*Note this story is in Hiligaynon
Isa ka gab-I, galinagumba ang kalangitan. Isa ka dako nga espiritu ang nahulog sa duta kag napierde.
Nanagu ini sa kabukiran, blan sini nga ini natabu na maka sien — indi, pila ka libo ka beses na sang una.
Ang gusto lang sini magpahuway asta maga gwa naman ang sunod nga bulan.
Pero sina nga gab-I daw may lain gid nga nakatago.
Ang espiritu nagbarikutot sa tupad sang kuweba kag ginpiyong ang mga mata sini, nagalaum sang mahamuok nga tulog.
Kuntani madayun na ini kung indi tungod sa isa ka tingog nga nagpukaw sini.
“Ano atu?”
Ginpangita sang espiritu sa iya palibot kung diin naghalin ang gahod. Wala ini naanad mangita sang mga butang nga mas gamay pa sang sa bulan.
Ini nag singgit, ” Sino ina? Magpakita ka!”
“Indi mo kinahanglan magsinggit. Ari ako diri.”
Ginlisu sang espiritu ang iya ulo kag sa entrada sang kuweba may isa ka matahum nga tawo.
Nanghayhay, kag sa panumduman sang espiritu. Isa sa ila.
Ang espiritu wala sang pagbatok sa mga matahum nga tinuga, mas nubo sila sa iya, literal man ukon metapora. Nahibaluan man nila mabudlay sapakon ang mga espiritu, kay sila gid maukpan sang kaakig sini.
“Ginabalabagan mo ang akon nga kuweba,” siling sang matahum nga tinuga.
“Ginamandar mo bala nga mahalin ako?” siling sang daku nga espiritu sa pang istorbo sini.
“Ginahingyo ko lang nga sa iban ka lang tani, hapos ka lang makalupad sa kalangitan nga daw pispis. Palihog indi pagbalabagi ang akon kuweba.”
“Kag ngaa masaylo ako bi sa iban? Sin-o ka sa pamatyagan mo para hambalan si Kedu kung diin makadto.”
“Palihog, gusto ko mag-isahanon.”
“Indi bala tanan man kita.”
“Teh mahalin ka na?”
“No gid, sa pamatyag ko.”
Nagpanghayhay ang matahum nga tinuga. Nahibalu-an niya nga wala sang paagi nga magdaug siya. Nakibot man siya nga ginpahambal siya ni Kedu sang amu sini kalawig. Sa kakusog sang gahum sini, makahalit ini sang matahum nga tinuga sa isa ka pitik. Wala man sang may madula sa matahum nga tinuga, amu nga ini nagdesider nga magpungko sa malapit nga bato kag nag istorya sa daku nga espiritu.
“Ngaa ginpili mo magpahuway diri?”
“Nakita ko ini halin sa babaw kag daw komportable, ngaa abi makadto ako di?”
“Daw sa nakapoy gid ikaw.”
“Nakapoy gid.”
“Ano natabo?”
“Pareho lang permi. Nadakpan ko ang bulan, apang indi ko ini makaptan.”
“Ano kinalain niya subong?”
“Gusto ko mahibaluan.”
Nanghayhay si Kedu kag narealisar nga wala na niya masalaysay ang ini nga istorya sa pila na ka bulan. Ang matahum nga tinuga arisgado para mamangkot, kundi pasugtan na lang.
“Nagsugod ini sang sinauna pa nga tiyempo. Kung sa diin mga espiritu nga mas makusog pa sa imo kag sa akon, naga dominar sang tanan nga butang, ang nagligad, ang subong kag ang mangin pa lang.”
“Bu-ot mo silingon, nga indi ikaw halin diri sa duta?”
“Indi, gamay nga espiritu, indi ako diri naghalin.”
Nakibot ang matahum nga espiritu. Sa ila kalibutan, ang ginhalinan indi importante. Ginhuna-huna lang sini nga maski ano ka klase nga espiritu, parti ka na gid sang kadutaan. Napukaw ang iya interes kag madamo pa gusto mahibaluan.
