*Note this story is in Bicol-Albay
Inihanda ni King Indarapatra ang sadiri. Nasalming sa kapot niyang patarum ang aldaw saka naghangus siya ki hararum. Napupuno ang saiyang isip kang mga pataratara hango san nilalang na nahihiling ang gabos, siring pa man hahampangon niya ang hayop maski pa gawnu ang saiyang kulba.
Ang pang-apat na makatakot na bayong kang Mount Gurayn.
Maingaton na nilikayan ni Haring Indarapatra ang payo na paharani saiya, mga pirang pulgada ang mintis kang matarum na tuka. Nagligid-ligid ini sa daga para malikayan ang duwa pang payo dangan niya kinastahan ang pangatulo, ugaring matagas ang kulit kang halimaw mas pa sa paghuna ni Haring Indarapatra.
Ang pagkakigkig na dai pig-aasahan ni Haring Indarapatra. Sa kada direksyon, ang saro sa pitong payo nag-iikmat. Kaya ginamit kang hari ang saiyang kusog sa problema. Habang ang saro pang payo nakahampang saiya, kinaptan ni Haring Indarapatra ang saiyang sundang tuwang ang duwa niyang kamot saka ginamit ang gabos niyang kusog para maputol sa kabanga ang payo kang halimaw.
Nag-alingawngaw sa kadlagan ang mga huriyaw kang anum pang payo, sarabay kang kulog dangan dagit. Grabeng tanglay ni Haring Indarapatra dara kang ginibo, ang kada laman niya nagasuriyaw ki kulog, ugaring warang oras para sa pahingalo. Igwa pang ibang anum na payo ang halimaw, na halos gabos nagahanda sa paghihiganting kastahan siya.
Ang mga banggi na pahingalo sa mga aldaw, dugo sa kada panig ang bumulwak sa mga layang bato kang bulod. Ang sundang ni Haring Indarapatra halos dai ng tarum dara kang pagtama sa kulit kang bayong, pero sadyang tunay ang saiyang mga balbal kaya nahulog padagos ang halimaw.
Hiniling niya ang lawas kang halimaw saka ipinirong ang saiyang mga mata, kuntento sa saiyang ginibo.
Nagimata si Haring Indarapatra sa saiyang hurop-hurop. Pawnu kung bakong gabos ginadan sa lugar na ini? Pasigurong may mga nakasalbar na mga bulod pati kadlagan. Kaya, isinaklob kang hari ang saiyang sundang saka nagpadagus sa saiyang paglakaw.
Sarung aldaw nahiling niya, sa bakong karayuan, ang sarung magayon na babaye. Dai aram ni Haring Indarapatra kung saro lang ini sa saiyang murawmuraw, pero nauugma siyang makahiling ki ibang tawu. Nawara ang babaye bago pa man makaharani ang hari dangan siya tuminukaw sa kataning na gapo, tanglay saka luaw.
Nangadyi siya para sa marahayan saka, dangan tantanun ang lugar, nakahiling ini ki kuron na may hilaw na bagas sa daga kahampang ang dakulang kalayo. Habang nagasapna siya ki maluto nakadangog siya ki makusugon na ngarakngakan. Naugma ang saiyang puso! Sarung babayeng gurang ang nakahiling saiya. Pigtino niya ini saka nag-uuron sinda habang pigakaon ni Haring Indarapatra ang saiyang maluto.
“Igwa pang ibang nakaligtas,” sabi kang gurang na babaye sa hari, pero dikit sana. Pig mustra kaini ang sarung yungib kung sain naging istaran kang mga tawo, harayo sa makatakot na daguso kang apat na halimaw. Nagatago ang babayeng gurang dangan ang saiyang agom sa sarong kahoy na may guwang asta nakaluwas sana sinra kang magadan ni Sulayman ang bayong na si, Pah.
Dinara kang babayeng gurang si Haring Indarapatra sa kweba saka maski dai ini bisto kang mga tawu pigtiripunan siya para madangog ang saiyang istorya. Inistorya kaini ang tungkol sa saiyang tugang na si Sulayman dangan kung pawnu kaini ginadan ang mga hayop na sina Kurita, Tarabusaw at Pah. Pig-istorya pa kaini kung pawnu narunot ang saiyang tugang sa irarum kang pakpak katong dakulang bayong dangan kung pawnu siya naglagalag poon sa saiyang mga ginikaanan para sana ipaghiganti ang saiyang tugang. Pig-istorya niya kung pawnu niya natigbak ang bayong na may pitong payo sa Mount Gurayn.
