Apolaki, the God of the Sun and War.

Apolaki is a God of the Tagalogs and the Pangasinan. He is also considered to be the counterpart of the Kapampangan supreme deity, Aring Sinukuan, who is also a God of the Sun and War. It is believed by some scholars that the two Gods are the same deity with different names as both are so similar both in their attributes and their stories.

Besides being a sun God and a God of war, Apolaki was also the patron of warriors and fighters, the mandirigma. Today for modern practitioners of Anito, the collective term for the indigenous beliefs of the Philippines, he is the patron God for modern day warriors and fighters, those who are soldiers, police, and martial artists especially those who practice the Filipino martial arts, arnis/eskrima/kali.

In one myth he is known as the son of Bathala, the supreme deity of the sky, and a mortal woman. Along with his siblings, the sisters, Mayari the Goddess of the Moon and Tala Goddess of the Stars (there are some variations to this. In some sources it was only Mayari and Apolaki, others it was all 3, another is that instead of Tala being one of the siblings, it was the Goddess of the Dawn/Morning, Hanan) they were all given their own attributes by their father. One day Apolaki wanted to rule the world by himself, in which the Goddess Mayari objected as she wanted for them to rule equally. They quarreled because they both wanted to rule the world. Eventually they fought each other in a long battle where their fight became intense until words were not able to express their furious rage. They both picked up bamboo sticks and fought each other with fierce blows. Eventually the fight ended when Apolaki struck Mayari in one of her eyes resulting in her to being blind in one eye. Ashamed and regretting what he had done, he stopped the fight to help his sister, asking for forgiveness and agreeing to share their rule equally. With Mayari agreeing and forgiving her brother, from that point on both ruled the world equally. Both divided their rule by Apolaki ruling half the day during the day as he was the God of the Sun, while Mayari being the Goddess of the moon, ruled the night. During Apolaki’s turn, the world is flooded with warm light because the light beams from his two bright eyes. On the other hand, Mayari bathes the world with cool and gentle light due to being blind in one eye.

However in the Pangasinan myth, he is instead the son of the God Dumakalem and the Goddess Anagolay and is the brother of the Goddess Diyan Masalanta. One record of Apolaki being a personal deity is in the The Bolinao Manuscript which mentions the Sambal priestess, Bolindauan, in 1684 who has Apolaki as her Anito (personal deity). His name, Apolaki, literally means “big lord”, from the words “apo” which is a title for lord and a term for someone who is important and given with respect, and “laki” which means big.

(Source: arktiari.deviantart.com)

Galang Kaluluwa (Wandering Spirit) a winged God who loves to travel.
Gods and Goddess of the Philippines

Galang Kalulwa is present in some creation myths by some Tagalog groups and is identified as a close friend of the God Bathala.

In the beginning of time there were three powerful gods who lived in the universe. Bathala was the caretaker of the earth, Ulilang Kaluluwa (lit. Orphaned Spirit), a huge serpent who lived in the clouds, and Galang Kaluluwa (lit. Wandering spirit), the winged god who loves to travel. These three gods did not know each other.

Bathala often dreamt of creating mortals but the empty earth stops him from doing so. Ulilang Kaluluwa who was equally lonely as Bathala, liked to visit places and the earth was his favorite. One day the two gods met. Ulilang Kaluluwa, seeing another god rivalling him, was not pleased. He challenged Bathala to a fight to decide who would be the ruler of the universe. After three days and three nights, Ulilang Kaluluwa was slain by Bathala. Instead of giving him a proper burial, Bathala burned the snake’s remains. A few years later the third god, Galang Kaluluwa, wandered into Bathala’s home. He welcomed the winged god with much kindness and even invited him to live in his kingdom. They became true friends and were very happy for many years.

Galang Kaluluwa became very ill. Before he died he instructed Bathala to bury him on the spot where Ulilang Kaluluwa’s body was burned. Bathala did exactly as he was told. Out of the grave of the two dead gods grew a tall tree with a big round nut, which is the coconut tree. Bathala took the nut and husked it. He noticed that the inner skin was hard. The nut itself reminded him of Galang Kaluluwa’s head. It had two eyes, a flat nose, and a round mouth. Its leaves looked so much like the wings of his dear winged friend. But the trunk was hard and ugly, like the body of his enemy, the snake Ulilang Kaluluwa.

Bathala realized that he was ready to create the creatures he wanted with him on earth. He created the vegetation, animals, and the first man and woman. Bathala built a house for them out of the trunk and leaves of the coconut trees. For food, they drank the coconut juice and ate its delicious white meat. Its leaves, they discovered, were great for making mats, hats, and brooms. Its fiber could be used for rope and many other things.

