Tala
Tala, the Tagalog Goddess of the Stars Gods and Goddesses from the Philippines Tala is the name of the Goddess of stars in Tagalog mythology. Her origins are varied depending on region. In one story,the Sun God Arao and the Moon Goddess Buan both had large families of stars, but Buan believed her stars could not survive the heat of Arao. They both agreed to destroy their stars. While Arao devoured his, Buan hid hers in the clouds, where they would occasionally emerge. Upon seeing this, Arao was filled with rage and is eternally in pursuit of the Buan, trying to destroy her. Eclipses are explained by Arao getting close enough to bite her. At dawn, Buan hides the stars and brings them forth only when her eldest daughter, Tala (the evening and morning star) says the sun is too far away to pursue them. Derived from this myth are the Tagalog words tala, which means “bright star”, araw (sun) and buwan (moon). This story has very close parallels to stories among non-Filipino cultures such as the Bihar, Semang, Savara and the Bhuiya tribes. In another myth, Tala is the daughter of the sky God Bathala and the sister of the moon Goddess Mayari, and Apolaki, the God of the sun. #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #ethnicstudies #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #philippinemythology #tala #goddes
Malakas at Maganda
When the world first began there was no land; there was only the Sea and the Sky, and between them flew a huge, beautiful Kite (a bird similar to a hawk). One day, the bird, which had nowhere to land and rest, grew tired of flying about, and in frustration stirred up the Sky in a quarrel against the Sea. The Sky threw rain, thunder, and lightning that reached the Sea, who in turn rose up and hurled waves and hurricanes that reached the Sky. In order to restrain its fury, the Sky showered a multitude of massive boulders down upon the Sea, which became the islands that formed the Philippines. These islands prevented the waters from rising any more - instead causing them to flow back and forth, and thereby creating the tides. Afterwards, the Sky then ordered the Kite to light on one of the newly-formed islands to build her nest, and to leave the Sea and the Sky in peace. Now at this same time the Land Breeze and the Sea Breeze were married, and they had a child which they named Bamboo. One day, when Bamboo was floating against the sea, it struck the feet of the Kite. Shocked, hurt, and angered that anything should strike it, the bird furiously pecked at the bamboo until it split in half. Out of one section came a golden-bronze colored man, named Malakas (Strong One) and from the other half came a similarly hued woman, named Maganda (Beautiful One). The earthquake then called on all the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea to see what should be done with these two, and the animals decided that they should marry each other. Together, Malakas and Maganda had many children, and from them eventually came all the different races of people. #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #ethnicstudies #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #ugat #ugatclothing #knowyourroots #malakasatmaganda
Mayari
In Tagalog mythology, Mayari (also known as Bulan) is the beautiful and most charming lunar deity who was the daughter of Bathala, the king of the gods, to a mortal woman. Myths & Legends Mayari is the Goddess of Combat, War, Revolution, Hunt, Weaponry, Beauty, Strength, Moon and Night. In a Pampangan myth, Bathala died without leaving a will and Apolaki and Mayari fought over who would rule the earth. Apolaki wanted to rule the earth alone while Mayari insisted on equal rights. The two fought out the conflict with bamboo clubs until Mayari lost an eye. After Apolaki saw what he had done, he agreed to rule the earth together but at different times. However, her light is dimmer than her brother's due to the loss of her eye. Appearance She is known as the most beautiful deity in Bathala's court, and only has one of her eyes. Family She is the sister of Tala, the goddess of stars, and Adlaw (also known as Apolaki ), god of the sun. However, in some mythology, Tala is Mayari's daughter. . #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #ethnicstudies #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #philippinemythology #ugat #ugatclothing #knowyourroots
Liwayway
Liwayway is the Tagalog Diwata (Goddess) of Dawn. She is said to be the shy but very obedient daughter of the supreme god Bathala. Liwayway is also often represented as her more well known incarnation as Hanan, the goddess of the morning. She prefers to be in the background quietly performing her duties. But regardless of her shyness, Liwayway’s presence, the bringing dawn to the land, is one of the most important. “Liwayway” in Tagalog literally means Dawn and her manifestation, the breaking of dawn or daybreak, is known as “bukang-liwayway.” . #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #philippinemythology #tagalogmythology #tagalogmythologyart #filipinomythology #liwayway #bukangliwayway
Kidlat
