Narrative Summary of Philippine Folk-Tales

Overview:

This collection of Philippine folk-tales offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines. I journeyed through stories of tricksters like Juan Pusong, whose cunning and magical abilities helped him outsmart his enemies and achieve riches. I learned about the mischievous demons called Buso who haunt the forests and graveyards, and the stories of how they are often outsmarted by clever humans. The tales also explore the origins of natural phenomena like earthquakes, stars, and the rain, and reveal the deep connection between the Bagobo people and their environment.

Main parts:

Philippine Folk-Tales: Stories about human characters like Juan Pusong, the faithful servant Benito, and various other trickster figures who often use their wit and cunning to overcome obstacles and achieve success.
Visayan Folk-Tales: Stories about creatures like the monkey, the turtle, the eagle, and the spider, and their interactions with humans, often leading to amusing scenarios and moral lessons.
Tagalog Folk-Tales: More stories about Juan, the fool, and his adventures, often humorous and showcasing his ability to achieve remarkable things despite his apparent lack of intelligence.
Bagobo Myths: Myths and legends from the Bagobo people of Mindanao, including stories about their origin, beliefs, rituals, and the explanations for natural phenomena.

View on Life:

Trickery and Cunning: Many of the stories celebrate the use of trickery and cunning as a means of achieving success and overcoming obstacles, often presented in a lighthearted and humorous manner.
Fate and Destiny: Several tales emphasize the importance of fate and destiny in shaping the characters’ lives. The outcomes of events often appear preordained, reflecting a belief in the forces beyond human control.
Moral Lessons: The stories frequently conclude with a moral lesson, emphasizing the importance of honesty, compassion, hard work, and the consequences of greed and deceit.

Scenarios:

The Monkey and the Turtle: A classic story about betrayal and revenge, showcasing the power of cleverness over brute force.
How Jackyo Became Rich: A story about a poor man who unexpectedly encounters the king of evil spirits and is rewarded for his unusual song.
Truth and Falsehood: A parable about the triumph of truth over falsehood, highlighting the importance of kindness and compassion.
The Datto Somacuel: A story about a jealous husband who seeks revenge on his wife and her lover, but ultimately finds forgiveness and a happy ending.
The Enchanted Ring: A tale about a snake who is actually an enchanted prince, his wife’s efforts to break the spell, and a story of betrayal and redemption.
Masoy and the Ape: A story about a man who outsmarts a troublesome ape, who ultimately becomes a loyal servant.
The Battle of the Crabs: A story explaining the behavior of fiddler crabs and their aversion to water.
Juan Wins a Wager for the Governor: A humorous tale about a foolish man who proves himself to be surprisingly brave by outwitting a cunning priest.
The Adventures of Juan: A series of stories about Juan, the fool, and his ability to acquire magical objects from a magic tree.

Challenges:

The Monkey and the Turtle: The Turtle faces the challenge of being unable to climb the tree and seeks revenge on the Monkey who refuses to share the bananas.
How the Farmer Deceived the Demon: The farmer faces the challenge of providing for his family after their crops are destroyed and must make a deal with a demon to survive.
Juan Gathers Guavas: Juan faces the challenge of gathering guavas and takes advantage of the situation to cause mischief and frustration for his father and the neighbors.
Juan Makes Gulay of his own Child: Juan’s naivety and literal interpretation of his wife’s instructions lead to a tragic challenge and a lesson in the importance of communication.
The Two Wives and the Witch: The first wife faces the challenge of being replaced by her husband and must seek the witch’s help to regain her beauty.
The Living Head: Head faces the challenge of being born without a body and must find a way to win the love of the chief’s daughter.

