Latest / Sandman Stories Presents / EP 318: Philippines- The Sun and the Moon; The First Monkey; The virtue of the Cocoanut; Mansumandig; Why Dogs; The Hawk; The Spider; The Battle (Cole)

Transcript

EP 318: Philippines- The Sun and the Moon; The First Monkey; The virtue of the Cocoanut; Mansumandig; Why Dogs; The Hawk; The Spider; The Battle (Cole) · Sandman Stories Presents

• 0:28
  Welcome back listeners to Sandman Stories Presents, a
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  folklore podcast where I read you to sleep or until the next
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  story. I'm your host, Dustin.
• 0:36
  If you would like more spicy stories, you can go and visit me
• 0:39
  on the Patreon. Just look for Sandman Stories
• 0:41
  After Dark and you can join up for as little as $0.00 a month.
• 0:48
  Today we are back in the book of Filipino folk tales written down
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  by Mabel Cook Cole. We have a short collection of
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  Visayan stories covering the sun, the moon, monkeys, why dogs
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  wag their tails, and many other fun little stories.
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  OK, let's begin. The Sun and the Moon.
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  Once Upon a time, the sun and the moon were married and they
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  had many children who were the stars.
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  The Sun was very fond of his children, but whenever he tried
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  to embrace any of them, he was so hot that he burned them up.
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  This made the Moon so angry that she finally forbade him to touch
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  them again, and he was greatly grieved.
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  One day the Moon went down to the spring to do some washing,
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  and when she left she told the Sun that he must not touch any
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  of the children in her absence. When she returned, however, she
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  found that he had disobeyed her and several of the children had
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  perished. She was very angry and picked up
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  a banana tree to strike him, whereupon he threw sand in her
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  face, and to this day you can see the dark marks on the face
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  of the moon. Then the sun started to chase
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  her, and they have been going ever since.
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  Sometimes he gets so near that he almost catches her, but she
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  escapes, and by and by she is far ahead again.
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  The end. OK, and the second story, the
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  first monkey. Many years ago, at the foot of a
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  forest covered hill was a small town, and just above the town on
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  the hillside was a little house in which lived an old woman and
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  her grandson. The old woman was very
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  industrious, earning their living by removing the seeds
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  from cotton, and she always had near at hand a basket in which
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  were cotton, and a long stick that she used for a spindle.
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  The boy was lazy, and would not do anything to help his
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  grandmother, but every day went down to the town and gambled.
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  One day, when he had been losing money, the boy went home and was
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  crossed because the supper was not ready.
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  I am hurrying to get the seeds out of the cotton, said the
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  grandmother, and as soon as I sell it I will buy us some food.
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  At this the boy fell into a rage, and he picked up some
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  coconut shells and threw them at his grandmother.
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  Then she became angry and began to whip him with her spindle,
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  when suddenly he was changed into an ugly animal, and the
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  cotton became hair which covered his body, while the stick itself
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  became his tail. As soon as the boy found out
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  that he had become an ugly creature, he ran down into the
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  town and began whipping his companions, the gamblers, with
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  his tail, and immediately they were turned into animals like
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  himself. Then the people would no longer
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  have them in town, but drove them out.
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  They went to the forests, where they lived in the trees, and
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  ever since have been known as monkeys.
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  The End. OK and story #3 The virtue of
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  the coconut. One day a man took his blowgun
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  and his dog and went to the forest to hunt.
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  He was making his way through the thick woods when he chanced
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  upon a young coconut tree growing in the ground.
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  It was the first tree of this kind that he had ever seen, and
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  it seemed so peculiar to him that he stopped to look at it.
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  When he had gone some distance farther, his attention was
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  attracted by a noisy bird in the tree, and he shot it with his
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  blowgun. By and by he took aim at a large
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  monkey which mocked him from another tree top, and that too
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  fell dead at his feet. Then he heard his dog barking
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  furiously in the distant bushes, and hastening to it, found it
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  biting a wild pig. After a hard struggle he killed
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  the pig, and then, feeling satisfied with his success, he
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  took the three animals on his back and returned to the little
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  plant. I've decided to take you home
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  with me, little plant, he said, for I like you, and you may be
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  of some use to me. He dug up the plant very
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  carefully and started home. But he had not gone far when he
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  noticed that the leaves had begun to wilt, and he did not
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  know what to do, since he had no water.
