Originality in stories is a must for both readers and storytellers. Being able to deliver a tale with a different plot, themes and characters as compared to its contemporaries paves the way for authors to make their brainchild widely recognized and acclaimed. But this is not entirely the case when it comes to folklore scattered around the globe. Chances are that there are stories passed from one generation to the next that bear a striking similarity when it comes to themes, characters, plot and motif. These narratives sometimes come from nations and regions far from one another; an unusual quality that somehow baffles scholars.
Among these globally spread motifs is the maiden from heaven who married the man from earth. From the early Sanskrit stories, Germanic folklore, and down to the 27 narratives from various Philippine ethnic tribes collected by Hazel J. Wrigglesworth on her book “The Maiden of Many Nations”, the mysterious maiden from above is literally found in every lore from various cultures entirely unrelated to one another. What could be the reason behind her prevalent existence and what is the implication of the Sky Maiden in the cultural and even religious context of the Philippines?
The Woman Who Fell to Earth
The motif of the Sky Maiden can be found in both western and eastern lore wherein it was also known by the name of the Swan Maiden and Star Maiden (which represent both her ability to fly and her origin as an individual who came from the heaven or sky). It is often assimilated with other motifs from the index of folklore made by Aarne and Thompson such as AT313 (The Girl as Helper in Hero’s Flight) and AT400 (The Man on a Quest for his Lost Wife). Helge Holmstrom, considered the first scholar to identify the motif of the Sky Maiden being common worldwide in different folklore and tales, said:
The hero manage to win the sky maiden as his espouse by stealing her clothe (commonly describe as a dress made from feathers) while she together with her sister is bathing on earth. Soon they become husband and wife but the Sky Maiden will eventually leave him and return to her home in the sky after he found out where the hero hides his dress. This will lead the hero for a quest in claiming once more the Sky Maiden through the help magical people (in the guise of old man or woman) or animals/insect.
This motif and plot remain similar in the tales that will be discuss later on in this article with only slight variations in character names and other details on how the stories unfold. Hazel Wrigglesworth’s compilation of folktales from Northern to Southern parts of the Philippines also entails these common denominators despite the ethnic language barriers and the distance between each region.
From the 27 narratives she documented, 19 coming from the area of Northern Luzon down to Zamboanga depict the hero in the story as a prince from a noble family . He has usually completed heroic deeds and is considered an early ancestor of the ethnic group where the story is narrated from. This includes the epic hero Itung which is the nickname of Tulalang from the Manobo epic, Beletamey who, based on their lore, is also a Manobo ancestor, and Tawtamisa who is regarded as the ancestor of Mamanwa tribe. In some cases these heroes are a bird hunter or a Terengati which further emphasize the bird symbolism in the said tales.
In other versions of the narrative, the Sky Maiden herself is describe as the youngest and the most beautiful among her sisters (commonly there are seven sisters – which somehow bears a similarity to the Plediaes or the seven star constellation that is depicted as seven beautiful maidens in Greek lore). The Mamanwa tribe name the maiden Manlangiten (resident of the sky) while in Maguindanao lore she is called Putri Anak (Princess Child). Her noble lineage is also eminent in Tausug and Western Subanon versions wherein she is referred to as Putli (Princess) or Putli Intan (Princess Diamond). The Sky Maiden has been gifted with the power of flight through her feather winged dress (pakpak nalembung). She is often described with the ability to transform into a swan or crow. This made her an inliveng (heavenly being) and ketulusen (Immortal) according to the Manobo.
It can be inferred somehow through the descriptions in various folkore that the Sky Maiden is somewhat reminiscent to the concept of a Diwata as a spirit/fairy/goddess with supernatural abilities. In addition to this, like the popularly known Diwata Maria Makiling and Sinukuan, the Sky Maiden was also sought by mortal men as their lovers.
The Sky Maiden of the Philippines
Manobo Version
The following is one of the storiesfrom the book “The Maiden of Many Nations” that were gathered by Wrigglesworth from various regions in the Philippines through the oral narration of lore keepers in each respective region. The first account was from Dibabawon Manobo known as the “The Hunter and the Seven Swimming Maidens”.
This is the story of seven beautiful swimming maidens (from above) and a hunter here on earth.
Now the hunter said, “Tomorrow morning I will try to go hunting there at the lake. Maybe there will be wild ducks swimming in it, and I will try to shoot some if I can just hit them.”
