Book: Filipino Popular Tales

D >> Dean S. Fansler >> Filipino Popular Tales




An examination of the four members of the Philippine group reveals some
striking family resemblances: (1) The motive of the monkey's gratitude
is the same in all the stories: the thieving animal is caught in some
sort of trap, and promises to serve the hero for life if he will only
spare it. The animal is true to its word. (2) In all the stories occurs
the incident of the borrowed measure returned with coins sticking
to it. (3) In all the versions occurs the marriage of the poor hero
with the chief's daughter, brought about by the ingenious monkey. (4)
In three of the versions (all except the Pangasinan) we have as the
final episode the destruction of a powerful witch or demon, and the
winning of all its fortune by the monkey for the hero. In the Hindoo
variants we find that the motive of the jackal's gratitude agrees
with the motive in our versions. In other respects they differ (with
the exception of the marriage, which is found in nearly all members
of the "Puss in Boots" cycle): the Hindoo tales lack the incidents
of the borrowed measure and the destruction of the demon. So far as
the opening is concerned, then, our variants and the Indian belong
to the same family. The separation, however, must have taken place
ages ago; for in India the animal is consistently a jackal, and in the
Philippines a monkey. The only other form that I know of in which the
animal is a monkey is the Arabian, in the "1001 Nights," "Aboo Mohammed
the Lazy;" but here the helpful ape later turns out to be a malicious
demon, who treacherously abducts the hero's beautiful wife. At last,
through the aid of a friendly jinnee, the hero recovers her, captures
the ape, and encloses it forever in a bottle of brass. He then gains
possession of all the demon's enormous wealth. It is difficult to
see any immediate connection between the Arabian version and ours.

Our two Visayan forms are of particular interest in that they make
use of the "Tar Baby" device to catch the monkey. If Joseph Jacobs
is correct in tracing this incident to the Buddhist birth-story, the
"Pancavudha-jataka," No. 55 (see Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 305 ff.),
the Philippines may easily have derived it directly from India along
with other Buddhistic fables (e.g., "The Monkey and the Crocodile,"
No. 56, below). Indeed, Batten's ingenious explanation that the Brer
Rabbit of Negro lore is a reminiscence of an incarnation of Buddha
may be applied equally well to the monkey in our Visayan tales,
for the monkey is a much more common form for the Bodhisatta than
is the hare. In the five hundred and forty-seven Jatakas, Buddha
is born as a hare only once; whereas in eleven separate stories he
appears as a monkey,--oftener, indeed, than as any other animal (lion,
ten times; stag, nine; elephant, seven). This same explanation (viz.,
that "Puss in Boots" is the Bodhisatta) would account for the gazelle
(deer) in the Swahili tale. The extreme cleverness of the Bodhisatta
in most of his animal manifestations might easily have suggested the
"Puss in Boots" cycle. Another point worth noticing in connection
with this theory is the consistent faithfulness of the animal. The
ingratitude of the human hero, which is found even in some of the
Occidental versions, and the gratitude of the animal, form a favorite
Buddhistic contrast. Altogether it appears to me wholly reasonable to
derive not only the "Tar Baby" incident, but also the whole "Puss in
Boots" cycle, from Buddhistic lore. For the appearance of both in the
Philippines we do not need to go to Europe as a source. The "Tar Baby"
device to catch a thieving jackal is found in a Santal story, "The
Jackal and the Chickens" (Bompas, No. CXII). See also two South African
tales in Honeÿ,--"The Story of a Dam" (p. 73), and "Rabbit's Triumph"
(p. 79). For other references, see Dähnhardt, 4 : 26-43 (ch. 2).

There is a connection, however, between some of the Occidental
versions and three of ours,--the incident of the destruction of
the demon. This detail, as I have pointed out, is hinted at in the
"1001 Nights" version. [95] In spite of the fact that it exists in
a number of the oldest European literary forms of the story and is
not found in modern Indian folk-tales, I believe that this incident
is of Oriental origin. In Straparola it has been rationalized, so
to speak. A significant version intermediary between the Orient and
Occident in this respect, as well as geographically, is the Mongolian
tale of "Boroltai Ku" (FLJ 4 : 32 f):--

