Philippine Literary History

from pre-colonial to
Contemporary
precolonial literature

It includes chants, proverbs, songs, spells,

and different folk narratives like folk tales,
fables, legends, myths, and epics that were
all passed down from generation to
generation through the word of mouth.
proverbs

Philosophy of everyday life

Meant to entertain while teaching basic skills in
surviving local life
Salawikain

Example: Kung ano ang Puno ay siya ang bunga

Folktale

This is a characteristically anonymous, timeless, and

placeless tale circulated orally among a people.

Folktales about Juan are very popular. Some

emphasize certain virtues, and some serve as
warning about behavior. Also, some are for the
readers amusement.
 Example 1:
Juan Gathers Guavas (A Tagalog Folktale)
One day several neighbors came to Juans home to visit. His father wanted to
give the guests something to eat, so he sent Juan to get some ripe guavas for
them.
Full of mischief, Juan decided to play a joke on his fathers guests. He went to
get the guavas and ate all of them while thinking of a good joke. Then he saw
a wasps nest hung nearby. With some difficulty he managed to take it down
and put it into a tight basket. He hastened home and gave the basket to his
father. Quickly he left the room where the guests were and closed the door
and fastened it.
As soon as Juans father opened the basket, the wasps flew over the room.
With the door locked, the people fought to get out of the windows. After a
while Juan opened the door. When he saw the swollen faces of the people, he
cried.
What fine, rich guavas you must have had! They have made you all so fat!
Fable

The monkey is a common animal character in

Philippine fables. It is often depicted as a cunning
animal.

A short tale that usually is about animals and that is

intended to teach a lesson
 The Monkey and the Crocodile (A Tagalog Fable)
One day, a monkey saw a tall macopa tree laden with ripe fruits, which stood by a wide
river. It was hungry, so it climbed the tree and ate all of the fruits. When it climbed down, it
could find no means by which to cross the river. Then it saw a young crocodile who had just
woken up from its siesta. It said to the crocodile in a friendly way, My dear crocodile, will
you do me a favor?
The crocodile was greatly surprised by the monkeys amicable salutation. So, it answered
humbly, Oh, yes! If there is anything I can do for you, I shall be glad to do it. The monkey
then told the crocodile that it wanted to get to the other side of the river. Then the
crocodile said, Ill take you there with all my heart. Just sit on my back, and well go at
once.
The monkey sat firmly on the crocodiles back, and they began to move. In a short while
they reached the middle of the stream. Then the crocodile began to laugh aloud. You
foolish monkey! it said, Ill eat your liver and kidneys, for Im very hungry. The monkey
became nervous. Trying to conceal its anxiety, it said, Im very glad that you mentioned
the matter. I thought myself that you might be hungry, so I have prepared my liver and
kidneys for your dinner. Unfortunately, in our haste to depart, I left them hanging on the
macopa tree. Let us return, and Ill get them for you.
Convinced that the monkey was telling the truth, the crocodile turned around and swam
back to the direction of the macopa tree. When they got near the riverbank, the monkey
nimbly jumped up onto the land and scampered up the tree. The crocodile came to realize
what happened and said, I am a fool.
Legend

Legends are usually very old stories with little or no evidence to

prove them. Legends are often passed on by word-of-mouth. They
are very similar to myths.

Widely believed but cannot be proved

Ancient times
 The Flood Story (A Legend of Bukidnon)
A long time ago there was a very big crab which crawled into the sea. When
it went in, it crowded the water out so that it ran all over the earth and
covered all the land.
Now about one moon before the flood happened, a wise man had told the
people that they must build a large raft. They did as he commanded and cut
many large trees until they had enough to make three layers. These they
bound tightly together; when it was done, they fastened the raft with a long
rattan cord to a big pole in the earth.
Soon after the raft was done, the flood came. White water poured out of the
hills, and the sea rose and covered even the highest mountains. The people
and animals on the raft were safe, but all the others drowned.
Soon the waters went down, and the raft was again on the ground. It was
near their old home, for the rattan cord had held.
The people on the raft together with the animals were the only ones left on
the whole earth.
Myth

This is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural phenomenon.

Example : Maria Makiling

Epic

This narrative poem celebrates the adventures and

achievements of a hero.

The Philippine epics are sung or chanted in episodes. They

feature supernatural characters and reflect the society
where they originated. Also, there are different versions of a
story.