*Note this story is in Bantayanon

Ang mga puya, naghinagawhaway samtang nag-istoryahay bahin sa bakunawa.

Gikalisangan nila ang pagsawp sa adlaw, kay amo ini ang takna nga mogawas sya para maghampang.

Ang tanan puya, mobiya kag mosyud ig-abot sang gab-i, kag dili na mobalik pa.

Pero nanu man ining makalisang nga dragon sa kalangitan? Nanu ang iya matoud nga istorya?

Sulti sang iban, sang una nga panahon, may pito ka buwan nga nagdan-ag sa kilumkilom. Sa usa sini nga mga gab-e, may grupo sa mga tawo ang way kukaluoy, mipatay sa utod nga babaye sang bakunawa-ang pawikan. Ang mga naghimo sini nga salaut, wa mobatyag nga sayup ang ila gihimo, kay sa ila pagtuo kung dili nila patyon ang utod nga babaye sang bakunawa nan ang ila isla malunupan,hangtod ini mapapas,  mosidsid sa kaladman sang dagat.

Ang bakunawa dili pa dragon sang hitsura sang una. Hinoun, usa ini ka gwapa kag makadani nga kataw o sirena. Pero sa iya nag-uros-uros nga kalagot nga gusto gayud makabawos, iya giutro ang iya hitsura, kag nahimo siya nga dragon.  Tagsa-tagsa niya nga gipawng ang mga suga sa kagabhion. Unom ka buwan ang nasyud sa iya tyan, pero, nauntat sya sa ikapito.

May mga huhungihong nga nagsiling nga usa ka nagmaskara nga dyosa ang nitardar sa gihimo sang Bakunawa.

Ang nagmaskara nga dyosa kag ang iyang mga sumusunod nagpalanug sang makabungoy nga kasaba nga miabot sa langit. Tungod sa kalanug kag kaalingogngog sini, sa kalit ang bakunawa nakabatyag sang kahadlok. Diin gikan ini nga tingog, ini natingaa.

Sa iya kalisang, ang bakunawa misawom balik sa dagat kag misway sa pag-utro sang iya hitsura, pero alaut lang kay ini dili na mahimo. Siya nagpabilin sa hitsura susama sa dragon, hangtod nga mautro ang iya kinaiya kag moundang na sya sa pagpangita sa buwan. Pero, wa ini mahitabo. Sa pinakauyokan  sa iya kasingkasing, ang bakunawa, nagpanikad gayud nga makabawos. Kag matag gab-e nga makit-an niya ang katapusan nga buwan, moabri ini sa iya higante nga tyan kag motilaw sa tam-is nga kadaugan. Ini padayon niya nga himoun hangtod nga ang mga tawo mismo makaamgo sa ila sayup nga gihimo.

Usa lang ini sa maanindot nga istorya sa higante nga dragon nga aton gitawag nga bakunawa.

Ara’y iban nga mahitungod sa gugma kag pagbiya, pero sa katapusan, nakasentro sa pagpanimawos.

Sang una nga panahon, ang bakunawa nahigugma sa tawhanon nga babaye sa usa sa mga tribu nga nawaa na sara nga anyo. Ang ila paghiusa, napuno sang kasakit, kay wa nauyonon sa mga sakop sa tribu ang ila relasyon. Ang Bakunawa kag ang babaye, sama sa normal nga managtrato, nigahin sang panahon nga magkaupod, sa sini, nilawum pa ang ila gugma sa matag-usa.

Hangtod nga ini nga balita, nahibaw-an sa lider sang tribu.

Ang iya tubag paspas kag makahadlok. Ang byay kag ang kinabuhi nga gipanday sang Bakunawa kag sang babaye nahimong abo. Misinggit ang bakunawa sa langit, nagping-it sa kasakit. Sa nanu nga paagi nga ang tawo nahimo man nga sama sini ka pintas?

Ang bakuna nahagit sa nahitabo, nibukal sa kalagot ang iya dugo kag siya nilupad pasingadto sa langit. Kaonon niya ang pito ka buwan isip bawos sa tanan nga nagpasakit sa ila. Ang una nga unom ka buwan gidali-dali niya, gituyo paglamoy. Pero naurong sya pag-abot sa ikapito nga buwan.

Iya nasugata ang dakung dios nga si Bathala.

Dili takus nga tupngan niya ang gahum sa dakong dios, pero sa gihapon sya nakig-away sa ngan sa panimawos. Sa katapusan, napildi ang Bakunawa, wa siya nilampus sa pagkaon sa ikapito nga buwan. Kag labaw sa tanan, isip silot, gihinginlan siya ni Bathala.

Sara, sa matag eklipse sang buwan ang Bakunawa makadumdum sa iya naagian kaupod ang babaye nga iya gihigugma kag ang kinabuhi nga saw-an unta nila nga duha. Sa matag-gutlo nga iya ini madumduman, sangko sa langit ang iya kaalingit kag ang kagustuhan nga makabawos, pero ara lat, nagtago sa iya kasingkasing ang usa ka pangandoy nga unta mobalik sa mga panahon nga ini malipayon pa.

Istorya ini sang Dyos sang Kamatayan kag sang Lyake nga Buwan.

Gikan sa tumoy sa taas nga bukid sang Sidapa, ang Dyos sang Kamatayon nagtan-aw sa kaanindot sa pito ka buwan. Ang kaanindot sini nga mga binuhat nakadani lat sa iban nga dyos. Ang Dyosa sa Syug modalit sang kanta sa mga Dyos, kag ang Dyos sa Kamatayon nakahibaw nga iya ini kinahanglan tupngan.

