Malakas And Maganda: Mythical Creatures in the Philippines

Myths are types of stories that are told but are sometimes not proven. A myth can be a catalogue of behaviours in history as it is something that is widely believed throughout the world. Different myths correspond with different religions and countries. It contains a psychological value and affect people in many ways. Myths are the collective story of what our lives mean, and human beings cannot survive without meaning. But in this paper, we will talk about exactly about creatures on the Philippines in "Malakas And Maganda: Mythical Creatures in the Philippines Essay".

The Philippines is exposed to rich tales, about mythological creatures, gods, goddesses and superstitions. Growing up these myths were passed down through generations and are even seen in films and read in a book. Malakas and Maganda tells the story of how Filipinos came to be. This myth is the Philippines version Adam and Eve in. A long time ago, land did not exists. There were only the sea and the sky. In the beginning there existed only the Sea and the Sky and their friend Bird who flew between them. One day, the bird, had nowhere to land and rest, grew tired of flying about, and in frustration stirred up the Sky in a quarrel against the Sea. The Sky threw rain, thunder, and lightning that reached the Sea, which hurled waves and hurricanes that reached the Sky. In order to restrain its fury, the Sky showered a multitude of massive boulders down upon the Sea, which became the islands that formed the Philippines.

Sea and Sky got married and gave birth to a child named Bamboo. Bird got tired and took a rest perching on the shoot, then it heard some voices asking it to free it. It pecked at Bamboo, effectively killing him and broke him open, and a naked man and woman came out, they were known as Malakas (“strong”) and Maganda (“beautiful”). In the wink of an eye, a man and a woman stepped out of the bamboo joint, the man bowing politely to the woman. The woman gave recognition to the man; then they walked away hand in hand. The appearance of the human beings frightened the bird. She forgot her thirst and flew away, hardly realizing that she saw the first human beings, and had a role in their creation.

Malakas and maganda is considered as an origin myth because it articulates certain elements that can consider it true. The book of Genesis tells us that God created man from dust. The Filipino mythology claims that man emerged from inside a bamboo that split in half by a bird. The characters, the setting and plot are all elements that makes one story a myth itself. It is an interesting story because we can easily state the similarities between Malakas and Maganda and Adam and Eve. I would consider the characters to be gender neutral because a woman can be depicted as malakas (“strong”) and a man can be considered as maganda (“beautiful”). The last characterization of the first man and the first woman both show the attribution of strength to the man and beauty to the woman shows what Filipino society expects from each gender. This story is symbolic to many Filipinos because it is how our origin started.

The name Malakas and Maganda denote a deeper meaning and truth about family. Filipinos consider women to be maganda or beautiful, sweet, and soft; while men as malakas or strong and sturdy human being to whom the family can depend on at all times especially in times of trouble and disasters in life. For example, in the 1970s, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his wife Imelda Romualdez Marcos fashioned themselves as the real-life representations of Malakas and Maganda. Ferdinand justified the metaphor with his supposed war medals and awards, while Imelda embraced the role of being the face of her husband's regime, showing off her glamour to local and international scenes.

This myth works to define the Filipino community. It is solely for the culture because it states the importance of a Filipino life. Rain and the bamboo tree play a symbolic meaning. Rain plays an important role in Filipino agriculture because plants need it for a source of life. Bamboos physically play an important role as it is used for housing, furniture, fish pens and instruments. It is significant for Filipino culture because bamboos are mostly used for ritualistic ceremonies and it is also incorporated in folk dances called the “tinikling”.