Pre-Spanish Period

Pre-Spanish Literature is characterized by:•Legends•Folk Tales•Epic•Folk Songs•Epigram/Riddles/Chants•Proverbs•Sayings

Legends

•Origin of a thing, place, location or name•Imaginary, devoid of truth and

unbelievable•Aims to entertain•Example:•Legends of the Tagalogs

Folk Tales

•Passed on by word of mouth•Made up of stories about life, adventure,

love horror and lessons about life.•These are useful to us because they help

us appreciate our environment, evaluate our personalities and improve our perspectives in life.

The Epic Age

•Long narrative poems•Heroic achievements/events•Hudhod and the Alim of Ifugaos (stone

age/unknown)•Margatas (period of Christ)

Epics that can be read and studied like:•Bidasari – Moro Epic•Biag ni Lam-ang – Ilocano Epic•Maragtas –Visayan Epic•Kumintang – Tagalog Epic•“Dagoy” at “Sudsod”- Tagnabua epic•Tatuaang – Bagabo epic•Indarapata at Sulayman •Bantugan

Folk Songs

•One of the oldest forms of Philippine Literature

•Songs mirrored the early forms of culture•Many of these have 12 syllablesExamples:Kundiman (Awit ng Pag-ibig)Kumintang o Tagumpay (War Song)Ang Dalit O Imno (Song of the Gods of the VisayansAng Oyayi o Hele (Lullaby)Diana (Wedding Song)Soliraning (Song of the Laborer)Talindaw (Boatman’s Song)

Other Forms of Pre-Spanish Poetry•Epigrams (Salawikain)Used and served as laws and rules on good

behavior by our ancestors.“Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang

kabayo”• Riddles (Bugtong)made up of one or more lines with rhymeMay consists of four to 12 syllables- Bungbong kung liwanag- Kung gabi ay dagat

•Chant (Bulong) •Used in witchcraft or enchantment- Ikaw ang nagnanakaw ng bigas ko- Lumuwa sana ang mga mata mo- Mamaga sana ang katawan mo- Patayin ka sana ng mga anito

•Maxims – some are rhyming couplets with verses of 5, 6 or 8 syllables

Pag hindi uukolHindi Bubukol• Sayings (Kasabihan) used in teasing or to

comment on a persons actuationsPutak putak

Batang duwagMatapang ka’t

Nasa pugad•Sawikain - sayings with no hidden meaning

Nasa Diyos ang awa Nasa tao ang gawa