*Note this story is in Tagalog
Naghanda na si Haring Indarapatra. Sumasalamin sa talim ng kanyang espada ang sinag ng araw at siya ay huminga nang malalim. Puno ang kanyang isipan ng mga kuwento tungkol sa nilalang na may kakayahang makakita ng lahat, ngunit haharapin niya ang halimaw gaano man ito kahila-hilakbot.
Ang pang-apat ay ang kakila-kilabot na ibon mula sa Bundok Gurayn.
Mabilis na nakailag si Haring Indarapatra sa ulong papalapit sa kanya, ang matalim na tuka ay hindi tumama ng ilang pulgada lamang ang layo. Gumulong siya sa lupa upang iwasan ang dalawa pang ulo at sinubukang tamaan ang pangatlo, ngunit ang balat ng halimaw ay mas matibay kaysa sa inaasahan ni Haring Indarapatra.
Pagkabigla ang tanging bagay na hindi inaasahan ni Haring Indarapatra. Sa bawat direksyon, isa sa pitong ulo ay nagbabantay. Dahil dito, nagpasya ang hari na gamitin ang taglay niyang lakas sa suliraning kinaharap. Habang ang isang ulo ay bumaba papunta sa kanya, mahigpit na hinawakan ni Haring Indarapatra ang kanyang espada gamit ang dalawa niyang kamay at ginamit niya ang lahat ng kanyang lakas upang putulin ang ulo ng halimaw.
Umalingawngaw sa buong kabundukan ang mga sigaw ng anim pang ulo, pinagsamang sakit at galit. Pagod na pagod na si Haring Indarapatra, sumisigaw sa sakit ang bawat kalamnan niya, ngunit walang panahon upang magpahinga. May anim pang ulo ang halimaw, naghahanda upang mapaghigantihan siya.
Lumipas ang araw at gabi, tumapon sa mga tigang na mga bato sa kabundukan ang dugo mula sa magkabilang panig. Halos mapurol ang espada ni Haring Indarapatra mula sa patuloy na pagtaga sa balat ng ibon, ngunit ang kanyang mga ulos ng pagtaga ang nagpatumba sa halimaw.
Tinitigan niya ang katawan ng halimaw at pumikit. Nakuntento siya sa kanyang nagawa,
Nagising si Haring Indarapatra na may naiisip. Paano kung hindi napatay ang lahat sa lupaing ito? Tiyak na may mga nakaligtas sa mga burol at kagubatan. Kaya’t isinilid ng hari ang kanyang espada at nagpatuloy sa isa pang paglalakbay.
Isang araw, nakita niya sa malayo ang isang magandang babae. Hindi malaman ni Haring Indarapatra kung ito ay isang ilusyon lamang, ngunit siya ay galak na galak na makakita ng isa pang tao. Naglahong bigla ang dilag bago pa man makalapit ang hari at naupo siya sa isang malapit na bato, pagod, at gutom.
Nanalangin siya para sa kaginhawahan at habang pinagmamasdan ang paligid, nakita niya ang palayok ng hindi pa lutong bigas at isang malaking apoy sa harapan nito. Habang niluluto niya ang bigas, nakarinig siya ng malakas na tawanan. Nagalak ang kanyang puso! May isang matandang babae ang nagmamasid sa kanya. Binati niya ang matandang babae at nag-usap sila habang kumakain si Haring Indarapatra ng kanin.
“May mga nakaligtas pa,” wika ng matandang babae sa hari, “ngunit kakaunti lamang.” Inilarawan niya ang kuweba kung saan nagtatago ang mga tao, malayo sa mga nakatatakot na apat na halimaw. Nagtago ang matandang babae at kanyang asawa sa isang guwang na puno at nagawang lumabas lamang nang patayin ni Sulayman ang ibon na si Pah.
Dinala ng matandang babae si Haring Inbdarapatra sa kuweba at nagtipion ang mga tao sa paligid ng estranghero at nakinig sa kanyang salaysay. Ikinuwento niya ang kanyang kapatid na si Sulayman at kung paano nito pinatay ang mga halimaw na sina Kurita, Tarabusaw, at Pah.
Isinalaysay niya kung paano nadaganan ng pakpak ng malaking ibon ang kanyang kapatid at kung paano siya naglakbay mula sa kanyang mga lupain upang ipaghiganti ang kanyang kapatid. Ikinuwento niya kuung paano niya pinatay ang pitong ulong ibon ng Bundok Gurayn,
Nagpasalamat ang mga tao sa estrangherong nagligtas sa kanilang lupain mula sa mga halimaw. Ibinigay ng pinuno ng mga tao ang kamay ng kanyang anak na babae kay Haring Indarapatra at nagulat siya dahil ito ang magandang babae na nakita niya noon.
Lumabas ang ilang mga taong nagtatago at bumalik sa kanilang mga tirahan, namuhay ng mapayapa at masaya sa natitirang bahagi ng kanilang mga araw.
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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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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
Watercolor by Catherine Chiu