This story has the Oriental opening: the animal is a fox, which the
hero digs out of its hole and spares. Through its cleverness the
fox brings about the marriage of Boroltai Ku, the man who spared
its life, with the daughter of Gurbushtên Khan. After the wedding
the khan sends the new couple back to their home, and with them an
official attendant. On the return journey the fox runs on ahead, and
requests every herdsman it meets to say, if he is asked whose cattle
he is tending, "It is the cattle of Boroltai Ku, the rich khan." At
last the fox comes to the tent of Khan Manguis, and groans. "What's
the matter?" says the khan. "A storm is coming," says the fox. "That
is a misfortune for me too," says the khan. "How so? You can order a
hole ten fathoms deep to be dug, and can hide in it," says the fox. So
done. Boroltai Ku and his party now appear, and he occupies the khan's
tent as if it were his own. The fox assures the official attendant
that the tent is Boroltai Ku's, but that it has one defect. "What is
that?"--"Under the tent lives a demon. Won't you bring down lightning
to slay him?" The attendant brings down lightning and slays Khan
Manguis, who is sitting in the hole. Boroltai Ku becomes khan,
and takes all the possessions, cattle, and people of Khan Manguis,
and goes to live near his father-in-law.


In this story, it will be noticed, the animal's ruse is the same as
ours,--it persuades the rich khan (demons in ours) to hide himself
in a pit. There he is subsequently killed.

The borrowed measure returned with coins sticking to it has already
been met with in No. 20 (c). The incident occurs elsewhere in Filipino
drolls. It is curious to find it so consistently a part of the Filipino
"Puss in Boots" stories.

In conclusion may be noted the fact that in "Andres the Trapper"
the monkey's solicitude over the appearance his master will make at
the rich man's house has a parallel in the jackal's similar concern
in the Santal story:--

Before the wedding-feast, the jackal gave Jogeswhar some hints as to
his behavior. He warned him that three or four kinds of meats and
vegetables would be handed round with the rice, and bade him to be
sure to help himself from each dish; and when betel-nut was handed
to him after the feast, he was not to take any until he had a handful
of money given him; by such behavior he would lead every one to think
he was really a prince.--BOMPAS, p. 175.

In Dracott's story the human hero is a weaver also, as in the
Santal. His last exploit has been borrowed from another Indian tale
not connected with our group, "Valiant Vicky the Weaver" (Steel-Temple,
p. 80; cf. Kingscote, No. IX).


TALE 49


Juan the Fool.

This story was narrated by Remedios Mendoza of Manila, but the story
itself comes from the Tagalog province of Bulakan.

(NARRATOR'S NOTE.--This story was told to me by a student. He said
that he first heard it in one of the informal gatherings which are
very common in Bocawe, Bulakan, during the hot season. The young men
often assemble at a little shop kept by a young woman, and there the
story-teller of the barrio tells stories. This story of Juan was told
at one of these gatherings by an old man about fifty years old.)

Juan is twenty years old. At this age he begins to become famous in his
little barrio. He is short in stature. His eyes are neither bright nor
dull: they are very black, and slowly roll in their sockets. His mouth
is narrow. He has a double chin, and a short flat nose. His forehead
is broad, and his lips are thick. His hair is black and straight. His
body is round like a pumpkin, and his legs are short. He seems to be
always tired. In spite of all these physical peculiarities, however,
he is invited to every bayluhan and katapusan, [96] because he is
sure to bring with him laughter and merriment.

Juan lives in a poor barrio, which consists of a few poor nipa
huts. It has a small chapel of stone, with a turret and bells. In
the courtyard in front of the chapel is erected a cross. A few nipa
cottages are scattered along the lonely streets of the barrio. There
is a rivulet just outside the village. Its course is hidden and lost
in a thick forest which extends to the foot of a mountain.

At the time the story opens Juan is eating his breakfast with his
mother. She is an old widow, whose sole ambition is to establish
Juan in a good social position. She is constantly advising her
son, when there is any occasion to preach, to be on the lookout
for a virtuous wife. She tells him that, since she is an old and
experienced woman, he must follow her advice. Her advice is that a
good wife is always quiet and tongue-tied, and does not go noisily
about the house. As Juan is an obedient son, he soon determines to get
him a good wife. After a short time Juan comes home to his mother,
and says to her, "Mother, I have found the girl you will like,--the
one who shall be my wife. She is speechless and motionless. Her eyes
are staring in just one place. Though I have watched her closely for
about twelve hours, I have not observed the slightest motion in her
lips and eyelids. She remained quiet in her bed, although there were
many noisy people in the house."

"And is that all?" says his mother.

