Topic 2- Folk Literature: Mythology and Folklore-An Overview

Weeks 2-3 (Aug 16-20; Aug. 23-27)

I. What is this lesson about?

In this second lesson in the course, we will know the different genres of folk literature. We will also discuss
the relevance of folk literature as a historical artifact and the significance of studying it. You will also become
acquainted with the different theories used in studying folk literature categorized as the ancient theories
(Rationalism, Etymological Theory, Allegorical Theory, Euhemerism) and the modern ones (Naturalism, Ritualism,
Diffusionism, Evolutionism, Freudianism, Jungian archetypes, Structuralism, Historical-critical theory).

II. What will you learn?

At the end of this topic, you will be able to:

a. describe folk literature as a relevant artifact of history; and

b. discuss research-based theories which help understand folk literature.

III. Let’s Try This!

Show how you understand the following terms by sharing the title or plot of a story that you can associate with the
term. Write your response on the blank provided.

Kind of Story Title/Plot

Folklore

Myth

Legend

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IV. Let’s read!

What is Folk Literature?

“also called folklore or oral tradition, the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no written
language. It is transmitted by word of mouth and consists, as does written literature, of both prose and verse
narratives, poems and songs, myths, dramas, rituals, proverbs, riddles, and the like. Nearly all known peoples, now or in
the past, have produced it (Folk literature, 2020) .”

Important Terms Defined

Mythology

According to Dr. Jose Neil Garcia of the University of the Philippines, mythology is a “form of spiritual orature.” It is a
collection of myths that reflect the world view of a particular society. Before the age of science and empirical
thought, ancient civilizations used myths to explain the natural world and human experience. However, according to
Dr. Garcia, myths do not attempt to simply explain what is seen for they provide a view which is beyond the literal.
They value and acknowledge the existence of mystery as they fulfill other social functions like legitimizing societal
structures and creating norms in the culture that believed in them.

Other definitions of myths are outlined in the next part based on the lectures of Dr. Elizabeth Vandiver from
Whitman College:

A. Myths are traditional tales or stories a society tells itself.

1. Myths are presented in narrative form.
2. Myths are handed down in a society from one generation to the next. It’s usually impossible to say who
first “invented” a particular myth.
B. Myths are set in the past.
1. A myth recounts events of long ago (usually very long ago).
2. Myths often reflect the belief that, in the far past, things were very different.

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 C. Myths are ostensibly “true”; that is, they present themselves as giving an accurate narrative of “what
really happened.”
1. A culture rarely recognizes its own mythology as mythology.
2. Judged from within a culture, myths are true accounts of the way things are.
D. Myths often explain, justify, instruct, or warn.
1. An aetiological myth may explain why things are as they are or how certain events, entities, or
conditions came into existence.
2. A charter myth may offer a justification for a certain rite or social institution.
3. A myth may instruct its audience in how people ought or ought not to behave
a. Such instruction frequently takes the form of a warning by showing the consequences of
misbehavior.
E. Myths frequently concern gods and the supernatural.
1. This area of myth overlaps with religion
2. One useful distinction is that “religion” refers to what people do to honor their gods— the rites,
ceremonies, etc, -- whereas “myth” refers to the underlying narratives about those gods.

The next part details the types of myth according to a 2009 LET (licensure examination for teachers) reviewer for
Mythology and Folklore:

• Pure Myth/True Myth/Myth Proper

“Myths of this kind tend to be examples of primitive science or religion. They explain natural phenomena or the
origin of things, and they describe how individuals should behave toward the gods.”

• Saga or Legend
“Myths of this variety tend to be examples of primitive history; they contain a germ or seed of historical fact and
enlarge upon it with great flourish. A good example of a saga or legend in the story of the war at Troy.”

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• Folktale or Fairytale
“Myths of this species tend to be examples of primitive fiction. Tales of this sort are told for pleasure and
amusement. Frequently the stories contain supernatural characters such as ghosts, elves, dwarfs, or demons, and
they often include elements of magic, e.g., spells, potions, and objects.”

How do we study and trace the origins of myths?

There are ancient and modern theories that can help us understand how myths came to be and why they are
important both for the culture that valued them and for us who study them. The 2009 LET reviewer likewise
summarizes them as follows:

A. ANCIENT THEORIES

1. Rationalism
“According to this theory, myths represent an early form of logical thinking: they all have a logical base. For example,
the myth of Pegasus, the flying horse can best be explained by imagining the reaction of the first Greek to see a
horse. Compared to other animals they know, the horse must have seemed to fly as it gallops fast and leap over high
obstacles.”