Grabe ang pasasalamat kang mga tawo sa mga ini na naghali kang mga halimaw sa kanilang lugar. Ipinikasal kang pinuno ang saiyang babayeng aki sa hari, na ikinakigkig ni Haring Indarapatra kang mahiling na iyo ini su magayon na babaye na nahiling niya kaito.
Ang iba sa kahaluyan nagruluwasan na sa saindang pigtataguan saka buminalik na sa sindang mga harong, namumuhay na daing andam asin maugma siring sa saindang mga huling aldaw.
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English Version
King Indarapatra readied himself. The sun reflected against the blade in his hands and he breathed in deep. His mind was filled with tales of the creature being all-seeing, but he would face the beast no matter how fearsome it was.
The fourth was the dreadful bird of Mount Gurayn.
King Indarapatra deftly dodged the head coming towards him, the sharp beak missing its mark by only a few inches. He rolled on the ground avoiding another two heads and tried to strike at a third, but the beast’s hide was tougher than King Indarapatra thought.
Surprise was the one thing King Indarapatra could not count on. In each direction, one of the seven heads would be watching. So the king resorted to applying his strength to the problem. As another head bared down upon him, King Indarapatra held his sword with two hands and used all his strength to cut the monster’s head in half.
The screams of the other six heads echoed through the mountain range, a combination of pain and anger. King Indarapatra was exhausted from the effort, his every muscle screamed in agony, but there was no time to rest. The monster still had six other heads, all preparing to take a vengeful strike at him.
The nights blended with the days, blood from both sides was spilt on the barren rocks of the mountains. King Indarapatra’s blade was almost blunt from hacking away at the bird’s hide, but his strikes were true and the monster did fall.
He stared at the body of the beast and closed his eyes, content with what he had done.
King Indarapatra awoke with a thought. What if not all were slain in these lands? Surely there must be some survivors among the hills and forests. Thus, the king sheathed his sword and went on another journey.
One day he saw, in the distance, a beautiful woman. King Indarapatra did not know if it was an illusion, but he was delighted to see the sight of another human being. The woman disappeared before the king could get near and he sat on a nearby rock, tired and hungry.
He prayed for relief and, surveying the area, he saw a pot of uncooked rice and a large fire on the ground in front of it. As he cooked the rice, he heard loud laughter. His heart rejoiced! An old woman was watching him. He greeted her and they talked as King Indarapatra ate his rice.
“There are other survivors,” the old woman told the king, but very few. She described a cave in which the people were sheltered, far from the fearsome might of the four beasts. The old woman and her husband hid in a hollow tree and were only able to venture outward when Sulayman killed the bird, Pah.
The old woman led King Indarapatra to the cave and the people gathered around the stranger and listened to his tale. He told of his brother, Sulayman and how he slew the beasts Kurita, Tarabusaw and Pah. He told of how his brother was crushed under the wing of the great bird and how he journeyed from his lands to avenge his brother. He told of how he slew the seven headed bird of Mount Gurayn.
The people gave thanks to the strangers that rid their land of the monsters. The headman of the people gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to the king, and King Indarapatra was surprised to find that it was the beautiful woman that he had seen before.
Others eventually came out of their hiding places and returned to their homes, living in peace and happiness for the rest of their days.
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Continued from Pah’s Tale
Albay Bikol, or simply Albayanon is a group of languages and one of the three languages that compose Inland Bikol. It is spoken in the southwestern coast of Albay, (Pio Duran, Jovellar) and northwestern Sorsogon. The region is bordered by the Coastal Bikol and Rinconada Bikol speakers.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Bicol Translation by Chai Mendi
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Chai Mendi
Adapted from “Mythology of Mindanao” in Philippine Folklore Stories. Cole. 1916. (Full text can be accessed at http://
The Bird of Mount Gurayn Illustration by Julius Arboleda