"No, mother," says Juan, "her hands were very cold. She was deaf,
and she did not answer me. This fact makes her all the lovelier,
and I am sure you will like her. There is only one thing you did not
tell me, however."

"I think," says the mother, "that I advised you well."

"Yes, I think so too," says Juan. "The girl had a stinking waxy-like
odor."

"O Juan!" exclaims his mother, "I already suspected from your long
description that you followed my instructions too literally. The girl
you found is a dead one. Now, remember: those who stink are dead."

"Thanks, mother," says Juan quietly, "I will never forget that."

A few days later, when Juan and his mother are eating their breakfast,
Juan smells a stinking odor. He looks around the little room. As
he does not see any one else there, he thinks that his mother is
dead. Then, when his mother is taking her siesta, Juan says to himself,
"Surely mother is dead." He goes out quietly and digs a grave for
her. Then he buries her in it, and mourns for her nine days. Now Juan
is alone in the world.

One morning, when Juan is eating his breakfast by himself, he smells
again a stinking odor. He looks around, and, as he does not see
any one, he thinks that he himself is dead. There is nobody to bury
him. So he goes to the river, takes five or six banana-trunks, and
makes a raft of them. He lies down on the raft, and lets the current
of the river carry him away. In three hours the current has carried
him into the woods. While he is floating through the forest, all of
a sudden he is called in a fierce voice by some one on shore. This
man was the captain of a band of robbers. Juan does not stir in his
place. The second shout is accompanied by a terrible oath. Juan opens
his eyes. He sadly looks at the robbers, and tells them that he is
a dead man. The robbers laugh; but when Juan insists on remaining on
the river, the captain frightens Juan, and says that he will shoot if
he does not get up. As Juan does not care for the taste of bullets,
he goes to the bank of the river, still thinking that he is a walking
dead body.

Juan goes with the robbers into the woods. Their house is in a deserted
spot. The captain appoints Juan their housekeeper. He tells him to
cook rice, but orders him to keep very still and quiet, for they may
be caught by the Spanish soldiers (cazadores). Then the robbers go
out on an expedition, and Juan is left alone in the house. He shuts
the windows, and everything is quiet and undisturbed. He even tries to
control his breathing for fear of the noise it may make. He cautiously
takes an earthen pot and puts rice and water into it. Then he places
the pot on the fire, and sits down near it. Everything is silent. But
suddenly a murmuring sound seems to come from the pot. (The water
is beginning to boil.) Soon the sound seems to be very loud. Juan
thinks that the pot is saying, "Buluk ka." This expression means,
"You are decayed." So Juan gets very angry. He whispers to the pot
to stop; but the pot does not seem to hear him, for the murmuring
sound becomes louder and louder. At last Juan is so exasperated,
that he takes a piece of bamboo-bellows (ihip) and gives the pot a
fatal blow. This puts an end to the pot, the rice, and the flames.

At noon the hungry robbers come home. They find Juan almost breathless
in the darkest corner of the house, the pot broken, and the rice
scattered over the floor. They ask Juan what is the matter. Juan
says that the naughty pot was making too much noise, and was mocking
him; and, as the captain bade him be careful about making a noise,
he struck the pot and broke it into pieces. The captain cannot help
smiling at Juan's foolishness, and he tells Juan to prepare a lunch
with anything he can find in the house.