Conflict:

The Monkey and the Turtle: The Monkey’s greed and selfishness lead to conflict with the Turtle, who seeks revenge for the Monkey’s betrayal.
How the Farmer Deceived the Demon: The farmer must overcome the demon’s desire to enslave him and his family.
Benito, the Faithful Servant: Benito faces a series of challenges that test his loyalty, kindness, and courage in his service to the king.
Juan Pusong: Juan’s constant deception and trickery lead to conflict with his family, friends, and those he encounters.
The Three Brothers: The three brothers are pitted against each other in a competition for their father’s kingdom.
The Two Wives and the Witch: The two wives’ rivalry for their husband’s attention leads to a tragic conflict that ends in the second wife’s death.
The Enchanted Ring: The prince faces the conflict of being enchanted into a snake and must overcome this challenge to regain his human form.

Plot:

The Monkey and the Turtle: The Monkey’s greed leads to his downfall as the Turtle uses his cunning to outsmart him.
How the Farmer Deceived the Demon: The farmer uses the demon’s magic stone to escape his power, ultimately outwitting the demon and returning to a life of peace and prosperity.
Benito, the Faithful Servant: Through his kindness, courage, and loyalty, Benito wins the heart of the princess and becomes king of the land.
Juan Pusong: Juan’s cunning and dishonesty lead him to riches and fame but ultimately result in his downfall.
The Three Brothers: The youngest brother, Juan, uses his cleverness and the help of a magical frog to win the competition and claim the kingdom.
The Two Wives and the Witch: The first wife, with the witch’s help, becomes beautiful and wins back her husband, while the second wife, through her jealousy and desire for beauty, is tragically transformed and dies.
The Enchanted Ring: The enchanted prince, through his wife’s determination and courage, is reunited with her and breaks the enchantment.
The Adventures of Juan: Juan’s foolishness leads him to encounter a magical tree that grants him various gifts, which he ultimately loses due to his trusting nature.

Point of view:

Third-person narrative: Most of the stories are told from a third-person perspective, allowing the reader to observe the actions and motivations of the characters objectively.
First-person narrative: Some of the tales are told from the perspective of a character within the story, offering a more personal and intimate view of the events.

How it’s written:

Simple and direct language: The stories are written in a simple and direct language, with a focus on clarity and action.
Oral storytelling style: The stories are reminiscent of oral storytelling traditions, with a conversational tone and a focus on engaging the audience.
Example: “One day a Monkey met a Turtle on the road, and asked, ‘Where are you going?'” (The Monkey and the Turtle)

Tone:

Humorous and lighthearted: Many of the stories have a humorous and lighthearted tone, emphasizing the absurdity and contradictions of human behavior and the power of wit.
Moralistic: The stories often convey a strong moral message, emphasizing the importance of honesty, kindness, and the consequences of greed and deceit.

Life choices:

Choice to be kind: Characters like Benito and Truth make choices to be kind and compassionate, leading to positive outcomes and demonstrating the rewards of good deeds.
Choice to be cunning: Characters like Juan Pusong and the farmer in “How the Farmer Deceived the Demon” make choices to be cunning and deceitful, which often lead to success but sometimes have unintended consequences.
Choice to be brave: The characters often face challenges that require them to make choices based on bravery and courage, demonstrating the importance of facing fears and overcoming obstacles.

Lessons:

The importance of kindness and compassion: The stories illustrate that kindness and compassion are often rewarded, while greed and deceit lead to suffering.
The power of wit and cunning: The tales highlight the power of wit and cunning in overcoming challenges and achieving success.
The importance of perseverance: Many of the characters demonstrate the importance of perseverance and determination in achieving their goals.
The consequences of greed and deceit: The stories show that greed and deceit can lead to downfall, while honesty and integrity are often rewarded.

Characters:

Juan Pusong: A cunning trickster figure known for his deceitfulness and ability to outsmart others. He often uses his “magical” abilities to achieve riches and avoid punishment.
Benito: A faithful servant who is incredibly kind, brave, and loyal to his master. He is rewarded for his good character and becomes king.
Truth and Falsehood: Personified characters representing the opposing forces of good and evil. Truth is kind and compassionate, while Falsehood is deceitful and jealous.
The Datto Somacuel: A powerful chief who is blinded by jealousy and rage but eventually finds forgiveness and a happy ending.
The Enchanted Prince: A prince who is transformed into a snake and must overcome the enchantment to reclaim his life.
Masoy: A poor farmer who uses wit and ingenuity to outsmart a troublesome ape.
The Monkey and the Turtle: These two characters represent the opposing forces of greed and cunning.
Juan: A foolish man who often gets into trouble but manages to overcome challenges due to his surprising courage.
The Aderna Bird: A magical bird with a beautiful song and the power to break enchantments.
The Tagamaling: A kind and helpful demon who has the power to transform between a god and a demon.

