Myth-Folklore Unit: Filipino Popular Tales

Overview. These stories come from Dean Fansler's monumental Filipino Popular Tales, published in 1921. In addition to the actual stories, Fansler's book contains numerous story variations and detailed comparative notes, tracing the migration of these stories through the different native cultures of the Philippines while also identifying connections to different Asian and European storytelling traditions. So, if you are interested in folklore studies, this is a great unit to choose, and it's also a great unit to choose if you just want to read some wonderful and unfamiliar fairy tales, animal legends, and all kinds of origin stories, including why mosquitoes hum, why the sun is brighter than the moon, and why your thumb sits apart from the other fingers on your hand!

Language. The book is written in contemporary English, so the language used should not pose any problems.

Story Length. These are all single-page stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Filipino Popular Tales. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

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READING A:

1. The Three Friends: the Monkey, the Dog, and the Carabao
2. Three Brothers of Fortune
3. The Clever Husband and Wife
4. The Devil and the Guachinango
5. Chonguita
6. Cochinango
7. The Enchanted Prince
8. The Wicked Woman’s Reward
9. The Poor Man and his Three Sons
10. The Monkey and the Turtle
11. The Monkey and the Crocodile
12. The Monkeys and the Dragon-Flies
13. The Monkey, the Turtle, and the Crocodile

READING B:

1. The Iguana and the Turtle
2. Why Mosquitoes Hum
3. The Greedy Crow
4. The Humming-bird and the Carabao
5. The Ant
6. Why the Sun Shines more Brightly than the Moon
7. The Hawk and the Coling
8. Why the Cow’s Skin is Loose
9. The Lost Necklace
10. The Story of our Fingers
11. Why Snails Climb Up Grass
12. Cuttlefish and Squids
13. Why the Ocean is Salty

(Tagalog couple, 16th-century codex)