The next day comes, and all the food is eaten. The captain gives Juan
some money, and tells him to go to the market to buy some earthen pots
and some crabs. When Juan reaches the barrio, he buys all the crabs
he can find, and about two dozen large earthen pots. He next finds
out that the pots are too bulky for him to carry, although they are
not heavy. At last he thinks of a good way to carry them. He has the
pots carried to one corner of the market, where he buys a long piece
of rattan. He sharpens one end of the rattan and passes it through
the bottoms of all the pots, so that they are now very easy to be
carried. He slings them over his shoulder, and starts for home with
the pots and the crabs. Soon he comes to a large, wide river with a
very strong current. He sits down on the bank and wonders what is to
be done. He remembers that crabs are good swimmers, so he decides to
untie them and let them swim to the other side of the river. As he
unties the crabs, he says, "Now, crabs, we have to cross this broad
river. I know that you are good swimmers. I am a slow swimmer myself,
and especially with these pots to carry. Please swim to the other
side of the river as quickly as you can, for I cannot carry you. If
you reach the other side before I do, you may go straight home, or
wait for me." With this warning, he releases the crabs one by one
so that they may go in a straight line. He is very glad to see them
swim so fast. Then with the help of a piece of bamboo, and after a
long struggle, he himself reaches the opposite shore. He looks around
for the crabs; but, seeing none, he says to himself, "Perhaps they
have become tired of waiting for me and have gone straight home, as
I ordered them to do. What a surprise for the captain!" Juan is very
glad at the decision of the crabs, and he sets out for the robbers'
house, always hoping to overtake the rear of the long procession of
crabs. He soon reaches home. He asks the robbers if the crabs have
arrived. When Juan finds out that not one of the naughty crabs obeyed
him, he blames himself for his quiet nature, and swears that he will
never trust a crab again. The captain asks him about the pots. Juan
tells him that they are all safe, and that the captain must thank him
for his wit in solving the problem of how to carry two dozen large
pots at the same time. All the robbers are eager to see what Juan's
scheme was. When they find out what Juan has done, and see the holes
in the bottom of all the pots, they cannot help laughing. The captain,
however, addresses Juan with all the epithets found in a common slang
dictionary. The captain now decides never to let Juan stay in the house
alone, and from that time on takes him with them on their expeditions.

Several days later the captain calls Juan one night, and tells him
to get ready, for they are going to rob a certain house. They go
through the forest, and soon come to a clearing, in the middle of
which stands a large nipa house. While they are still in the thicket,
the captain calls Juan to him, and says, "Juan, go into the silong
[97] of the house, and see if the people are awake. Now, remember,
if you feel something hot, it is a man; but if it is cold, it is a
bolo. Do you understand?" Juan answers, "Yes," and obediently goes
to the house, repeating to himself the orders of the captain. He
cautiously goes under the house, and looks around. After a while
something hot falls on his back. He quickly runs away, and begins
to cry, "Tao, tao!" ("Man, man!") All the robbers get frightened,
so they run away too. After a few minutes they come together. Seeing
that they are not pursued, the captain calls Juan, and says to him,
"Juan, why did you fool us? Nobody is pursuing us."

"Well," says Juan, "I followed your orders. You said that if I felt
something hot, it was a man; but if cold, it was a bolo. I went into
the silong. I looked up. There was a faint light, and I saw a large
mat outlined on the floor. As I was looking at it, a hot thing fell
on my back. Then I ran away to warn you."

"Let us see," says the captain impatiently, "what tao that is which has
fallen on your back." One of the robbers lights a match. The robbers
examine Juan's back, and they see only a little lizard clinging to his
worn-out camisa (loose, thin cotton coat). [98] Some of the robbers
get angry, and some laugh at Juan's foolishness. The captain tells
Juan that he may go away, for he is not worth anything. He also tells
Juan not to tell anybody that he has been with them, for, if he does,
they will kill him.

Juan leaves the band of robbers, and decides to live up in a tree,
because he is all alone, he says. He takes a low bamboo table and
goes up into a very large mango-tree. He chooses a well-hidden place,
and there he ties his table firmly to the branches. He spends the day
in the neighboring towns looking for food, but at night he comes back
to the tree and sleeps there.

Early one morning Juan wakes up and hears faint whispers. He looks
down, and sees two men talking very earnestly together. One is carrying
a bag of money. Juan loosens his table and lets it fall on the men. It
makes a loud crash, and they run away. Juan quickly climbs down the
tree and makes off with the bag of money. He now decides to live in
town. After he has found a barrio that suits him, he buys a house, a
carabao, and a cart. He lives peacefully in his new house. Sometimes
he works; but he spends most of his time sleeping, for he is a very
lazy fellow.

One morning the capitan of the town sends a town crier around to
announce an order to the people. The town crier says, "The capitan
orders you all to sprinkle with water the street in front of your
houses." Juan takes a small cocoanut-shell full of water, and goes
out and sprinkles the street. In the afternoon the capitan of the
town goes about the streets to see if the people have obeyed his
orders. He sees that everybody has obeyed him except Juan. He goes
to Juan's house, and asks him why he has not sprinkled the street;
and Juan tells him what he has done. The capitan then tells him that
he must use much water. As soon as the capitan has left, Juan begins
to pour buckets of water on the street. But when the water all flows
away, Juan thinks that his irrigation is not good enough: so he takes
his cart and carabao, and with their help he digs a large ditch. All
night long Juan works filling the ditch with water. The next morning,
when the capitan sees the ditch, he becomes very angry, and summons
Juan. Juan excuses himself by saying that the laws of the town are
not stated clearly. So the capitan has to let Juan go.

