Lumalindaw, The Ga'dang Epic Hero

Brief history of the epic

The epic hero known as Lumalindaw came from the highland Ga’dang people of Bananaw, Municipality of Paracelis, Mountain Province, in the northern parts of Luzon. Just as it was done with other pre-colonial tales, which preexisted the arrival of the Spanish, the story of Lumalindaw was passed down through the generations via song and chants. Having 1145 lines, these songs were sung by an elder for several hours at a time, over several nights.

A not so brief summary

Taken from: kapitbisig.com

Lumalindaw, the hero of the Ga'dang, was the son of Chief Lumalibac of Nabbobawan and his wife Caricagwat. He was an extraordinary being. In a few days, he grew into a strong young man with a voice so loud that if he shouted at a flying bird, it would stop instantly in front of him, and if he shouted at a coconut tree, its fruits would fall.

One day, he went on top of a mountain, climbed a tree, and started playing his "ayoding", a magical musical instrument that could speak words of advice to its master. That day, his ayoding told him that they should go East, to Manimbawan, to look for a beautiful lady. Accordingly, Lumalindaw asked his mother to give him his father's magic bolo, which sings when it swings and is so shiny that its brilliance blinds the opponent and thus makes it easy to subdue him. With this bolo, Lumalindaw went on a raid with his friends and got a head to give to his lady-love. He then left his mother and, accompanied by his pet birds and monkey, he set out on his search for his beautiful lady.

While drinking in a stream, Lumalindaw saw reflected in it the face of a beautiful lady. The voice even provided him with gold to give to the lady. Lumalindaw set out on his journey. The sight of a rainbow gave him renewed strength.

He reached a house. He asked the owner, an old woman, for a drink of water, and she had a daughter named Menalam. Lumalindaw was able to win the hand of Menalam after bolo combat with Menalam's brothers. There was a lavish wedding feast, with the folk of Nabbobawan bringing everything needed.

The parents of Lumalindaw and the young men and women of Nabbobawan came for the wedding and were happily received by Menalam's parents, Mabbaniaw and Alottu. For the whole day and night, there was eating, dancing, and drinking. There was also the observance of age-old customs, such as hanging coins on the shawls of the guests, old folks telling stories, chanting tales, riddles, and proverbs, and giving advice to the newlyweds.

After a few days, Lumalindaw brought his bride home to Nabbobawan. After nine months, Menalam gave birth to twins, a son and a daughter, whom they named Yadan and Busilelaw, meaning "morning star." Menalam, accompanied by Lumalindaw, brought her children to her home, Icawayan, at the request of her parents. Lumalindaw had to leave them there and go back to Nabbobawan to attend to his duties as the protector of his village.

After ten months, Lumalindaw became restless, for he wished to marry again. Upon the advice of the Voice (in Manimbawan), he went to Iquiladan, and there he won the hand of Muwan, after proving his strength and courage through combat. After nine months, this second wife gave birth to twins. The boy was named Yadan and the girl Imugan, meaning "charm." After ten months, it became necessary for Lumalindaw to go back to his village to see his mother and his people. He was joyously welcomed home by his people.

After ten months, Lumalindaw became restless; he wanted to marry again. The Voice, upon being consulted, told him he could court Carinuwan from the river Binalan, if he wished. Passing by a river, a fish followed him and led him to the cave of Binalan. Here he was welcomed by Carinuwan, who was a "sirena", a goddess of fish. When Lumalindaw expressed his love for her and held her hand, Carinuwan's tail suddenly turned into two feet. She had been turned into a fish by a powerful goddess, and she could only regain her human form if somebody would be willing to marry her. Now the spell was broken, and Lumalindaw brought her home to Nabbobawan. Nine months later, she gave birth to a baby boy whom they named Yadan. Later, Carinuwan went back to her home in Binalan.

A few years passed, Lumalindaw became restless again, for he wanted to look for a lady. His ayoding advised him to go to the underworld in Nadaguingan, where a beautiful lady named Caligayan lived. Lumalindaw had a hard time reaching the place because some dwarves were misleading him, but with the help of his pet birds and monkey, he finally reached Nadaguingan. There he met the tiniest but most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He had to kneel to be able to talk to her.

Caligayan told him to lie down so she could listen to his heartbeat. If his intention was noble, he could see light again; if it was evil, he would live in darkness forever. When Lumalindaw lay down, he was surprised to see Caligayan become big with her feet on the same level as his. They stood up, and Caligayan was as tall as Lumalindaw. She said that an old woman had cast a spell on her, and the spell could only be broken if anybody should love her. Now the spell was broken, and Lumalindaw brought Caligayan home with him to Nabbobawan. After nine months, Caligayan gave birth to a boy whom she named Yadan and whom she brought to Nadaguingan to show to her loved ones, the dwarves.

