philippine entomology

Before the Spaniards conquered our land. Our conutry has been given by Asian explorers names. A chinese explorer during the Sung Dynasty named Philippines as Ma-yi which stands for gold and proximity to the chinese mainland. How ever, Ma-yi referred to an island of Mindoro in Luzon. Our country was also known as the Gems of the East, Emerald Islands, Treasure Islands of the Pacific, The Isle of Fear, Isles of Hope, Orphans of the Pacific and Land of the Morning.

When the Spaniards came during the 1500's Ruy Lopez de Villalobos named our country Filipinas after King Philip of Spain. Later on a Katipunan general Artemio Ricarte wanted to call our country the Rizaline Republic after our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. It never pushed through for during the American Era the Americans change it to Philippine Islands in the year 1946. President Ferdinand Marcos also wanted to change our country's name to Maharlika after his aspiration to make our country great.

The name Pearl of the Orient Seas was widely used in contemporary literature. The spaniards dubbed this name because of the richness and vast resources of our country. When the spanish colonizers in Manila found that Raha Sulayman's kingdom is a rich emporium of Asian trade.

Thus, before our country sticked to the name Philippines a lot of people have calling our country many names.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

philippine alphabet

For the past centuries our culture and heritage is at threat. We have lost track of our identity of who Filipinos really are. Part of our culture and heritage is our literature. The old Philippine alphabet amazed me in someway for it is also part of who I am as a filipino citizen.

For educational purposes only.

http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/bayeng1.htm#method

origin of aswangs

People especially in the rural areas believe in the famous aswangs they are known to scare the children when ever they misbehave.

Aswang is just a Filipino folklore that was popularized in the Visayas region specifically in Capiz, Iloilo and Antique. They say that these ghoul creatures feast on human flesh and usually hunts at night. They target on newborn children (mostly children) and pregnant women. There favorite body parts are liver and heart.

Here are some more information about Aswangs

With respect to Aswang, Capiz( a region in the Western Visayas) is the subject or focus of many Aswang, and other types of mythological and folkloric ghosts(multo), goblins, ghouls, manannagal, witches(mangkukulam), giant horse men(tikbalang) and other monster stories, especially for tabloids. Capiz is ( unfairly ) rumored to have a number of aswang and covens of witches. Superstitious folk who believe in their existence can still be found in these parts. They typically adorn windows, rooms, etc. with garlic bulbs, holy water, etc. which supposedly repels these creatures. Aswangs have the ability to transform into other shapes like a dog, a bat and a snake.


People of Capiz celebrates the Aswang Festival in honor of them.

An aswang is a regular townsperson by day and prefer an occupation related to meat, such as butchery or making sausages.

Aswangs have an ageless appearance and a quiet, shy and elusive manner. They can be distinguished from humans by two signs. One is the bloodshot eyes from staying up all night looking for opportunities to sneak into houses where funeral wakes are being held, and stealing the dead bodies.

According to the elderly, the Asuwang can also transform from human to animal and animal to human. The Aswang can disguise him/herself as a pig, dog or a black bird. Supposedly if a person looks at them in the eyes, the reflection would appear inverted. During their nocturnal activities, they walk with their feet facing backwards.

One type is the tik-tik which transforms into a huge bird at night and prowls. The tik-tik looks for a sleeping person. Then extends a very long proboscis into the unsuspecting victim and proceeds to suck the blood. While performing, a 'tik-tik' sound is heard.

In some stories, the tik-tik is an aswang's familiar, said to confuse people by it's 'tik-tik' sound. If the aswang is near, the sound would be faint so that people hearing it would think that the aswang is still far away.

The term wak-wak or wuk-wuk is frequently used for the same creature in the Cebu region. The legends of the wak-wak and tik-tik are much the same, but the wak-wak is specifically supposed to change into its birdlike form by leaving behind its lower body, much like the Manananggal, another Philippine vampire. The cry of a night bird which makes a "wuk-wuk-wuk" sound is believed to be the call of this monster and is feared by superstitious villagers. As with the call of the tik-tik, the wak-wak is believed able to make its cry sound distant when the creature is near. In a certain town of Capiz (Panitan), another type of aswang is believed to exist, which they refer to as the Dangga or Agitot. This type of aswang is typically funny because some say it is a handsome gay man that hunts women during the night and eats fresh blood like a vampire. But its existence cannot be properly supported by evidence.

