Overview:
This book is a collection of Filipino popular tales compiled by Dean S. Fansler. The text is written in English and highlights the diverse storytelling traditions of the Philippines. I’m introduced to various types of stories, from hero tales about extraordinary individuals facing challenges and overcoming obstacles, to fables and animal stories that teach moral lessons. I learn about unique cultural beliefs and practices embedded in the narratives. By reading this, I can gain a deeper understanding of Filipino folklore and its connection to other world folktales.
Main parts:
- Hero Tales and Drolls: These stories feature extraordinary characters who often face impossible tasks and overcome them through wit, strength, or luck. They provide insights into Filipino values, such as perseverance, cunning, and the importance of kindness.
- Fables and Animal Stories: These narratives often feature animals as protagonists and serve as moral lessons. They depict animal characteristics and behaviors to teach about human traits, like greed, envy, and the importance of friendship.
- “Just-So” Stories: These explain the origin of certain natural phenomena, customs, or animal characteristics. They demonstrate how Filipinos sought to explain the world around them through imaginative stories.
View on Life:
- Perseverance and determination: Many characters demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity, overcoming obstacles and achieving their goals.
- Cleverness and cunning: Outsmarting adversaries through wit and strategy is often a theme, highlighting the value of intelligence and resourcefulness.
- Kindness and generosity: Acts of kindness are frequently rewarded, emphasizing the importance of compassion and helping others.
- Social Hierarchy: The tales often reflect social structures of the time, with kings, datus, and nobles representing positions of power and influence.
- Religious beliefs: Christian and indigenous beliefs and practices are interwoven in the narratives, demonstrating the diverse spiritual influences in Filipino culture.
Scenarios:
- Lost and Found: Characters often find themselves lost or separated, only to be reunited through extraordinary events.
- The Search for Fortune: Many stories involve characters seeking wealth, power, or a spouse.
- Envy and Greed: Characters driven by envy or greed often suffer negative consequences.
- Magical Encounters: The supernatural plays a significant role in many tales, with encounters with spirits, demons, and mythical creatures.
Challenges:
- Overcoming Poverty: Many characters struggle against poverty, demonstrating resilience and resourcefulness.
- Facing Dangerous Creatures: The stories are filled with encounters with wild animals, giants, monsters, and spirits.
- Tricking Deceitful Individuals: Characters frequently outsmart their enemies through wit and trickery.
- Social Inequalities: The tales often touch upon themes of social class, demonstrating the challenges faced by the less fortunate.
Conflict:
- Individual vs. Supernatural: Characters often clash with supernatural beings, using wit, strength, or magic to overcome them.
- Individual vs. Social Inequality: The tales often depict individuals struggling against unjust social structures and oppressive rulers.
- Individual vs. Self: Characters often struggle with their own weaknesses, such as greed, envy, or laziness.
Plot:
- Underdog Triumphs: The stories often feature characters who are initially disadvantaged, but through cleverness or kindness, rise to positions of power or wealth.
- Overcoming Obstacles: Many narratives involve characters facing a series of challenges, each requiring resourcefulness and ingenuity to overcome.
- The Importance of Moral Choices: Characters’ actions and choices often determine their fate, emphasizing the power of morality.
Point of view:
- Third person narration: The stories are predominantly told from an objective third-person perspective, allowing the reader to observe the events and characters without bias.
How it’s written:
- Simple and direct language: The stories are written in a straightforward, easy-to-understand style.
- Emphasis on dialogue: Dialogue plays a significant role in the narratives, driving the plot and revealing character traits.
- Example: ““Pray,” said the old man, talking with difficulty in his pain and weakness, “what have you in your sack, my son?” – This example highlights the conversational and direct nature of the storytelling.
Tone:
- Whimsical and humorous: Many stories feature humorous scenarios and situations, often involving trickery and wordplay.
- Moralistic: The stories often contain clear moral lessons, emphasizing the importance of kindness, honesty, and perseverance.
- Occasionally suspenseful: Some tales build suspense with encounters with dangerous creatures or challenging situations.
Life Choices:
- Seeking a better life: Characters often leave their homes or situations in search of wealth, power, or a spouse.
- Overcoming adversity: Characters make choices that demonstrate courage, resourcefulness, and a commitment to overcoming challenges.