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  Finally, in despair, he cut the throat of the bird and sprinkled
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  the blood on the coconut. No sooner had he done this than
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  the plant began to revive, and he continued on his journey.
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  Before he had gone far, however, the leaves again began to wilt,
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  and this time he revived it with the blood of the monkey.
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  Then he hastened on but a third time the leaves wilted, and he
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  was compelled to stop and revive it with the blood of the pig.
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  This was his last animal, so he made all the haste possible to
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  reach home before the plant died.
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  The coconut began to wilt again before he reached the house, but
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  when he planted it into the ground it quickly revived and
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  grew into a tall tree. This hunter was the first man to
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  make the liquor called tuba from the coconut tree, and he and his
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  friends began to drink it after they had become very fond of it.
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  The hunter said to his friends, the coconut tree is like the
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  three animals whose blood gave it life when it would have died.
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  The man who drinks 3 or 4 cups of tuba becomes like the noisy
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  bird that I shot with my blowgun.
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  One who drinks more than 3 or 4 cups becomes like the big monkey
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  that acts silly and one who becomes drunk is like the pig
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  that sleeps even in the mud hole.
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  The end. OK, and the fourth story.
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  Mansu Mandig. One day a man said to his wife.
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  My wife, we are getting very poor and I must go into business
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  to earn some money. That's a good idea, replied his
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  wife. How much money do you have?
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  I have 25 centavos, answered the man.
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  And I'm going to buy rice and carry it to the mines, for I've
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  heard that it brings a good price there.
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  So he took his 25 centavos and bought a half Cavan of rice,
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  which he carried on his shoulder to the mine.
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  Arriving there, he told the people that he had rice for
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  sale, and they asked eagerly how much he wanted for it.
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  Why have you forgotten the regular price of rice?
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  As the man it is 25 centavos. They at once bought the rice,
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  and the man was very glad because he did not have to carry
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  it any longer. He put the money in his belt and
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  asked if they would like to buy any more.
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  Yes, they said, we will buy as many kavans as you will bring.
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  When the man reached home, his wife asked if he had been
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  successful. Oh, my wife, he answered, It is
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  a very good business. I could not take the rice off my
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  shoulder before the people came to buy it.
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  Well, that's good, said the wife.
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  We shall become very rich. The next morning the man bought
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  a half Cavan of rice, the same as before, and carried it to the
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  mine, and when they asked how much it would be, he said it is
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  the same as before. 25 centavos. He received the money and went
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  home. How is the Business Today, Asked
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  his wife. Oh, it is the same as before, he
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  said. I could not take the rice off my
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  shoulder before they came for it.
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  And so he went on with his business for a year, each day
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  buying a half kavan of rice and selling it for the price that he
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  had been paid for it. Then one day his wife said that
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  they would bounce the accounts, and she spread a mat on the
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  floor and sat down on one side of it, telling her husband to
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  sit down on the opposite side. When she asked him for the money
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  he had made during the year, he asked what money?
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  Why give me the money you have received?
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  Answer his wife, and we can see how much money you have made.
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  Oh, here it is, said the man, and he took out the 25 centavos
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  out of his belt and handed it to her.
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  Is that all you have received this year?
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  Cried his wife angrily. Haven't you said the rice was
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  bought at a good price at the mines?
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  That's all, he replied. How much did you pay for the
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  rice? 25 centavos.
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  How much did you receive for it? 25 centavos?
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  Oh, my husband, cried his wife. How can you make any gain if you
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  sell it just for what you paid for it?
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  The man leaned his head against the wall in thought.
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  Ever since then he has been called Mansu Mandig, a man who
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  leans back and thinks. Then the wife said, give me the
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  25 centavos and I will try and make some money.
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  So he handed it to her and she said, Now you go to the field
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  where there are people gathering hemp and buy 25 centavos worth
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  for me and I will weave it into cloth.
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  When Mansour Mandig returned with the hemp, she spread it in
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  the sun and as soon as it was dry she tied it into a long
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  thread and put it on the loom to weave.
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  Night and day she worked on her cloth and when it was finished
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  she had eight varas. This she sold for 12 1/2
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  centavos avara and with this money she bought more hemp.
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  She continued weaving and selling her cloth, and her work
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  was so good that people were glad to buy from her.
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  At the end of the year she again spread the mat on the floor and
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  took her place on one side of it, while her husband sat on the
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  opposite side. Then she poured the money out of
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  the blanket in which she kept on with the mat.
