The Gods and Goddesses

The Gods and Goddesses

|Again, just like the creation myths, gods and goddesses vary from region to region. I’ve mentioned a few in the creation stories, |

|but I actually want to discuss a few different ones this time (though, in some cases, they can be linked to the creation gods from|

|the previous lesson). |

|The Tagalog “Pantheon” |

|Below, I have listed the major Pantheon gods and goddesses. This may or may not include the Diwata, who were believed to have been|

|gods in ancient times. Now, the term “diwata” refers to mythical creatures akin to fairies and nymphs (and in some cases, demons),|

|but we’ll get to that in a later lesson. |

|[pic] |

|Bathala |

|Bathala, or Bathalang Maykapal (or any other spelling variations), is the head honcho of the gods in the Tagalog myths. There are |

|definitely counterparts in the other dialects, and you might recognize him as Captan/Kaptan from the Visayan creation myth. |

|Bathala reigns supreme in the heavens, though his beginnings were not necessarily so set. |

|In his story, Bathala was more known to have ruled over the barren Earth, while two other gods (brothers, perhaps)—Ulilang |

|Kaluluwa (a snake living in the clouds) and Galang Kaluluwa (the winged wanderer)—ruled the skies. None of the three knew each |

|other, and when Ulilang met with Bathala, tempers ran high. In a violent duel, Bathala emerged...