Maybe you think that fishes were always the way they are, and in some cases you would be right. But there is one fish above all others, he is the King of Fishes and he lives deep beneath the waves, using his authority to govern the deep fathoms of the oceans.
Most humans forget that the King is royalty and seek to deny him his due, but they learn eventually that there is no breaking an oath made to a royal.
There is the tale of a couple named Juan and Juana that learned this lesson all too well. They lived by the seaside and waited through the seasons to be blessed with a child.
Fortune smiled upon them after many years and they were finally expecting a new addition to their family.
During the pregnancy Juana would crave bangus (milkfish) to eat. Juan was a faithful husband and would go far out to sea to catch the fish his wife enjoyed.
Then came a day when Juan was unable to find any bangus in his nets. He sat in his boat, crestfallen at the prospect of coming home empty handed to his wife.
Out of the silence a lone voice called for Juan. He turned around and was surprised to find a bangus with a crown.
The bangus introduced himself as the King of Fishes and asked why Juan fished only for bangus. He wondered why he would see less and less of his subjects in the water.
Juan explained that his pregnant wife craved bangus every day. He related his sorrow surrounding his empty catch.
“Fear not,” said the King of Fishes, “I will provide you with all the bangus you will ever need, but in return you must give your child to me when it turns seven years old.”
Juan’s face flashed with shock. Surely he couldn’t give away his firstborn child to the King of Fishes, yet he thought to his wife, devastated that Juan would come up empty. It was the season in which bangus was scarce and Juan didn’t know if he would be able to catch any without the King of Fishes’ help.
Juan eventually agreed to the King of Fishes’ terms and, true to his word, the King supplied Juan with more bangus than he could count. So bountiful was Juan’s catch that he continued to bring home bangus even after Juana had given birth.
They named the child “Maria” and they loved her very much. When the girl turned seven Juan begged the King of Fishes to release them from his promise. The King of Fishes did not waver and only said, “A promise is a promise.”
And a king will not be denied.
Juan returned home, his heart shattered into a million pieces. That day both Juan and Juana forbade their lovely daughter to go near the sea.
That is, until one day, when Juan and Juana were doing laundry by the river. There came a magnificent boat. So majestic it was that people gathered to the seaside to take in the beautiful sight. Maria, pushed by her curiosity, joined the people by the seaside.
In an instant, a giant wave rushed to the shore and dragged Maria out to sea.
The people rushed to Juan and Juana and told them about what happened, but it was too late. They both knew that the King of Fishes had taken Maria.
Still, their love for their daughter was strong, every night for years they would stay by the shore in the hopes of catching the merest vision of Maria.
And their prayers were answered on a moonlit night when they saw a woman whose body was half woman and half bangus. One glimpse of her long, black hair and they knew that it was their long lost daughter, now forever belonging to the waves.
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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Adapted from “The Mermaid” in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.
The King of Fishes Illustration by Pia BMorante