Then it was daybreak, and the hunter set-out for the lake where the wild ducks swam. When he arrived there he planned to hide himself, to be so well hidden that he could not be seen. Suddenly he heard the sound of wings. He supposed it was ducks coming to bathe, but it was not. What he saw were seven very beautiful maidens who were sisters.
When he saw them now he selected one of the very beautiful maidens. The he (picked up the clothes of the maiden that please him very much) hid them.
After a while the seven sisters were satisfied bathing. They said, “Let’s go home now because this is enough bathing.”
As for the hunter, well he held his breath. “Now I will watch the owner of this clothing that I hid, whether she will accompany them.”
Then the seven very beautiful unmarried sisters said, “Let’s go now.” But their younger sister said,
“My clothes are here!
Help me to look for my clothes,
Because they aren’t here where I put them.”
So they helped her out, but they couldn’t find their youngest sister’s clothes. For how can they find the clothes of the very beautiful maiden when they are hidden by the hunter?
After that the six maidens said, “We will go ahead now, Younger sister. You just come after us when you find your clothes.” But their younger sister’s response was to cry, for she could not accompany them because she now had nothing to fly with. Thus the six sisters all flew home to their place.
When they had all gone now, the hunter came out walking slowly and he asked the lovely lady, “What is the cause of your crying?”
The lady replied, “Maybe you are the one who got my clothes.”
The hunter said, “I didn’t take your clothes.”
The lady said, “Even if you deny it, it was you who got them. Give them to me now so I can leave!”
But the hunter did not tell her that the lady’s clothes were at his place. Said the hunter, “Let’s go together with my place.”
And the lady answered, “All right.” And so they accompanied one another to the house of the hunter. They were married.
After three years of marriage they had two children: one was a boy, one a girl. One day the father said, “I will go hunting tomorrow morning.”
His wife answered, “All right.”
When the father ahd gone, the children began playing in the room. After that they found the clothes of their mother. The children called, “Mother, O Mother, these clothes of yours are beautiful!”
The mother said, let’s see, Son, Daughter! Where did you find these clothes of mine?”
The children answered, “There in our bedroom.”
“Now,” she said, “Son, daughter, you tell your father to come after me to the ‘place east of the sun and west of the moon’”. That is all I have to say, Son, Daughter. I am going now.” Then she flew toward her ‘place east of the sun and west of the moon.’
Now we will return to the story of the father who had gone hunting. When he returned home he did not see his wife. Then the children told their father, “Mother has left to return home, she went home to a ‘place east of the sun and west of the moon’. She said to have you look for her there, father.”
The father replied, You stay here, Son, Daughter, here in our house. As for me, I will search for her.” Then he left.
He went downhill to a big river and went downstream. Finally he arrived at the sea. Then he met the owner of all the birds (of the earth). He asked, “Do you know the ‘place called eat of sun and west of the moon?’”
The old man said, “Stay here, I will call all the birds that belong to me to see if they know.” So he called them all together.
Said the old man, “Do you know a ‘place called east of the sun and west of the moon?”
The birds said, “We do not know it.”
But the old man said, “Go and question the owner of the fish. He is the one who knows about that ‘place east of the sun and west of the moon’. Go and ask him.” So he continued.
The he sailed and climbed seven hills, and again he went downhill to the sea. When he got down to the water, what he saw was an old man standing there on the beach. He asked him, said that hunter, “For seven years I have been travelling around searching for my wife. I have not found her, so I will ask you whether you know of the ‘place called east of the sun and west of the moon?’”
The old man said, “Maybe it is very near here, but I will ask the different kinds of fish that belong to me.” So he called all the fish and immediately the fish came to him. The old man questioned the fish.
And the fish replied, “This very one is the father of your wife, the owner of all of us fish. Ask him where his house is because he is the father.”
The hunter said to himself, “I have something to identify my wife with, the marks in her thumb caused by sewing the clothes of our children.”
When he arrived, he search for his wife and found her. He said, “Why did you make me lonely for you?” Then they were married (again). They got their children (from earth) and brought them to the ‘place east of the sun and west of the moon’.
This Manobo tale perfectly follows the basic plot of the Sky Maiden motif with the addition of characters such as the two old men that serve as the king of fishes and birds. Both of them are a guide to the hero in searching for the Sky Maiden, thus becoming an essential part of his quest. Notice also that in the end, the hero and the Sky Maiden once more settle down with each other in a magical place described only as ‘the place east of the sun and moon’ which is associated with the Aarne and Thompson motif type F771.3.2 (Marvelous land). Moreover, the said magical place’s description, as well as the Kings of fishes and birds, are also found in another Sky Maiden story found in the Europa’s Fairy Book of Joseph Jacobs, a collection of European folktales.
