Myth and Folklore

Mole Rat and a Snake worked together as servants on a farm. Snake was not allowed inside the farmhouse on account of the unsightly skin that covered her body; it was pale, wrinkly, and hung off her bones at strange angles. She worked in the fields, weaving her way through the stalks of wheat and corn to catch intruding mice, always out of sight of the other animals and visitors of the farm. Mole Rat's coat was made up of a beautiful array of scales, which shone in the sunlight and reflected a vibrant prism of colors. She was thus employed inside the farmhouse, where she helped the farmer's wife in the kitchen. In the heat of the day, when poor Snake lay under the mercy of the sun, Mole Rat could be found chopping onions and humming along to a tune the farmer's wife liked to sing as they cooked together. Although the farmer's wife was very kind to Mole Rat, the farmer was cruel and never missed an opportunity to jeer at Snake and make fun of her appearance. Snake passe...

The Hummingbird and the Carabao -A carabao is resting under a tree by the river when a hummingbird passes by -"Friend carabao" and "little hum" -Hummingbird says she has come to drink on this hot day -Carabao teases that a drop will be enough -They then make a bet to see who can drink more -Carabao drinks and drinks, but the tide is rising, so the water level never seems to go down -Hummingbird teases that he has actually added more water to the river -Hummingbird then pretends to drink, but in reality just waits until the tide begins to ebb, so it appears that she has drunk down the river -Carabao is stupefied and saturated with water, hardly able to move Why the Ocean is Salty -Ang-ngalo is the son of the God of  building  -"The ocean at the time was pure, its water being the accumulated tears of disappointed goddesses" -Goddess of darkness asks Ang-ngalo to build her a palace made of white bricks -Goes to the ruler of the ...

The Three Friends -Buñgisñgis: “a large strong man that is always laughing” -Derived from the root ñgisi, “to show the teeth” -Three friends go to live in the country: monkey, dog, carabao -As the carabao is frying meat the Buñgisñgis comes up to him and asks for the food; when the carabao refuses the Buñgisñgis throws him into the earth -Monkey and dog return from hunting to find carabao sunk into the earth -They then cook the rest of their food -The Buñgisñgis is clever and knows their is union in strength - avoids attacking all three at once  -The next day the Buñgisñgis returns and similarly intimidates dog -The monkey digs a pit, and the next day when the Buñgisñgis arrives tricks him into falling in, burying him with earth  -Dog and carabao return and foolishly dig him up; they suffer terrible fates -Monkey escapes up a tree -When he encounters the Buñgisñgis again in the forest, he tricks him into thinking a beehive is a bell, and when the Buñgisñgis p...