Another familiar is the sigbin or Zegben . Some say that this is another form that the aswang transforms into and yet some say it is the companion of the tik-tik. It appears to be similar to the chupacabra and Tasmanian devil in appearance with the exception of spotty fur. It supposedly has a wide mouth with large fangs.

How to deal with Aswangs...

t is said that an Aswang can be revealed, with the use of a bottle of a special oil made from coconut and mixed with certain plant stems upon which special prayers were said. When an Aswang comes near or walks outside the house at night, the oil is supposed to boil and continue boiling until the aswang leaves the area. They are also said to abhor garlic.

Bottom line is...

Some people would tend to accuse them whenever strange phenomena happens in their barrios especially if they know that an aswang is situated there. Whenever there are morbid deaths and sudden disappearance of people they tend to blame them.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_folklore

legend of creation in the philippines

According to the bible we were created by God thru Adam and Eve, while scientifically speaking Darwin came up with the Theory of Evolution that Man came from primates which later evolved. The catholic religion oppose with this theory of Darwin.

Our country has Two versions of the story of creation. Visayan and Tagalog but we also heard the legend of Malakas ang Maganda

Visayan Version:

Thousands of years ago there was no land nor sun nor moon nor stars, and the world was only a great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom of the god Maguayan, and the sky was ruled by the great god, Kaptan.

Maguayan had a daughter called Lidagat, the sea, and Kaptan had a son known as Lihangin, the wind. The gods agreed to the marriage of their children, so the sea became the bride of the wind.

Three sons and a daughter were born to them. The sons were called Likalibutan, Liadlao, and Libulan, and the daughter received the name of Lisuga.

Likalibutan had a body of rock and was strong and brave; Liadlao was formed of gold and was always happy; Libulan was made of copper and was weak and timid; and the beautiful Lisuga had a body of pure silver and was sweet and gentle. Their parents were very fond of them, and nothing was wanting to make them happy.

After a time Lihangin died and left the control of the winds to his eldest son Likalibutan. The faithful wife Lidagat soon followed her husband, and the children, now grown up, were left without father or mother. However, their grandfathers, Kaptan and Maguayan, took care of them and guarded them from all evil.

After a time, Likalibutan, proud of his power over the winds, resolved to gain more power, and asked his brothers to join him in an attack on Kaptan in the sky above. At first they refused; but when Likalibutan became angry with them, the amiable Liadlao, not wishing to offend his brother, agreed to help. Then together they induced the timid Libulan to join in the plan.

When all was ready the three brothers rushed at the sky, but they could not beat down the gates of steel that guarded the entrance. Then Likalibutan let loose the strongest winds and blew the bars in every direction. The brothers rushed into the opening, but were met by the angry god Kaptan. So terrible did he look that they turned and ran in terror; but Kaptan, furious at the destruction of his gates, sent three bolts of lightning after them.

The first struck the copper Libulan and melted him into a ball. The second struck the golden Liadlao and he too was melted. The third bolt struck Licalibutan and his rocky body broke into many pieces and fell into the sea. So huge was he that parts of his body stuck out above the water and became what is known as land.

In the meantime the gentle Lisuga had missed her brothers and started to look for them. She went toward the sky, but as she approached the broken gates, Kaptan, blind with anger, struck her too with lightning, and her silver body broke into thousands of pieces.

Kaptan then came down from the sky and tore the sea apart, calling on Maguayan to come to him and accusing him of ordering the attack on the sky. Soon Maguayan appeared and answered that he knew nothing of the plot as he had been asleep far down in the sea. After a time he succeeded in calming the angry Kaptan. Together they wept at the loss of their grandchildren, especially the gentle and beautiful Lisuga; but with all their power they could not restore the dead to life. However, they gave to each body a beautiful light that will shine forever.