2. Etymological Theory
“This theory states that all myths derive from and can be traced back to certain words in the language. Sources of
most mythological characters have their origins from the languages of the world. Hades, for example, originally
meant “unseen” but came eventually to be the name for the god of the dead.”

3. Allegorical theory
“In the allegorical explanation, all myths contain hidden meanings which the narrative deliberately conceals or
encodes. Example : story of King Midas and his golden touch Allegorists offered this simple reason why stories were
used in the first place rather than a simple statement of the ideas they represented: they interested people who
might not listen to emotionless concepts but who could be attracted by imaginative narratives.”

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 4. Euhemerism
“Euhemerus, a Greek who lived from 325-275 BC, maintained that all myths arise from historical events which were
merely exaggerated.”

B. MODERN THEORIES

1. Naturalism
“In this hypothesis, all myths are thought to arise from an attempt to explain natural phenomena. People who believe
in this theory narrow the source of myths by tracing their origins from the worship of the sun or the moon.”

2. Ritualism
“According to this theory, all myths are invented to accompany and explain religious ritual; they describe the
significant events which have resulted in a particular ceremony.”

3. Diffusionism
“The diffusionists maintain that all myths arose from a few major cultural centers and spread throughout the world.”

4. Evolutionism
“Myth making occurs at a certain stage in the evolution of the human mind. Myths are therefore an essential part of
all developing societies and the similarities from one culture to the next can be explained by the relatively limited
number of experiences open to such communities when myths arise.”

5. Freudianism
“When Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology, interpreted the dreams of his patients, he found great
similarities between them and the ancient myths. Freud believes that certain infantile memories are repressed, i.e.
they are eliminated from the conscious mind but continue to exist within the individual in some other form.
Sometimes these feelings emerge into consciousness under various disguises, one of which is the myth.”

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 6. Jungian archetypes
“Carl Jung was a prominent psychologist who, while he accepted Freud’s theory about the origin of myths , did not
believe that it went far in explaining the striking similarities between the motifs found in ancient stories and those of
his patients. He postulated that each of us possesses a “collective unconscious” which we inherit genetically. It
contains very general ideas, themes, or motifs which are passed along from one generation to another and are
retained as part of our human inheritance.”

7. Structuralism
“This theory is a fairly recent development and is closely allied with the research of linguists. According to this theory,
all human behaviour, the way we eat, dress, speak, is patterned into codes which have the characteristics of language.
To understand the real meaning of myth, therefore, we must analyze it linguistically.”

8. Historical-critical theory
“This theory maintains that there are a multitude of factors which influence the origin and development of myths and
that no single explanation will suffice. We must examine each story individually to see how it began and evolved.”

IV. Let’s Discuss!

A. Now, based on your understanding of the information in the previous section and using your own words,
please share your meaning for the terms MYTHOLOGY, MYTH and FOLKLORE.

Mythology Myth Folklore

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 B. To help you remember the different ancient and modern theories, identify key words or phrases for each of
them in the table below:

Ancient Theories Key Words Modern Theories Key Words

Rationalism Naturalism

Ritualism

Etymological Diffusionism
Theory
Evolutionism

Allegorical Theory Freudianism

Jungian Archetypes

Euhemerism Structuralism

Historical-Critical

C. How relevant is folk literature to you as a member of the present society?

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Feedback

Although we can say that myths and other folklores belong to the realm of fiction and make-believe in our
society which relies heavily on the different sciences to explain the nature of human existence and experience, they
form a well of clear and rich water, into which we will be able to see our own reflection, our identities as members of
our own cultures which have shaped and continue to shape our understanding of the world.

V. Let’s Apply What You’ve Learned.

Read the excerpted documentation of the oral lore about the Gading taken from different parts of Camarines Sur.
Choose one ancient and one modern theory to analyze the significance of these lores to the community in which
they thrive. Be guided by the rubric and format to be given.