AGTA VERSION
The next account is from the Agta of Casiguran, Aurora on Luzon entitled “How Juan Got his Wife From Above.”
There was once an old man, it is reported, who said, “If you want to get married, Juan, go watch at the spring. Whoever is the last maiden to arrive from above you, you get her clothes and hide them.”
And so Juan went and hid in the branches of a thick tree, He watched for them, then he heard them, and here they come. When the maidens arrived at the spring, they get undressed together and laid down their clothes. Then Juan took the clothing of the youngest.
After the maidens had bathed, they came out of the water. They searched and searched but couldn’t find the clothing of the youngest. So her older sisters left without her.
Their father asked (upon their arrival home), “Where is your youngest sister?”
“She is still searching for her clothing and whoever it was who hid it.”
Now the old man had told Juan earlier, “Before you show your wife her clothing, Juan, you should first have six children, because if you show it to her immediately, she will run away from you.”
And so the maiden is asking, “Juan, maybe you were the one who took away my clothes. You just show them to me, Juan, and we will get married.”
“I won’t show it to you yet.” He said
Now to make the story short, they had a child. They still had only one child when Juan pitied her and he showed her the clothing.
He did not obey the advice of the old man. So the woman slipped on her clothes and she returned home. She ran away.
Juan looked for his wife, Juan cried, and he did not eat.
The old man said, “What did I tell you, Juan? Before you showed her the clothing you should have first had six children. Go now, Juan, and search for your wife. First, you will come to a centipede. Pass it by (without stopping). Don’t turn to look back at it.
The second thing you will come to will be fire. But Juan looked back at his house. He returned home.
“Why are you back, Juan?” said the old man. “You take my kerchief, and when you come to the centipede then hold it out in front of you.”
And so he was able to pass by. He looked ahead and saw a mountain. So he held up the kerchief again, and he was able to pass by the mountain without stopping. He looked far ahead and saw a house.
When he arrived there the father of the woman said to him. “Why are you here, Juan?”
“I am searching for my wife.”
“Before I will believe you, Juan, you must first identify the clothing of your wife.”
Juan was sad, he wondered how he would ever be able to pick out her clothing. So Juan did a crafty thing, he got a fly (firefly).
The fly said, “Whatever I light on in the house that will be the clothing of your wife.”
“All right.” Said Juan to the father of the woman. “I will point it out to you. This is the clothing of my wife.”
“I will not believe you, Juan. Point out first the arm of your wife.”
So juan was sad again. But the fly again showed him.
“Now get rid of the Balete tree,” said the father of the woman.
So Juan called out to some biting ants. They gripped-in-their-pincers all the small branches of the Balete tree. Also they threw to one side.
“All right, Father, you wake up now. Look at the Balete tree.”
“All right, take your wife, because I believe you now.”
Regardless of the distance between the Agta of Casiguran and the Manobo, both of their accounts of the Sky Maiden remain similar both in theme, plot and other elements. Besides the old man, the hero has now sought help from animals and insects to fulfill his quest. I also observed that somehow both stories remind me of those fairy tales with a prince in search of a princess. However, the heroes depicted in these folktales don’t necessarily exhume the machismo quality of a hero (strong, warrior like) but often shows softness (showing their sadness upon being left by the Sky Maiden) and resorts to wit, intellect and help from other characters to win their wife back.
One must also learn that not stories of the Sky Maiden end with the hero claiming his wife back. In the Ilianen Manobo version, the hero Beletamey didn’t win back his wife and decided to raise their child alone after his wife retrieved her feathered dress. In a similar vein though – with a more tragic conclusion – the hero Yugung found out too late that his wife had already found her feathered gown and returned home in the sky with their children; leaving the hero saddened with the sudden departure of his family and no chance of them returning to earth.
The Sky Maiden In Other Parts of the Globe
SWEDISH VERSION
This version of Sky Maiden story came from Sweden and was documented in the compilation of Swedish Fairy Tales by Herman Hofberg:
A young peasant in the parish of Mellby [in Blekinge], who often amused himself with hunting, saw one day three swans flying toward him, which settled down upon the strand of a sound nearby. Approaching the place, he was astonished at seeing the three swans divest themselves of their feathery attire, which they threw into the grass, and three maidens of dazzling beauty step forth and spring into the water. After sporting in the waves awhile they returned to the land, where they resumed their former garb and shape and flew away in the same direction from which they came.