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  She held aside her capital, which was the 25 centavos, and
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  when she counted the remainder she found that she had 300
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  pesos. Mansuma Digg was greatly ashamed
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  when he remembered that he had not made a cent, and he leaned
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  his head against the wall and thought.
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  After a while the woman pitied him, so she gave him money and
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  told him to buy a karabao. He was able to buy 10 karabao,
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  and with these he plowed his fields.
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  By raising good crops, they were able to live comfortably for the
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  rest of their lives. The End.
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  OK and the fifth story. Why dogs wag their tails.
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  A rich man in a certain town once owned a dog and a cat, both
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  of which were very useful to him.
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  The dog had served his master for many years, and he had
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  become so old that he had lost his teeth and was unable to
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  fight any more. But he was a good guide and a
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  companion to the cat, who was strong and cunning.
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  The master had a daughter who was attending school at a
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  convent some distance from home, and very often he sent the dog
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  and cat with presents to the girl.
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  One day he called the faithful animals and made them carry a
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  magic ring to his daughter. You are strong and brave, he
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  said to the cat, you must carry the ring, but you must be
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  careful not to drop it, and to the dog, he said, you must
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  accompany the cat and guide her to keep her from harm.
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  They promised to do their best and start it out.
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  All went well until they came to a river.
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  As there was neither a bridge nor a boat, there was no way to
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  cross but just to swim. Let me take the magic ring, said
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  the dog as they were about to plunge into the water.
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  Oh, no, replied the cat. The master gave it to me to
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  carry, but you cannot swim well, argued the dog, I am strong and
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  can take good care of it. But the cat refused to give up
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  the ring, until finally the dog threatened to kill her, and then
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  she reluctantly gave it to him. The river was so wide and the
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  water was so swift that they grew very tired, and just before
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  they reached the opposite bank the dog dropped the ring.
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  They searched for it carefully but could not find it anywhere,
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  and after a while they turned back to tell their master of the
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  sad loss. Just before reaching the house,
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  however, the dog was so overcome with fear that he turned and ran
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  away and was never seen again. The cat went on alone, and when
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  the master saw her coming, he called out to know why she had
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  returned so soon and what had become of her companion.
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  The poor cat was frightened, but as well as she could.
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  She explained how the ring had been lost and how the dog had
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  run away. On hearing her story, the master
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  was very angry and commanded all his people to search for the dog
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  and that it should be punished by having its tail cut off.
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  He also ordered that all the dogs in the world should join in
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  the search, and ever since when one meets a dog, the other one
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  says, are you the old dog that lost the magic ring?
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  If so, your tail must be cut off.
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  Then immediately each shows his teeth and wags his tail to prove
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  that he is not the guilty one. Since then too, cats have been
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  afraid of water and will not swim across a river if they can
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  avoid it. The End.
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  OK, and the sixth story, The Hawk and the Hen.
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  A hawk flying about in the Sky One day decided that he would
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  like to marry a hen whom he often saw on the earth.
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  He flew down and searched until he found her, and then he asked
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  her to become his wife. She at once gave her consent on
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  the condition that he would wait until she could grow wings like
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  his, so that she might also fly high.
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  The hawk agreed to this and flew away after giving her a ring as
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  an engagement present and telling her to take good care of
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  it. The hen was very proud of the
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  ring and placed it around her neck.
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  The next day, however, she met the cock, who looked at her in
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  astonishment and said, Where did you get that ring?
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  Do you not know that you promised to be my wife?
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  You must not wear the ring of anyone else.
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  Throw it away. And then the hen threw away the
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  beautiful ring. Not long after this the hawk
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  came down bringing beautiful feathers to dress the hen.
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  When she saw him coming, she was frightened and ran to hide
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  beside the door. But the hawk called to her to
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  come and see the beautiful dress he had brought her.
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  The hen came out, and the hawk at once saw that the ring was
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  gone. Where's the ring I gave you?
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  He asked. Why do you not wear it?
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  The hen was frightened and ashamed to tell the truth, so
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  she answered, Oh, Sir, yesterday when I was walking in the garden
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  I met a large snake, and he frightened me, so I ran as fast
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  as I could to the house. Then I lost the ring, and I
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  searched everywhere but could not find it.
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  The hawk looked sharply at the hen, and he knew that she was
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  deceiving him. Then he said to her, I do not
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  believe that you could behave so badly.
