Fantastic Fiction and Where to Find It

The first module has gotten me hooked, literature being one of my favorite subjects in school, that I became engrossed with reading the module despite my busy workload and deadlines to meet. (Now, I'm paying time for the diversion, haha!)

Farah Mendlesohn's identification of the four primary modes of genre fantasy has made me reflect and think about our own epics in the Philippines. Philippines has a lot of epics, e.g., Palawan alone has 66 epics; however, not all of the epics survived that by far there are only 23 complete epics from Visayas and Mindanao and only two from Luzon.

Generally, Philippine folk epics talk about the hero's transition from a boy to a man, either engaging in combat with monster or an evil deity to defend his family or his village, (Lam-ang, Labaw Donggon, Bantugan, Kudaman, Ulalim); or vying for the hand of a beautiful maiden he can marry (Tuwaang Attends a Wedding, Tudbulul, Hudhud hi Aliguyon, Ibalon, The Maiden of the Buhong Sky). Interestingly, I discovered that the simple "mana" (betel chew), almost always present in our epics, plays a great role in the making and befriending of an enemy or in finding a bride. In the epic "Tuwaang Attends a Wedding", Tuwaang is invited to the "pamamanhikan", a Philippine custom wherein the prospected groom brings his family and friends over to his fiancee's house to formally agree on the dowry. The bride-to-be distributes the "mana" to the menfolk as a sign of welcome and friendship. The "mana" is placed in a betel box which magically transfers from one warrior to another shooting the "mana" in their mouths. The betel box shoots two "manas" on the prospected groom's mouth, an indication that he is more favored than the rest. However, when the betel box landed on the lap of Tuwaang, it shoots two "manas" to Tuwaang's mouth and refused to move - a sign that "it" or the bride-to-be has chosen Tuwaang to be her groom. So, of course, the prospected groom is angered and the battle ensued between the warriors. (You have to read the metrical verse to find out the outcome of the battle).

There is one epic regarding hero's last "mana" falling from his hands into the water and magically appeared in the next village beside a beautiful maiden bathing in the river. The maiden seeing the "mana" popped it into her mouth and became pregnant. Talk about another type of portal-quest.

The Philippine epics are rich in adventures, strange characters and beings that are common and accepted among the village folks, that indeed, the four modes of genre fantasy: portal-quest, immersion, intrusion, liminal are quite true in the our epics.

My gratitude to the Canvas Team for this opportunity and chance in reviving my love to literature! God bless you, all!