- Choosing kindness: Characters often choose to act with kindness and compassion, even when faced with difficult circumstances.
Lessons:
- Be kind and compassionate: Acts of kindness and generosity are often rewarded, highlighting the importance of empathy and helping others.
- Be clever and resourceful: The stories demonstrate the power of wit and intelligence in overcoming obstacles and achieving goals.
- Avoid greed and envy: Characters who are driven by greed or envy often suffer negative consequences.
- The importance of perseverance: The tales emphasize the value of resilience and determination in the face of challenges.
Characters:
- Juan: A common character name in Filipino folk tales, often portrayed as clever, resourceful, or even foolish, depending on the story.
- Suan: A clever and resourceful protagonist who uses his wits to outsmart others and achieve success.
- Carancal: A small but incredibly strong and kind-hearted hero.
- Pedro: Often depicted as a contrasting character to Juan, frequently portrayed as envious, foolish, or greedy.
- The Monkey: A recurring character, often depicted as mischievous, selfish, and cunning.
- The Turtle: A patient, quiet, and often clever protagonist.
- The Crocodile: A cruel and often foolish antagonist.
Themes:
- The power of good: Kindness, compassion, and perseverance are often rewarded, demonstrating the importance of moral choices.
- The cunning of the underdog: Many stories feature individuals from humble backgrounds who outsmart their superiors through intelligence and resourcefulness.
- The dangers of greed and envy: These negative traits often lead to downfall and suffering.
- The struggle against adversity: Characters often face difficult situations, requiring courage, determination, and ingenuity to overcome them.
Principles:
- Justice and fairness: The stories often demonstrate a belief in a higher power that rewards good and punishes evil.
- Respect for elders: The importance of honoring and caring for older generations is a recurring theme.
- The power of community: The stories often depict the importance of cooperation and helping one another.
Intentions of the characters:
- The characters in the text: They often seek a better life, overcome challenges, or outwit their enemies.
- Intentions of the reader: The reader can gain insights into Filipino culture, understand the values reflected in the stories, and learn valuable life lessons.
Unique Vocabulary:
- Patianac: Mischievous birth-spirits that lead travellers astray at night.
- Pugut: A nocturnal spirit that often takes the form of a gigantic Negro.
- Manglalabas: A ghost or apparition.
- Tulisanes: Highway robbers or bandits.
- Mankukulam: A witch or sorceress.
- Sirena: A beautiful enchantress, half woman and half fish, who is supposed to dwell in certain rivers.
Anecdotes:
- Suan Eket’s Trickery: Suan uses his reputation for wisdom to trick others, illustrating the dangers of blind trust and the power of cunning.
- Carancal’s Strength: Carancal’s extraordinary strength highlights Filipino admiration for physical prowess and the potential for heroism.
- The Monkey’s Deception: The monkey’s constant trickery teaches about the consequences of greed and the importance of fairness.
- The Devil’s Punishment: Stories like “Pedro and Satan” demonstrate the dangers of making deals with the devil and the importance of living a moral life.
Ideas:
- The importance of kindness and compassion: The tales frequently emphasize the value of helping others, even those seen as less fortunate.
- The power of wit and resourcefulness: Characters often overcome adversity through their intelligence and creativity.
- The dangers of envy and greed: The stories demonstrate how these negative traits can lead to downfall and suffering.
- The struggle against social inequalities: The tales often reflect the social structures and challenges of the time, particularly in relation to wealth and power.
Facts and findings:
- Cultural beliefs: The stories reveal insights into Filipino beliefs about spirits, magic, and the supernatural.
- Social customs: The tales offer glimpses into traditional Filipino practices, such as cockfighting, gambling, and social hierarchies.
- Geography: The stories often mention specific locations within the Philippines, providing a sense of place.
Statistics:
- There is no statistical information provided in the text.
Points of view:
- Filipino perspective: The stories are written from a Filipino perspective, offering unique insights into their culture and beliefs.
Perspective:
- Folklore and tradition: The tales provide a window into the rich tapestry of Filipino folklore and storytelling traditions.
- Moral values: The stories emphasize moral values such as kindness, compassion, perseverance, and the dangers of greed and envy.
- Social realities: The narratives often reflect the social realities of the time, including social hierarchies, poverty, and the challenges faced by different social groups.