Meet Kidlat, the Tagalog Diwata (God) of Lightning ⚡. He is one of the sons of the supreme god Bathala. Kidlat is strictly devoted to his father while at the same time maintaining a close relationship with Mangkukulam, who is devoted to Bathala’s rival, the dark god Sitan. Kidlat’s lightning, together with Mangkukulam’s fury causes fire to rage upon an unsuspecting victim. Kidlat also plays a pivotal role during thunderstorms, along with the overbearing goddess of Wind and Rain, Anitun Tabu. ⚡⛈️⚡ . With fires and firestorms caused by lightning raging all over California today, we can’t help but imagine Kidlat playing a hand in it. Let’s hope he remains devoted to his father’s benevolence and keep all of us safe! 🔥⚡🔥 . “Kidlat” is also the Tagalog/Filipino word for lightning. . #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #philippinemythology #kidlat #godoflightning #ugat #ugatclothing #knowyourroots
Bathala
In the beginning of time, there were three powerful gods who lived in the universe, although they did not know each other. The three gods were #bathala, the caretaker of the earth, Ulilang Kaluluwa (Orphaned Spirit), a huge serpent who lived in the clouds, and Galang Kaluluwa (Wandering Spirit), the winged god who loves to travel. Bathala often dreamt of creating humans due to loneliness, but the empty earth forbids him to do so. One day, while Ulilang Kaluluwa was visiting the Earth, his favorite place, he met Bathala. Ulilang Kaluluwa was not pleased for he sees another god rivaling him, and so challenged Bathala to a fight to decide who would be the ruler of the universe. After three days and three nights of fighting, Bathala killed Ulilang Kaluluwa and burned his remains. A few years later, Galang Kaluluwa wandered into Bathala’s home. The winged god was welcomed by Bathala with much kindness and invited him to live in his kingdom. The two gods became true friends, and they happily spent many years together. However, Galang Kaluluwa became very ill. Before he died, he instructed Bathala to bury him on the spot where Ulilang Kaluluwa’s body was burned. Bathala did exactly as he was told. Out of the grave of the two gods sprouted a coconut tree. Bathala took a big round nut from the tall tree and husked it. The nut reminded him of the Galang Kaluluwa’s head, while the leaves reminded him of his friend’s wings. He also noticed that the trunk was hard and ugly like the body of his enemy, Ulilang Kaluluwa. Bathala realized that he was ready to create the creatures he wanted with him on earth. He created the plants, animals, and the first man and woman. Out of the trunk and leaves of the coconut trees, Bathala built a house for the people. The first people drank the coconut juice and ate its delicious white meat for food. They used the leaves of the coconut trees for making mats, hats, and brooms. They also used the fibers of coconut trunk for making rope and many other things. #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #philippinemythology
Bakunawa
The Bakunawa, also spelled Bakonawa, Baconaua, or Bakonaua, is a dragon in Philippine mythology that is often represented as a gigantic sea serpent. It is believed to be the cause of eclipses. It appears as a giant sea serpent with a mouth the size of a lake, a red tongue, whiskers, gills, small wires at its sides, and two sets of wings, one is large and ash-gray while the other is small and is found further down its body. Mythology Tales about the Bakunawa say that it is the cause of eclipses. During ancient times, Filipinos believe that there are seven moons created by Bathala to light up the sky. The Bakunawa, amazed by their beauty, would rise from the ocean and swallow the moons whole, angering Bathala and causing them to be mortal enemies. To keep the Bakunawa moons from completely being swallowed, ancient Filipinos would go out of their homes with pans and pots, and would make noise in order to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon back into the sky. Some of the people in the villages would play soothing sounds with their musical instruments, in hopes that the dragon would fall into a deep sleep. Thus, the brave men of the village hoped that while the dragon was hypnotized by the musical sounds they could somehow slay the dragon. Although the dragon was known as a "moon eater" it was also known as a "man eater". Other tales tell that the Bakunawa has a sister in the form of a sea turtle. The sea turtle would visit a certain island in the Philippines in order to lay its eggs. However, locals soon discovered that every time the sea turtle went to shore, the water seemed to follow her, thus reducing the island's size. Worried that their island would eventually disappear, the locals killed the sea turtle. When the Bakunawa found out about this, it arose from the sea and ate the moon. The people were afraid so they prayed to Bathala to punish the creature. Bathala refused but instead told them to bang some pots and pans in order to disturb the serpent. The moon is then regurgitated while the Bakunawa disappeared, never to be seen again. #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #bakunawa
Apolaki, the God of the Sun and War.
