Mitolohiya: Filipino Deities and Where to Find Them

◈ Creation Myth • B'laan

Sitting in the clouds, with his teeth made of pure gold, and with what seemed to be an obvious habit of excessive cleaning, one god rests above everything the world was (or wasn't, for the time being).

This large supreme deity goes by the name of Melu. The myth mentions that he was so large, he cannot be compared in size to any other being. In his home, he would continually rub his skin with his hands until they became pure white. The dead skin which he rubbed off his body was placed on the side in a pile. With each successive scrubbing, this pile became so large that it annoyed and forced him to consider what he could do with it.

Finally, he decided to make with it the earth, working hard to mold the pile into a shape. When he was finished, he was so pleased with his work that he decided to make two smaller beings in his image to live on it. Taking the remnants of the materials left after making the earth, he molded two men.

He was about to make them their noses, but just as he was, a being by the name of Tau Tana appeared from below the earth, offering to help him. The god did not wish any assistance, and thus an argument ensued. In the end, Tau Tana won his point and made the noses, to which he placed on the people upside down. When all was done, Melu and Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved. Leaving the beings on the earth, Melu went back to the clouds while his visitor returned to his place below.

Melu was up in his cloud, and all was going well until a great rain. Peaking through his clouds, he came to see that the people on earth had nearly drowned. Acting quick, he came down to turn their nose the right side up, saving they lives.

Before Melu left for the sky, they told him that they were very unhappy living on the great earth all alone. Thoughtfully, the god told them to save all the hair from their heads and the dry skin from their bodies so that the next time he came he would make them some companions. And this was how there came to be a great many people on the earth.

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ALTERNATE MYTH

The universe began in an island no larger than a hat.

In that mystic hat lived four beings by the name of Melu, Fiuweigh, Diwata, and Saweigh. The island was devoid of any other life. There was no greenery to enjoy from the trees and grass nor are there any other living beings beside the four and one bird called a buswit.

Curious as to what this bird could find across the waters, they sent it out one day. After some time, buswit returned with some earth, a piece of rattan, and some fruit. They welcomed it back, and examined its tiny inventory.

Melu, the greatest of the four, took the soil and shaped it. He then proceeds to beat it with a paddle in the same way a woman shapes pots of clay. When he was finished, he had made the earth. On this earth, he planted the seeds from the fruit the bird had gathered, and they grew until there was much rattan and many trees bearing fruit.

The four beings watched the growth for a long time and were well pleased with the work. At last, Melu said, "of what use is this earth and all the rattan and fruit if there are no people?"

They looked at each other. The others agreed and then replied, "Let's make some out of wax."

So with some wax and hours of long work, they fashioned it into forms. But as they brought these forms to the fire, the wax melted. They saw that men could not be made in that way.

Then they decided to try and use dirt in making their people. All went well until they were ready to make the noses. The overseer of that part had put them upside down. Noticing this, Melu told him that the people would drown if left that way, but he refused and kept the noses that way.

When his back was turned, however, Melu seized the noses, turning them one by one as they are now. But as he was in such a hurry, he pressed his finger at the root, and it left a mark in the soft clay which you can still see on the faces of people today.