Ang Dyos sa Kamatayon nagpakilouy sa mga langgam kag kataw dya ang mga buwak kag aninipot. Misyon nila nga ipaabot ang mensahe sa Dyos sa Kamatayan ngadto sa mga buwan.

Hangtud nga may usay gayud nga nitubag.

Ang batan-on nga buwan nga lyake, interesado kung nanu ang ikadalit sang Dyos sang Kamatayon, nanaug gikan sa langit kag gisugat sya sa damu nga mga gasa  kag mga kanta. Dako ang kalipay sa Dyos sang Kamatayon nga ara gayud sang usa ka Buwan nga nitagad sa iya.

Pero, may nagpahipi nga hulga tungod sa usa ka Bakunawa nga napuyo sa kahiladman sa kadagatan. Ini nga bakunawa sama sa dyos, gamhanan kag kusgan. Nangandoy lat ini nga makaangkon sa Buwan para sa iya kaugalingon nga interes. Pagkanaug sa Batang-Buwan gikan sa langit, gikuha dayun ini nga higayon sang Bakunawa para agawon siya gikan sa Dyos sang Kamatayon. Mituyhakaw ini gikan sa iya gipuy-an ilawom sa dagat kag mikaligaw para lamyum ang Lyake nga Buwan.

Dili ini tugutan sang Dyos sang Kamatayon. Nilupad sya pasingadto sa langit kag gikawhat ang Buwan gikan sa naghuwat nga baba sang Bakunawa.

Pero di gayud magpalupig ang Bakunawa, bisan hangtud sara kay wa pa niya maangkon ang iya gihinamhinaman nga premyo. Sa katapusan, and Dyos sang Kamatayon kag ang Buwan niistar na lang sa igbaw sang bukid nga gitawang nga Madjaas.

Ini usa lang lat sa mga istorya nga gisugilon sa niagi nga katuigan, ang ila gigikanan dili na matugkad tungod sa pagdyagan sang panahon.

Pero aton dumduman:

Kung makakita ka sang Bakunawa nga nipalapit sa iya giapas nga premyo nga Buwan, Singgit! Paghimo sang way makatupong nga kasaba, pun-a ang kalangitan kag ang kagabhion sang sama sa dawdug nga kalanog nga saba kag singgana ang Bakunawa nga dili na gayud niya makuha pa ang iya gihamhinaman nga premyo.

Kay bisan pa man nanu nga panimawos ang iya himoun, dili gayud itugot sang tawo nga  maangkon sang Bakunawa ang katapusan nga Buwan.

=———————————=

English Version

The children speak in hushed tones when they talk of the dragon.

They fear the setting sun for it is then it comes out to play.
And all those children left behind after dark, well… They never return.

But what is the dragon in the night sky? What is its true story?

Some say that once, there were seven moons that lit the twilight. It was on one of these evenings that a group of humans slaughtered the dragon’s sister, the sea turtle. They did not feel at fault, for if they did not kill the dragon’s sister then their island would succumb to the watery depths.

The dragon was not a dragon then, instead it was a beautiful mermaid. For her revenge, she transformed into a dragon and one by one snuffed out the lights in the night. Six moons fell prey to its maw, but the dragon was stopped at the seventh.

Stories say that the masked goddess intervened. The masked goddess and her human followers caused a raucous sound which reached the heavens and it was then the dragon felt fear. Where had this sound come from, it wondered.

The dragon dived into the sea and tried to change its shape to her beautiful form, but alas, it was not to be. The dragon would remain a dragon until it would reach into its better nature and stop its quest for the moons. But that has not come to pass. With every inch of its being the dragon lusts for revenge and each night it sees the last moon in the sky it will open its gigantic maw and taste sweet victory. That is, until the humans do something about it.

That is but one tale of the great dragon. There is another of love and loss, but ultimately of vengeance.

The dragon once fell in love with a human woman of one of the tribes now lost to time. Their union was not without difficulty, as the people of the tribe did not approve of them. The dragon and the woman spent time together, falling deeper in love with each passing moment.
Until the head of the tribe found out.

His response was fast and brutal. The house and the life that the dragon and the woman had built would be reduced to ask. The dragon screamed in pain towards the sky. How could humans be this cruel?

The dragon responded in kind, his anger boiled over and he flew towards the sky. It would eat all the seven moons as vengeance upon all humans. The first six moons he swallowed with dire purpose, but the dragon was stopped when it reached the seventh moon.

In his way was the great god, Bathala.

The dragon could not hope to match the power of the great god, but it fought for its revenge. In the end the dragon did not succeed in eating the last moon and was banished by Bathala.

And in each eclipse of the moon the dragon remembers the life it once led, with the woman that it loved and the home that it built. Vengeance fills it, but there is also a deep longing to return to the times it had been happy.
And yet other stories abound.

There is the tale of the god of death and his husband.
From his mountain top Sidapa, the god of death admired from afar the beauty of the seven moons. The beauty of these lunar beings infatuated the other gods as well. The goddess of tides would sing to the bright gods and the god of death knew he had to match them.

The god of death pleaded with the birds and mermaids, with the flowers and the fireflies. Each would send word of the god of death’s message to the moons.

Until one responded.

The young boy-moon, Bulan, curious about what the god of death could offer, came down from the heavens and was met with a shower of gifts and songs. The god of death rejoiced that one of the moons had come down.
But there was the danger of the dragon. The dragon was a god of the deep and wanted to take the moons for itself. Once the boy-moon descended from the heavens the dragon saw its chance. It lifted itself up from its ocean dwelling and flew towards Bulan with the intent to devour the boy-moon.