Apolaki - The God of the Sun and War

Apolaki is a God of the Tagalogs and the Pangasinan. He is also considered to be the counterpart of the Kapampangan supreme deity, Aring Sinukuan, who is also a God of the Sun and War. It is believed by some scholars that the two Gods are the same deity with different names as both are so similar both in their attributes and their stories.

Besides being a sun God and a God of war, Apolaki was also the patron of warriors and fighters, the mandirigma. Today for modern practitioners of Anito, the collective term for the indigenous beliefs of the Philippines, he is the patron God for modern day warriors and fighters, those who are soldiers, police, and martial artists especially those who practice the Filipino martial arts, arnis/eskrima/kali.

In one myth he is known as the son of Bathala, the supreme deity of the sky, and a mortal woman. Along with his siblings, the sisters, Mayari the Goddess of the Moon and Tala Goddess of the Stars (there are some variations to this. In some sources it was only Mayari and Apolaki, others it was all 3, another is that instead of Tala being one of the siblings, it was the Goddess of the Dawn/Morning, Hanan) they were all given their own attributes by their father. One day Apolaki wanted to rule the world by himself, in which the Goddess Mayari objected as she wanted for them to rule equally. They quarreled because they both wanted to rule the world. Eventually they fought each other in a long battle where their fight became intense until words were not able to express their furious rage. They both picked up bamboo sticks and fought each other with fierce blows. Eventually the fight ended when Apolaki struck Mayari in one of her eyes resulting in her to being blind in one eye. Ashamed and regretting what he had done, he stopped the fight to help his sister, asking for forgiveness and agreeing to share their rule equally. With Mayari agreeing and forgiving her brother, from that point on both ruled the world equally. Both divided their rule by Apolaki ruling half the day during the day as he was the God of the Sun, while Mayari being the Goddess of the moon, ruled the night. During Apolaki’s turn, the world is flooded with warm light because the light beams from his two bright eyes. On the other hand, Mayari bathes the world with cool and gentle light due to being blind in one eye.

However in the Pangasinan myth, he is instead the son of the God Dumakalem and the Goddess Anagolay and is the brother of the Goddess Diyan Masalanta. One record of Apolaki being a personal deity is in the The Bolinao Manuscript which mentions the Sambal priestess, Bolindauan, in 1684 who has Apolaki as her Anito (personal deity). His name, Apolaki, literally means “big lord”, from the words “apo” which is a title for lord and a term for someone who is important and given with respect, and “laki” which means big.

Art and Sketch by iTrixia at DA.

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Bakunawa ~ The Moon Eating Water Dragon Deity of the Underworld

The Bakunawa, also known as Bakonawa, Baconaua, or Bakonaua, is a deity in Philippine mythology that is often represented as a gigantic sea serpent. It is believed to be the God of the underworld and is often considered to be the cause of eclipses.

It appears as a giant sea serpent with a mouth the size of a lake, a red tongue, whiskers, gills, small wires at its sides, and two sets of wings, one is large and ash-gray while the other is small and is found further down its body.

Mythology
Tales about the Bakunawa say that it is the cause of eclipses. During ancient times, Filipinos believe that there are seven moons created by Bathala to light up the sky. The Bakunawa, amazed by their beauty, would rise from the ocean and swallow the moons whole, angering Bathala and causing them to be mortal enemies.

To keep the Bakunawa moons from completely being swallowed, ancient Filipinos would go out of their homes with pans and pots, and would make noise in order to scare the Bakonawa into spitting out the moon back into the sky. Some of the people in the villages would play soothing sounds with their musical instruments, in hopes that the dragon would fall into a deep sleep. Thus, the brave men of the village hoped that while the dragon was hypnotized by the musical sounds they could somehow slay the dragon. Although the dragon was known as a “moon eater” it was also known as a “man eater”.

Other tales tell that the Bakunawa has a sister in the form of a sea turtle. The sea turtle would visit a certain island in the Philippines in order to lay its eggs. However, locals soon discovered that every time the sea turtle went to shore, the water seemed to follow her, thus reducing the island’s size. Worried that their island would eventually disappear, the locals killed the sea turtle.

When the Bakunawa found out about this, it arose from the sea and ate the moon. The people were afraid so they prayed to Bathala to punish the creature. Bathala refused but instead told them to bang some pots and pans in order to disturb the serpent. The moon is then regurgitated while the Bakunawa disappeared, never to be seen again.

The island where the sea turtle lays its eggs is said to exist today. Some sources say that the island might just be one of the Turtle Islands.

Figures of the Bakunawa’s head decorate the hilts of many ancient Filipino swords. These swords that originate in Panay are said to bestow upon the hangaway or mandirigma (sacred warriors) the fearful presence and power of the Bakunawa (or whatever deity/animal they have on their deity hilt) when they wield their swords in combat.