Maximo D. Ramos

A WIDE VARIETY of pre-Islamic and pre-Christian deities haunt the Philippine countryside. This explains why few of our village folk venture out after dark. These pre-Spanish gods I have classified under twelve groups: 1. Demons—tall, dark, and ugly creatures that haunt large trees in or near human habitations. 2. Dragons—usually large animal forms such as pythons, crocodiles, and sharks that the folk avoid encountering. But they are often spoken to with awe or reverence and are thought to bring good fortune. Eclipses are thought to be caused by a huge sky dragon—the laho of the Tagalogs and Pampangos—swallowing the sun or moon. The folk believe that thunder is the sound coming out of the folds of the sky dragon's long body. 3. Dwarfs—old men who dwell underground with jars of treasure, entering and leaving their habitat through termite mounds on which they often invisibly sit and give itches and cast dust into the eyes of those who molest them. 4. Elves—short or tall fair-complexioned tree-dwelling legendary beings that try to seduce the men or women they fancy, steal rice and fish from kitchens and fishtraps, and give treasure to those who please them. 5. Ghouls—Aswang that devour corpses and are scared off by bright light and loud noise around the dead. 6. Giants—relatively harmless large human and animal forms that often interact with people. 7. Merfolk—fish-tailed men and women found in rivers, bays, and seas but living in luxurious dwellings to which they take the men or women they capture. 8. Ogres—man-eating large creatures, usually in the shape of ugly humans but in some cases of animals and birds that devour people. 9. Vampires—pretty women aswang with long tubular tongues through which they suck out blood from their human victims, usually their dancing partners in night spots. 10. Viscera Takers—good-looking women aswang with enormously extendible tube tongues through which they suck out the entrails or fetuses of their human victims. 11. Werebeasts—aswang in the form of dogs or other fierce Philippine animals that attack people at night, devour them, and then resume their harmless human form. 12. Witches—men and usually women aswang who have the power to make people severely ill. The beliefs in these twelve groups of demonological beings have shaped Philippine culture and Philippine behavior because the folk fear and try hard to propitiate them or counteract the harm they do.

IMAGINARY CREATURES depicted in a people's lower mythology are one of the most important phenomena in their belief systems. This is because the common folk in particular must strive to maintain harmonious relations with these creatures, a continuous process that permeates many aspects of their everyday lives and requires the intercession of a special person in the community who acts as the medium of communication between them.The subject of Maximo D. Ramos's work is the creatures of Philippine lower mythology, as this level of folklore is called. In undertaking this study, Dr. Ramos directed his efforts to two principal (1) making a taxonomic classification of all the beings which in his opinion fall within the framework of the problem as found in Philippine folk beliefs, and (2) correlating the implications of these beliefs, in terms of these classifications, to education, particularly on the elementary level.The taxonomic classification is intended to help clear up the confusion that attended earlier studies of these creatures. This is indeed the first attempt to systematize the identities of these Philippine mythological beings for the benefit of folklore scholarship. More specifically, Ramos "Where names, traits, and functions appear to have become confused ... through the process of transfer that constantly occurs in traditional lore, it was thought fruitful to point these out and then attempt to account for them".In spite of the very extensive Christianization of the Filipinos—particularly the lowlanders—these mythical entities still persist in their traditional belief systems, hence the student of folk traditions cannot ignore them if he is to achieve greater relevance in his studies. Little by little the perspective from which these creatures have been traditionally viewed is bound to change until they are accepted as part of our cultural heritage. This change is bringing about an understanding of these creatures' function in our society.The present work is primarily taxonomic in nature but it sheds light into many of the dark corners of Philippine folklore studies and brings to the reader a fuller understanding of the most maligned inhabitants of the Philippine other- world. Herein lies the major contribution of Dr. Ramos—a basic recognition and a deeper insight into the cultural heritage of the Filipino.

I. Poems Fauna Village and City War Youth Flora Jungle Legends Sea and Sky II. Short Stories

A collection of 31 Myths, Legends, and Folktales from around the Philippines that showcase the rich and diverse cultural identity throughout the archipelago. The book includes some illustrations, making it a wonderful collection to share with children of Filipino ancestry, or anyone interested in learning about different cultures from around the globe. WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG: How People Were Created Why the Sun Is Brighter than the Moon The Coleto and the Crow The Legend of Mount Kanlaon Why Dogs Bare Their Teeth The Origin of Bananas IN THE PHILIPPINE ELFLAND: The Two Woodcutters and the Elf The Wee Folk The Frog Princess The Bridge of the Angels Two Boys and a Tianak The Elf's Gifts TALES OF LAUGHTER: The Tale of Pakungo-adipen The Man and the Lizard The Man Who Played Dead The Two Foolish Peddlers ANIMALS AND PEOPLE: The Monkeys and the Butterflies Three Friends Seek a Home The Monkey Prince Tale of the Kind-hearted Manobo The Monkey Who Became a Servant ADVENTURE TALES: Death and Datu Omar The Man Who Reached the Sky-World The Buried Treasure The Tale of Magbaloto Tale of the 101 Brothers and Their Sister The Tale of Sog-sogot The Enchanted Snail The Man Who Tried to Cheat Death The Tale of Diwata

BOOK ON FILIPINO MYTHICAL CREATURES WRITTEN IN ENGLISH

English (translation)