The death god would not allow this and flew towards the boy-moon and snatched him from the dragon’s jaws.
The dragon would not have its prize, not then at least. And the death god and the boy-moon lived together at the top of the mountain Madjaas.

This is a tale told too often and is said to be fevered ramblings, their source lost to time.

These are but some of the stories of the dragon, and there are many more that are scattered throughout the islands.
But remember:

When you see the dragon close to its prize, scream. Make noise like there never was before, fill the night sky with man-made thunder and tell the dragon it will not get its prize.

For no matter what revenge it seeks, humanity will never surrender the final moon to the dragon.

————————–————————–———————–

*The Bantayanon language is the regional language of the Bantayan islands in the Philippines. It is a part of the Bisayan language family and is closely related to Waray and Hiligaynon. There are three dialects of Bantayanon, based in the three municipalities that comprise the island group: Binantayanun (in Bantayan), Linawisanun (in Madridejos), and Sinantapihanun (in Santa Fe), the most idiosyncratic of the three. There are also significant dialectal differences between the speech patterns of those that live in the town centers and those that live outside of the more rural areas of the islands.

Inspired by the different Bakunawa myths https://www.aswangproject.com/bakunawa/

Bakunawa Illustration by Felix Pabalinski
IG: @Elironpabalinas

The post Bakunawa 6 – Bantayanon Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

*Note

The Bakunawa myth states that a giant serpent swallows up the moon, causing a lunar eclipse.

This comic a mish-mash of different versions of the Bakunawa myth. Some legends claim that the Bakunawa had a sister a sea turtle. Humans killed her sister and the Bakunawa ate up the moons in revenge. This intersects with the modern belief of Haliya as a moon goddess, with her mask being a more recent addition to the myth, fighting the Bakunawa.

The post A Bakunawa Tale appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

*Annotation

=—————————————————————-=

*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.

**Baybayin (Tagalog pronunciation: [baɪbaˈjɪn]; also incorrectly known as alibata) is a Philippine script. It is an alphasyllabary belonging to the family of the Brahmic scripts. It was widely used in Luzon and other parts of the Philippines prior to and during the 16th and 17th centuries before being supplanted by the Latin alphabet during the period of Spanish colonization.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation and Transcription by Rosella S Moya-Torrecampo
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation and Transcription Copyright © Rosella S Moya-Torrecampo

Adapted from ‘The Moon and the Bacunawa’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths. Eugenio. 2001.

Watercolor by Tara Singson
IG: https://www.instagram.com/tarabell93/

The post Bakunawa – Baybayin Transcription appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

There are 41 possible different species of venomous snakes in the Philippines. Of that number 26 are sea snakes and the other 15 are terrestrial snakes that live in diverse habitats in freshwater and on land. Some species like Tropidolaemus subannulatus are arboreal and almost never go down to the ground. All terrestrial species of these are able to swim and some inhabit areas near human habitation, around sources of water such as flooded rice fields, streams and rivers, and in agricultural areas.

Venomous snakes in the Philippines are represented by two families: Elapidae and Viperidae while there also occur mildly venomous snakes which are members of the family Colubridae. It is still up to future research to determine the degree of danger that these mildly venomous snakes pose to humans.

It may be hard to distinguish venomous from non-venomous snakes without special attention to detail. Several snakes in the Philippines are black with white bandings and these include the species Calmaria lumbricoidea, Lycodon subcinctus, and members of the genera Hemibungarus and Calliophis. The latter two are dangerously venomous while the other species are non-venomous.  The only way to tell the difference is to check the side of the head in front of the eye to see if a loreal scale is present. If there is no loreal scale then the snake in question may be venomous.

In the Philippines, the snake fauna is relatively well known, but there are areas such as those in Luzon, Palawan and Mindanao that have not been explored in detail. It should be noted that accurate knowledge of snake species is necessary for proper treatment of snakebites. For example, there is only one antivenin manufactured for cobra snakebites derived from the species Naja philippinensis. It was believed in the past that there was only one species with three subspecies of the Philippine cobra, Naja naja, but further research has shown that the three subspecies are distinct and have been recognized as full species. This is important to note because antivenin is species specific, the antivenin used for one kind of snakebite may not work for bites of other species.

Her hands drifted across the keyboard and she took another sip of coffee. This should be good enough for now. The introduction is always the hardest part, then the rest just flows.

She stood up and went to her bag and took out some pictures. “Lovely,” she said to no one in particular. It had taken her months of work, traversing mountains and islands to get this collection. It was her life’s work, but she knew she had to do so much more.

The first picture was of Ophiophagus Hannah, also known as the king cobra. She knew how to describe every part of the snake’s anatomy. Her fingers ran through the nasal scales and noted that the loreal scale was absent.

She flipped through the pictures and picked another one at random. This time it was of Trimeresurus (Parias) schultzei, a green-turquoise snake with alternating bands of black and red. She remembered seeing this species in her travels to Leyte and Samar. They were tree-dwelling and it took her many attempts to get a proper photograph.

Laughter filled her small room. Such wonder and majesty that the elders of her people just ignored. There was power in knowing what you could conjure and they just wasted it on petty cantrips and dime store illusions.

Not her. Never her.

When the elders held her initiation, she did not fear. She had seen the kind of power that their kind possessed. Large black dogs, grotesque flying beings, flaming phantasms were but some of the conjurations she had experienced. But what she remembered was the snakes.

