Ancient Tagalog Deities

Philippine Mythology

by: Jennefer EdrozoAngeluz Sabunod

Pantheon of Ancient Tagalog Gods

Philippine mythology is derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the traditional oral literature of the Filipino people. This refers to a wide range of material due to the ethnic mix of the Philippines. Each unique ethnic group has its own stories and myths to tell.

The stories of ancient Philippine mythology include deities, creation stories, mythical creatures, and beliefs. Ancient Philippine mythology varies among the many indigenous tribes of the Philippines.

Some groups during the pre-Spanish conquest era believed in a single Supreme Being who created the world and everything in it

while others chose to worship a multitude of tree and forest deities (diwatas).

Diwatas came from the Sanskrit word devata which means “deity“, one of the several significant Hindu influences in the Pre-Hispanic religion of the ancient Filipinos.

• The Tagalog people are major ethnic group in the Philippines. They form a majority in Manila, Marinduque and Southern Luzon, and a plurality in Central Luzon and the islands of Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon.

Good Tagalog Deities in Ancient

Philippine Mythology

First Generation Gods

Second Generation Gods

Third Generation Gods

Generations divided based on common beliefs about the offspring of the gods:

First

Generation

Gods

Bathala The supreme god of the Tagalogs; creator of man and earth and addressed sometimes as Bathalang Maykapal.

He dwells in Kaluwalhatian together with the lesser gods and goddesses.

Aside from the lesser gods and goddesses, he sent his anitos in order to assist the daily lives of every human.

When most of the natives were converted to Christianity during the Spanish Era, he was referred to the Christian God.

AmanikableThe ill-tempered god of the sea because among the first generation gods (aside from Bathala), he was never married after his love was spurned by a beautiful mortal maiden, Maganda.

In frustration, he swore vengeance against the humans by sending turbulent waves and horrible tempest in order to wreck boats and to drown men.

Idiyanale Known by the Tagalogs as the god of animal husbandry and aquaculture  by others the god of agriculture,

the god who is in charge of animal welfare and aquatic resources, he usually lives in the woods and guards the animals from hunters, also on waters takes in charge of the fishes and other marine life.

Dumangan• The goddess of good harvest. • She was married to Idiyanale and had two offspring.

Lakampati She is major fertility deity of the ancient Tagalogs.

Farmers with their children brought offerings for him at the fields and invoke him to protect them from famine. Some sources also said that food and words are offered to him by his devotees asking for "water" for their fields and "fish" when they set sail in the sea for fishing.

Lakampati was a hermaphrodite deity and was commented by some authors and friars as “the hermaphrodite devil who satisfies his carnal appetite with men and women”.

He is identified to the ancient Zambal goddess Ikapati although he/she also has a characteristics similar to other Zambal deities such as Anitong Tawo, Dumangan, Damulag, Kalasokus, and Kalaskas.

Second

Generation

Gods

MayariThe goddess of moon and one of the three daughters of Bathala to mortal women.

She was the most charming of all the goddesses and had two sisters namely Tala and Hanan.

TalaThe goddess of the stars;

sister of Mayari and Hanan and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman.

Hanan The goddess of morning;

sister of Mayari and Tala and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman.

DumakulemThe strong, agile guardian of mountains and the son of Idiyanale and Dumangan.

His sister was Anitun Tabu.

He later married Anagolay.

Anitun Tabu The fickle-minded goddess of wind and rain.

She was the daughter of Idiyanale and Dumangan and the sister of Dumakulem.

AnagolayThe goddess of lost things and the only offspring of Lakapati and Mapulon.

She was married to Dumakulem.