Nagpadayun si Kedu, “Madamo sang mga diyos sang una kaangay man sang mga demonyo. Ang ila giyera tama ka baris kag madugo. Pero wala man nagmayo sang sila nag apinay. Kis-a napinsar niya man kung ano natabo kung lain ang ginpili nya nga desisyon. Basi kumpleto pa ako.”
“Kumpleto?”
“Hibalu-a ang imo lebel. Pasugira ako sang akon istorya.”
“Pasensyaha ako, daku nga espiritu, palihog padayon.”
“Kami gin-engganyo sang promisa sang immortalidad. Kag naintu-an kami s apagpati sa ila mga binutig. Sa daku nga dagat kami nagtindug, bayolente nga ginbaliskad ang mga balud sa masarangan sang amon gahum. Naglipas ang walay katubtuban, asta ang amon premyo nagbangon halin sa kaidalman. Ang Amrita.”
“Amrita?”
“Ang duga sang immortalidad. Ang solo nga rason ngaa kami nag-ubra para sa ila.”
“Ano natabo sa ila?”
“Ginpanginwala nila ang amon nga parte. Nag-ilig ang kaakig sa amon mga ugat samtang nagplano sang pagbalos. Maski lain nga plano ang akon nga ginpili.”
Nag-agi ang katinong sa mga espiritu nga daw angay sa mga tun-og sa mga dahon.
“Daku nga espiritu? May mala-in bala?”
“Ako –” nagpalatik si Kedu. “Wala ko na gani madumduman kung ano ang akon ngalan.”
“Ano buot mo silingon?”
“Indi importante ang mga ngalan. Lain atu nga panahon. Kumpleto pa ako sadto. Samtang ang iban nga kapareho ko nagaplano, ako nag-giho na ya. Nag kuno-kuno ako nga isa sa ila, ginkuha ko ang duga kag nalab-ot ang akon nga handum.”
“Nangin immortal ikaw.”
“Kung ano man ang maayo nga gindulot sina. Ang duwa nakita ang akon taktika kag ginpaandaman ang pinakakusog nga sahi nila.”
“Ang duwa?”
“Ang adlaw kag ang bulan, siyempre.”
Naglungo ang matahum nga espiritu. Abi gid niya nga ang Kedu kag ang bulan repleksyon sang kalikasan, ang walay katapusan nga saot sa kunop sang kalangitan. Makakilibot nga ini tama ka personal.
Nagpadayon si Kedu, ” Ano pa abi ang akon mahambal? Nasamaran ang akon ulo kag subong amu na sini ako, lawas nga indi kompleto.
“Kag ngaa nagkadto ikaw sa sini nga kadutaan?”
“Ginasundan ko ang adlaw kag ang bulan, maski diin sila nagapasanag. Sa iban nga kadutaan, ang akon ulo ang nagalagas sang bulan, sa iban kung ano ang bilin sang akon lawas amo ang magalagas sa mga tunto nga ina. Pero indi ta sila makaptan, ang duwa nag inum man sang duga. Basi mientras tanto atun kapalaran nga padayunon ang ini nga pagkuno-kuno.
“Salamat sa imo salaysay, daku nga espiritu. Dungug gid sa akon nga ini mabati-an.”
“Maayo, kay ikaw mapatay upod sina nga nga dungug.”
Sa isa ka pitik ang higante nga ikug ni Kedu naghampas sa porma sang matahum nga espiritu.
Kag sa kalinungan nga nagsunod, nagbarikutot si Kedu sa atubang sang kuweba, katapusan, makuha na gid niya ang gusto nga pauway.
=—————————–=
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.
*The Hiligaynon language, also colloquially referred often by most of its speakers simply as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, mainly in Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN, most of whom belong to the Visayan ethnic group, mainly the Hiligaynons. It is the second-most widely spoken language and a member of the so-named Visayan language family and is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Hiligaynon translation by Pauline Brooks Dalisay
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Pauline Brooks Dalisay
Inspired by the Ketu/ Kedu descriptions in Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates by Jean Paul Potet (2016) and Diccionario mitológico de Filipinas in
Volume 2 of Retana, W.E. Archivo del bibliófilo filipino by Ferdinand Blumentritt, trans Marcaida D. (2019)
Kedu Illustration by Yuriko Yoshida
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