A collection of 37 Myths, Legends, and Folktales from around the Philippines that showcase the rich and diverse cultural identity throughout the archipelago. The book includes some illustrations, making it a wonderful collection to share with children of Filipino ancestry, or anyone interested in learning about different cultures from around the globe. ORIGIN MYTHS: How the Earth Was Created Why the Sky Rose High How the Sun and the Moon Came to Be Why the Sea Is Salt The First Monkey The Origin of the Owl and Other Creatures Legend of the Black Cat All-Head Juan Why the Snail Tastes Bitter How the Crocodile Learned to Hunt Why the Egret Rides on the Carabao ANIMAL TALES: The Tortoise and the Ban-og The Crocodile and the Monitor Lizard The Monkey, the Tortoise, and the Banana Tree The Guest Who Broke His Promise The Tortoise and the Lizard Bobowaya and Amomo-ay The Lizard's Treachery The Monkey and the Tortoise TALES TO LAUGH OVER: The Foolish Fishermen and the Carabao The Tale of Padol How Monsai Enslaved His Master The Foolish Farmer and His Carabao The Hunter and His Wife The Ginger of Aunt Guinampang ADVENTURE TALES: The Two Neighbors and the Crocodile Tale of the White Squash Datu Omar and the Elf The Woodcutter and the Python Mangosparos and the Monkeys Six Brothers and a Cat The Boy and the Crocodile The Magic Ring Tale of Two Women HERO TALES: The Magic Tree The Love of Rajah Mangandiri The Bird that Stole the Sultan's Beard

IN THE PHILIPPINES, folk healers continue to have extensive practice back home, prescribing cures to appease demonological beings whose domain, they say, the patient has violated. At twilight the healer casts uncooked rice or puts a bowl of saltless boiled chicken where the patient last worked or played before becoming ill. The healer then begs the spirits to accept the offering, forgive the patient's trespass, and heal him.The farmer also offers rice cakes, cigars or cigarettes, wine—and now bottled carbonated drinks have become acceptable as well—before plowing his field and on the last day of harvest. These are the farmer's traditional rent on the land, for the folk believe that the usually invisible dwarfs in the area are the real owners of the land, the farmer who works it being just their tenant though it is titled to him.Our parks should be decorated with figures of these ancient deities rather than with those of European fairies with butterfly wings and sharp-eared dwarfs with red or blue bonnets alien to Philippine folklore. Our gardens should contain figures of the creatures which our villagers tell legends about.Some of the beliefs about these creatures may have been forgotten. But the kinds of behavior they shaped persist, especially where they serve to reinforce existing behavior patterns.

Maximo D. Ramos wrote a number of books detailing the history and culture of the Philippines. Boyhood in Monsoon Country is a collection of little essays about village life as a boy. It is not just the content here, which presents a fascinating range of topics from the food to the bird life to even the mythological creatures that kept him and his friends scared of entering into the woods -- what really speaks to the reader is the lyrical and conversational quality of the writing. Ramos's observations are often hilarious, often poignant, and always stream of consciousness, like a warm grandfather relaying his adventures to his grandchildren who gather around him to take it all in. As Ramos explores his own life and times, his invitation is a simple but profound now that he has shared his life, he implores the reader to think about and celebrate their own. Reading Boyhood in Monsoon Country feels like an exchange of lives-- a conversation that lets us into Ramos' world, and encourages us to think of the humanity that unites us all. Early School DaysWe Had Gizzards of IronWe Had Food Specials, TooOur Peer GroupThe Games We PlayedThe Birds We KnewOur Homely NamesThe Harmful Gods of Our CountrysideWe Had Just About All We NeededA Note to Agents of ChangeThe Magic of Old Place-NamesHoliday in BlackSweet Were the Uses of NecromancyPicnicHoly Week in Monsoon CountryGlossary of lloko Terms

It is hoped that the myths and tales included in this book will help the reader get acquainted with the cultural past of the Philippines. And it is hoped that these stories will fire the reader's imagination as all good narratives, no matter where they originated, should do. At the end of each myth are workshops with questions to help improve reading skills and develop understanding of the text.The myths and folk tales put together in this little book are from all over the Philippines. Some are from the llocos region and the Mountain Province in north. Many are from the provinces in the rest of Luzon and in the Visayan islands. The others are from Mindanao and the Sulu group in south. Represented here are the people of the plains and coastal areas, of the foothills and mountains, of the swamps and rain forests. These stories were originally told in Bikol, Bontok, Ilocano, Kalinga, Maranao, Pampango, Tagalog, Tausug, Tinguian, Visayan, and half a dozen other Philippine vernaculars.

THE FOLKLORE MATERIAL put together in this book is from all over the Philippines. Some are from the Ilocos region and the Cordilleras in the Christian and pagan north. Many are from the Christian provinces in the rest of Luzon and the Visayan Islands. The others are from Mindanao and the Sulu group in the pagan and Muslim South.Represented here are the ethnic groups of the plains and coastal areas, of the foothills and mountains, of the swamps and rain forests. They were originally told in Bikol, Bontok, Ifugao, Iloko, Kalinga, Maranao, Pampango, Tagalog, Tausug, Tinguian, Visayan, and other Philippine vernaculars.An attempt was made to exclude from this collection any material that showed borrowings from the West. But the attempt may not have fully succeeded, for in matters of folklore one cannot always tell what is Western and what is Eastern. The East and the West have been blending nicely in the Philippines ever since Magellan discovered the country for the white man in 1521. Moreover, most folklorists think that Asia, to which the Philippines geographically belongs, was the early home of many of folktales of Europe and America.

Demons Dragons Dwarfs Elves Ghouls Giants Merfolk Werebeasts Witches Ogres Vampires Viscera Takers

Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.) Reprinted in 2018 with the help of original edition published long back [1916]. This book is printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume, if you wish to order a specific or all the volumes you may contact us. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. - Spanish, Pages 118. EXTRA 10 DAYS APART FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPING PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED FOR LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. COMPLETE LEATHER WILL COST YOU EXTRA US$ 25 APART FROM THE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. {FOLIO EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE.} Complete Mientras llega la hora / Maximo Ramos. 1916 Ramos, Maximo D., -