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  When you have found the ring. I will come down again and make
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  you my wife, but as your punishment for breaking your
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  promise, you must always scratch the ground to look for the ring,
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  and every chicken of yours that I find I shall snatch away.
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  Then he flew away, and ever since all hands throughout the
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  world have been scratching to find the Hawk's ring.
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  The end. OK, and the seventh story, The
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  Spider and the Fly. Mr. Spider wanted to marry Miss
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  Fly many times. He told her of his love and
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  begged her to become his wife, but she always refused because
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  she did not like him. One day she saw Mr. Spider
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  coming again, and Missus Fly closed all the doors and windows
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  of her house and made ready with a boiling pot of water.
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  Then she waited, and when Mr. Spider called and begged her to
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  allow him to enter, she answered him by throwing boiling water at
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  him. This made Mr. Spider very angry
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  and he cried. I will never forgive you for
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  this, but I and my descendants will always despise you.
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  We will never give you any peace.
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  Mr. Spider kept his word, and even today one can see the
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  hatred of the spider for the fly.
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  The end. OK, and the final story, the
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  battle of the crabs. One day the land crabs had a
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  meeting, and one of them said, What shall we do with the waves?
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  They sing so loudly all the time that we cannot possibly sleep
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  well, answered one of the oldest of the crabs.
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  I think we should make war on them.
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  The others agreed to this and it was decided the next day that
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  all the male crabs should get ready to fight the waves.
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  They started for the sea as agreed when they met a shrimp.
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  Where are you going, my friends? Asked the shrimp.
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  We are going to fight the waves, answered the crabs, for they
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  make so much noise at night that we cannot sleep.
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  I do not think you will succeed, said the shrimp, for the waves
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  are very strong, and your legs are so weak that even your
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  bodies bend almost to the ground when you walk.
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  Wherewith he laughed loudly. This made the crabs angry, and
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  they pinched the shrimp until he promised to help them win the
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  battle. Then they all went to the shore.
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  But the crabs noticed that the eyes of the shrimp were set
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  unlike their own, and they thought that this must be wrong.
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  And they laughed at him and said, French shrimp, your face
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  has turned the wrong way. What weapon do you have to fight
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  the waves? My weapon is a spear on my head,
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  replied the shrimp. And just then he saw a big wave
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  coming and ran away. The crabs did not see it,
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  however, for they were all looking towards the shore and
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  they were covered with water and drowned by and by.
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  The wives of the crabs became worried because their husbands
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  did not return, and they went down to the shore to see if they
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  could help in the battle. No sooner had they reached the
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  water, however, than the waves rushed over them and killed
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  them. Sometime after this, thousands
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  of little crabs appeared near the shore, and the shrimp often
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  visited them and told them of the sad fate of their parents.
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  Even today these little crabs can be seen on the shore,
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  continually running back and forth.
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  They seem to rush down to fight the waves and then, as their
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  courage fails, they run back to the land where their forefathers
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  lived. They neither live on dry land as
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  their ancestors did, nor in the sea where their other crabs are,
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  but on the beach, where the waves wash over them at high
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  tide and try to dash them to pieces.
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  The end. That was a really wonderful
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  collection of stories. I really enjoyed them and I
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  think they would make a nice little collection for a book of
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  Filipino folk tales. I especially like the crab and
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  the monkey stories. The coconut tree sounds a lot
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  like a Korean story of a man who was saved by three livers.
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  And the purity of Mansu Madig is really sweet.
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  He didn't want to make a profit, he just wanted to sell it at the
• 21:19
  right price. And this book is finishing up,
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  but I will look for more South Asian stories to replace it.
• 21:25
  And the podcast shout out is to the Ratchet Book Club host by
• 21:29
  Rashani. This show is full of cool books
• 21:31
  that you may never have listened to or read.
• 21:35
  Go give him a listen. And the listener's shout out is
• 21:38
  to Oslo, Norway. It's the capital.
• 21:40
  And it's also the place where Harold Hardrada reigned before
• 21:43
  losing his life at Stamford Bridge in the UK in 1066.
• 21:47
  Yes, same 1066, but different king and different invader.
• 21:51
  If I get to go to the place nickname the city of Tigers,
• 21:53
  despite the lack of tigers, I would for sure visit the Edvard
• 21:56
  Monk Museum. And so to my listener in Oslo, I
• 21:59
  say in Norwegian Tak Ogg goodnat, thank you and good
• 22:05
  night.