Biag ni Lam-ang (Summary)

BIAG NI LAM-ANG (Life of Lam-ang) is pre-Hispanic epic poem of the Ilocano

people of the Philippines. The story was handed down orally for generations
before it was written down around 1640 assumedly by a blind Ilokano bard
named Pedro Bucaneg.
BUOD (SUMMARY) OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG
Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in
the northern part of the Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before
Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains in order to punish a
group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born.
It took four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy
popped out, he spoke and asked that he be given the name Lam-ang. He
also chose his godparents and asked where his father was.
After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he
would go look for him. Namongan thought Lam-ang was up to the challenge
but she was sad to let him go. During his exhausting journey, he decided to
rest for awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head being
stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what
had happened to his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all,
except for one whom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lamang's greatness.

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the

Amburayan river. All the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lamang's body.

There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to
woo. She lived in Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and
gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his enemy Sumarang,
another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated.
Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom
were trying to catch her attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a
nearby house to fall. This made Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an

instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and
called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents
agreed to a marriage with their daughter if Lam-ang would give them a
dowry valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this
condition and he and Ines were married.

It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the
rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into the mouth of the
water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which she covered
with a piece of cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the
bones started to move. Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever
after with his white rooster and gray dog.

Mga Epiko ng Pilipinas

The Tagalog word for 'epic' is epiko from the Spanish. Philippine epics are
lengthy narrative poems based on oral tradition. The verses were chanted or
sung while being passed from generation to generation before being written
on paper. The plots of their stories revolve around supernatural events and
heroic deeds.

With the diversity of ethnic groups in the Philippines, Filipino epics are not
national in scope the way the Kaleva is in Finland, for example. Instead of
glorifying national heroes, Philippine epics are specific to a particular part of
the country, and thus they are referred to as ethno-epics or regional epics. In
fact, the epic poems of the Philippines are in many different languages, not
just the currently dominant Tagalog.

Many of the Philippine epics that have survived and been recorded are from
areas that have seen the least colonization by the Spanish and Americans.
These are mostly pagan groups and the Moros who were not Christianized by
missionaries.

There are around twenty known Filipino epic poems. Among the more famous
ones are:

LUZON

the Hudhud of the Ifugao

the pre-Hispanic epic poem Biag ni Lam-ang
the Ullalim epic songs of the Kalinga
the Ibalon epic from Bicol

WESTERN VISAYAS

the Hinilawod the longest and oldest epic of the Hiligaynon people

MINDANAO

the Darangan of the Maranao (recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of

the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity)

The Darangan relates the adventures of a warrior-prince named Bantugan,

who was the brother of the chieftain of a village called Bumbaran. Bantugan
owned a magic shield, was protected by divine spirits and was capable of
rising from the dead.

Ibalon (Three Heroes of the Bicol

Epic)

16JUL
When the hero Baltog came to the rich land of Ibalon, many monsters still
roamed around in its very dark forest. Baltog, born in Baltavara to the brave
clan of Lipod, was the first to cultivate the fields in the rich land of Ibalon.
2 Then the Tandayag attacked and destroyed Baltogs fields and crops. The
Tandayag was a monstrous wild boar but the hero Baltog was not afraid. One
night, he waited for the Tandayag and wrestled with it with all his might. The
Tandayag had very long fangs. The earth shook at the Tandayags step. But
Baltog was strong and brave. He was able to pin down the monstrous wild
boar and tear out its mouth.
3 Baltog carried the Tandayag and hung it on a talisay tree in front of his
house in Tondol. The people celebrated when they learned of the victory of
their king Baltog. The clans of Panicuason and Asog came over to marvel at
the monstrous wild boar in Ibalon.
4 At that time the hero Handiong came with a band of warriors to the land of
Ibalon. Handiong and his men had to fight thousands of battles, and face
many dangers to defeat the monsters. They first fought the one-eyed giants
in the land of Ponon. They fought without rest for ten months until all the
one-eyed giants were killed.
5 They went to the lair of the giant flying fishes called Tiburon which had
slimy, scaly, and hardy flesh and sawlike teeth that could crush rocks.
Handiong and his men did not stop until they vanquished every Tiburon.
6 They tamed the fierce tamaraws. They drove away the giant Sarimaw
which was larger than an elephant and very fierce. They used their spears
and arrows to kill all the crocodiles which were bigger than boats. The savage
monkeys were frightened and hid when they
saw the rivers and swamps of Ibalon turn red with blood.
7 Oriol was the hardest to kill. A serpent with a beautiful voice, Oriol could
change its image to deceive enemies. Oriol had escaped every trap and
disappeared.
8 All by himself, Handiong looked for Oriol in the heart of the forest. He
followed the beautiful voice and was almost enchanted by it in his pursuit. It
is said that Oriol admired Handiongs bravery and gallantry. Thus, the