One of them, the youngest and fairest, had, in the meantime, so smitten the young hunter that neither night nor day could he tear his thoughts from the bright image. His mother, noticing that something was wrong with her son, and that the chase, which had formerly been his favorite pleasure, had lost its attractions, asked him finally the cause of his melancholy, whereupon he related to her what he had seen, and declared that there was no longer any happiness in this life for him if he could not possess the fair swan maiden.
“Nothing is easier,” said the mother. “Go at sunset next Thursday evening to the place where you last saw her. When the three swans come, give attention to where your chosen one lays her feathery garb, take it, and hasten away.”
The young man listened to his mother’s instructions, and, betaking himself, the following Thursday evening, to a convenient hiding place near the sound, he waited, with impatience, the coming of the swans. The sun was just sinking behind the trees when the young man’s ears were greeted by a whizzing in the air, and the three swans settled down upon the beach, as on their former visit.
As soon as they had laid off their swan attire they were again transformed into the most beautiful maidens, and, springing out upon the white sand, they were soon enjoying themselves in the water. From his hiding place the young hunter had taken careful note of where his enchantress had laid her swan feathers. Stealing softly forth, he took them and returned to his place of concealment in the surrounding foliage.
Soon thereafter two of the swans were heard to fly away, but the third, in search of her clothes, discovered the young man, before whom, believing him responsible for their disappearance, she fell upon her knees and prayed that her swan attire might be returned to her. The hunter was, however, unwilling to yield the beautiful prize, and, casting a cloak around her shoulders, carried her home.
Preparations were soon made for a magnificent wedding, which took place in due form, and the young couple dwelt lovingly and contentedly together.
One Thursday evening, seven years later, the hunter related to her how he had sought and won his wife. He brought forth and showed her, also, the white swan feathers of her former days. No sooner were they placed in her hands than she was transformed once more into a swan, and instantly took flight through the open window. In breathless astonishment, the man stared wildly after his rapidly vanishing wife, and before a year and a day had passed, he was laid, with his longings and sorrows, in his allotted place in the village churchyard.
From the above mentioned account, the Sky Maiden showcases the ability of transforming into a Swan through the magical feathered dress which serves as her second skin. Just like the Sky Maiden tales in the Philippines, the Swedish fairy tale follows the same plot. However, the story concluded in a bitter and sorrowful tone as the Sky Maiden wore her feathered dress and transformed into a Swan to fly away; leaving her husband on the mortal plane. The tale in itself assimilates another widely popular motif of the Animal Bride, which is very common in folktales and fables both in eastern and western parts of the world. This only shows that the Sky Maiden motif is greatly associated with other motifs that became prevalent in different oral stories and traditions.
JAPANESE VERSION
This version was a short tale from Japan taken from David Brauns “Japanische Märchen und Sagen”(1885) which is a compilation of folktales in Japan. This was translated by D.L Ashliman:
He eagerly picked it up, wanting to take it home and carefully put it away, when a beautiful girl appeared before him. She sobbed aloud and demanded the return of her robe.
Hakurioo was at first not at all willing to give up his find. But then the girl said, amidst endless sobs and tears, that she was a heavenly goddess, and that she would have to remain miserably on earth as long as she did not have her feathery robe, that she had taken off while bathing, and which had thus wrongly come into his hands.
Moved by compassion, the fisherman said, “Very well, I will give your robe back to you, if in return you will dance the heavenly dance for me with which you daughters of heaven soar through the clouds.”
The maiden replied, “Yes, give me my robe, and you shall behold the most beautiful dance that I am able to dance.”
The fisherman considered for a moment and said, “No, dance first, and then I will give you your robe.”
With this the heavenly maiden grew angry and said, “Shame on you, that you doubt the words of a goddess! Quickly, give me my robe, for without it I am not able to dance. You will not regret it. That I promise you!”
Thereupon Hakurioo handed her the feathery robe. She immediately put it on and rose into the air. True to her words, before the fisherman’s amazed eyes she performed the most magnificent dance that one can imagine, at the same time singing the most beautiful, sensuous melodies, until Hakurioo did not know what was happening to him. In more and more beautiful loops she rose higher and higher, but it was a long time before she disappeared from the enchanted fisherman’s view, soaring into a light cloud that was drifting toward Fujiyama’s summit, with the last sounds of her godly song sounding in his ears.
The Japanese version of the Sky Maiden omitted some of the prime elements in the basic plot, such as the marriage to the mortal man and the Sky Maiden herself. However, most of the elements remain consistent such as the feathered dress and the refusal of the hero to return it to the Sky Maiden. It was also indicated in the story that the Sky Maiden’s identity is that of a goddess and the climax of the story doesn’t revolve around the quest of the hero but rather in the display of the Sky Maiden’s godly power through her dance and music.