Themes:

The power of storytelling: The stories offer a rich tapestry of folklore and mythology, highlighting the importance of storytelling in preserving and transmitting cultural values and beliefs.
The duality of human nature: Many of the characters embody both good and bad qualities, demonstrating the complexity of human nature.
The importance of compassion: The stories frequently emphasize the importance of kindness, generosity, and compassion as essential virtues.
The dangers of greed and deceit: The stories serve as cautionary tales about the consequences of greed, dishonesty, and betrayal.

Principles:

The importance of community and social bonds: Many of the stories illustrate the importance of strong community ties and the dangers of isolation.
The power of nature: The stories often reflect a deep respect for nature and its power, as seen in the tales of the animals, the demons, and the origins of natural phenomena.
The importance of resilience and adaptability: The characters often face challenging situations and must adapt to survive and thrive.
The consequences of bad choices: The stories emphasize the importance of making good choices and the consequences of greed, deceit, and selfishness.

Intentions:

Characters: The characters in the stories are driven by a variety of motivations: desire for wealth, love, power, revenge, or a desire to help others.
Reader: The intention of the stories is to entertain, educate, and inspire the reader, teaching valuable lessons about life, culture, and the human condition.

Unique Vocabulary:

Ulit: A long, romantic tale about mythical Bagobo heroes and their adventures.
Buso: Demons who haunt graveyards, forests, and rocks.
Malaki: A term of respect for a man of high moral character or a young, unmarried man.
Bia: A term of respect for a woman, often referring to a young, unmarried woman.
Gimokudan: The place below the earth where the dead go.
T’oluk Waig: The mythical source of all the mountain-streams.

Anecdotes:

The Monkey and the Turtle: This story teaches us that even though we may be different, we should treat each other with respect and kindness.
How the Farmer Deceived the Demon: The farmer’s ingenuity and resourcefulness demonstrate that we can overcome adversity if we are clever and determined.
Truth and Falsehood: This tale serves as a reminder that truth and honesty will prevail in the end, and good deeds will be rewarded.
The Enchanted Ring: This story emphasizes that true love can overcome obstacles and break even the strongest enchantments.

Ideas:

The importance of cultural traditions: The stories reflect the beliefs, values, and cultural traditions of the people of the Philippines.
The power of storytelling: Storytelling is used to teach lessons, preserve cultural traditions, and entertain.
The power of faith and belief: The stories often involve a belief in the supernatural, highlighting the importance of faith in navigating the unknown.

Facts and Findings (if applicable):

The Bagobo people are a group of indigenous people living in Mindanao, Philippines.
The Bagobo have a rich oral tradition, passing down stories and myths from generation to generation.
The Bagobo have a unique system of beliefs about the world, including spirits, demons, and gods.

Statistics (if applicable):

The Bagobo myths often refer to large numbers, such as eight million years, mountains, and people, reflecting their oral storytelling tradition and a sense of vastness in their worldview.

Point of view:

The stories are often told from a third-person perspective, allowing the reader to observe the characters and events objectively.
The tales are often told from the perspective of a character within the story, providing a more personal and intimate perspective on the events.
The stories are written from the perspective of the Bagobo people, offering a glimpse into their unique cultural beliefs and worldview.

Perspective:

A deep connection with nature: The stories often reflect a deep connection with nature and a respect for the power of the natural world.
A belief in the supernatural: The stories frequently involve supernatural beings like demons, spirits, and gods, reflecting a belief in forces beyond human control.
A vibrant and diverse cultural heritage: The stories showcase the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Philippines, highlighting the importance of traditions and storytelling.

Learn more