Mitolohiya: Filipino Deities and Where to Find Them

❂ Realms & Creation Myths

Note: Most of the creation stories here are only a quick summary. Full creation myths are published in separate chapters.

If you think the world is confusing enough as it is, imagine living the world of our ancestors wherein the universe is literally seven layers deep, all filled with different entities? Sis, Narnia could never. The thing is, it's even harder to actually get an explanation as to how these layers came to be, the stories don't say much. All we can do is speculate, but it doesn't make it any less fun.

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Ancient Philippine creation myths are as diverse as the number of ethnic groups that have kept and passed them down. Each group has their own stories, and in some cases, a single ethnic group could have multiple versions of their creation myth depending on who and where you ask.

Like the western world, pre-colonial beliefs also held concepts of heaven, earth, and hell. Keep in mind though that with the diversity, each ethnic group's upper, middle, and underworld have have their own ethnic-endemic quirks and complexities. In addition to this, unlike the myths of the west, in Philippine mythology, heaven may be located in the underworld, while hell may be in the sky, depending on the associated ethnic group. These differences were both developed by the natives themselves (a concept known as "cultural parallelism"), and as well as by some foreign influences through cultural diffusion taking place in various activities such as trading.

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BAGOBO
To the Bagobos, it was the supreme deity Pamulak Manobo who made the land, sea, and the first man. Heavy rains are caused by the water he pours from the sky, while light showers and drizzles were from his spits that made its way, trickling down to the earth. The white clouds the natives see are said to be the smoke that came from the fire that burns in the hearth of the deities.

The upper world has various realms, each ruled by a divinity lesser than that of Pamulak. The entrance to this realm is said to be guarded by numerous kampilan swords that fight without any wielder.

In the case of the underworld, the place for the sinful dead is called Gimokudan. There, the spirits who committed heavy misdeeds are engulfed by flames while those with smaller crimes are not, but rather their bodies are covered in sores as they lay acid that burns like lemon juice.

Near a dark river lies a special underworld sub-realm called the Banua Mebuyan, and it is said that alls souls pass through here before going to Gomokudan. This is a place for the children who died at their mother's breasts. Their souls are nourished by the many-breasted goddess, Mebuya. After some time, these children's souls would be moved into another realm district to join the souls that died of disease.

There is also another underworld sub-realm where plants in the color of blood flourish. This realm is dedicated to those slain by swords or spears. As they enter this dimension, their scars remain with their soul.

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BATAK
The universe of the Batak people consists of seven layers (or lukap). The center tier is said to be surrounded by the vastness of the oceans, and is inhabited by humans, animals, plants, super-human beings, and aggressive entities.

Kabatakan, the ancestral land of the Batak, is found in the center tier. Within that land lies Puyok, their highest sacred mountain. This peak is regarded as the place of origin of sinister spirits called the panya'en.

At the edge of the universe lies the Gunay Gunay. It is considered to be the origin of a deity couple, Baybay, the goddess and master of rice, and Ungaw, the god and master of the bees.