BAKUNAWA: The Moon Eater

CREATURES OF PHILIPPINE MYTHOLOGY: Episode Three

What always fascinates me most about the Creatures of Philippine Mythology, is where the origins came from and how they were integrated into early animist beliefs.  During a lunar eclipse in the ancient Philippines, it was believed that a monstrous dragon was attempting to swallow the moon.  Watch our new 14 minute documentary and discover the origin of this giant serpent and how the colossal being evolved as both a god and demon throughout the archipelago.

This episode posed a lot of difficult challenges and raised more questions than answers, so I’ve included some supplementary information in this post for those wishing to learn more.  I am always open to feedback and I am always hoping to learn more.  Please feel free to leave a comment and contribute to the discussion.

Legends of Bakunawa

THE SEVENTH MOON: Tales about the Bakunawa say that it is the cause of eclipses. During ancient times, Filipinos believe that there are seven moons created by Bathala to light up the sky. The Bakunawa, amazed by their beauty, would rise from the ocean and swallow the moons whole, angering Bathala and causing them to be mortal enemies.

To keep the moons from completely being swallowed by the Bakunawa, ancient Filipinos would go out of their homes with pans and pots, and would make noise in order to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon back into the sky. Some of the people in the villages would play soothing sounds with their musical instruments, in hopes that the dragon would fall into a deep sleep. Thus, the brave men of the village hoped that while the dragon was hypnotized by the musical sounds they could somehow slay the dragon. Although the dragon was known as a “moon eater” it was also known as a “man eater”.

THE DRAGON & THE TURTLE: Other tales tell that the Bakunawa has a sister in the form of a sea turtle. The sea turtle would visit a certain island in the Philippines in order to lay its eggs. However, locals soon discovered that every time the sea turtle went to shore, the water seemed to follow her, thus reducing the island’s size. Worried that their island would eventually disappear, the locals killed the sea turtle.

When the Bakunawa found out about this, it arose from the sea and ate the moon. The people were afraid so they prayed to Bathala to punish the creature. Bathala refused but instead told them to bang some pots and pans in order to disturb the serpent. The moon is then regurgitated while the Bakunawa disappeared, never to be seen again.

The island where the sea turtle lays its eggs is said to exist today. Some sources say that the island might just be one of the Turtle Islands.

BAKUNAWA’S REVENGE: Others tell how the Bakunawa fell in love with a human girl in one of the native tribes. The head of the tribe found out about their affair and had their house burned to ashes. The Bakunawa, finding out about this, became immersed in anger and tried to take revenge by eating all the 7 moons. When the Bakunawa was about to eat the last one, Bathala took action and punished the Bakunawa by banishing it from its home away from the sea. It also tells that the reason of the eclipses is how the Bakunawa is trying to come back to its home and deceased family.

 (http://www.aswangproject.com/bakunawa/)