When Sunday comes, Juan goes to church. In the pulpit the priest tells
the people to put a little cross on their street doors. When Juan
goes home, he takes a piece of tinting (the rib of a cocoanut-leaf)
and makes a little cross about two inches high. When the priest makes
his rounds, he does not see the cross, for it is so small. He asks
Juan where his cross is. Juan shows him; and the priest tells him
to make a large one, for it is too small, and the evil spirits will
not be able to see it. Juan takes his bolo and cuts two long pieces
of bamboo. This time his cross is so large, that the priest cannot
see it, either. The priest becomes so angry at Juan's stupidity, that
he expels him from the town. Juan good-naturedly goes away. He sells
his house, and with his cart and carabao he moves on to another town.

He settles in a barrio where the soil is red. Here he lives several
weeks, but he is always longing to go back to his old home. He finally
says to himself that he is going there in spite of the anger of the
priest. He fills his cart with red earth, and hitches his carabao to
it. He sits in the middle of his cart, and slowly drives to the town
where he had lived before. As he is driving down the main street
in the afternoon, whom should he meet but the priest himself! The
priest cries, "Juan, so you are here again! Didn't I tell you that you
must never tread the soil of this town again? If you do not go away,
I shall tell the capitan to imprison you."

"Dear priest," says Juan humbly, "before you accuse me, use your
eyes. I am not treading on your soil. This earth which I have in my
cart is my own." The priest looks in the cart. By this time there are
many people around them, and they too look in the cart. They laugh at
Juan's wit. The priest wants to laugh too; but he controls himself,
for he is afraid that the people will not respect him any more if he
laughs. So he angrily threatens Juan, and tells him to leave the town
instantly. Poor Juan has nothing to do but go.

He sells his carabao and cart, and spends the money foolishly in
the neighboring villages. Soon Juan is reduced to poverty again, so
he decides to go back to his native town. There he finds everything
changed: the houses are better, and the little chapel is prettier. He
looks for relatives or friends, but he finds only his old grandmother,
who lives by herself in the field. He goes to her and tells her the
history of his family. The old woman recognizes him at last, and
asks him if he is not the Juan who buried his mother. Juan answers,
"Yes," but excuses himself by saying that he only obediently followed
his mother's advice.

Juan now stays with his grandmother. Her hut, which is very small,
is surrounded by a small garden of vegetables. Juan does nothing but
eat and sleep. He soon develops the bad habit of throwing things out
of the window. His grandmother tells him that he must throw them far
away. One morning the old woman does not find Juan, and he does not
appear until midnight. She asks him where he has been, and he tells
her that he went to the other side of the mountain to throw away a
banana-skin which was left on his plate. She tells him that he does not
need to go so far, that he can throw the banana-skins behind the fence.

One day early in the morning the old woman leaves Juan in charge
of the house, for she is going to town. She tells him to cook two
small measures (chupas) of rice for her, for perhaps she will be very
hungry when she gets home. Then she goes away quite happy, thinking
that Juan understands her. As soon as she leaves, Juan thinks it is
time to begin to cook. He is surprised to find only one measure in
the earthen jar. He looks for the other one everywhere; but, as he
cannot find it, he thinks his grandmother was mistaken when she told
him to cook two measures of rice. So he takes his bolo, goes outside,
cuts a piece of bamboo, and makes a wooden measure just like the other
one. This takes him a long time; but when he has finished, he fills
the two measures with dry rice, and puts them in the fire. While
the measures are burning, the grandmother arrives. She calls Juan,
and asks him if the rice is ready, for she is very hungry. Juan tells
her that it is quite ready. The old woman sees that it is very bright
in the house, and she fears that it is on fire. Juan says that it is
the two measures burning. When the old woman sees what Juan has done,
she becomes angry. However, she controls herself, and teaches Juan how
to cook rice. Under the supervision of the old woman, Juan takes an
earthen pot, cleans it, and puts rice into it. Then he puts water into
the pot, and finally puts the pot on the fire. The old woman goes to
rest, telling him to watch the rice. After a while she calls to Juan,
and says,

"Did you cover the pot [tinungtungan mo na ang paliok]?" [99]

"No, I did not," says Juan.

"Cover the pot, then [tungtungan mo]!" she cries.

Copyright (c) 2007. knowncrafts.net. All rights reserved.