Rubric (20 points)

Criteria 4 3 2 1

Content Provides adequate Gives little information; Hardly gives information;

Gives very complete information; some ideas are ideas are present but not fails to communicate
information; ideas well developed; but some ideas developed; lacks message
developed; thorough; on lack supporting details supporting details
target

Organization Logically and effectively An apparent order to the Limited order to the No organization
ordered; main points and content is intended; uses content; lacks logical whatsoever; manner of
details are properly cohesive devices but work sequencing of ideas; putting sentences
connected; fluent; remains somewhat choppy ineffective ordering; together indicated lack of
not choppy whatsoever and loosely organized; main absence of appropriate knowledge on how ideas
points stand although cohesive devices makes should be organized
sequencing of ideas is text choppy and disjointed
somewhat faulty

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Vocabulary
Broad; impressive, 1-2 errors Adequate but not impressive; 5-6 erroneous word used or Exhibits lack of knowledge
in word use and choice; 3-4 erroneous choices of choice resulting in of appropriate vocabulary
extensive use of appropriate words and meaning is confused or obscured and idioms
words confused or obscured; some meaning; limited use of
use of appropriate words appropriate words, some
literal translation and
invented words

Language
1-2 grammatical errors; 3-4 grammatical errors; 5-6 grammatical errors (s-v Shows lack of knowledge
language clearly expresses erroneous use of language agreement, pronoun of basic syntactic rules,
meaning; work well edited does not impede antecedent, tense, faulty simply puts together
comprehensibility; some use of article); erroneous words that fail to
editing for language evident use of language impedes communicate meaning
but not thoroughly done comprehensibility, work
poorly edited for language

usage

Mechanics Only 1-2 inaccuracies in 3-4 inaccuracies in spelling 5-6 inaccuracies in spelling Work is dominated by
spelling punctuation, punctuation, capitalization punctuation, capitalization errors in spelling
capitalization and and paragraphing; exhibits and paragraphing; with punctuation, capitalization
paragraphing neatness erasures and alterations. and paragraphing does
not exhibit neatness

FORMAT:
a. Write a 1-2 page analysis composed of 3 parts (Introduction- summary of the text, Body- analysis using two theories
and Conclusion- summary of the main points from the analysis).
b. Use a short bond paper and observe single-spacing with 1” margin for all sides, font size 11, font type Arial or Calibri.
c. If you will write your analysis by hand, please write legibly in script or non-script form. You may use a white tablet
paper and observe single-spacing and the set margins as well.

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SUBMISSION OPTIONS:
A. Upload your encoded work in doc/docx format or PDF.
B. Upload a clear screenshot of your work.
C. Upload a photo or scanned version of your handwritten work.

Submission must be done via Google Classroom on or before August 31, 2020 at 8:00 pm.

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Mga Gadan na Dae Nalalapa asin may Kabatiran
(In the World of Gadings: Undecaying Dead Bodies with Powers)

The Young Generation of Gading Believers

In their immersion in Lagha, the researchers have observed that the belief in gading was present in different generations.
Although the young people had lesser close encounters with it, they still believed in its power because of the influence of the oral
literature that circulated in the community.

A 19-year-old male resident added that anything coming from the body of the gading contained some powers and can cure
illnesses. He wiped his handkerchief on the feet of the gading and placed it on his head. He also got some fallen strands of
gading hair believed to be the source of some powers.

Nagtutubod man ako duman ta syempre dinadayo kang taga ibang lugar. Pinunasan ko ito ning panyo sa bitis ta makulog si
payo ko ta hilang talaga. Dai man ako natakot duman sa aki. Narahay man ako kadto. Naghurulog baga kadto ang buhok ta
nagkua ako.

(I believe in the gading of course because people from different places were visiting the chapel. I wiped its feet with my
handkerchief because I was sick and was having a headache. I got well because of it.)

Unlike the previous informant who had a close encounter with the gading, a fifteen-year-old boy who did not have any close
contact with the corpse believed in its power because he had heard the oral stories from the elders who were influential in the
community.

Kuyan po ngani dai ko pa man aram na maray ito ta aki pa man ako. Tsaka po tubod ako duman ta dai nalalapa si hawak po.
Sabi po nngani kang mga gurangan po dyan,naglalaba po daa ang buhok tapos ang kuko.

(I do not know much about the gading because I was still very young when it stayed in the chapel. However, I believe in its power
because its body is not decaying. Likewise, the elders said that its hair and fingernails are still growing.)

A twenty-year old man claimed that he had been a believer in the gading since he was a child. He knew many details of the oral
literature of the gading as told by the elders.

Below is a part of the interview:

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Q: Nagtutubod ka duman sa aking dai naaagnas ang hawak?
(Do you believe in the undecaying corpse of a child?)

