The Ancient Tagalog Deities

Learning Philippine's ancient deities is not easy and fast. See, there are hundreds of them and it's like you're trying to memorize the names of every dinosaur existed. We'll then just break them down into parts by region; this time we'll start with the most known: the ancient Tagalog deities. There are several of these gods who are already known by some, especially Bathala, but despite that, we barely knew who they really are. Of course, there are stories in which they are involve. Like the creation myth, where Bathala rules the sky along with his wife, that sort of story. I can't tackle much of their background because that would mean I have to dig more into different sources (and I apologize for that). But, anyway, here's the Tagalog deities and their descriptions:

Original artwork by trixdraws via DeviantArt. The Tagalog deities

1. Bathala- the supreme god of being, sky and creations. Some people believe he has a mortal wife, and then they bore three kids: Mayari, the goddess of the moon; Tala, the goddess of the stars; and Hanan, the goddess of morning. He dwells in Kaluwalhatian, the sky palace where gods live.

2. Amanikable- is the ill-tempered god of the seas. He was once worshiped as a god of hunters, but he replaced Aman Sinaya after being associated with the sea.

3. Idiyanale- the goddess of labor and good deeds. Idiyanale is also the wife of Dimangan.

4. Dimangan- the god of good harvest. He is also the husband of Idiyanale, and both of them have two children.

5. Lakapati- the goddess of fertility. She was a hermaphrodite, meaning, she has both male and female aspects. Lakapati married Mapulon and had one daughter.

6. Mapulon- the god of season, good health and medicine. According to stories, he fell in love with Lakapati because of her kindness to people. Together they had one daughter.

7. Mayari- the goddess of the moon, war, revolution, and beauty. She is the most beautiful daughter of Bathala.

8. Tala- the goddess of stars and also the daughter of Bathala.

9. Hanan- the goddess of morning and also the daughter of Bathala.

10. Dumakulem- the protector god of mountains and hunting. He is the son of Idiyanale and Dimangan and also the brother of Anitun Tabu. He was married to Anagolay.

11. Anitun Tabu- the goddess of wind and rain. She is Dumakulem's sister.

12. Anagolay- the goddess of lost things and memory. She was the daughter of Lakapati and Mapulon and she married Dumakulem.

13. Apolaki- the god of sun, war, wisdom, and strategy. He also became the chief patron of warriors, and he is the son of Anagolay and Dumakulem.

14. Diyan Masalanta- the goddess of love, conception and childbirth. She was the brother of Apolaki.

15. Aman Sinaya- the former goddess of the sea after Amanikable replaced her. She was one of the original deities along with Bathala and a bird called Amihan.

16. Galang Kaluluwa- the winged god of travelling and a close friend of Bathala.

17. Haik- god of the sea

18. Ulilang Kaluluwa- the evil serpent god who was killed by Bathala because of rivalries.

19. Sitan- the god of the afterlife, souls and the deads. He is the guardian of Kasamaan, the underworld.


NOTE: Some of the descriptions came and are based from various sources.