulungan siya. Kinagat ng mga hayop ang katawan ng ahas at tinuka naman ng mga ibon ang mga mata nito. Nang nalingat ang ahas ay pinutol ni Kan ang pitong ulo nito.
Inihandog ni Kan ang pitong ulo ng ahas kay Haring Laon. Ayon sa kanyang pangako, pinaulanan ng kayamanan si Kan at ipinakasal sa kanya ang anak na dalaga ng hari.
Noong mamatay si Haring Laon, pinalitan siya ni Kan bilang hari ng bayan. Ang bundok na ipinatayo ni Haring Laon ay nananatili pa rin, at tinawag itong Kanlaon bilang pag-alala sa kabayanihan ng binata at kabutihan ng hari.
“At dito natin tatapusin ang kwento.”
Isinara ni Lola Anding ang libro at pinanood ang kanyang mga apo hanggang sa makatulog sila. Ang paborito niyang si Rhai ay laging nagtatanong. Sa yari niya ay magiging iskolar ito balang araw. Umasa si Lola Anding na abutan niya pa ang araw na iyon.
Nagnilay-nilay siya sa istoryang ikinuwento niya sa mga bata. Ang alamat ng Bundok Kanlaon ay isang nakahahangang kwento! Isang binatang nakikipaglaban sa mga higanteng ahas, isang haring may taglay na mahika, ang kanyang bayan na kayang magtayo ng bundok, mga hayop at ibon na tumutulong sa pagpuksa ng kalaban—lahat nang ito’y nagbigay ng kinang sa mga mata ng kanyang mga apo.
Inisip niya kung anong aral ang napulot ng bawat bata sa kwento. Si Rhai, siyempre, ay ginambala ang kanyang pagbabasa upang magtanong. “Bakit may kakaibang kapangyarihan ang hari? Bakit kaya ni Kan ang makipag-usap sa mga hayop? Gaano katagal binuo ng mga tao ang bundok?”
Ang kanyang katalinuhan ay maliwanag sa kanyang mga tanong. Inisip ni Lola Anding kung mapupunan ba ni Rhai ng kanyang imahinasyon ang sarili niyang mga tanong.
Si Faye naman ay natakot sa kwento. Yakap-yakap niya ang kanyang laruang buwaya habang inaarte ni Lola Anding ang pagpatay ni Kan sa ahas. Kaawa-awang bata. Gusto niya lang namang maging magkaibigan ang lahat. “Kung kayang makipag-usap ni Kan sa mga hayop, bakit hindi na lamang niya kinausap ang ahas upang paalisin ito?” tanong ni Faye.
Sinagot naman siya ni Fernando, “Ang ahas ay masama at dapat lamang siyang turuan ng leksyon!” Iwinasiwas ni Fernando ang kanyang laruang espada at napabuntong-hininga na lamang si Lola Anding. Isang araw ay makakasakit ang batang ito at ang laruan niya. Ang simpleng pag-iisip ni Fernando ay isang hiwaga. Inisip ni Lola Anding kung gaano katagal makikita ni Fernando ang mundo mula sa inosente niyang mga mata. Napailing na lamang si Lola Anding, “Marapat lamang sa mga bata ang kanilang kamusmusan,” bulong niya sa kanyang sarili.
Kinumutan niya ang mga bata at isa-isang hinalikan sa noo. Sa kanilang mga panaginip ay haharapin nila ang kani-kanilang bersyon ng ahas—o sa kaso ni Faye ay makipagkaibigan sa kanila.
Ngumiti si Lola Anding. Naalala niya ang unang beses na narinig niya ang alamat mula sa kanyang lolo. Noong mga panahong iyon ay walang ibang pagkakaabalahan kaya’t sabik na sabik siya sa mga kwentong ito.
At ano naman ang nakuha niya mula sa mga ito?
“Sa buhay ay marami kang haharaping mga ahas, at matatalo mo sila sa pamamagitan ng iyong sariling kakayahan. Gamitin mo ang anumang tinataglay mo sa pagharap sa pagsubok at ika’y gagantimpalaan sa huli.”
