Category Archives: Myths

Sacred narratives

The Pineapple Story

Text: The Pineapple Story (Filipino Myth)

Context: My informant told me that the story is of a mother and daughter living together. The daughter Pina was very lazy. One day, the mom was busy doing work outside their house. She asked Pina to cook lunch for both of them. When Pina went to do so, she had to ask her mother where things were. every time she needed something, she didn’t know where it was in their own kitchen. After that, the mother became annoyed and wished her daughter had a lot of eyes like a pineapple. That way, her daughter would at least know where everything is. The next day, the mother noticed a pineapple had grown outside their house. She also noticed her daughter was missing. Then she remembered what she said and realized the pineapple was her daughter.

She interprets this story as a lesson to be more hardworking, and to be less lazy because it is important to contribute to helping your family. This story is something that she’s told to her own children and has heard it from her own family. 

Analysis: 

This Filipino folklore is a tale and myth. As it is a story that does not really get questioned, because a girl did not really turn into a pineapple. But it is also a myth because it gives an easier reason to understand that children should respect their parents and their elders. 

It is a family story with a lesson and a punishment. With the context provided by my informant, it does not seem to be something to believe that pineapples really come from a mother wishing that her daughter would become a fruit. But rather as a tale to respect your elders and to work harder. The daughter was very lazy and disrespectful to her mother. And as a result she was cursed, or in other words it was her punishment. Filipino culture and Asian cultures in general tend to have a heavy focus on respecting their elders. There are a lot of customs and polite actions and mannerisms in place for the young to pay respects to the previous generations.

Dwendes

Text:

Informant: In the philippines, we believe in these creatures called dwendes, and they’re basically creatures- they could be in the form of- i don’t know, goblins, dwarves, little people, and you can’t see them, but there’s been talk of people being able to see them. They hide, in places like molehills or dark places in your house, trees, under rocks, and so the saying goes that they exist in our country, and they primarily like kids and enjoy playing with them. There are stories that say when we see kids laughing or moving their hands, that’s the Dwendes playing with them. But, there’s also fear of them because they can also be associated with misfortunes, so to speak. For example, there’s an association that you might step on them, and so when you’re walking around in places that are super dark, or perhaps tall grass or rocks, then you actually say “tabe tabe po”, which in our language means, “excuse me, sorry, can you move to the side? I’m walking in this space and I don’t want to get in your way.” So basically, giving them notice because you could step on them, and if you step on them, you could actually have misfortune. So sometimes, people will say stories where they got sick because they were walking at night, and you’re walking at an unfamiliar place, and you can get sick because you step on them.

…

Informant: Not all of them are good- they say some of them are good dwendes and some of them are bad.  You can get sick off them, and they have to call one of those- I call them witchcraft but that’s not what they call them- they call them healers, and these people think these people are healers, and they have to do a ceremony on you to get rid of them- because people think that there are evil spirits on you.

…

Informant: One time, one of the visits I made, I went with my cousins somewhere dark, and I thought what they were doing (saying “tabe tabe bo”) was ridiculous, and literally the next day I got super sick. And, my family was like, “Oh my god, you stepped on one!” And so they called the healer and had to do something on my stomach- I felt like I had a stomach flu because, you know, I had unfiltered water, which in a third world country you would obviously get sick from, but they were like “You stepped on a Dwende, and we need to call someone”. And I think a lot of it- people believe in it because they live in a very rural countryside, a lot of these myths are real, and a lot of them don’t have a higher education- so they’re not really educated to understand how things work- how they get ill, and what they associate with that.

Context:

The informant is Filipino, but she comes from Vancouver, Canada. She has been in the US for over 20 years.

Analysis:

Dwendes (seemingly more commonly spelled as “duendes”) are something I assumed would be an originally Filipino tradition that changed and transfigured during the Spanish conquest. However, I was surprised to learn that the name originated in Spanish folklore, making them something which was transferred during the process of transculturation.

The way the informant describes the healer that they had to work with makes me think about the divide between US culture and Filipino culture in regards to folk practices, such as medicine. As we are a forward thinking society, we tend to place far more reliance on the medical system and institutional medical practices, we tend to forego older folk methods and ideas about the causes for these infections. So, there’s likely some culture shock in places where they are unable to rely on the same medical practices the United States can. Thus, there is also culture shock when these practices and superstitions actually come into play.

While it’s unlikely that the informant actually stepped on a Dwende, the legend could be a way of telling people to be careful in dangerous or hard to navigate places, which would inevitably help some people if there happens to be some unclean water or resource that brings about sickness if you try to navigate such terrain. In regards to the nature of the expression “tabe tabe bo”, it could also be a way of encouraging courtesy, as it associates the phrase with safety and good health.

Diwali – Festival of Lights

Name: Diya 

Text:

“Diwali is the Indian festival of lights celebrated because the Lord Rama returned home, taking 14 days after the defeat of the demon Ravana. The whole town was dark, so they lit up lamps (Diyas!) so that he could find his way home. This is why on Diwali, the festival of lights, we celebrate by using oil lamps and colorful decorations.”

Context

“I heard this from my mom when I was young”

Analysis:
A festival is an event that happens during a specific time/place, and includes rituals to represent a right of passage. One thing to note after research is that Diwali occurs on the darkest night of the month Kartik, or rather the New moon. This year, it will be on Nov 1, 2024. This, I suppose, makes the most sense as the darkest time emphasizes the contrasting light present to carry out an even stronger message of hope, return and safety amongst the unknown. In addition, I researched that Diwali usually celebrates two different Lords – Shiva in the North and Rama in the South. There was one variation that illustrates Lord Rama, his wife and his brother returning from a 14 year long exile. I suppose the 14 is the cognate element that is consistent in these two versions, and is a case of monogenesis where it originated somewhere in India and diffused to different regions that created different variations as a result.