serpent taught the hero how to conquer the monsters until peace came to
the whole Ibalon.
9 Handiong built a town in Isarog and a season of progress followed. Under
Handiongs leadership, the people planted rice which they named after him.
He built the first boat to ride the waves of Ibalon seas. Because of his good
example, inventors came forth from his people. Ginantong made the plow,
harrow, and other farming tools. Hablom invented the first loom for weaving
abaca clothes. Dinahon, an Aeta, created the stove, cooking pot, earthen jar,
and other kitchen utensils. The brilliant Sural thought of the alphabet and
started to write on white rock. It was a golden period in Ibalon when even
slaves were respected under the laws of Handiong.
10 But there came the big flood freed by Unos, with earthquakes and the
eruption of the volcanoes of Hantik, Kolasi, and Isarog. Rivers dried up and
the seas receded. The earth parted, mountains sank, and many towns in
Ibalon were destroyed.
11 Then appeared the giant Rabot, half-man half-beast, with terrible powers.
Bantong, Handiongs good friend, was ordered to kill the new monster in
Ibalon. He took with him a thousand warriors to attack Rabots den. Bantong
used his wisdom against Rabot. He did not attack the giants den right away
but instead observed Rabots ways. He saw many rocks around the den.
They were people turned into rock by Rabot.
13 He also learned that Rabot loved to sleep. When Rabot slept very soundly,
Bantong was able to go near him. The giant died with a single stab by the
brave and wise Bantong. Ibalon was at peace once more.

HINILAWOD
When the goddess of the eastern sky Alunsina (also known as Laun Sina,
The Unmarried One) reached maidenhood, the king of the gods, Kaptan,
decreed that she should marry. All the unmarried gods of the different
domains of the universe tried to win her hand to no avail. She chose to marry
a mortal, Datu Paubari, the mighty ruler of Halawod.
Her decision angered her other suitors. They plotted to bring harm to the
newlyweds. A meeting of the council of gods was called by Maklium-sa-twan,
god of the plains, where a decision by those present was made to destroy
Halawod by flood.

Alunsina and Paubari escaped harm through the assistance of Suklang

Malayon, the goddess and guardian of happy homes and sister of Alunsina,
who learned of the evil plot and warned the two so they were able to seek
refuge on higher ground.
After the flood waters subsided, Paubari and Alunsina returned to the plains
secretly. They settled near the mouth of the Halawod river.
Several months later Alunsina became pregnant and told Paubari to prepare
the siklot, things necessary for childbirth. She delivered a set of triplets and
summoned the high priest Bungot-Banwa to perform the rites of the gods of
Mount Madya-as (the mountain abode of the gods) to ensure the good health
of the children. The high priest promptly made an altar and burned some
alanghiran fronds and a pinch of kamangyan. When the ceremony was over
he opened the windows of the north side of the room and a cold northernly
wind came in and suddenly the three infants were transformed into strong,
handsome young men.
Labaw Donggon, the eldest of the three, asked his mother to prepare his
magic cape, hat, belt and kampilan (sword) for he heard of a place called
Handug where a beautiful maiden named Angoy Ginbitinan lived.
The journey took several days. He walked across plains and valleys, climbed
up mountains until he reached the mouth of the Halawod river. When he
finally met the maidens father and asked for her hand in marriage, the
father asked him to fight the monster Manalintad as part of his dowry. He
went off to confront the monster and with the help of his magic belt Labaw
Donggon killed the monster and to prove his feat he brought to Angoy
Ginbitinans father the monsters tail.
After the wedding, Labaw Donggon proceeded home with his new bride.
Along the way they met a group of young men who told him that they were
on their way to Tarambang Burok to win the hand of Abyang Durunuun, sister
of Sumpoy, the lord of the underworld and whose beauty was legendary.
Labaw Donggon and his bride continued on their journey home. The moment
they arrived home Labaw Donggon told his mother to take care of his wife
because he is taking another quest, this time he was going to Tarambang
Burok.
Before he can get to the place he has to pass a ridge guarded by a giant
named Sikay Padalogdog who has a hundred arms. The giant would not allow
Labaw Donggon to go through without a fight. However, Sikay Padalogdog

was no match to Labaw Donggons prowess and skill in fighting so he gave

up and allowed him to continue.
Labaw Donggon won the hand of Abyang Durunuun and also took her home.
Before long he went on another journey, this time it is to Gadlum to ask for
the hand of Malitong Yawa Sinagmaling Diwata who is the young bride of
Saragnayan, the lord of darkness.
This trip required him to use his biday nga inagta (black boat) on which he
sailed across the seas for many months, went across the region of the
clouds, and passed the land of stones until finally he reached the shores of
Tulogmatian which was the seaside fortress of Saragnayan. The moment he
set foot on the ground Saragnayan asked him, Who are you and why are
you here?
To which he answered, I am Labaw Donggon, son of Datu Paubari and
goddess Alunsina of Halawod. I came for the beautiful Malitong Yawa
Sinagmaling Diwata.
Saragnayan laughed. He told Labaw Donggon that what he wished for was
impossible to grant because she was his wife. Labaw Donggon then
challenged Saragnayan to a duel saying that whoever wins will have her.
The challenge was accepted and they started fighting. Labaw Donggon
submerged Saragnayan under water for seven years, but when he let go of
him, Saragnayan was still alive. The latter uprooted a coconut tree and
started beating Labaw Donggon with it. He survived the beating but was not
able to surpass the powers of Saragnayans pamlang (amulet) and
eventually he gave up and was imprisoned by Saragnayan beneath his
house.
Back home Angoy Ginbitinan and Abyang Durunuun both delivered sons.
Angoy Ginbitinans child was named Aso Mangga and Abyang Durunuuns
son was called Abyang Baranugon.
Only a few days after they were born, Aso Mangga and Abyang Baranugon
embarked to look for their father. They rode their sailboats through the
region of eternal darkness, passed the region of the clouds and the land of
stones, finally reaching Saragnayans home. Saragnayan noticed that
Abyang Baranugons umbilical cord have not yet been removed, he laughed
and told the child to go home to his mother.