And so it was the golden Liadlao who became the sun and the copper Libulan, the moon, while Lisuga's pieces of silver were turned into the stars of heaven. To wicked Likalibutan, the gods gave no light, but resolved to make his body support a new race of people. So Kaptan gave Maguayan a seed and he planted it on one of the islands.

Soon a bamboo tree grew up, and from the hollow of one of its branches, a man and a woman came out. The man's name was Sikalak and the woman was called Sikabay. They were the parents of the human race. Their first child was a son whom they called Libo; afterwards they had a daughter who was known as Saman.

Pandaguan, the youngest son, was very clever and invented a trap to catch fish. The very first thing he caught was a huge shark. When he brought it to land, it looked so great and fierce that he thought it was surely a god, and he at once ordered his people to worship it. Soon all gathered around and began to sing and pray to the shark. Suddenly the sky and sea opened, and the gods came out and ordered Pandaguan to throw the shark back into the sea and to worship none, but them.

All were afraid except Pandaguan. He grew very bold and answered that the shark was as big as the gods, and that since he had been able to overpower it he would also be able to conquer the gods. Then Kaptan, hearing this, struck Pandaguan with a small lightning bolt, for he did not wish to kill him but merely to teach him a lesson. Then he and Maguayan decided to punish these people by scattering them over the earth, so they carried some to one land and some to another. Many children were afterwards born, and thus the earth became inhabited in all parts.

Pandaguan did not die. After lying on the ground for thirty days he regained his strength, but his body was blackened from the lightning, and his descendants became the black skinned tribe (the Negritos).

As punishment, his eldest son, Aryon, was taken north where the cold took away his senses. While Libo and Saman were carried south, where the hot sun scorched their bodies. A son of Saman and a daughter of Sikalak were carried east, where the land at first was so lacking in food that they were compelled to eat clay.

Tagalog Version:

In the beginning when the Earth was still young, the gods, Bathala; Aman Sinaya; and Amihan, were the only beings that existed. Bathala was god of the Sky (Langit) and Aman Sinaya was goddess of the Sea (Dagat). The two have been fierce rivals for a long time, and everyday, they would try to outdo each other. Bathala used his lighting bolts and thunder, and Aman Sinaya used her waves and typhoons.

One day, Aman Sinaya decided to send her tempests into the Sky to cause a wild comotion. In order to stop her, Bathala threw giant boulders that came from atop of the mountains. It created thousands of islands onto the surface of the Sea, which became the Philippine archipelago. Amihan, the Northeast Wind in the middle of the two realms, decided to stop the battle once and for all by taking the form of a bird. She then flew back and forth between them. This made the Sky and the Sea closer than it was before. At the point where the two realms met, both deities agreed to end the fight and become friends.

As a sign of friendship, Bathala planted a seed underneath the ocean floor. It soon grew into a bamboo reed, sticking out of the edge of the Sea. Amihan had gazed upon it one day and heard voices, coming from inside the bamboo. "Oh, North Wind! North Wind! Please let us out!", the voices said. She pecked the reed once, then twice. All of a sudden, the bamboo cracked and slit open. Inside were two human beings; one was a male and the other was a female. Amihan named the man "Malakas" (Strong) and the woman "Maganda" (Beautiful). She then flew them onto one of the islands where they settled, built a house, and had millions of offspring that populated the Earth.

Then, it finally came when the children were too numerous for Malakas and Maganda to control. One day, they were ordered to work in the fields, but instead, they did nothing. When the parents arrived home, they noticed that their instructions weren't followed. Asking for some guidance, they prayed to the great god, Bathala, and he came to them and said, "Let your anger be shown to everyone and it shall make them into what they are meant to be." So out of their anger, they grabbed spoon ladles and began to give blows to everyone.

All the children started running away. Some hid under the bamboo tables and became slaves. A few of them went inside the burning cauldron and turned into the Aetas of the islands. Others climbed up the rooftop and became the datus of the villages. While some climbed on top of the trees and were believed to have become the commoners. Those who fled to the mountains turned into hunters and the ones who ran to the seashore turned into fishermen.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PUPOSES ONLY
SOURE:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_folklore

phillipine folklore

Before the Spaniards came our ancestors were known as pagans. There had Gods and Godesses just like the Greeks and Romans...