It was the favorite illusion of their people. A gnarled mass of slithering serpents flung at their victims, most of which died of fright in an instant. Those that were left alive through small mercies would forever have nightmares of the forked tongues, limbless bodies and scaled skin.

But the elders had no imagination. They assumed that all snakes looked like pythons and left it at that. It would end with her. She would show them all what they could be capable of if they just tried to see the horror that was at their doorsteps.

From the corner of her eye she could see the familiar black rings of the Hemibungarus calligaster, known by some as the Philippine coral snake. She held the photo against her chest and a faint orange and black glow manifested from her hands. In a moment the black and white ringed serpent was in front of her. She savored the beauty of her creation. This one she had seen in her hometown in Quezon province and it was this very snake that lead her heart to wander through the archipelago. She thanked it silently and went back to her research.

She had learned a lot from libraries and forests. Leafing through books and finding the creature in real life was a thrill she could never let go of. But there were other sources that she had queried, at a price.

Her mind drifted to Iloilo. There was a woman there with power much like hers, but different. She wouldn’t make eye contact for fear she would be exposed, but it was no use. She needed to know. The scar on her palm was throbbing now, the memories made her mind relive the pain. It was worth it though, she got what she was looking for.

The serpent that she would master.

Again, there was laughter. This would be no mere snake, no earthly beast. She walked to the window and the glistening stars reflected in her eyes. Light was not what she craved. It was only darkness in her heart that she let reign.

The darkness of the gods.

She breathed in deep. It was not yet time. She needed more information. She needed to see it for herself. In a month she would start her travels to the different bungalog in hopes of seeing her god.

Until then she would think of the wings and the whiskers, the blood red tongue and the mouth large enough to cast the world into terror.

One day she would use her powers to make it come alive.

One day.

=————————————————————————–=

Written by Karl Gaverza

Copyright © Karl Gaverza 

Inspired by the May-gling legends from Quezon Provinc and description in Diccionario mitológico de Filipinas in Volume 2 of Retana, W.E. Archivo del bibliófilo filipino by Ferdinand Blumentritt (1895), trans Marcaida D. (2019)

May-galing Illustration by Edrian Paolo T. Baydo 

Color by Alexa Garde

Website: Lexa.us

More information on Philippine Snake species can be found in https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263375284_The_dangerously_venomous_snakes_of_the_Philippine_Archipelago_with_identification_keys_and_species_accounts

The post May-galing appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

The children speak in hushed tones when they talk of the dragon.

They fear the setting sun for it is then it comes out to play.
And all those children left behind after dark, well… They never return.

But what is the dragon in the night sky? What is its true story?

Some say that once, there were seven moons that lit the twilight. It was on one of these evenings that a group of humans slaughtered the dragon’s sister, the sea turtle. They did not feel at fault, for if they did not kill the dragon’s sister then their island would succumb to the watery depths.

The dragon was not a dragon then, instead it was a beautiful mermaid. For her revenge, she transformed into a dragon and one by one snuffed out the lights in the night. Six moons fell prey to its maw, but the dragon was stopped at the seventh.

Stories say that the masked goddess intervened. The masked goddess and her human followers caused a raucous sound which reached the heavens and it was then the dragon felt fear. Where had this sound come from, it wondered.

The dragon dived into the sea and tried to change its shape to her beautiful form, but alas, it was not to be. The dragon would remain a dragon until it would reach into its better nature and stop its quest for the moons. But that has not come to pass. With every inch of its being the dragon lusts for revenge and each night it sees the last moon in the sky it will open its gigantic maw and taste sweet victory. That is, until the humans do something about it.

That is but one tale of the great dragon. There is another of love and loss, but ultimately of vengeance.

The dragon once fell in love with a human woman of one of the tribes now lost to time. Their union was not without difficulty, as the people of the tribe did not approve of them. The dragon and the woman spent time together, falling deeper in love with each passing moment.
Until the head of the tribe found out.

His response was fast and brutal. The house and the life that the dragon and the woman had built would be reduced to ask. The dragon screamed in pain towards the sky. How could humans be this cruel?

The dragon responded in kind, his anger boiled over and he flew towards the sky. It would eat all the seven moons as vengeance upon all humans. The first six moons he swallowed with dire purpose, but the dragon was stopped when it reached the seventh moon.

In his way was the great god, Bathala.

The dragon could not hope to match the power of the great god, but it fought for its revenge. In the end the dragon did not succeed in eating the last moon and was banished by Bathala.

And in each eclipse of the moon the dragon remembers the life it once led, with the woman that it loved and the home that it built. Vengeance fills it, but there is also a deep longing to return to the times it had been happy.
And yet other stories abound.

There is the tale of the god of death and his husband.
From his mountain top Sidapa, the god of death admired from afar the beauty of the seven moons. The beauty of these lunar beings infatuated the other gods as well. The goddess of tides would sing to the bright gods and the god of death knew he had to match them.

The god of death pleaded with the birds and mermaids, with the flowers and the fireflies. Each would send word of the god of death’s message to the moons.

Until one responded.

The young boy-moon, Bulan, curious about what the god of death could offer, came down from the heavens and was met with a shower of gifts and songs. The god of death rejoiced that one of the moons had come down.
But there was the danger of the dragon. The dragon was a god of the deep and wanted to take the moons for itself. Once the boy-moon descended from the heavens the dragon saw its chance. It lifted itself up from its ocean dwelling and flew towards Bulan with the intent to devour the boy-moon.

