Once upon a time plants were able to talk as well as people, and to walk from place to place. One day King Molave, the strongest tree, who lived on a high mountain, called his subjects together for a general meeting. » Read the rest of the entry..
Archive for the ‘Myth / Legend’ Category
-
The Turtle and the Lizard
A turtle and a big lizard once went to the field of Gotgotapa to steal ginger. When they reached the place the turtle said to the lizard:
“We must be very still or the man will hear us and come out.”
But as soon as the lizard tasted the ginger he was so pleased that he said:
“The ginger of Gotgotapa is very good.”
“Be still,” said the turtle; but the lizard paid no attention to the warning, and called louder than ever:
“The ginger of Gotgotapa is very good.”
Again and again he cried out, until finally the man heard him and came out of the house to catch the robbers.
The turtle could not run fast, so he lay very still, and the man did not see him. But the lizard ran and the man chased him. When they were out of sight, the turtle went into the house and hid under a cocoanut shell upon which the man used to sit.
The man ran after the lizard for a long distance, but he could not catch him. After a while he came back to the house and sat down on the shell.
By and by, the turtle called, “Kook.” The man jumped up and looked all around. Unable to tell where the noise came from, he sat down again,
A second time the turtle called, and this time the man looked everywhere in the house except under the shell, but could not find the turtle. Again and again the turtle called, and finally the man, realizing that all his attempts were unsuccessful, grew so excited that he died.
Then the turtle ran out of the house, and he had not gone far before he met the lizard again. They walked along together until they saw some honey in a tree, and the turtle said:
“I will go first and get some of the honey.”
The lizard would not wait, but ran ahead, and when he seized the honey, the bees came out and stung him. So he ran back to the turtle for help.
After a while they came to a bird snare, and the turtle said:
“That is the silver wire that my grandfather wore about his neck.”
Then the lizard ran fast to get it first, but he was caught in the snare and was held until the man came and killed him. Then the wise turtle went on alone.
-
The First Christmas-Tree
Two little children were sitting by the fire one cold winter’s night. All at once they heard a timid knock at the door and one ran to open it.
There, outside in the cold and darkness, stood a child with no shoes upon his feet and clad in thin, ragged garments. He was shivering with cold, and he asked to come in and warm himself.
“Yes, come in,” cried both the children. “You shall have our place by the fire. Come in.” » Read the rest of the entry..
-
The Enchanted Ring
There was once a king who had suffered for a long time with a painful disease, in spite of all the efforts of the doctors to cure it. At last he caused a proclamation to be made that whoever could cure him should marry his daughter as a reward.
One day a snake appeared before the king and asked permission to cure him. The king at first refused, but the snake said that his body contained some gall whose power to cure was wonderful, so the king consented to try it, and was soon cured.
The snake was really a prince who had been changed into this form by enchantment. Every night he took on his proper form and went for a walk around the city. His wife once saw him do this, so she asked him to tell her the truth. The snake told her his secret, but forbade her to tell any one, on pain of his leaving her. » Read the rest of the entry..
-
Legend of Prince Oswaldo
Narrated by Leopoldo Uichanco, a Tagalog from Calamba, La Laguna.
Once upon a time, on a moonlight night, three young men were walking monotonously along a solitary country road. Just where they were going nobody could tell: but when they came to a place where the road branched into three, they stopped there like nails attracted by a powerful magnet. At this crossroads a helpless old man lay groaning as if in mortal pain. At the sight of the travellers he tried to raise his head, but in vain. The three companions then ran to him, helped him up, and fed him a part of the rice they had with them.
The sick old man gradually regained strength, and at last could speak to them. He thanked them, gave each of the companions a hundred pesos, and said, “Each one of you shall take one of these branch-roads. At the end of it is a house where they are selling something. With these hundred pesos that I am giving each of you, you shall buy the first thing that you see there.” The three youths accepted the money, and promised to obey the old man’s directions. » Read the rest of the entry..
