#philippine folklore

Philippine Good Friday Lore is about the supernatural empowerment of amulets called “anting-anting.” These talismans figured throughout Philippine history in the various religious uprisings and the Revolution against Spain and in the Philippine-American War.

These illustrations of the myth and lore of anting-anting are featured in my upcoming book “Philippine Mythopoeia.”

I rendered some characters of the Philippine Mythopoeia book in the style of Renaissance grotesque, with creeping flora, weird fauna, monsters, and deities.

Just a few of the Tagalog & Bisayan goddesses.

Laon was the Supreme Bisayan goddess of agriculture, harvests, and of Mt. Kanlaon. She would send a swarm of locusts to the crops if angered.

Lakan Pati was the Tagalog intersex deity of sown fields and fertility. According to the Boxer Codex, they were also prayed to and given offerings by fishermen for a good catch. The manuscript also mentions that Lakan Pati was the giver of water to the crops.

Ina Gunid was the Bisayan goddess of war and one of the trinity of war deities along with Balangaw (god of the rainbow) and Makanduk (god of war and plunder). according to Miguel de Loarca in his Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas  (1582) they were invoked for success in war and in the mangayaw raids. She was also associated with another trinity of deities, the other two being Arapayan and Makbarubak, when working with and concocting poisonous oils and charms, one involving a charm made of coconut oil and crocodile teeth.

Diyang Masalanta is the Tagalog goddess of love & childbirth. It is highly possible that she was once associated with the Obando Fertility rites along with the god Linga & Lakan Pati.

Magwayan was the primordial goddess of the sea mentioned in the Bisayan creation story. They are also the one who ferries the dead on her boat across the spiritual river, Lalangban to Sulad, purgatory. There she delivers them to the god Sumpoy, God of the Underworld.

Contrary to popular belief, Mayari is not the actual name of the Tagalog moon goddess, it’s Kulalaying (according to the Noceda-Sanclucar Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (1754))also called Dalagang nasa Buwan (according to the Carta sobre la idolatria de los naturales de la provincia de Zambales, y de los del pueblo de Santo Tomas y otros circunvecinos by the archbishop of Manila, Felipe Pardo (1686-1688). She was prayed to during the new moon for life and prosperity. A chant sang to her during the new moon was written down in the San Buenaventura dictionary (1613) which went as “Buwang Panginoon ko, payamanin mo ako“which translates to “Moon, my Lady, make me rich.”

List of Artists:

- Lakan Pati @ samsum.art on IG

- Ina Gunid @ michelecdraws on IG

- Diyang Masalanta @ caldatelier on IG

- Magwayan @ squeegool on IG

- Kulalaying (artist drew them as Mayari) @ littlestpersimmon on Tumblr.