Bernardo Carpio is a legendary figure in Philippine Mythology who is said to be the cause of earthquakes. There are numerous versions of this tale. Some versions say Bernardo Carpio is a giant, as supported by the enormous footsteps he has reputedly left behind in the mountains of Montalban. Others say he was the size of an ordinary man. However, all versions agree he had a strength that was similar to that of Hercules.

Basic legend

• The basic form of the legend is that Bernardo Carpio, a being of great strength, is trapped in between two great rocks in the Mountains of Montalban.

Some versions say he is keeping the mountains from crashing into each other (similar to the Greek titan Atlas holding up the sky), and some versions say he is trapped and trying to break free. When Bernardo Carpio shrugs his shoulder, an earthquake occurs.

As a revolutionary against Spanish occupation

• According to one version of the tale, Bernardo Carpio was a son of Infante Jimena and Don Sancho Diaz of Cerdenia. Infante was cloistered by her brother King Alfonso, who at that time was very powerful, because of her forbidden love with Don Sancho Diaz. Don Sanchio Diaz then was incarcerated, his eyes are to be plucked out. Then Bernardo was then cared by Don Rubio, by whosedesigns the affair of the hapless love is discovered by the King.

The Spanish hired a local engkantado (shaman) and conspired to trap him through supernatural means. Calling for a parley, they lured him towards a cave in the mountains of Montalban. The lad fell for the trap. The engkantado used his agimat (talisman) and Bernardo Carpio was caught between two boulders which the shaman had caused to grind each other. The legend says he was not killed, but was trapped between these two boulders, unable to escape because the talisman's power was as great as his own strength.

When Carpio's co-conspirators arrived at the cave to rescue him, they were blocked from the cave by a series of cave ins that killed several of the men.

People soon surmised that whenever an earthquake happens, it is caused by Bernardo Carpio trying to free himself from the mountain.

Etymology

• The same version says that Bernardo Carpio demonstrated unusual strength, even as a child. As a result, the parish priest who baptized him suggested that his parents name him after the Spanish legendary hero Bernardo del Carpio. This became a foreshadowing of the legendary life Carpio himself would lead.

As symbolism of freedom

Damiana Eugenio was able to find and document a 1940 compilation of tales detailing the legend of Bernardo Carpio.It specifically says that:

• "Bernardo Carpio is considered the savior of the Filipinos against national oppression and enslavement".

According to that particular telling of the tale, when the last link on the chains binding Carpio is broken, "the enslavement and oppression of the Filipino race will be replaced with freedom and happiness." While this belief apparently referred to the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines and the later occupation by the Philippines by the U.S. and by Japan in WWII, the legend has continued to be told this way, an apparent reference to freedom from poverty rather than foreign domination.

Filipino revolutionary heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio are said to have paid homage to the Bernardo Carpio legend - the former by making a pilgrimage to Montalban, and the latter making the caves of Montalban the secret meeting place for the Katipunan movement.

________________________________________




Mythical Animals

• Tikbalang

• Siyokoy

• Sirena

• Bakunawa

• Sigbin

• Sarimanok

• Kapre
  

The tikbalang is a monster in Philippine Mythology commonly described as a tall, bony, humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, such that its knees tower over its head when it squats down. It has the head and sometimes the feet of an animal, most commonly a horse. It has been compared to the half-man, half-horse centaur from Greek mythology. Habitat and behavior

• Like the kapre, the tikbalang is said to reside in big trees like the balete, and can be seen smoking tobacco near or on top of the tree. Tikbalang also dwell in swamps or in the deep woods.

• Tikbalang are said to scare travelers and lead them astray. They play tricks that lead the unwary traveler to keep on returning to an arbitrary path regardless of how far he goes or where he turns.

A tikbalang can also take on human form. When targeting a person, it mimics the appearance, voice and mannerisms of someone close to the person, such as a friend or relative. Thus the victim is tricked into follow the tikbalang to nowhere until they are lost, sometimes never to be seen again.

Countermeasures

• A traveller who finds himself lost and suspects that a tikbalang is leading him astray may counteract it by wearing his shirt inside out. Another countermeasure is to verbally ask permission to pass by ("tabi-tabi po"), or to avoid making too much noise while in the woods so as not to offend or disturb the tikbalang.

Folklore says that one can tame a tikbalang and compel it to be one's servant by plucking three golden hairs from its mane. There are also stories where a tikbalang asks its intended prey a bugtong (riddle). Someone who manages to answer correctly will be rewarded with a pot of gold.


