Epic Heroes... Demigods... Lakandians

The Philippines, during the pre-colonial times, wasn’t a single unified country as it is today. Much like the Americas before the coming of the European colonizers, the Philippine Islands was a collection of tribes, peoples, nations, and kingdoms; all separate and distinct from one another and autonomous from their neighbors. Each group of people had their own culture, traditions, languages, religious practices and deities. Though some may share similarities and commonalities with their nearby neighbors, their individual identities as a people still set them apart from each other enough to warrant fantastical epic heroes in their time honored tales.

Just as the Greeks had their demigods like Perseus, Hercules, or Theseus, or the powerful Nordic gods like Thor, Balder, or Tyr who represent their people through tales of greatness in battle, strife, and hardships, so did the ancient Filipinos. Almost every major tribe or people had a fictional epic hero embedded in their timeless epics which they orally passed down from generation to generation. Heroes who not only displayed otherworldly strength, abilities, and prowess in battle but also possessed magical items and weapons that aided them greatly in their battles and adventures.

These epic heroes were far more than just a plot tool used to engage their captive audiences and immortalized their stories, they also acted as representatives of their culture and beliefs. Much like how modern-day superheroes reflect the society which spawned them, Filipino epic heroes share the values and traditions of the people who tell their tales. Everything from their love of family, their search for love and happiness, to standing up and fighting the monsters that haunt their nightmares, these heroes are a testament to the ancient people who pass down their stories.

Some of these epic heroes who are currently in the Alamat Book Series are well known to modern day Pinoys. Heroes such as the Ilokano powerhouse Lam-ang whose timeless story have seen countless iterations in various mediums from books, comics and stage plays. From the Ifugao people in the Cagayan Valley, there was the hero Aliguyon. A legendary warrior whose skill and stamina are still chanted about today in the Ifugao Province during rice harvests, funerals, and bone washing rituals. There is also the warrior queen of Pangasinan known as Urduja who had also seen her fair share of representation through movies, a recent TV series, as well as a little known full length animated movie back in 2008.

There are also the lesser known epic heroes such as Lumalindaw from the Ga’dang people who possesses a power very similar to the sonic scream of Banshee and Black Canary from the Marvel and DC cannon of superheroes. Taguwasi, of the Dupaningan Agta people from the northern areas of Luzon, share powers and abilities that can only be classified in the modern zeitgeist as that of an airbender.

And then there are the straight up demigods as they are defined through classical Greek mythology as the offspring of gods and mortals. Beings such as the three daughters of Bathala; the Tagalog supreme deity and creator of the world. These women are Hanan, the goddess of the morning sun, Mayari, the moon goddess, and Tala, goddess of the stars.

But these epic heroes/demigods whom I characterized in the Alamat Book Series as Lakandians; a term I invented to classify them as superpowered beings whose powers come from the gods, are but the tip of the iceberg. Philippine mythology and folklore are chock full of epic heroes whom I would like to one day write about and include in my book series. Heroes such as Baltog, Handiong and Bantong from the Bicolano epic Ibalong, Bantungen from the epic Darangen, the monster slayers Indarapata and Sulayman from Maguindanao, and many others.

Though the stories in my book series are my re-tellings, they still use the original tales as the backbone for the plot. I simply added to the original tale to add more nuance to the overall plot as well as weave them all together to create my unified narrative universe. With the Alamat Book Series, it is my sincerest hope that I can not only share my stories with the modern reader, but ignite an interest in classic Filipino stories and mythologies.