A: Iyo po baga ta imposible baga na sa kahaluyan ng linubong tas dai pa naaagnas ang hawak, imposible man baga ito.
(Yes because it is impossible for a dead body not to decay after many years.)

Q: Nagtutubod ka man po duman na ang aking idto milagroso?

(Do you believe that the corpse is miraculous?)

A: Iyo po ta sain kaman nakailing na gadan na tapos nagrarambong ang buhok tigkuruanan ngani tong buhok kaso dai ko
naaraman kung sairisay nagkurua kadto.
(Yes, because its hair was still growing. I heard that some people even got some strands of hair from it.)

Q: Pirang taon ka na po nagtutubod duman?

(How many years have you believed in the gading?)

A: Haloy na po, hanggang ngani ngonyan. Poon po kang aki pa ako. Mga sampulo na po gayod. Ngonyan po kaya kang
naaraman na nagadan naman po ngani si ina kang so aki isinibay na po sinda sa paglubong pero po parehas lang sa
aldaw pero po magkaibang lugar. Si ina po sa St. Cruz tapos si aki po igdi na sa Parubkan.

(I have been a believer for a long time, since I was a child until now.I think I have believed in it for ten years. When the
mother of the gading died, the mother and child were buried simultaneously in separate places; the mother in Sta Cruz
and the child in Parubkan.)

Q: Igwa ka pong mga istorya manungod duman sa aki? Idto pong may himalang nangyari dahil duman?
(Do you know any stories of the miracles of the gading?)

A: Ang sabi po baga daa nagkaigwa ning swerte si nagkaung buhok ta ginamit sa paglawod. Dakul po baga daa si
nakua niyang sira. Ginamit nya ito na anting-anting si buhok.

(I have heard that the fisherman who got some hair from it was able to catch a lot of fish. He used the gading’s hair as a
talisman.)

The later part of this interview showed that in the period of gading domination, Christian rituals still remained, resulting in a
hybrid of beliefs.

Q: May ritual man po kamong ginigibo sa aki?

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 (Did you have any rituals for the gading?)

A: Igwa po. Si pamilya nya po nagbabasa ning pasyon, napuon po yan banggi natapus po iyan aga. Every November po
yan, sarong aldaw sana iyan pero po kang pakagadan kang mama nya dai na ito nagibo ta mayo naman po ngani.
(Yes. The family of the gading used to read the pasyon in an overnight session every November. It only stopped when the
gading’s mother died.)

A sixteen-year old female cousin of the gading belonged to the new generation of gading believers. She is an exemplary
example for two reasons. First, she has inherited deeply the belief and the rituals of the members of her family, the blood
relatives of the gading. Second, this family belief was reinforced by the rituals of the big community of gading believers.

As an assigned cleaner of the chapel, she has observed rituals of a large group of people, reinforcing the belief in the miracles of
the gading.

Tubod po ako duman ta sa kadakulan pong tao na nagduduman na nagtutubod na milagroso po te si aki syempre po
nagtubod man ako. Minsan po kaya te pagyaon sina aunite po nagsisigid po ako duman. Dakulon po bagang tao na
nangngadyi, nagpupunas po duman sa salming kung sain nakalaag si aki.

(I believe in the gading because too many people have been visiting it in the chapel. They believe in its miracles. I used to clean
the chapel when my auntie (the mother of the gading) was there. I saw many people praying. They were also wiping some cloth
on the glass coffin.)

Stories about the solid, wooden-like body of the gading spread in the community, further reinforcing the belief that the gading
was miraculous. Among the believers who visited the gading in the chapel was a thirty-year-old woman who had the distinct
experience of touching the body of the gading.

Nakaputan ko, kahoy baga. Garu syang kahoy na nagtagas sana. Yaon pa uning unit ta pero garu siyang nagtagas sana siya.
Rayaon pa ngane ang dungo ang pakaaarog kang dungo ta.

(I was able to hold it. It was as hard as wood. The skin was there; it only hardened. The nose was still there, intact.

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Lagha and the History of Gadings

According to 2013 records of the Barangay, Lagha is located in the municipality of Presentacion, Province of Camarines Sur. It is
bounded on the north by Barangay Cagnipa, on the south by Lagonoy Gulf, and in the west by Barangay Adiangao of the
Municipality of San Jose. It has a distance of five kilometers from the poblacion of Presentacion.

Barangay Lagha has a land area of 227 hectares subdivided into agricultural land, for pasture, for marble quarry and for
residential use. Extensive coral reefs are observed in the area but it is now being depleted due to illegal fishing practices.

