REVIEWER IN MYTHOLOGY
FOLKLORE
• Definition: Collective traditions, beliefs, customs, practices, and stories of a community passed down
mainly orally. It preserves history, values, and identity
Types of Folklore
1. Myths
• Definition: Stories explaining origins of the world, natural events, life, death, and the universe.
• Key traits: Involves gods, goddesses, spirits, supernatural forces.
• Examples:
▪ Philippines: Bathala (Tagalog creator god).
▪ Global: Zeus & Olympians (Greek), Ra (Egyptian).
2. Legends (Alamat)
• Definition: Semi-historical; based on real events/people but with magical or supernatural elements.
• Traits: Passed down as “true,” often tied to places or heroes.
• Examples:
▪ PH: Maria Makiling, Alamat ng Pinya.
▪ World: King Arthur (England), Robin Hood.
3. Folktales / Fairy Tales (Kuwentong Bayan)
• Definition: Stories mainly for entertainment but often with moral lessons.
• Traits: Involves ordinary people, magical creatures, or animals; “once upon a time” setting.
• Examples:
▪ PH: Juan Tamad, The Monkey and the Turtle.
▪ World: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel.
4. Fables
• Definition: Short animal/object stories teaching morals.
• Traits: Simple plot, clear ending moral, animals act like humans.
• Examples:
▪ PH: The Carabao and the Shell.
▪ World: The Tortoise and the Hare (Aesop’s Fables).
5. Proverbs (Salawikain)
• Definition: Short, wise sayings expressing values or truths.
• Traits: Concise, easy to memorize, reflects cultural wisdom.
• Examples:
▪ “Pag may tiyaga, may nilaga.”
▪ “Strike while the iron is hot.”
6. Riddles (Bugtong)
• Definition: Puzzles using metaphorical language.
• Examples:
▪ “Isang prinsesa, nakaupo sa tasa.” (Itlog)
▪ English: “I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. What am I?” (Echo).
7. Songs & Chants
• Definition: Traditional songs for rituals, emotions, storytelling.
• Types:
▪ Lullabies (hele) – to soothe babies.
▪ Love songs (kundiman, harana).
▪ Work songs – sung during farming/fishing.
▪ Epic chants – sung during harvests/rituals (Hudhud, Darangen).
8. Epics
• Definition: Long narrative chants/poems about heroic figures.
• Traits: Linked to rituals, reflect community ideals, performed during gatherings.
• Examples:
▪ PH: Biag ni Lam-ang (Ilocano), Hudhud (Ifugao), Darangen (Maranao).
▪ World: Iliad & Odyssey (Greek), Mahabharata (India).
Functions of Folklore
• Oral Tradition: Memorized and retold; slight changes over time.
▪ Ex: Biag ni Lam-ang, Leron Leron Sinta, bugtong from elders.
• Culture: Shows worldview, explains natural events, preserves identity & language.
▪ Ex: Legends of Maria Makiling, Malakas at Maganda.
• Rituals: Performed in festivals, healing, harvests, honoring ancestors.
▪ Ex: Ati-Atihan (Aklan), Sinulog (Cebu), Pahiyas (Lucban).
MYTHOLOGY
• Definition: Sacred traditional stories about gods, creation, natural forces, life, and death
Purpose & Content
• Explains mysteries of the universe before science.
• Includes gods, demigods, heroes, spirits.
• Treated as sacred truth in ancient cultures.
Types of Myths
• Creation Myths – Explain how the world, humans, animals, or natural features began.
▪ Ex: Bathala vs Aman Sinaya (PH); Pangu creating the world (China).
• Nature Myths – Explain seasons, weather, celestial bodies.
▪ Ex: Origin of the sun & moon stories.
• Hero Myths – Adventures of heroes with extraordinary powers.
▪ Ex: Biag ni Lam-ang (PH); Hercules (Greek).
• Theogony (God Myths) – Origin & genealogy of gods.
▪ Ex: Greek Titans vs Olympians; Hindu pantheon of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
• Myths of Death & Afterlife – Explain mortality and spirit world.
▪ Ex: Ibalon (Bicol); Osiris and Egyptian afterlife.
Examples by Civilization
• Greek: Zeus, Athena, Trojan War (Iliad, Odyssey).
• Roman: Jupiter, Mars, founding of Rome (Romulus & Remus).
• Egyptian: Ra (sun), Osiris (afterlife), Isis (magic), Anubis (mummification).
• Mesopotamian: Enuma Elish (creation), Epic of Gilgamesh.
• Indian (Hindu): Ramayana, Mahabharata, Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva).
• Chinese: Pangu, Nuwa, Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong.
COMPARISON: Mythology vs Folklore
Aspect Mythology Folklore
Sacred stories explaining life, Oral traditions: tales, legends,
Definition
gods, creation proverbs, riddles, songs
Explain universe, natural Preserve culture, entertain, teach
Purpose
phenomena, divine order moral lessons
Gods, goddesses, supernatural Legends, folktales, riddles, songs,
Content
beings, heroes superstitions
Belief Considered sacred/true May be true, semi-true, or fictional
Bathala creation myth, Lumawig Juan Tamad, Alamat ng Pinya,
Philippine Examples
(Igorot) Bugtong, Salawikain
Greek Olympians, Egyptian Cinderella, Aesop’s fables, riddles
Global Examples
afterlife & chants
Philippine Context (Timeline)
• Pre-colonial: Myths of Bathala, Lumawig, Kan-Laon; epics like Lam-ang, Aliguyon. Folklore in barangays:
alamat, riddles, proverbs.
• Spanish Period (1521–1898): Myths merged with Christian elements (saints replacing deities); folklore
influenced by awit and corridos.
• American Period (1898–1946): Myths & folklore documented in literature; folk plays like sarsuwela.
• Modern Era (1946–present): Myths reimagined in films, comics, and pop culture; folklore evolves into
urban legends, memes, and digital storytelling.
