The balance and the battle: How power plays out in Filipino and Western Myths

Power has always been a central social theme even in mythology-tolerant countries. Though mythologies are allegorical narratives, they are rooted in shared human experiences, dwelling on the structures and struggles of actual societies.

There is the Greek that the earlier Minoan and Mycenaean cultures heavily influenced, the Roman, which arguably took substantial inspiration from the former; the Norse, which influenced some Western literature such as JRR Tolkien’s works with its Scandinavian roots; and the Egyptians, which inspired the Greek writers Herodotus and Plutarch to discover Osiris. 

While these have laid the foundation of the mythological lore, Filipino mythology also has a fair share of stories to tell.

The Philippines encompasses a rich tapestry of stories and epics from over 7,000 archipelagic islands.  Filipino myth is shaped by a blend of indigenous religions and traditions that share similarities with those of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Known as anitism (anito), or “ancestral religion,” these beliefs seek to explain the world’s wonders through narratives about deities, mortals, and mythical creatures, which in ancient times were passed through tradition and preserved by village leaders through oral literature and folk stories.

Ethnic groups ranging from the Ivatan of the Batanes Islands to the Tausug of the Sulu archipelago have distinct mythological traditions varying in language, ethnicity, and cultural heritage.

Mythologies have centered on power dynamics playing out several themes of uniquely different cultural values varying across countries' origins.

Good and evil: The Greek's Titanomachy and the Ifugao's Story of Creation

Edith Hamilton's "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes," recounted the war between the Titans and the Olympians where Zeus's headship led to the eventual victory of his pantheon—overthrowing Cronus, freeing his siblings, and establishing themselves as the cosmos' rulers, symbolizing the conquest of order over chaos.

Meanwhile, Damiana Eugenio's anthology "Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths" described the Ifugao's story of creation where Uvigan and Bugan, the first man and woman, bore wicked children that led their god, Mak-no-ngan, to starve them by withering their rice crops, intolerating evilness from his creation.

The Filipino culture places great value on collective well-being and moral integrity; both of which are conveyed in the creation myth, founding the good-over-evil concept prominence.

Fluidity in power roles: The Roman’s two-faced god and the Laguna's diwata

E. M. Beren's "The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome" cataloged Janus, the second-ranking divinity next to Jupiter. Janus is represented with two faces as he serves a special function as heaven's doorkeeper bearing a key in one hand, and a rod or a scepter in the other. This depicts how he faces the past and the future simultaneously in all directions, with finality.

Due to a combination of evolving historical influences, social structures, and values, the Filipino culture is deeply tied to power roles and in its variety to family, community, religion, and leadership.

Eugenio's anthology archived how Mariang Makiling, the Diwata of Mount Makiling is both a protector of nature and an intermediary between humans and the divine realm. She protects Makiling and its surrounding forests while interacting with humans as their healer and guide, much like Janus.

Gender flux: The Norse's Freyja and the folktale of Malakas at Maganda

The Scandinavians, which were anciently a group of people that are now sprawled across Nordic countries, and Filipinos, have patriarchal structures. Yet cultural, legal, and social attempts have contributed to exploring more gender-equalized nations.

The Þrymskviða [Thrymskvida] or The Lay of Thrym tells us the story of Freyja, the fertility goddess. Freyja is depicted attributing both “feminine” and “masculine” traits by being a warrior who led the Valkyries and a beautiful yet cunning goddess who acquired the Brisingamen necklace.

Meanwhile, the ancient and popular Filipino legend of Malakas and Maganda depicts the origin of the first human beings. In its denotation, Malakas portrayed men as strong as the family depended on them, while Maganda portrayed women as beautiful as they took care of the family. The bamboo's lateral breaking exemplified the equality between them, creating an equal split from the base.

Mythology as a cultural compass

Mythologies provide a depiction for understanding the nature of power, revealing that even with social changes, power dynamics remain constant across cultures compassing ancient societies and contemporary human civilizations. Cultural and traditional roots were mused from varying moral integrity, societal power, and gender roles.

These mythologies are more than just relics of the past—they are living frames that render morality, leadership, and societal dynamics that are retold, rewritten, and reshaped with timeless wisdom.

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