The barangay has a total population of 787 with 186 households. 51.46% (405) are male and 48.54% are female. It has a total
labor force of 27.9%. Farming is the most dominant livelihood in the area with a total of 15% labor force, other jobs are fishing,
driving, construction work, and carpentry (Barangay Records, 2013).

The barangay has a chapel, a social hall, elementary school buildings, and basketball court. It also has a water system and
deep well water sources.

As a college literature teacher in Ateneo de Naga University, Jesus Cyril M. Conde has been requiring his students to submit
research papers on Bikol oral literature since 2005.In 2010, his student January Dizon submitted a paper about the oral literature
of a group of people worshipping the undecaying dead body of a six-month old baby in Barangay Lagha. In 2011, another
student, Yehlen Presentacion submitted a paper on the same topic, adding more information. Both students are natives of the
town of Presentacion, Camarines Sur.

This initial knowledge led to the research project entitled A Study of the Oral Literature and Culture of Anito Worship in
Presentacion, Camarines Sur (Conde, 2013).Sponsored by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the project aimed to
explore and describe details of the oral literature, history and culture of gading in Barangay Lagha in the town of Presentacion.
It also compares and contrasts the gathered data on gading with related studies on Philippine animism. A gading is a corpse
which has not decayed without embalming despite being buried underground for years. Believed to be the sources of various
supernatural powers, gadings have become objects of veneration of groups of people.

Conde stayed in Lagha in May 2013 assisted by Ateneo teacher Bobby Dy and four students. The team lived in the house of the
Barangay Captain. The residence of the Barangay Captain was always open to the public. It is the rendezvous of barangay
officials, neighbors, and friends. In this barangay rendezvous, the team met and befriended people of different ages, and
listened to stories about gading. The team got essential information about the history and culture of gading. They also visited

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the homes of the believers in gading in the barangay. The houses in Lagha are clustered in a small area and one could walk
from one end to the other end of the community in ten to fifteen minutes.

Within a month, the research team befriended and interviewed relatives, neighbors, and believers of the gading. They also
learned that since the 1960's, the oral history of three gadings have been circulating in Lagha and in neighboring villages.
Accompanied by the Barangay Captain, they visited homes of gading believers in the neighboring barangay of Maangas and
in the barangay of Adiangao in the adjacent town of San Jose. They also visited the town center of Barangay Santa Maria to
interview Department of Health employees, the local civil registrar, and the caretaker of the cemetery where a gading was
buried.

In the oral history of the village of Lagha, gadings were believed to be supernatural beings with vague and mysterious origin.
Thought to be generally benevolent but occasionally malevolent, the gadings were venerated by many people through varied
rituals that show indigenous beliefs overshadowing Christianity in a hybrid culture.

The gading in Lagha was the undecaying corpse of an almost five-month old baby girl which was placed inside a glass coffin
and has been worshipped through different rituals by hundreds of people from 1997 to 2010. In standing position, the coffin was
placed beside the altar of the Christian chapel of Barangay Lagha. Thus the small corpse, with its eyes gone, but with the flesh
still present and just darkened, was standing beside a saint, the Sto Niño.

Interestingly, during the research period, the team learned from some informants that there were other gadings worshipped by
groups of people in other areas and that the oral history of gading had been told and retold for three generations not only in
Barangay Lagha but also in Barangay Maangas, Presentacion; Barangay Adiangao, San Jose; and the town of Garchitorena.
All of the mentioned sites are coastal areas in Partido District of Camarines Sur and they are geographically and culturally
connected because of water transportation.

Excerpt from:

Conde, J.C., Florece, E. & Jaucian, M.C. (2016) Arkibo ni Kadunong: An anthology of selected Bikol oral literature with teaching
guides [unpublished research funded by the Ateneo de Naga- University Research Council]

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Let’s Reflect.

What story/ies from your childhood do you still remember?

In what way/s does/do this/these influence you now?

References

Domain 4: Literature. (2009). LET Review

Folk literature. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/folk-literature
Garcia, J. N. (2020). Myth and creative imagination. Retrieved from
https://networks.upou.edu.ph/6788/myth-and-the-creative-imagination/
Vandiver, E. (n.d.) Introduction to mythology. Retrieved from
https://www.stjoes.org/ourpages/auto/2012/9/7/49787660/Introduction%20to%20Mythology%20_outline_.pdf

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