Bathala (Badhala, Batala, Bathla, Bathaluman (feminine), Maykapal, Bathalang Maykapal) - Chief god of the Tagalogs. He created the celestial fire (the Sun) and made humankind. Others viewed him as a hermaphroditic deity, a child god, or an old wise man with three eyes that sees everything.

Mayari (Bulan) - The ancient Tagalog one eyed goddess and protector of the moon, daughter of Bathala and sister of Adlaw. Her other eye is blinded when it accidentally hit by Apolake's flaming sword during a play fight.

Kaptan - For most of the ancient Visayans, he is the supreme deity who dwells in the sky.

Kan-Laon - The supreme god of the Southern Visayans, especially in the island of Negros. His abode is Mt. Kanlaon.

Gugurang - Chief god of the Bicolanos.

Kabunian - Supreme deity among the Ifugao tribe. His palace is said to be at the peak of Mount Pulag, in the Northern Cordilleras.

Idianalé (Idianalo, Ideale) - The goddess of agriculture and husbandry for the ancient Tagalogs. She is the protector of farmers.

Sidapa - The god of death. He is said to reside on top of Mt.Madia-as, in the province of Antique.

Sinukuan - The deity of the sun, who is said to dwell on Mt. Arayat in the province of Pampanga.

Malyari - The god of strength and bravery. He is the Filipino counterpart of Hercules. Also known as Bernardo Karpio, he was the son of Bathala to a mortal woman. He was trapped in between two clashing mountains by the gods, as punishment for his pride and selfish attitude.

Amihan - Personification of the Northeast Wind.

Pughe - King of the dwendes of the North.

Dian Masalanta - The goddess of love and child birth among the ancient Tagalogs. Ever since the arrival of the Spanish, she has been known by the name, Maria Makiling.

Lakapati (Ikapati, Lakanpati) - The hemaphrodite deity of fertility and cultivated fields among the ancient Tagalogs. He/She is also the protector of crops and farm animals.

Dal'lang - The goddess of beauty. She bestows the gift of beauty to her followers.

Lalahon - The Visayan goddess of fire, volcanoes, and harvest. In ancient times, natives blamed her for sending armies of locusts to destroy their harvest. They offer her gifts, in order to please her and prevent her from doing this.

Kidul - The god of earthquakes.

Anitan - The god of thunder.

Agui - The god of fire, brother of Agwe.

Maguayan - The sea deity of the ancient Visayans. He/She is also believed to be the ferryman of the dead in Sulad (hell).

Mandarangan - The goddess/spirit of war in Bagobo mythology.

Siginaugan - The god of the underworld.

Deltise - The god of sorcerers (mambabarang).

Kilubansa - The god of healing. He is the father of Dihas.

Dihas - The goddess of medicinal herbs.

Pasipo - The god of music.

Sirenha - The goddess of aquatic life. The sirenas (or mermaids) are her children.

Oghep - The god of mountains and hills.

S'dop - The goddess of gold.

Dayea - The goddess of secrets.

Bayoa - The god of pacts and treaties. Invoked during blood pacts.

Aspene - The shell goddess.

Punho - The god of nature.

Haspe - King of the Tamaos.

Halmista - The Visayan god of magic. Some say that he was a former priest (or baylan) who turned into a god.

Amanikable - The god of the sea among the Manobo tribe.

Apolake (Adlaw) - The god of the sun and lord of war. He is the son of Bathala in Tagalog mythology and patron of warriors in ancient Pangasinan.

DIYABLO -gods of evil as know satan or satanas

KALINGA-gods of war the Kalingas are noted for their strong sense of tribal awareness and the peace pacts they have made among themselves. They practice both wet and dry rice farming and have developed an institution of peace pacts which has minimized traditional warfare and headhunting and serves as a mechanism for the initiation, maintenance, renewal and reinforcement of kinship and social ties. The Kalinga are divided into Southern and Northern groups; the latter is considered the most heavily-ornamented people of the northern Philippines. Kalinga society is very kinship-oriented and relatives are held responsible for avenging any injury done to a member. Disputes are usually settled by the regional leaders, who listen to all sides and then impose fines on the guilty party. These are not formal council meetings, but carry a good deal of authority

Tala - The goddess of the stars.