Superstitions

• Where there is a sudden outpour of rain while the sun is still shining, a folk saying goes: "may kinakasal na tikbalang" ("a tikbalang is getting married").

• A tikbalang takes a bath only during the full moon.

• Some say that the tikbalangs were once beautiful women grown very old.

• Tikbalang may fall in love with mortals.

The Sirena is a creature of Philippine mythology and is said to be living under the sea. It is the Philippine version of a mermaid. The Sirena is a mythological aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of a fish. The male version of a Sirena is called a Sireno. Sometimes it is also paired with Siyokoy. The Sirena is an engkanto which is classified as one of the Bantay Tubig or the guardians of water. In addition to the Sirena, other examples of Bantay Tubig are Sireno, Siyokoy, Kataw and Ugkoy. Bantay Tubig are part fish, part human water-dwelling engkantos which are the Filipino counterpart of the English merfolk.

• It is also said that the Sirena has a very beautiful and enchanting voice that can attract and hypnotize males, especially fishermen. A Sirena would sometimes sing to sailors and enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or cause shipwrecks. They would sing with enchanting voices while hiding among the rocks by the shore. When the men hear their song they are hypnotized and the Sirena can abduct them. Some old folk traditions claim that the Sirena carry its victims under the sea and offer them to their water deities. Other stories claim that the Sirena squeezes the life out of drowning men while trying to rescue them.

A malevolent Sirena may tease and attract human males with their spellbinding songs; but reports of Sirena grabbing the seemingly hypnotized humans and drowning them or taking them under water may only be isolated cases. Either the tempted human had tried to chase the Sirena deep into the water until he drowned or he had a heart attack upon seeing such an engkanto and plunged literally into the water to his death.

Dugongs, sea turtles, and small cetaceans such as dolphins usually accompany Sirena

Sigbin or Zegben. Some say that this is another form that the Aswang transforms into and yet some say it is the companion of the kikik. Its appearance is said to be similar to the chupacabra and Tasmanian devil in appearance, although with spotty fur. It supposedly has a wide mouth with large fangs.

• One of the most popular legends in the visayas region is the infamous Aswang Tiniente Gimo(lieutenant Gimo) of the town of Dueñas, Iloilo.Sigbin is a creature of Philippine mythology said to come out at night to suck the blood of victims from their shadows. The creature walks backward with its head lowered between its hind legs. It resembles a hornless goat, emits a very nauseating smell and possess a pair of very large ears which are capable of clapping like a pair of hands. It is also claimed to issue forth from its lair during Holy Week, looking for children that it will kill for the heart, which is made into an amulet.

• It is also believed that there are families known as Sigbinan ("those who own Sigbin"), who possess the power to command them. The aswang is said to keep it as a pet, along with another mythical creature, a bird known as the Wakwak. The sigbin is said to bring wealth and luck to its owners.In the Eastern Visayas they are also known as the Amamayong.

There is speculation that the legend may be based on sightings of an actual animal species that is rarely seen; based on the description of the sigbin in popular literature, the animal species might be related to the kangaroo.Borneo of the cat-fox, a potential new species of carnivore described as having hind legs that are lower than its front legs, the animal species that is the possible basis of the legend as well as the reported sightings of sigbin may belong to or is related to the cat-fox species.

The Sarimanok is a legendary bird of the Maranao people who originate from Mindanao, a major island in the Philippines. Manòk, which makes up part of its name, is a Philippine word for chicken.

Description

• It is the legendary bird that has become a ubiquitous symbol of Maranao art. It is depicted as a fowl with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its beak or talons. The head is profusely decorated with scroll, leaf, and spiral motifs. It is said to be a symbol of good fortune.

Origin and use

• The Sarimanok is derived from a totem bird of the Maranao people, called Itotoro. According to the Maranao people, the Itotoro is a medium to the spirit world via its unseen twin spirit bird called Inikadowa. According to the tradition, the sarimanok is never displayed by itself. It must be displayed with the set of flags, standards and vexilloids. At present, this is not totally true; sarimanok may be placed on the top of the umbrella of a Sultan or dignitary, and also, the Mindanao State University has adopted it for the graduation exercises following a non-traditional use.

The Sarimanok is also believed to have originated from an Islamic legend. According to the legend, Muhammad found a rooster in the first of the seven heavens. The bird was so large its crest touched the second heaven. Its crow roused every living creature except man. Judgement day would come once this celestial rooster ceased to crow.