Abyang Baranugon was slighted by the remarks and immediately challenged

Saragnayan to a duel. They fought and Abyang Baranugon defeated
Saragnayan and won his fathers freedom.
Labaw Donggons defeat and subsequent imprisonment by the Lord of
Darkness also angered his brothers. Humadapnon was so enraged that he
swore to the gods of Madya-as that he would wreak revenge on all of
Saragnayans kinsmen and followers.
Humadapnon prepared to go to Saragnayans domain. He employed the aid
of Buyong Matanayon of Mount Matiula who was well-known for his skill in
swordsmanship. For their journey they rode on a sailboat called biday nga
rumba-rumba. They travelled through the region of the clouds, passed by the
region of eternal darkness and ended up at a place called Tarambang
Buriraw. In this place was a ridge called Talagas Kuting-tang where a
seductive sorceress named Piganun lived.
Piganun changed herself to a beautiful maiden and captured the heart of
Humadapnon. Buyong Matanayon begged with Humadapnon to leave the
place with him but the latter refused. After seven months passed, Buyong
Matanayon remembered that they have brought with them some ginger. One
evening at dinner time Buyong Matanayon threw seven slices of ginger into
the fire. When Pinganun smelled the odor of burning ginger she left the
dinner table because sorcerers hated the odor of ginger. Immediately Buyong
Matanayon struck Humadapnon, who became unconscious. He dragged his
friend with him and they were able to escape.
They continued with their trek and everywhere they went they exacted
revenge on all of Saragnayans people and relatives. One day they reached a
place called Piniling Tubig who was ruled by Datu Umbaw Pinaumbaw. There
was a big gathering in the village and when they asked what was going on
they were told that the datu was giving his daughter for marriage to whoever
could remove the huge boulder that rolled from a mountain into the center of
the village. Many men tried their luck but no one so far was able to even
move the stone.
Humadapnon took off his magic cape and used it to lift the stone and threw it
back into the mountain. The datu kept his word and Humadapnon married
his daughter. During the wedding feast Humadapnon heared about the
beauty of the goddess of greed Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan from a
guest minstrel who sang at the celebration.

After the wedding Humadapnon went to seek the hand of the goddess in
marriage. Along the way he encountered Buyong Makabagting, son of the
mighty Datu Balahidyong of Paling Bukid who was also travelling with the
same purpose in mind. Upon learning of Humadapnons intent, Buyong
Makabagting challenged him to a duel. They fought and Buyong Makabagting
was no match to Humadapnons strength and skill. The fight ended when
Buyong Makabagting surrendered and even promised to aid Humadapnon in
his quest. Humadapnon married the goddess and brought her home.
Meanwhile, right after Humadapnon left to seek Saragnayans followers and
relatives his brother Dumalapdap left for Burutlakan-ka-adlaw where the
maiden Lubay-Lubyok Hanginun si Mahuyokhuyokon lived. For the trip he
brought along Dumasig, the most powerful wrestler in Madya-as.
Several months later they came to a place called Tarambuan-ka-banwa
where they encountered the two-headed monster Balanakon who guarded a
narrow ridge leading to the place where the maiden lived.
With the aid of Dumasig, Dumalapdap killed Balanakon. However, upon
approaching the gate of the palace where the maiden lived he was
confronted by Uyutang, a bat-like monster with sharp poisonous claws. There
ensued a bloody battle between the Dumalapdap and the monster. They
fought for seven months and their skill and prowess seemed to be equal. But
on the seventh month, Dumalapdap was able to grab on to Uyutangs ankle
and broke it. Then he took his iwang daniwan (magic dagger) and stabbed
Uyutang under the armpit. Uyutang cried out so loud that the ridge where
they were fighting broke into two and there was an earthquake. Half of the
ridge became the island of Buglas (Negros) and the other became the island
of Panay.
Dumalapdap married Lubay-Lubyok Hanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan and then
took her home. Datu Paubari was very happy when he was reunited with his
three sons and he prepared a feast in their honor. After the celebration, the
three brothers left for different parts of the world. Labaw Donggon went to
the north, Humadapnon went south, Dumalapdap to the west and Datu
Paubari remained in the east.