Apolaki is a God of the Tagalogs and the Pangasinan. He is also considered to be the counterpart of the Kapampangan supreme deity, Aring Sinukuan, who is also a God of the Sun and War. It is believed by some scholars that the two Gods are the same deity with different names as both are so similar both in their attributes and their stories.
Besides being a sun God and a God of war, Apolaki was also the patron of warriors and fighters, the mandirigma. Today for modern practitioners of Anito, the collective term for the indigenous beliefs of the Philippines, he is the patron God for modern day warriors and fighters, those who are soldiers, police, and martial artists especially those who practice the Filipino martial arts, arnis/eskrima/kali.
In one myth he is known as the son of Bathala, the supreme deity of the sky, and a mortal woman. Along with his siblings, the sisters, Mayari the Goddess of the Moon and Tala Goddess of the Stars (there are some variations to this. In some sources it was only Mayari and Apolaki, others it was all 3, another is that instead of Tala being one of the siblings, it was the Goddess of the Dawn/Morning, Hanan) they were all given their own attributes by their father. One day Apolaki wanted to rule the world by himself, in which the Goddess Mayari objected as she wanted for them to rule equally. They quarreled because they both wanted to rule the world. Eventually they fought each other in a long battle where their fight became intense until words were not able to express their furious rage. They both picked up bamboo sticks and fought each other with fierce blows. Eventually the fight ended when Apolaki struck Mayari in one of her eyes resulting in her to being blind in one eye. Ashamed and regretting what he had done, he stopped the fight to help his sister, asking for forgiveness and agreeing to share their rule equally. With Mayari agreeing and forgiving her brother, from that point on both ruled the world equally. Both divided their rule by Apolaki ruling half the day during the day as he was the God of the Sun, while Mayari being the Goddess of the moon, ruled the night. During Apolaki’s turn, the world is flooded with warm light because the light beams from his two bright eyes. On the other hand, Mayari bathes the world with cool and gentle light due to being blind in one eye.
However in the Pangasinan myth, he is instead the son of the God Dumakalem and the Goddess Anagolay and is the brother of the Goddess Diyan Masalanta. One record of Apolaki being a personal deity is in the The Bolinao Manuscript which mentions the Sambal priestess, Bolindauan, in 1684 who has Apolaki as her Anito (personal deity). His name, Apolaki, literally means “big lord”, from the words “apo” which is a title for lord and a term for someone who is important and given with respect, and “laki” which means big.
Amihan
Amihan is a genderless deity that is depicted as a bird in the Philippine mythology. According to the Tagalog folklore, Amihan is the first creature to inhabit the universe, along with the gods called Bathala and Aman Sinaya. In the legend Amihan is described as a bird who saves the first human beings, Malakas and Maganda from a bamboo plant. Amihan is also depicted with Habagat which explains the wind patterns in the country. In one legend they are depicted as children of the supreme deity Bathala. They are allowed by their father to play in turns per half a year since having the two play together causes destruction in the land. Amihan is depicted as the gentler sister while Habagat is depicted as the more active brother. In another legend, Amihan is depicted as a giant who is at war with another giant Habagat. #filipino #filipina #pinoy #pinay #pinoypride #streetwear #sanjose #filipinx #filam #filipinoamerican #philippinehistory #filipinoculture #philippinemythology #amihan
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