One day, as Lumalindaw was coming down the mountain, hundreds of enemies attacked him and threw him into the river to drown him. Lumalindaw, however, was found by a lady taking a bath. She was Guimbangun of Iculengan. She cured his wounds and took care of him until he got well. Out of gratitude to her, he married Guimbangun. Lumalindaw brought Guimbangun home with him to Nabbobawan, and they were met with feasting and dancing.

After nine months, Guimbangun gave birth to a boy they named Yadan. She brought him to Iculengan to show to her parents.

Years passed, Lumalindaw longed to see his children, who were now fully grown. His children, likewise, wanted to see their father. They all set out to search for their father – the five sons, all named Yadan. They met at the crossroads near Nabbobawan.

They rested under a shed by the road. They introduced themselves to each other and found out that they all had the same name and the same father. Each one boasted about his father until finally they started quarreling. Lumalindaw arrived just in time to stop their fight with his loud voice. When he learned the cause of the fight, he told them that he was the father they were looking for and that they were all brothers. Embracing all five, he and his sons proceeded to Icawayan. Menalam was surprised and happy to see her husband. Lumalindaw sent his sons to fetch their mothers and sent Yadan of Menalam to fetch their grandmother, Caricagwat, Lumalindaw's mother. There were a happy reunion and storytelling by their grandmother about the past childhood of their father and their own childhood. The two girls, Busilelaw and Imugan, met on the way looking for the same father. Lumalindaw was happy to see his charming daughters, and when the wives met, they were all happy to see each other. Menalam surprised them all with her magic pot, which was so small and yet it needed only one grain of rice to feed everybody.

A rainbow appeared in the sky, summoning Lumalindaw. They all left for Manimbawan, where there was a waterfall and a pot of gold and where the "Voice" of the Nanolay could be heard. Lumalindaw advised his children and reminded them to take care of their parents and of his friends, the monkey and the birds. He embraced them goodbye, and he entered the cave behind the waterfall and was seen no more.

All were sad to be left by their father. The monkey went back and saw the magic bolo in front of the cave. He got the bolo and gave it to Yadan, the son of Menalam, who became the next one to use the bolo of Lumalindaw.

In the Alamat Book Series

Lumalindaw was the second Lakandian demigod I chose to continue my series with. Though far less renowned than Lam-ang, especially to those who are not too familiar with Filipino epics, I found his tale to be just as exciting as the former’s. What also caught my attention was the fact that Lumalindaw shared similar characteristics to Lam-ang. Although their people lived hundreds of miles apart and on opposite ends of a vast mountain range, both epics told of a child who grew unnaturally fast and with powers that set them apart from everyone else.

In retrospect, I did read both Lam-ang and Lumalindaw even before I started writing the Alamat books, which was how I crafted the entire Lakandian mythos. I loved how both characters grew abnormally fast and powerful, which was an uncommon trope in the fantasy genre, yet unapologetically Pinoy.

I gave my re-telling of Lumalindaw’s story pretty much the same treatment as I did Lam-ang in the sense that I took what was originally there and expanded upon it. I also only covered half of Lumalindaw’s tale in my second book and plan to write the sequel in my second chapter of the series. He has the same power, which is akin to a sonic scream, attributed to modern-day superheroes like Black Canary and Banshee. Having established that, my story of Lumalindaw takes place nine to ten years after the end of Lam-ang.

Lumalindaw was five years old at the time and, for a Lakandian, was considered fully grown, unageing, and a true Lakandian able to wield a Raniagad blade or the magical bolo ascribed in the original tale. Being the son of the chief and as someone who likes to marry multiple women in the epic, I made my version of Lumalindaw somewhat a bit mischievous and a philanderer.

Instead of having pet birds that accompanied him in his adventures, I decided to give Lumalindaw a bannog or giant eagle which he could mount and fly around with. I also added a backstory to his magical ayoding or zither and made it into a magical prison where his anito spirit guide, Kidul, was imprisoned.

The two share a fraternal bond that is ripe with bickering and comedy that they share throughout Lumalindaw’s adventures. And just like in the original tale, Lumalindaw meets Menalam, the woman who would become his first wife. But when he meets Muwan, I changed her story to that of an antagonist that would propel Lumalindaw’s tale into future books in the Alamat Book Series.