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.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
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
FB: Apolonio Draws
IG: instagram.com/apolonio.draws/
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