Philippine Folk Tales eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 167 pages of information about Philippine Folk Tales.

Philippine Folk Tales eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 167 pages of information about Philippine Folk Tales.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. [95] These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots.  They got the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the jars were not well shaped.  Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki. [96] When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful.  Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.

The Flood Story

Igorot

Once upon a time, when the world was flat and there were no mountains, there lived two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit.  The brothers were fond of hunting, and since no mountains had formed there was no good place to catch wild pig and deer, and the older brother said: 

“Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and then mountains will rise up.” [97]

So they caused water to flow over all the earth, and when it was covered they took the head-basket [98] of the town and set it for a trap.  The brothers were very much pleased when they went to look at their trap, for they had caught not only many wild pigs and deer but also many people.

Now Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his sons had flooded the earth and that in all the world there was just one spot which was not covered.  And he saw that all the people in the world had been drowned except one brother and sister who lived in Pokis.

Then Lumawig descended, and he called to the boy and girl, saying: 

“Oh, you are still alive.”

“Yes,” answered the boy, “we are still alive, but we are very cold.”

So Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire [99] for the boy and girl.  The dog and the deer swam quickly away, but though Lumawig waited a long time they did not return, and all the time the boy and girl were growing colder.

Finally Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer, and when he reached them he said: 

“Why are you so long in bringing the fire to Pokis?  Get ready and come quickly while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very cold.”

Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the flood, but when they had gone only a little way the fire was put out.

Lumawig commanded them to get more fire and they did so, but they swam only a little way again when that of the deer went out, and that of the dog would have been extinguished also had not Lumawig gone quickly to him and taken it.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
Philippine Folk Tales from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.