A long time ago there was a young man whose name was Jackyo. He was very poor, and by his daily labor could earn barely enough for his food and nothing at all for his clothes. He had a little farm at some distance from the village in which he lived, and on it raised […]
This is a legend of Dumaguete, the capital of the province of Negros Occidental. From this town can be seen five islands, viz., Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Mindanao, and Siquijor. There is no one on the great island of Negros who does not love the name of Catalina. Even the wild mountain men speak it with […]
The Sigbin is a mythological creature believed by the people on the Philippines. It is a monstrous animal-like creature. It looks like a goat with very large ears and a long tail used as a whip. Its legs and arms are long are long and its stands with a curved back and its head hanging […]
Narrated by Francisco M. Africa. There was once a poor farmer who possessed a cow and a carabao. These two animals were his only wealth. Every day he led them to the field to plough. He worked his animals so hard, that they often complained to him; but the cruel master would not even listen […]
Long ago when the world was still young the good and evil gods were not yet enemies as they are now. They were friends, each living separately in a mountain (bolod, Bicol). One report even said that they were brothers. Gugurang, the good god, was living inside Mount Mayon, and Asuang, the evil one, inside […]
Barom-Mai was an old and ugly king who lived in a kingdom called Calinan in the Visayas hundreds of years ago. Although he was powerful, he was helpless when it came to winning the love of his young bride, Madayaw-Bayho (daughter of Tageb, king of the pirates).
A thousand years ago, there was a rich maharlika, or nobleman, who spent his early bachelor days recklessly, wining and dining in the company of nobility. He drank the finest wines, ate the most delectable food and enjoyed the company of the loveliest, perfumed and bejewelled women of the noble class.
Rizal dedicated this poem to Josephine Bracken, an Irish woman who went to Dapitan accompanying a man seeking Rizal’s services as an ophthalmologist. Josephine, Josephine Who to these shores have come Looking for a nest, a home, Like a wandering swallow; If your fate is taking you To Japan, China or Shanghai, Don’t forget that […]
When the goddess of the eastern sky Alunsina (also known as Laun Sina, “The Unmarried One”) reached maidenhood, the king of the gods, Kaptan, decreed that she should marry. All the unmarried gods of the different domains of the universe tried to win her hand to no avail. She chose to marry a mortal, Datu […]
by Imelda Morales Aznar I sing because of your heart-shaped hands, I sing Because of the folds in your skin. They catch My kisses the way leaves drink sunshine and I sing Because you’re fragrant as a dream