Q U E Z O N
Story of the Atimonan mermaid
A long time ago, a deadly storm suddenly struck a small fishing village at night. The fishermen who were there were caught in the middle of the storm, making the people in the village worried. Then, a miracle happened. The fishermen safely went back to their respective homes, all except for one. They were not able to find him, making the family grieve deeply.
After a week, the villagers were surprised that the man got back alive and well. He talked about how he was saved by a sirena on that terrible night. The villagers could not believe that a mermaid saved him, but the man kept convincing and telling them the story over and over. The man would often go to a rocky part of the shore to meet the sirena who is believed to be his lover. The man claimed that the sirena gave him a golden comb in order to call her by dipping it into the sea.
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Then, another tragedy came. Moro pirates came and attacked their village. Since then, no one knew what happened to the man. Some say that he died during the attack; others say he fled to another village and found a new love.
Years later, the locals claimed to have seen a beautiful woman sitting on top of a huge boulder on the shore. She seemed to be staring at the mountains of Atimonan. However, whenever someone would approach her, she would jump back to the water and disappear.
The people then were convinced that the woman who often goes to the same rocky shore was the sirena the man was talking about. The boulder where the sirena was frequently seen is the same boulder where the sirena statue has been erected.
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The Legend of Ilang-Ilang
In the town of Tayabas, the prettiest was Ilang. She was adored by suitors who promised her all the comforts of life but she gave her heart to a poor farmer named Edo. Ilang’s parents did not like Edo. They did not want their beautiful daughter to marry a poor farmer and so they forbade her to see Edo. They told her to choose a husband among her rich suitors. Ilang and Edo devised a way to see each other. They secretly met at the edge of the forest when Ilang fetched water from the stream. At these meetings, they always vowed to love each other come what may.
At home, Ilang remained silent whenever her parents talked about her wealthy suitors. Her silence made her father suspicious. Perhaps she still loved Edo? One day, her father followed her when she went to fetch water. He saw Edo waiting near the stream. That was the last time Ilang and Edo saw each other. From that day on, Ilang’s parents forbade her to leave the house. Ilang felt very lonely and dejected. She refused to eat and became sick. She would rather die than marry one of her rich suitors. She thought only of Edo as she got weaker and weaker. Before she died, she begged her parents to bury her at the edge of the forest near the stream. She wanted to rest in the place where she and Edo met.
Edo tended her grave everyday. He never married and always yearned for Ilang. Then one day he saw a little plant growing in her grave. He immediately knew it was Ilang’s spirit. Edo turned his love to the plant until it grew into a tall and graceful tree. Each day Edo caressed and talked to the tree. Oh, how happy he was visiting Ilang’s grave and the tree. One morning, the people woke up to the scent of perfume. It came from the edge of the forest near the stream. They went to look for the source of the scent and found the strange leaflike blossoms of the tree. Then, they noticed Edo crumpled at the foot of the tree and crying, “Ilang, Ilang, Ilang …” Edo died that morning. The people remembered his last words and from then on called the tree and its fragrant flowers ilang-ilang.
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The Story of Jomalig Island
There once was a Datu who lived on an island and had a beautiful daughter. A young man from a neighboring island wanted to marry the princess, but the Datu did not agree with it. The Datu said that he will only give his daughter if the young man can roam the island in one day and successfully shoot three fishes in every pond on the island. The young man took the Datu's challenge. After he roamed the island, he had almost finished the marathon, but in the end, failed to do so because he nearly died. He arrived at the finish line hopelessly and at this point, he requested the princess to kiss him as the only reward he could receive. The people on the island witnessed what happened. She kissed the young man and they shouted: "humalik!" (They kissed!). From that time on, the people on the island named the island "Humalik". Many years passed and the Humalik became Jomalig. Many old residents say that the Americans changed it when they conquered the Philippines.
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The Legend of Mt. Banahaw
Long before the mountain in the center of Luzon came to be known as Banahaw, many places, especially those near the river, were already inhabited. Among the many families living there were the couple Lukban and Bayabas. They had an only son, Limbas, of unusual strength, bravery, and swiftness.
Rare was the deer, boar, monkey, or bird that could elude his arrow, so that in no time at all, the name Limbas became known in the area surrounding the big mountain. He was the center of admiration for all, and news of his bravery reached even distant places. One day, Limbas disappeared, to the great anxiety of his parents, who could not eat and sleep from worrying about him.
After seven long days of anxious waiting, however, Limbas suddenly came home. He brought with him a bundle containing different kinds of clothes and delicious food.
This was his story: He had been befriended by a bearded gentleman, an encantado, who brought him to a magnificent house located at the top of the mountain. There all animals- deer, fowls, among others- were white. There was a vast cacao plantation, its trees heavy with fruit. A carriage drawn by two white horses served as means of transportation in travelling all over Luzon. Every time Limbas would consent to go on this trip, he would be given gifts.
The bundle of food and clothes he brought was the first gift given by the gentleman. He, however, instructed Limbas to kiss the hands of his parents first before giving them the gift. Failure to do this would change the content of the bundle. Several times after that, Limbas disappeared for seven-day periods and each time, he came with a variety of clothes and food, which pleased his parents very much. One time, Limbas arrived bringing a bundle of little gold balls as the gift of the gentleman. In his great joy and eagerness to show them to his parents, he forgot to kiss their hands. He immediately opened the bundle saying: “here are riches for us, small golden balls!” But when the bundle was opened, it contained, not golden balls, but only a fruit of anahaw. In his grief and disappointment,
Limbas shouted: “Ba! Anahaw!,``'' Ba! Anahaw!,``'' Ba! Anahaw!,”
Since then the mountain in the center of Luzon has been named Banahaw.
Similarly, the present towns of Lukban and Tayabas were named after Bayabas and Lukban, the parents of Limbas.
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Tiaong
In a town in the province of Quezon there lived an elderly and wealthy woman. She was very kind and helpful to her neighbors, especially to the poor. She can give only to those in need. Because of this trait, she was loved by everyone..
In addition to his philanthropy, she was also religious. She goes to church daily to listen to mass. During her travels, she would always go on board with her favorite pet, the cow. People are accustomed to seeing her riding on a cow. Every time they heard the noise of the cow they knew that "Tia was coming." This is the name they call the good girl in respect.
As the years passed, Tia continued to help the needy. Because of this, people agreed to name "Tia-ong" their town. "Tia" is from what they call the old woman and "ong" is from the cows he rides.
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References:
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Alamat ng Bundok Banahaw. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinoyedition.com/mga-alamat/alamat-ng-bundok-banahaw/
Alamat Ng Tiaong. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gintongaral.com/mga-alamat/alamat-ng-tiaong/
Jomalig Island. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://backpackingonmyown.weebly.com/jomalig-island
Jomalig: The Golden Spot of Quezon Province. (2018, April 1). Retrieved from https://www.lakwatsero.com/spots/jomalig-quaint-and-charming/
The Legend of Ilang-Ilang. (2015, June 7). Retrieved from https://ericpgranada.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/the-legend-of-ilang-ilang/
Philippine literature- Introduction. (2018, January 23). Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/nathfalcasantos/philippine-literature-introduction
Sirena (Entrancing Water Creature). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.philippine-tales.com/creatures/sirena-entrancing-water-creature