The death god would not allow this and flew towards the boy-moon and snatched him from the dragon’s jaws.
The dragon would not have its prize, not then at least. And the death god and the boy-moon lived together at the top of the mountain Madjaas.

This is a tale told too often and is said to be fevered ramblings, their source lost to time.

These are but some of the stories of the dragon, and there are many more that are scattered throughout the islands.
But remember:

When you see the dragon close to its prize, scream. Make noise like there never was before, fill the night sky with man-made thunder and tell the dragon it will not get its prize.

For no matter what revenge it seeks, humanity will never surrender the final moon to the dragon.

————————–————————–———————–

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the different Bakunawa myths https://www.aswangproject.com/bakunawa/

Bakunawa Illustration by Felix Pabalinski
IG: @Elironpabalinas

The post Bakunawa appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

Every night the bakunawas come.

It started a month ago. Our village was no stranger to the moon serpents, and we readied our gongs and our chants to safeguard the lunar light against the beasts. We rejoiced then, not knowing the hardship we would face. I think back to those happy times and weep.

We were not ready for this.

First, they came alone. The night after the first serpent came, another took its place. It was not unknown to our people that there would be multiple bakunawas in a month following each other. Their kind thought of the moon as a plaything, greedily swallowing it up when they could.

Our people knew of two kinds of moon serpent, differentiated by their bellies. One with a transparent stomach that, when it swallowed the moon, would cause a partial eclipse, and another with a thick-walled stomach that would cause the sky to darken completely.

After the first week we were exhausted. We forced ourselves to push through the pain, and there were even times when the serpents would slip past and gorge on the moon. We chanted twice as hard until we spat blood.

But they did not stop.

We consulted the spirit-talkers among us for answers. They sat beneath their Balete trees and communed with the spirits of sea and sky.

I still remember that night. The spirit talkers cried tears of blood and spoke in a voice of darkness. They told us that this was only the beginning. The bakunawas would come, until the world was completely drenched in midnight.

And there was nothing we could do about it.

I didn’t want to believe the spirit talkers. Maybe something was wrong with their visions. I know that something had to be done to rid our village, and the world of the moon serpents, at least long enough that our village could rest.

But I don’t know what to think now that it has been a month. Our village is tired and we pray to the sun that it would rid us of these loathsome beasts, yet no reprieve comes.
‘The serpents will come as harbingers of the dark. They will take everything from us and lead us into the end,’ the possessed spirit talker’s words echo in my head.

I will not take this lying down. There must be something I can do to stop the moon serpents. I gather my things, my kris, my lucky amulet and some provisions.

As children, we were warned not to stray in too far into the bamboo forest, for there are beings there that are not what they seem. Among these are the muwa, old men and women in one of their forms, and large, hairy creatures once they set aside their illusions.

The answer must lie with them, for if the spirits will not help us, maybe the monsters will.

The wind whistles through the bamboo forest and I am still.
Here is where I find them, the monsters that hold the answers. The spirit talkers in my village cannot help, they are blinded by the serpent’s power and their spirit guides do not reply.

Something must be done.

I hear rustling from a nearby bush and I jump to investigate.
I come face to face with an old woman. She graciously bows to me, but I do not respond. I know what she is.

“Get up, I have no time for your tricks,” I say. The old woman laughs, a loud, guttural sound that sends jolts down my spine. But there is no time for fear. It is almost sundown and the bakunawas will come again. I have to do this, for my people.
“Here he is. Who is that fearless one? Who is so brave that he seeks out the people of the forest?” The old woman’s illusion disappears. She is now a creature of the forest, covered in hair and magic.

“I am Adlaw, and I seek you for answers.”

Again, the muwa laughs, echoing through the bamboo. I notice that more of their kind is watching us.

“The child of the sun. Many have heard about him. He takes his weapons. Charges into the forest. And for what? A quick death maybe?”

“I am not here to fight,” I say as I lay down my kris. “I need to know about the bakunawas.”

“The serpents they come. To play with the moon. The lunar orb. They come all nights. And do not tire.”

“Yes, they seek the moon. Every night my village ring the gongs and shout to make the serpents spit out the sun. But we grow weary. Soon we will not be able to hold them off, and the night will be plunged into darkness.”

“The hubris of humans. Thinking that the duty belongs solely to them. We muwa. We bayi-bayi. Know of the moon serpents. And we do not want to see the nights lose their light.”

“Will you help me then? Please tell me what I should do,” I say falling to my knees. My heart skips a beat, rejoicing that I may have finally found the answer.

“It will come at a cost. There is payment to be done,” the muwa approaches me and looks into my eyes. Her hairy face and monstrous visage make me take a step back.

“I will pay whatever price you require,” I say.

“It is not to us that you will pay,” the muwa says. Her face contorts into a macabre grin. “It is to the serpents.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“To stop them from taking the brightness of night. You must go to the cliffs. The serpents will see you. And they will make a choice.”

“What choice?”

“They will decide if your sacrifice is suitable. If it is acceptable to the serpents. They will stop playing with the orb. If you give them your life.”

Her words strike me deep the moment I realize what she is asking of me. I ask her if there is another way and she replies with a blunt “You must choose between yourself and your village, and all other villages.

The muwa picks up my kris and hands it to me.

“Go, child of the sun. Son of the human tribes. It is up to you to stop the serpents. To stop the endless night.”

I take the kris and exhale.

I know what I must do.

I am here at the cliffside, waiting for the sun to set.

On any other day I would have just sat here and enjoyed the view, the pink-orange haze across the horizon is beautiful.
But this was not that day.