Hanan - The goddess of morning.

Anitun Tabu - The goddess of wind and rain.

for educational purposes only

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_folklore

introduction to philippine mythology

Though philippines is known for its vast agriculture and fertile lands there is still a lot of people who doesn't know what our country has beneath it. Though we were conquered by different countries we still have our own identity. That is our belief.

Most Filipinos still believe in folklore and other superstitions. This folklores and superstitions were some how preserved by our ancestors through plays and stories. Some of these are taught in schools in order for the students to be aware how rich Philippine culture is...

We are filled with some of the mysterious happening here in the philippines. Some of us are not even aware of it. We have no idea that there some spiritual beings still roam around the real world.

iloilo urban legend

some people in iloilo believe in the story of "Maria Labu" the famous "aswang" in the Visayas. I was laughing when old folks would scare away the naughty children by the aswangs story...

well as for me i never knew about that famous aswang whatsoever of how it all began...

i found an article who talks about her...


Posted May 08.02
Filipino Villagers Alarmed By Tales Of Supernatural Creature[Original headline: 'Aswang' tales alarm Capicenos]
ROXAS CITY -- Despite that we are now in the computer age, many people still believe in the existence of supernatural creatures, like the "aswang."
An "aswang" is said to be a human being who is capable of separating the upper half of his body from the lower half, so that its upper half can fly on grown wings. It is said to relish on the flesh of fetuses in the womb of mothers but will eat any human flesh.
Capiz province is well known as a "haven of witches" (which this writer does not believe in) not only in Western Visayas but also in Manila.
Amidst these "aswang" tales, folks here, especially children, no longer go out of their homes after 7 o'clock in the evening for fear of being attacked by "aswangs" and similar supernatural creatures.
This developed after the residents of Barangay Tanza Gua, Panay, Capiz reportedly saw an "aswang" on top a bamboo tree wearing white dress on red eyes last Saturday evening.
Reportedly, upon seeing the said witch, the residents call for police assistance from the police outpost a few meters away from the bamboo where the "aswang" was seen.
The Roxas City Fire Truck also responded on the intent to spray water on the reported witch. It was also learned that several residents brought "bangkaw", a bamboo spear, and other bamboo-made weapons to kill said "aswang". However, the residents failed to see the "aswang" even as they watched for it until the following morning.
The "aswang" tales started some time in January, this year in Negros Occidental about a female overseas contract worker (OCW) who worked abroad as a nurse. She was said to have "inherited" her being "aswang" from her employer abroad.
The OCW, according to reports, when she came home, slaughtered her only child and cooked it to become "adodo." When her husband, who is a policeman, arrived home, he was reportedly shocked to learn that their child was already cooked by his wife.
The husband reportedly got a bolo and hacked his wife on the face. From then on, the "aswang" was called "Maria Labu" because of her hacked wound on the face.
After this reported incident, there were reports of "aswang" attack in Estancia, Iloilo; then going in Pilar, Pres. Roxas, Pontevedra, Dumalag, Brgy. Locugan, Bgry. Milibili and the latest was Brgy. Tanza Gua, all in Roxas City. From there, "Mari Labu" was reported to be victimizing folks in Kabangkalan, Negros Occidental.
• Story originally published by: Sun Star, Iloilo / Philippines Joel E. Capundan - May 10.02
All Copyrights© are acknowledged.Material reproduced here is for educational and research purposes only.