THIRD GENERATION GODS

OTHER GODS

THIRD GENERATION

GODS

PHILIPPINE GODS FAMILY TREE BY MOTZIE DAPUL VIA DEVIANTART

HARMFUL TAGALOG DEITIES IN ANCIENT PHILIPPINE MYTHOLOGY

THE GUARDIAN OF KASAMAAN AND THE

KEEPER OF ALL SOULS THEREIN, THE

COUNTERPART OF SATAN. HE HAD FOUR AGENTS

WHOSE TASK WAS TO LEAD MAN TO SIN AND DESTRUCTION.Sit

an

SHE WAS THE FIRST AGENT OF SITAN AND WAS

PRIMARILY BLAMED AS THE CAUSE OF DISEASES.

SOMETIMES, SHE WOULD CHANGE HERSELF INTO A

HUMAN FORM, APPEARING AS A FALSE HEALER. IF SHE WISHED TO KILL SOMEONE,

SHE EMPLOYED A MAGIC WAND.

Manggagaway

  MANISILAT THE SECOND AGENT OF

SITAN, SHE WAS TASKED TO DESTROY AND BREAK EVERY HAPPY AND UNITED

FAMILY THAT SHE COULD FIND.

THE ONLY MALE AGENT OF SITAN, HE WAS TO EMIT FIRE AT NIGHT

AND WHEN THERE WAS BAD WEATHER. LIKE

HIS FELLOW AGENTS, HE COULD CHANGE HIS

FORM TO THAT OF A HEALER AND THEN INDUCE FIRE AT HIS VICTIM’S HOUSE. IF

THE FIRE WERE EXTINGUISHED

IMMEDIATELY, THE VICTIM WOULD

EVENTUALLY DIE. HIS NAME REMAINS TODAY

AS WITCH.

Mangkukulam

THE LAST AGENT OF SITAN COULD

CHANGE HERSELF INTO ANY FORM SHE

DESIRED. SHE COULD KILL

SOMEONE BY SIMPLY RAISING HER HAND AND COULD HEAL

WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY AS SHE WISHED. HER NAME LITERALLY MEANS

“CRONE” OR “HAG.”

Other Tagalog Deities in Philippine

Mythology

  SHE IS THE PRIMORDIAL GODDESS

OF THE OCEAN AND PROTECTOR OF

FISHERMEN. SHE WAS ONE OF THE THREE ORIGINAL DEITIES

ALONG WITH BATHALA AND AMIHAN. SHE SENT

TEMPESTS INTO THE HEAVENS, TO WHICH

BATHALA RESPONDED BY THROWING

BOULDERS WHICH WOULD BECOME THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. AMIHAN FLEW BACK

AND FORTH BETWEEN THEM, MAKING PEACE.

 (WANDERING SPIRIT)  – THE WINGED GOD PRESENT IN SOME CREATION MYTHS WHO LOVES TO TRAVEL. HE IS

IDENTIFIED AS A CLOSE FRIEND OF

BATHALA.

Galang Kaluluwa

GOD OF THE SEA.

 

  THE PROTECTOR

OF THE GROWING CROPS.

Lakambakod

Lakambakod

  IS KNOW AS THE “PURE MAIDEN” FOR HIS

INCOMPARABLE BEAUTY, IRONIC THAT HE IS A

MALE DIWATA. HE WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS

THE GOD OF “KAPURIHAN”(PURITY)

AND IS ALSO THE GOD OF FOOD, FESTIVITY AND

ANTI-GLUTTONY. WORSHIPED MAINLY BY

MEN: THEY PRAY TO LAKAMBINI TO LET THEM

FIND A BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN TO WED. AN

OBSCURE DEITY CALLED “ABOGADO DELA

GARGANTA” (THROAT ADVOCATE) BY THE

SPANIARDS AND WAS TURNED INTO THE GOD

OF GLUTTONY.

Lakambini

A PHALLIC GOD.Lingga

(ORPHANED SPIRIT)  – IT IS A SERPENT GOD PRESENT IN SOME

CREATION MYTHS THAT WAS KILLED BY BATHALA

AFTER AN ENSUING RIVAL.

 Ulilang Kaluluwa