The Folktales of Valencia

[Lorenzo]

Share with us the folktales and stories that your parents, grandparents told you that happened in Valencia.

[Lorenzo]

Do you guys know the story about the diwatas in the merkado? the pale diwatas that would laugh at people?

yak!

[Lorenzo]

Another folktale, told to me by my lolo some time ago;

The original Bajang Springs actually had 'diwatas' that lived in the bed of the water. And those who would drink from the water without paying homage to the diwatas would be driven mad, or many would disappear. Never heard of again.

[Lorenzo]

Another folk tale was popular among the fishermen of Valencia.

Sa unang panahon, the fishermen would go out together to catch schools of fish, and sometimes shark, pero there is a reason why fishermen would fish in groups and there was 2-3 fishermen per boat.

Apparently, during pre-spanish days, it was common for fishermen to disappear from their boats. I forget the bisaya word, but Lolo said kono that there were mermaids that would taunt fishermen, and when the fishermen were unaware, the mermaid would grab their hands. Bring them under the sea until the fisherman drowned.

Mao na sa una, it was discouraged kono to fish by yourself or when it was dark, because the mermaids were active at night.

When fishermen go fishing in groups, or whenever they are out at night, it is custom to throw a fish or two in the water as tribute to the mermaids. So dili sila mo bother sa fisherman.

[musiclover0526]

hmmmmm...sa canduao gamay dapit ila elyong,naa daw mansion diha sa mga diwata...matingala ang uban kay mohunong daw ang Dory didto tungura pero wala silay nakitang ninaog...

[musiclover0526]

ang among new nga balay kron ,agianan daw na sya og mga engkanto.kay one time,kadlawom dako,nakadungog among silingan nga naay nagmotor nihunong sa among balay tungod,nagyawyaw ang nagsakay kay wala na daw sila agianan..

[adhel]

hala day dilikado na kay agianan diay na ..

[ellac]

sa ligating, pantalan kunu nas mga dili ingun nato.. na daw baboy nagbakya diha.. kana pong pinampanan sa taug daghan na nadisgrasya diha.. kay kung dili daw magmatngun, mailad ka kay mu-Y and kalsada, ang usa ana padung ka mahulog sa basak..

[bolingitboy]

i first heard of the word tambaloslos from old folks in valencia. these are hideous creatures of the night who when they grin can open their mouths in such a way that the upper and lower lips would cover the whole of its own face.

[Lorenzo]

i first heard of the word tambaloslos from old folks in valencia. these are hideous creatures of the night who when they grin can open their mouths in such a way that the upper and lower lips would cover the whole of its own face.

I heard about this, too, bolingitboy. Hadlok!

You know during the late 17th century, the island of Bohol was under religious orders by the Catholic episcopacy? As the region was rife with witchcraft and demonic possessions. Many of those who practiced witchcraft were sent to the island of Siquijor by the Spanish Government in Bohol.

Remnants of such practices are alive in Bohol to this day.

What sends my chills is that even the Spanish Priests and Monks that worked to Evangelize Bohol and the Philippines even recognized the power of these witches. Their journals indicated the 'powers' of the islands prior to the arrival of Christ in the Philippines.

By the Grace of God, and the King of Spain, King Philipp II, Christianity was brought to our islands.

[ellac]

in the local scene, persons who practice witchcraft are known as barangan or babaylan. in spanish times, one of the two boholanos who led a revolt against the spanish regime was tamblot, a local babaylan. tamblot street in tagbilaran was named after him. mao na siguro ngiob gapirmi ng tamblot, creepy gamay.. gamay lang..

but i don't think the practice was that prevalent, even during the spanish times. gamay ra siguro.  nadaghan lang in the report cause the spanish friars tend to exagerate things to add color to their negative publicity  against the locals..

hangtod karun naa pa na sila.. pero maihap ra sa akong mga tudlo..

[Lorenzo]

I never knew about Tamblot, Ellac. Thank you for sharing with us this interesting information. Alive to this day jud no?

These practices--which is of the old animistic and paganistic past of our ancestors. For me, the hairs on my back rose when bolingbit talked about the tambaloslos.

[ellac]

hhmmm si tamblot dili na taga valencia ha.. murag taga tagbilaran. pero babaylan na sya. 

naa pa ng mga barangan hangtod karun kay ibilin man nila sa ilang anak inig kamatay nila ila mga powers.  kung barangon ang usa ka tawo, muborot ang tiyan.  sa elementary pa ko, dihay gikadungog nga gibarang kay wa pautanga ang barangan. pag-imbalsamar, diha daw daghang uhipan, ok-ok, wati, bakukang ug mga ulod nakita ug nanggawas sa tiyan.

buhi pa ba imu lolo run? sigurado ko sweto kau to kay naa sa anas...

[borobotoy]

naigo na ug tsunami ng valencia sauna??? dha rman gud gibutangan ug tsunami alert sign

[ellac]

simbako ka diha borobotoy.. naa lang disaster preparedness program ang local government of valencia.  nag tsunami drill gani na sila sa canmanico.. gipasnaks daw mga tawo ug pan de sal.

[fdaray]

Sa among lugar , ang tambaloslos usa ka tao ng bu****-buangon, yaga-yagaon,
naughty, pilyo ug walay buot.

Dili tingali hideous creatures of the night.

[ellac]

i think ang tambaloslos gamiton as figure of speech to refer to bu****-buangon etc. kung tinoud man galing ang gisulti ni bolingitboy.  another matter for research na siguro pud ni kung figure of speech lang ba nang tambaloslos or dili ingun nato na sya..

[grazie7y]

Well, not so long time ago I thought "kagwang" is a word to describe the same way tambaloslos is used but here in TB I learned that "kagwang" is actually a "hideous creature".

[fdaray]

When I was a small boy, when I  commited a grave mistake, my lolo said
"kagwang kang bataa ka"

When I was in Agusan with my Tiyo, I saw a real kagwang. It was a nocturnal
bird. It belongs to the bat family. It hides in holes of dead  tree trunks. It
flies  in the night to hunt prey.

[bolingitboy]

from what i know, the night creature which i earlier described is really called tambaloslos. i had chills up my spine the first time i heard this when as little children we were listening to ghost stories before going to bed... of course now, the term is used as a colloquial term to mean a person who is bu****-buangon, pilyo, way buot... by the way, kagwang is the visayan term for flying lemur, a flying mammal... i also heard that sigbin is a night creature belonging to the same league with tikbalangs but its appearance is similar to that of a kangaroo.