The Golden Mongoose

Name: Diya

Text:

“ One day in a rural town in India there was a poor family. it was a cloudy afternoon when they had just gotten their crops and were ready for a meal. There was a severe drought happening, so the family gathered what they could as their stomachs growled. Then, suddenly, as they were about to start eating, a guest appeared at their doorstep, asking if they could spare any food. The father replied, “go get him all of the barley we gathered for me.” “Really, papa?” Asked his children. He simply nodded firmly. Then, the family watched as the stranger thanked them, and ate the meal, licking his fingers as if he wanted more. The father of the family noticed, and began to worry, as he had no more of his own food to give. Then, his wife stood up and gave the guest her portion, to which the guest thanked her and continued eating. The children followed suit. Finally, when the family could not satisfy his hunger any longer, and the father was about to offer up his own flesh, the guest stood up and revealed himself to be a deva*. He proclaimed that the family had passed the test of righteousness and are all saved a spot in the devaloka (heavenly abode). The family all rose up with the deva, leaving only their house and a few grains on their doorstep.

An odd Mongoose appeared on their doorstep. it was half golden, while the other half was its normal brown-ish shade. The mongoose previously rolled over on grains of the floor where a great prayer between the gods had happened. That is why half of its body turned gold.

 In order for its other side to turn gold, it would have to search for the location of an equally righteous people. It would sit in front of houses and roll over on many doorsteps. Every house, tirelessly, it would roll over and then shake its head in dismay, its other half remaining brown. But this time, it sensed something different. When it rolled over in front of this family’s house, its other half did in fact turn gold. It said to itself, “this family has matched the giving nature of the original gods!”

* Deva: indian deity 

Context:

Where did u learn it from?

Indian comics: Amar chitra kathas

how do you think people use it? 

It’s not very well known but I think it shows the spirit of giving

Analysis:

I believe that this is a myth, as it informs the individual what it means to live a good life using the emphasis of supernatural figures that is Hindu – the dominant religion in India.  Myth has a large truth value that is respected by many, and in effect imparts values. In this case, it is what Diya said she thought it meant – having a spirit of giving. More specifically, this is a prescriptive of sacrificing oneself in the name of being righteous and humble. The story mentions how there was a drought to exemplify that even in hard times, one must carry the essential value of giving. This will allow one individual to always help another out in the name of community, which could have helped a lot of people/the town live back then when one family had food and the other one didnt (and to this day).

La Descarnada – L

This is a legend called “La descarnada”. This is legend that is told throughout El Salvador, and is passed on through oral tradition. In the case of L, they told me they grew up hearing this tale, and it was like many legends, meant to scare people, especially kids.

Context: L is a family member, who I asked to elaborate on “la descarnada” a Salvadoran legend.

Story: EN ESPANOL

“La leyenda que hace muchos, muchos años, en un canton all por las montanas de El Salvador, vivía una mujer joven y hermosa. Ella atraía a todo el pueblo, todos los hombres se querían acostar con ella, y tenerla suya. Esta señora, parecía normal, pero en realidad, tenia un secreto. Ella se enamoro con un joven del canton, y con su belleza, estaba mas que segura que el se iba a enamorar, y que se casaría con el. Una noche, un grupo de hombres se toparon con la esta joven, y la atacaron brutalmente. La despedazaron, y la dejaron herida, donde finalmente murió. Desde esa noche, el espíritu de la señora permanece, llena de venganza, y de rabia contra el mundo viviente. Desde entonces, se dice que ‘La Descarnada’ acecha a los desprevenidos que se aventuran en el bosque durante la noche. Algunos dicen que puede aparecer como una sombra oscura, mientras que otros afirman haberla visto como una figura desfigurada y aterradora. Ella busca a los jovenes mas guapos, y los atrae, pero al fin se venga de su injusta muerte, y los mata.”

TRANSLATED “Story: “The legend that many, many years ago, in a canton all in the mountains of El Salvador, lived a young and beautiful woman. She attracted the entire town, all the men wanted to sleep with her, and have her theirs. This lady seemed normal, but in reality, she had a secret. She fell in love with a young man from the canton, and with her beauty, she was more than sure that he was going to fall in love, and that she would marry him. One night, a A group of men came across this young woman, and brutally attacked her. They tore her to pieces, and left her injured, where she finally died. Since that night, the lady’s spirit remains, full of revenge, and rage against the living world. Since then, ‘La Descarnada’ is said to stalk the unsuspecting who venture into the woods at night. Some say she can appear as a dark shadow, while others claim to have seen her as a disfigured and terrifying figure. She seeks out the most handsome young men, and attracts them, but in the end he takes revenge for their unjust death, and kills them.”

Analysis/YOUR interpretation: The story of la descarnada is a fairly copy and paste example of a horror tale. It follows the story of a woman, who was once a beautiful young woman, but once she suffered an unfortunate fate, went on to torment the world. She usually targets handsome men, in order to get revenge for her loss of beauty, and abrupt death. This is a fairly simple story toundestand, and according to L, it is told with the purpose of scaring. Popular among the youth, “la descarnada” is said to lurk at night, and young men are told to be cautious whenever they may go to places that are desolate at night. It seems that there is a pattern between many Salvadoran tales and legends, and a female character. Oftntimes, beauty is used as a lure, only to be completely negated by the authentic form of the entity. This tale could very well be a more modern adaptation of prehispanic, indigenous storytelling. It may be a result of the hybridization that occurred throughout Latin America, and more specifically in El Salvador. L said that this tale is an oral tradition that is passed on generationally, a prime example of oral narrative.