Philippine Mythology - Philippine Pantheon

Philippine Pantheon

The stories of ancient Philippine mythology include deities, creation stories, mythical creatures, and beliefs. Ancient Philippine mythology varies among the many indigenous tribes of the Philippines. Some groups during the pre-Spanish conquest era believed in a single Supreme Being who created the world and everything in it, while others chose to worship a multitude of tree and forest deities (diwatas). Diwatas came from the Sanskrit word devata which means "deity", one of the several significant Hindu influences in the Pre-Hispanic religion of the ancient Filipinos. Below are some of the gods and goddesses of the ancient Philippines:

Ancient Tagalog Deities:

• Bathala- the chief deity of the Tagalogs.

• Lakampati (Lacapati/Lacanpate) - the major fertility deity of the ancient Tagalogs. Farmers with their children brought offerings for him at the fields and invoke him to protect them from famine. Some sources also said that foods and words are offered to him by his devotees asking for "water" for their fields and "fish" when they set sail in the sea for fishing. Lakampati was a hermaphrodite deity. He is identified to the ancient Zambal goddess Ikapati although he/she also has a characteristics similar to other Zambal deities such as Anitong Tawo, Dumangan, Damulag, Kalasokus, and Kalaskas.

• Pati - According to Ferdinand Blumentritt the Igorots call the rain Pati and look upon him as a merciful divinity to whom they directed their prayers. According to Dr. D. Sinibaldo Mas, the anito of the rain is called Pati by the Ifugaos.

• Lakambakod (Lachan Bacor) – a phallic god who was the protector of the growing crops and healer of diseases. His name literally means “great/noble fence”, from Lakan (a title of nobility) + bakod (fence) according to Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles by J.V. Panganiban. Some sources claim him to be a protector of houses.

• Idiyanale (Idianale) – the goddess of labor and good deeds. Natives used to call for her guidance in order to make their works successful. She married the agricultural god Dimangan and had two offspring.

• Amansinaya (Aman Sinaya) – the patron god of fishermen, he was appealed when the fishing net were cast.

• Amanikable (Ama ni Cable/Ama ni Coable) – the patron god of hunters.

• Diyan Masalanta (Dian Masalanta) – The goddess of love, fecundity and childbirth.

• Apolaki (Apolaqui) – the ancient Pangasinenses worshipped him as their supreme deity addressed as Ama-Gaoley or Anagaoley(Supreme Father) whom they invoke for various matters such as war, trade and travel. They offered oils, incenses, and other aromatic herbs to his idol/images, slaves and pigs was also sacrificed in his honor. He was Identified to Suku a deity of ancient Kapampangans which associated him to the sun. Based on historical records, there is no hard evidence that he was also worshiped by the ancient Tagalogs, he is often not listed (just like Mayari) to the pantheon of anitos that ancient Tagalogs worshiped. In some informal and modern folktale version based on Pampangan Mythology his sister was Mayari a Zambal deity and their father was Bathala which is a Tagalog deity, this probably caused the misconception.

• Mayari/Malyari (Mallari) – She/He was worshipped by the Negritos of Zambales as their chief deity in which the “bayoc” (high priest) was the only one allowed to make offerings and sacrifices to him/her. Mayari seems to be the only one represented by an actual idol among the Zambal pantheon, a wooden head with a straw body and arms, constructed and clothed by the bayoc for the occasion. Based on historical records, there is no hard evidence that she/he was also worshiped by the ancient Tagalogs, so as Anitong Tawo and Dumangan. In Pampangan mythology he/she was a sibling of Suku, he/she was also associated to the moon based on that mythology, in some informal and modern folktale version based on the said myth his/her brother was Apolaki a Pangasinense deity and their father was Bathala which is a Tagalog deity, this probably caused the misconception. The ancient Tagalogs do venerate the moon, however there is no recoded evidence that they deified it as Mayari.

• Lakambini (Lacambui) – An obscure deity often called by the Spaniards as “abogado de la garganta” (the throat advocate).

• Mangkukutod (Mancucutor) – the patron god of a particular class of ancient Tagalogs, but the traditions were very obscure.

• Anitong Tawo (Aniton Tavo) – the god of the wind and of rain of the ancient Zambal. The name literally means “man god or demigod”. He received the most important sacrifices among the deities invoked for good crops.

• Kabunian - One of the gods to some tribes (Ibaloi, Kalanguya, Kankana-ey) in the cordillera mountain range, specially in Benguet Province. Benguet Kankana-eys - Many years ago, some old folks believed that he resides in Mt. Kabunian (in Bakun, Benguet) while Ibaloi and Kalanguya believers say he resides in Mt. Pulag (straddling the boundaries of Benguet and Ifugao) together with the spirits of their ancestors and anitos.

• Ginoong Ganay (Unmarried Lady) - according to Luciano P.R. Santiago (To Love and to Suffer) the goddess who was believed to inhabit the "calumpang tree" was the advocate of single women. Her presence in the tree was heralded by the fact that its pretty flowers drove away their insect suitors by releasing a rank scent.