The Feathered Dress
The origin of the Sky Maiden motif in different folklore, legends and myth around the world is quite inscrutable. There are citations found in appendices of the English translation of Kathasaritsagara, an ancient Sanskrit text of Indian fairy tales and legends, by Dr. L.D. Barnett. It examines the motif of the Swan Maiden and concluded that it can be traced from early Sanksrit literature and due to the wide dissemination of Hindu and Buddhism beliefs, the motif started to scatter across different nations. It stated that it arrived in the western regions through the Moslem tales like One Thousand and One Nights which showcased the story of Hasan Basra, that shared all the similar elements of a Sky Maiden tale.
In an article by A.T Hatto from the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, the said tale of woman transforming into birds (particularly a swan) originates from North Eurasian regions and was born from the fascination with the mating and migrating of swans in their area as well as its spiritual connections to their belief.
While this claim may be tested in the future by other scholars, it is a fact that the Sky Maiden tale proves to be enchanting and was adopted by many cultures who formed their own lore around it.
Wrigglesworth observed of the Sky Maiden tales in the Philippines that it was used by the older generations of Filipinos to transfer ancestral values and knowledge to the younger generation. It was cited earlier in this article that some of the heroes in the Sky Maiden tales are believed to be the ancestors of a particular tribe and thus these tales are regarded as an oral history or account. However, it was also noted by Wrigglesworth (particularly in the Manobo group) that younger generations have begun to brush off tales as only ‘make-believe’. They only view these tales as fantasy and fiction and overlook its use as a vehicle to continue the culture of their community and integrate the values they honor.
Alan Miller’s analysis of the Swan Maiden motif puts it in a far wider context as connoting the importance of the religious and spiritual identity of a culture. Citing the work of J.A Macculloch on the connection of primitive ideas existing in folktales, Miller explored the ancient belief about one’s clothing being a part of the wearer’s personality as if his or her life force was imbued to it. Hence, when the hero manages to get the feather dress of the Sky Maiden, he gains power over her. This was also affirmed in the works of J.G Frazers which labelled this phenomena as sympathetic magic. Such practices were prevalent in cultures with Shamanic beliefs such as the Philippines. The Asog and Bayoc; men who performed a shamanic function in their community don the clothing of women, such tapis or skirt seems to a have connection to this concept. They were believed to be uniting the feminine force to their masculine force through woman’s clothing.
The idea of divine marriage was also hinted at in the said analysis wherein the maiden becomes one with the mortal man. This is a very common motif, not just in folklore, but also in mythology around the globe. Lastly is the concept of the sacred feminine goddess or spirit depicted as birds, particularly in Asian regions. Miller posited that the Sky Maiden tales display how the ancient people viewed woman as divine due to their capability of bearing life, which is believed to be the reason why cults, mystical schools and even old religion’s central figures are all female goddesses or feminine forces. In much of the Philippines, female spirits and deities are in the form of the diwata and often serve as guardians of mountains that bear their respective name.
A Romantic Tale With A Nearly Forgotten Lesson
Without being too technical in analyzing the Sky Maiden tales, the story of the hero going through a series of arduous ordeals to win back his love greatly exemplifies a known trait of Filipinos courting for the prospect of marriage. Some of our older relatives narrate how it took years and many labors before the suitor could prove himself a capable husband and deserving of the woman he loves. The Sky Maiden motif serves to remind us that courtship and marriage is actually a test of one’s character; on how sincere and how powerful his love is. That he can bear any challenge and consequence for her. If he chooses to trap and restrict her, she may vanish from his life forever.
Sources:
Maiden of Many Nations: The Sky Maiden Who Married a Man From Earth, Edited by Hazel J. Wrigglesworth (1991)
The Swan Maiden Revisited: Religious Significance of the “Divine-Wife” Folktales with Special Reference to Japan by Alan Miller
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/kathasaritsagara-the-ocean-of-story/d/doc143208.html
The Swan Maiden: A Folk-Tale of North Eurasian Origin? By A. T Hatto from Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Vol. 24, No. 2 (1961)https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/swan.html#brauns
ALSO READ: The Flood Motif and the Symbolism of Rebirth in Philippine Myths
Currently collecting books (fiction and non-fiction) involving Philippine mythology and folklore. His favorite lower mythological creature is the Bakunawa because he too is curious what the moon or sun taste like.