The sun sinks below the sea and I prepare myself. The serpents will be here soon.

I think of happier times. I think of my friends. I think of futures I wish I had and pasts I no longer regret.

The village has come with the gongs and I can hear them prepare in the distance.

I chose to do this alone, not telling any soul. I did not want to be a martyr. It is not for my name that I do this. It is for every child that will grow to be a warrior. It is for every family that will now stay together. It is for my mother, that she will live a full life.

It is for them that I do this.

In my final minutes I shout to the skies and goad the serpents towards me.

They fly to me and I smile.

My sacrifice was enough.

In the bamboo forest, a laugh is heard echoing through the branches.

An old woman looks to the sky and basks in the moonlinght. She says to herself, “The child of the sun. Too foolish for his own good. Heeding words he does not know are true. His sacrifice will be remembered. Not by those he saved. But by those he believed.”

*In Kinaray-a folklore there are two kinds of bakunawas, one that has a transparent belly, blamed for partial lunar eclipses and one with an opaque belly, blamed for total lunar eclipses

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the bakunawa description in The Soul Book. Demetrio & Cordero-Fernando 1991.

Bakunawa (Kinaray-a) Illustration by Julius Arboleda
Online Portfolio: https://juliusarbo.weebly.com/

Inspired by the Muwa legends from Panay

Muwa Illustration by Billy Joe Pana Fragata
Instagram: @kuy_beige

The post Appeasing the Moon Serpents appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

Part 1 of Appeasing the Moon Serpents

Every night the bakunawas come.

It started a month ago. Our village was no stranger to the moon serpents, and we readied our gongs and our chants to safeguard the lunar light against the beasts. We rejoiced then, not knowing the hardship we would face. I think back to those happy times and weep.

We were not ready for this.

First, they came alone. The night after the first serpent came, another took its place. It was not unknown to our people that there would be multiple bakunawas in a month following each other. Their kind thought of the moon as a plaything, greedily swallowing it up when they could.

Our people knew of two kinds of moon serpent, differentiated by their bellies. One with a transparent stomach that, when it swallowed the moon, would cause a partial eclipse, and another with a thick-walled stomach that would cause the sky to darken completely.

After the first week we were exhausted. We forced ourselves to push through the pain, and there were even times when the serpents would slip past and gorge on the moon. We chanted twice as hard until we spat blood.

But they did not stop.

We consulted the spirit-talkers among us for answers. They sat beneath their Balete trees and communed with the spirits of sea and sky.

I still remember that night. The spirit talkers cried tears of blood and spoke in a voice of darkness. They told us that this was only the beginning. The bakunawas would come, until the world was completely drenched in midnight.

And there was nothing we could do about it.

I didn’t want to believe the spirit talkers. Maybe something was wrong with their visions. I know that something had to be done to rid our village, and the world of the moon serpents, at least long enough that our village could rest.

But I don’t know what to think now that it has been a month. Our village is tired and we pray to the sun that it would rid us of these loathsome beasts, yet no reprieve comes.
‘The serpents will come as harbingers of the dark. They will take everything from us and lead us into the end,’ the possessed spirit talker’s words echo in my head.

I will not take this lying down. There must be something I can do to stop the moon serpents. I gather my things, my kris, my lucky amulet and some provisions.

As children, we were warned not to stray in too far into the bamboo forest, for there are beings there that are not what they seem. Among these are the muwa, old men and women in one of their forms, and large, hairy creatures once they set aside their illusions.

The answer must lie with them, for if the spirits will not help us, maybe the monsters will.

*In Kinaray-a folklore there are two kinds of bakunawas, one that has a transparent belly, blamed for partial lunar eclipses and one with an opaque belly, blamed for total lunar eclipses
.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the bakunawa description in The Soul Book. Demetrio & Cordero-Fernando 1991.

Bakunawa (Kinaray-a) Illustration by Julius Arboleda
Online Portfolio: https://juliusarbo.weebly.com/

The post Bakunawa (Kinaray-a) appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

The moon came into the cloudless night
In her garb of flowing silver.
The small boy stares at her
Through the still air
The moon waves her gentle arms
Dancing to a silent song
“O Moon, you must run away!
If the serpent comes,
It will find you
And swallow you whole!”
“Let me do my dance
And have me enjoy this quiet evening
Fear not, child,
For nothing could ever swallow me.”
“Mistress moon, please listen
I can feel the serpent’s presence
Already is it growing dark!”
“I will continue my dance
With the stars as my partners
Leave us be.”

The serpent coils
Closer and closer
The boy is standing on the edge
His eyes are closed
Through the night it comes
Faster than a shadow
Its eyes glistening
At its prize

How the nightbirds cry!
The moon is trapped in the sky
And the child weeps
His throat grows hoarse
But his shouts are not heard
The moon weeps silver tears
That fall into the sea

Shadows make their new home
Across the horizon
And a lone child cries
At the edge of the world

————————–————————–———————

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Poem inspired by the Bakunawa myths

Bakunawa Illustration by Patato Doodles

The post Bakunawa appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

“Stop me if you’ve heard this before. It’s a locked room, there’s one victim. All signs point to suicide. There’s a note left for family and friends. It all seems like an open and shut case, but there’s something that catches your eye. On the note there’s a circle, the same kind that you’ve found on another suicide weeks before. You think it’s a coincidence, but you see the same circle on a suicide case weeks after. You think that there may be something to this symbol, so you look over old case files then you find more notes with more circles. There’s no pattern that you can see, different ages, different backgrounds, but you know there has to be something that you’re missing, something that ties everything together.”