Beneath us

Some people would fear going to tombstone especially when Halloween is fast approaching. I was talking to a friend about some of the Filipino "pamahiins or beliefs" after that I went to indulge myself with the internet by checking on the paranormal happenings that are new in our country...
I stumbled across this site that they saw water pouring out from a tombstone...Check this out


PAVIA, Iloilo, Philippines Word that water was reportedly flowing out of a tomb of a man who had died seven years ago, has stirred residents of this town.
The news drove people to flock to the tomb of one Marciano Cabillos, who died on May 2, 1994, at the municipal cemetery, to see for themselves how such a "miracle," as they believe, could happen.
The water was described as clear, odorless and tasteless, by those who had the guts to sample it.
The water was reportedly first found flowing out of cracks in the tomb yesterday morning. Residents later decided to bore a small hole on the tomb's lower right portion, from where three gallons of the mysterious liquid were said to have been collected.
Reports said some people have got samples of the water, believing it could bring them good luck such as winning in the lotto.
Municipal officials have begun investigating the incident, taking samples of the water for laboratory tests.
Residents believe it is impossible for the water to continue flowing, claiming there is no water outlet or natural well around Cabillo tomb or in the cemetery.


• Story originally published by: The Philippine Star / Manila Leo Solinap - Nov 02.01
All Copyrights© are acknowledged.Material reproduced here is for educational and research purposes only.


unbelievable...

hey... waz up????
it's windwarlock checking in...

by the way, a lot of people here in the philippines are quite superstitious
don't take as a negative remark
that only proves that filipinos are also open minded in some ways...

some of them believe in the so called aswangs and witches...
philippines holds a lot of mysteries...
it is quite difficult to figure out the happenings here but it makes a good story in the other hand.

there are also quite a lot of ghost stories here, i'll try to make some new posts about that.
especially the latest masaccre that happened in which right the now the spirits of the dead haven't rested yet...
pretty weird huh? but still i consider it to be interesting.

some people may not believe in ghost stories or maybe witches and other creatures that are said to be unexplainable....


windwarlock signing out post it soon!!!!
feel free to make coments

some philippines urban legends
i was looking over urban legends here in the philippines and i found quite some... check it outfirst stop is our national hero Jose Rizal is said to be Jack the Ripper... wow one of the greatest criminals of Britain...check this article outPhilippine Urban Legends (Jose Rizal was Jack the Ripper)Status: urban legendsAn article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer records some Philippine urban legends: the "White Lady" of Balete Drive, Robina Gokongwei's "snake twin" lurking in department store dressing rooms, the elusive "kapre" that lives in an ancient mango tree near the Emilio Aguinaldo house in Kawit town, and Andres Bonifacio's love child from a place aptly named Libog (now Santo Domingo) in Albay province. None of those mean much to me. But most of the article is devoted to discussing two other Philippine legends that are of more general interest. The first one is that Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, "was the father of Adolf Hitler, the result of an indiscretion with a prostitute in Vienna." The second one is that Jose Rizal was also Jack the Ripper:Rizal was in London from May 1888 to January 1889, in the British Library copying "Sucesos de las islas Filipinas" by hand because there were no photocopying machines at the time. Jack the Ripper was active around this time, and since we do not know what Rizal did at night or on the days he was notin the library, some people would like to believe Rizal is suspect. They argue that when Rizal left London, the Ripper murders stopped. They say that Jack the Ripper must have had some medical training, based on the way his victims were mutilated. Rizal, of course, was a doctor. Jack the Ripper liked women, and so did our own Rizal. And -- this is so obvious that many overlooked it -- Jose Rizal's initials match those of Jack the Ripper!If Jack the Ripper did turn out to be Filipino, that would throw a wrench in his status as the Most Evil Brit of all time.taken from:http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/permalink/philippine_urban_legends/isn't that weird or not??? fellow filipinos... better have that 2nd thought who Rizal really is seriouslly

Who would think
Hey!!!!waz up!!!!u guys would never know that there are a lot of things in life that pipol would not understand.somethings are unexplainable by science or religion.we all live in a world that is in a border or reality and non real(paranormal). We exist in a parallel universe that some things happen beyond our control...you may say it is so weird but I will try to educate you what has been really going on in our world today...welcome

hi everyone!!!

if you guys are wondering who i am. my name is windwarlock.
i created the killer news blog... paranoid-scream.blogspot.com...

i just want a new blog something even cool than the one i created... hope u guys njoy