Pinanghawakan ni Lola Anding ang aral na ito at hindi kailanman kinalimutan kung ano ang kanyang ipinaglalaban.
At sulit nga ba ito?
Muli niyang tiningnan ang natutulog niyang mga apo at siya’y tumango.
“Oo naman,” bulong niya sa kanyang sarili.
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English Version
Long ago, the island of Negros was ruled by a peaceful and kind-hearted king by the name of Laon.
One day heavy rains fell. The river overflowed and as time went on the water became neck-deep. The people went to their king to ask for aid.
Laon called for a meeting. He said that they should build a mound of earth that would overcome any flood. The people shouted, “We have no tools!” and the king waved his handkerchief and a spade and heavy hoe appeared. Still there was discontent. “How can we build this mound without stones?!” and Laon stomped his feet and stones magically appeared.
Together the people built a mound that reached six thousand feet above sea level. It was there that they took refuge until the water went away.
Everything seemed to be alright until one morning a great commotion woke the king from his sleep. A giant serpent with seven heads was approaching the village. Its red eyes and smoking nose frightened the villagers. At night, the snake would breathe fire damaging crops and killing the animals around the village.
It seemed impossible to challenge the serpent until one day a young man named Kan appeared. He told king Laon that he would kill the snake and the king was glad.
Laon said that he would reward Kan with riches and the hand of his beautiful daughter if Kan was successful in ridding the village of the serpent.
Kan was no ordinary man. He knew the languages of the birds and the beasts. And when it came time to fight the serpent he called on them for aid. The beasts bit the serpent’s body and the birds pecked its eyes. They gave Kan enough of an opening and the youth sliced off the serpent’s heads.
With the snake dead, Kan presented the seven heads to king Laon. There he was showered with riches and married the daughter of the king.
When king Laon died Kan became the king of the tribe. The mound that saved the villagers from the flood remains, called Kanlaon in memory of the brave youth and the kind king.
“And there we end our story.”
Loala Anding closed the book and watched her grandchildren fall asleep. Rhai was her favorite, always asking questions. He would probably be a scholar in the future. Lola Anding hoped that she would live to see that.
She reflected on the tale she told the children. The legend of Mount Kanlaon, such a romantic story! A brave youth fighting off giant serpents, a magical king and his village building a mountain, birds and beasts helping to fight off evil, all these things made her grandchildren’s eyes light up with wonder.
She wondered what each child would take from the story.
Rhai, of course, interrupted her a few times and asked her why things were the way they were. “Why did the king have magic?” “Why was Kan able to speak the languages of the animals?” “How long did the people take to build the mound?”
His inquisitive spirit was so evident in his questions, she wondered if he would fill in the blanks with his own imagination.
Now Faye was afraid of the story, she clutched her stuffed crocodile tight while Lola acted out the part of cutting up the serpent’s heads. Poor girl, she just wanted everyone to be friends. She asked, “If Kan could speak to animals, why couldn’t he speak to the serpent to go and leave everyone alone?”
Fernando shot back at her with his usual wit, “The serpent was evil and evil things need to be dealt with!” He swung his toy sword around and Lola Anding sighed. One day he would poke an eye out with that thing. His single mindedness was a sight to see. She wondered how long he would view the world in black and white. She shook her head, “The child deserves his innocence,” she whispered to herself.
She tucked them all in and gave them a kiss goodnight. They were off to fight their own serpents in their dreams, or in Faye’s case make friends with them.
Lola Anding smiled. She remembered the first time she heard this story from her own grandfather. In those days entertainment was hard to come by and she looked forward to these stories with an open mind.
And what did she get from it?
“In life you will fight serpents, and you will have to overcome them with your gifts. Use what you were given to face your challenges and you will be rewarded.”
She took those words to heart and never forgot what she fought for.
And was it worth it?
She looked at her sleeping grandchildren and gave a slight nod.
“Of course it was,” she whispered to herself.
*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.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Dana Garcia
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Dana Garcia
Adapted from The Legend of Mt. Canlaon in Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island Legends, Beliefs and Folkways. Aldecoa-Rodriguez. 2000.
Kan’s Serpent Illustration by Paul Medalla
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