“Stop it Ernesto. I get it you don’t think there’s anything there—”

“You think it might be some sort of suicide cult, like what happened in Japan in the 70s. There’s just too much of a pattern that you can’t ignore. You spend all your free time digging through the cases, interviewing the families, reopening old wounds. Your superiors tell you to stop, but you can’t. There’s something driving you and it won’t let go. You turn over every stone, every shred of evidence you can find, but there’s still nothing solid, nothing that ties the suicides together.”
“Ernesto. Stop.”

“It slowly becomes your life. You take it home with you to the point where your wife can’t stand to talk about it. Every waking moment of your day is devoted to finding some kind of lead that will get you closer to solving the case.”

“Ernesto!”

“But there’s a part of you that doesn’t think the case can be solved. You think that it’s all been a waste of time. So what if there’s a random circle that happens to be on the suicide notes of some troubled people, it could just be some coincidence. There’s no way that these many people are all connected somehow. They’re just too different.”

“Please stop.”

“But there’s something that just keeps driving you. You know in your gut that the circle means something. Something that ties all of this together, but you just can’t figure it out. Your friends all tell you to stop, that this isn’t worth losing your job and your relationships, but you don’t listen. This is something bigger than you now, something that you can’t explain.”

“…..”

“You know, deep in your soul that everything is connected and that there’s something bigger that’s going on. You try to tell your friends and anyone that will listen, but they close their ears. They don’t want to listen to what you have to say. So you go online, spread the word to as many people as you can, it doesn’t matter that your wife left you, it doesn’t matter that your friends don’t call you back. People need to know what’s happening.”

“Please.”

“Now you’re in what’s left of your house, piles of papers surrounding you. Interview notes, stolen evidence, witness statements all around. You can’t let go of the feeling that something’s going to happen.”

“It will.”

“There’s nothing left except—“

“Shut up!”

“Except that feeling.”

“You don’t know what it’s like. To know that something will happen. To know that you’re the only one that can warn people about whatever it is. You don’t know what it’s like to sacrifice everything you have to make sure that people know something is coming!”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s been another suicide. That makes four this month, all with no seeming connection except—“

“The circle.”

“It was on every note that the victims left.”

“You think that there’s something to it then?”

“I don’t know if I believe what you believe. All I know is that there have been more and more suicides and all of them have the same symbol left behind.”

“It must mean that it will happen soon.”

“What will? You’ve been at this for years and you still can’t tell me for sure what is going to happen.”

“It has to do with the circle.”

“But what does it mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well we have to figure it out.”

“’We?’”

“I still don’t know if there’s a pattern to all of this, but my gut is telling me I have to find out.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank me when we get answers.”

Jomar Gallante stared at the gun in his hands and thought about better yesterdays. It had been two weeks since the dreams started. The bags under his eyes were heavy and the empty coffee cups and energy drinks that littered his apartment were starting to smell.

He didn’t want to close his eyes. That’s when the dreams came. It was always the same. The days were the only solace he had against the onslaught of the terror.

He couldn’t remember what exactly happened in the dreams, though that might be a small mercy that the Lord gave him. He would wake up in a cold sweat, his throat dry from screaming. No matter what he took they always came. He looked at the broken alarm clock on the side of his bed and the scratches on his body.

He prayed that God would forgive him for what he was about to do.

“Ernesto look at this.”

“Quiet! I’m already in hot water for bringing you to a crime scene. I don’t want to get kicked out too.”

“Look at the pool of blood.”

“What about it?”

“The shape. It’s like the other suicides.”

“You’re sounding crazy, it’s all gravity. The blood just pooled that way.”

“It looks like it’s laughing.”

“I took a big risk bringing you here and you’re talking nonsense. Nothing is laughing at us. Let’s focus on what we know. This is the third suicide this week. The first victim was a 50 year old father of two, the next one a 26 year old call center agent and now—“

“35 year old single male. Lived alone in his apartment. The neighbors said that they could hear screaming from his room every night the week before his suicide. They said he had nightmares.”

“Were those nightmares bad enough to lead to all this?”

“Maybe. If only we saw what he did.”

“If we did we might have ended up like him.”

“Maybe.”
“There’s nothing connecting the victims. They lived in different areas, different socio-economic statuses. Their paths never crossed.”

“Except for the circle.”

“I’ve asked forensics to look through their computers and there’s nothing in their histories that looks like that symbol. Unless you count Google Chrome, but I don’t think it’s telling people to kill themselves.”

“….”

“It was a joke. At this point I don’t know what our next step is. It’s the same story and if you’re right and something big is going to happen then we have to act fast.”

“…”

“Hello? Arturo?”

“Sorry I was just looking at the moon.”

“First the crazy talk and now you’re getting distracted. You need to keep your head in the game.”

“Yes.. yes.. sorry. I don’t know what I was doing.”

“Well hurry up. We need to get out of here before anyone spots you.”

“Alright…alright.”

Ernesto couldn’t look Sarah in the eyes. Arturo had been missing nearly 5 days and he was running out of options.

“Ever since he became obsessed with that case I cut all ties,” she said.

He knew she was right. They hadn’t talked for nearly eight months. Ernesto sighed and thanked Sarah. She was his last lead, now he was out of options.

Had someone taken Arturo? Was it connected to the case? Or did his sanity finally break?

Ernesto looked at the night sky, the full moon hung in the air with a mocking glow.

He prayed his friend was alright, but there were other cases and crimes to think about.

He started his car and started the long drive home.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Bakunawa myths

Anggitay Illustration by Abe Joncel Guevarra
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008285862780

The post Bakunawa appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

*Note this story is in Bisaya-Iligan

Dihay pito ka Bulan, ug ka-pito sab ka higayon nahigugma ang bakunawa.

Puno sa pagdayeg ug kaibog nga ginalantaw ang kada usa sa mag- igsoong babaye sa ilang paglabay sa kalangitan sa kagabhion. Gusto sa bakunawa nga angkunon ang mga maanyag nga binuhat, ug buot niya nga tukbon sila.

Mao kadto ang unang gabii nga minus ang kahayag sa langit, tungod kay gitukob sa bakunawa ang usa sa mga igsoong babaye ug gitulon kini.

Pila ka bulan ang nilabay ug nalanay ang bulan nga gitukob sa bakunawa.

Walay katagbawan ang bakunawa gawas kun makapanag-iya siya sa bulan, busa iyang gikugihan nga maangkon kini, apan nalanay ra pag-usab ang bulan. Unom ka higayon nga gisulayan sa pag-angkon sa bakunawa ang bulan, apan ka- unom sab kahigayon nalanay ang bulan.

Sa iyang gingharian sa langit, nabantayan ni Bathala nga nawad-an na sa kahayag ang kagabhion. Wala siya mahibalo sa nahitabo kanila apan usa ka gabii niana, napukaw siya gikan sa iyang pagkatulog sa mga siyagit ug dagumbol sa mga tawo..
Mao katong ang higayon nga tukbon na usab sa bakunawa ang ikapitong bulan.

Naninggit ang mga tawo ug nangaliya kang Bathala ug ayuda tungod kay nabalaka sila nga ma-ilog na sa tumang kangitngit ang kagabhion.

Nadungog sa bakunawa ang tingog gikan sa dagumbol ug singgit sa mga tawo, ug abtik kining niatras pabalik sa iyang lungga.

Naminsar pagmaayo ang Ginoo. Unsaon nalang kung lamoyon na sab sa bakunawa ang ika-pitong bulan? Aron malikayan ang maong teribli nga panghitabo, gitamnan niya ug kawayan ang dagway sa bulan. Maanaag ang kahoy isip usa ka ngitngit nga hulagway sa iyang dagway kung mopataas kini sa kalangitan inig kagabii.

Apan dili magpapildi ang bakunawa. Dili maihap ang pagsuway niini nga lamoyon ang ika-pitong bulan apan dili sab maihap ang pagkapakyas niini tungod sa mga pagmaniobra sa mga tawo. Ang mga singgit ug pag-dagumbol sa mga tawo igo nga nagpamatuod para sa magmamando sa kadagatan. Busa mibalik siya sa iyang lungga, ug nagahulat na lang nga makahigayon na usab.

Matud pa sa ubang mga katigulangan, taman sa buhi ug solido pa ang kawayan sa dagway sa bulan, dili gayud magmalamposon ang bakunawa, apan kinahanglan usab magbalantayon kanunay ang mga katawhan.

Taman sa pangitaon sa bakunawa ang iyang premyo, madunggan ang makabungol nga tingog gikan sa tilaok ug mga kamot sa mga katawhan.

————————–————————–————————––

English Version

Seven Moons there were, and seven times the great serpent fell in love.

Each sister was looked at with wonder and admiration as they passed along the night sky. The serpent thought that he must acquire these lovely beings, and sought to swallow them whole.

It was in that first night that the sky would forever be a little less brilliant, for the serpent took one of the sisters in his gaping jaws and swallowed her.

Months passed and the moon which the serpent had swallowed had melted away.

The serpent would not be satisfied unless he possessed a moon, so he tried again, but again, the moon had melted away. Six times the serpent had tried, and six times the moons melted away.

Bathala, in his throne in the skies, had noticed that the nights had lost their light. He did not know what had happened to them, but one night the screams and drums of man roused him from his sleep.

It was at that moment that the serpent was trying to swallow the seventh moon.

Humanity shouted at the great god to intercede, lest the night would forever be stolen by darkness.

The serpent heard the drums and the shouts, and retreated back to his cavern with great haste.

The great god thought hard. What if the serpent tried to swallow up the seventh moon again? To prevent this terrible thing from happening he planted a bamboo tree on the face of the moon. The tree can still be seen as a dark spot on her face when she soars through the night sky.

The serpent would not rest in defeat. Countless times has it tried to swallow up the seventh sister and countless times has it failed due to the machinations of man. The shouts and the drums prove too much for the ruler of the seas, and he retreats back to his caver, waiting on his next chance.

There are those elders that say that as long as the bamboo tree stays solid on the face of the moon the serpent will never succeed, but still mankind watches out for the serpent.

As long as the serpent seeks his prize, the deafening sounds from the throats and hands of man will be heard.

————————–————————–————————–—-

*Visayan (Bisaya or Binisaya) is a group of languages of the Philippines that are related to Tagalog and Bikol, all three of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Most Visayan languages are spoken in the whole Visayas section of the country, but they are also spoken in the Bicol Region (particularly in Masbate), islands south of Luzon, such as those that make up Romblon, most of the areas of Mindanao and the province of Sulu located southwest of Mindanao. Some residents of Metro Manila also speak Visayan.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Shangrela V. Genon-Sieras
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Shangrela V. Genon-Sieras

Adapted from The Moon and the Bacunawa in Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths. Eugenio. 2001.

Watercolor by Tara Singson
IG: https://www.instagram.com/tarabell93/

The post Bakunawa – Cebuano Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.