Despite the various versions, all legends about Sampolac Lake in San Pablo revolve around a common idea: the lake is named after a massive tamarind tree called sampolac.
Long ago, a rich couple owned a bountiful orchard filled with delicious tamarind trees. One beautiful day, a fairy disguised as an old and weak woman came to the orchard to test the couple’s generosity. The fairy respectfully approached them and begged for some fruits because she was extremely hungry.
The heartless couple released their dogs on the woman, causing her to be bitten and sustain severe injuries. In retaliation, she approached a massive tamarind tree and cast a curse, proclaiming that their greed would result in punishment. As she left, the atmosphere quickly became ominous, leading to a fierce storm. The continuous rainfall endured all night long; nevertheless, by the following morning’s arrival, the once turbulent sky had transformed into a peaceful stretch of clear blue.
The couple was amazed to discover that their orchard had vanished and been replaced by a vast body of water. While peering into the water, they could still spot their beloved trees submerged at the lake’s bottom. Additionally, they stumbled upon details about the Origin of Rainbow: a star fairy who had accidentally arrived on Earth.
Mesmerized by the enchanting scenery, the fairy abruptly collided with a tree, rendering herself unconscious and leaving her delicate wings in tatters. Fortunately, a compassionate farmer discovered the divine creature and lavishly attended to her needs. Over time, an inevitable bond formed between them, yielding both love and matrimony. Together, the fairy and the farmer joyfully welcomed a child into their lives.
Every night, the fairy looked up at the stars and remembered her loved ones who lived far away. In the end, she decided to travel with her son in order to be reunited with them. When they arrived at the star kingdom, their presence upset the king because they had gone beyond what was allowed, so he took away the fairy’s wings. As a result, she couldn’t go back to her husband and became very sad. She spent many hours by the river near their home.
The farmer would also stand on the bank, awaiting his wife and child. One day, the king stumbled upon the lovesick couple and, feeling sympathy for them, constructed a bridge with seven radiant colors for the fairy to descend and spend some cherished moments with the farmer. This is the Visayan Creation Myth from a bygone era, where there existed two Gods – Maguayan, the ruler of water, and Kaptan, the ruler of the sky. One fateful day, these two Gods made the decision to unite their children in marriage.
Three sons were born from this union – Likalibutan was incredibly courageous and powerful, Liadlao had a heart of gold and was always full of joy, and Libulan, composed of copper, was timid and feeble. Lisuga, the only daughter, possessed a silver essence and was exceedingly attractive, delicate, and sweet-natured. Regrettably, they were left orphaned at a tender age, yet their grandparents looked after them and shielded them from malevolence. Over time, the siblings matured into strong and stunning individuals.
One day, Likalibutan, filled with pride in his strength and power, made the decision to attack Kaptan’s celestial realm. Fearing their brother, Liadlao and Libulan were forced to join him, and together they departed for the sky kingdom. Upon reaching their destination, they encountered a massive steel gate obstructing their path. However, Likalibutan conjured the wind and successfully toppled the gate. Upon learning of this trespass, Kaptan became enraged and retaliated by launching lightning bolts towards them.
A lightning bolt struck all three brothers. Likalibutan’s body broke into fragments and sank in the sea, while Liadlao and Libulan turned into balls of gold and copper, respectively. Concerned for her brothers, Lisuga went in search of them, but Kaptan, who was still angry, also attacked her. Her silver body shattered into countless pieces.
Kaptan accused Maguayan of orchestrating the event, but Maguayan was unaware as he had been asleep. Eventually, Kaptan and Maguayan settled down and both gods grieved over the loss of their grandchildren. Unfortunately, their abilities were insufficient to revive the siblings.
So, all of them were given light except for Likalibutan. With this light, Liadlao became the Sun, Libulan became the Moon, and Lisuga’s fragmented body can now be seen as the stars. Kaptan planted a seed on a piece of Likalibutan’s body, and from this seed grew a bamboo tree. From this bamboo tree emerged Sikalak, a man, and Sikabay, a woman.
These humans are the progenitors of every person on the planet. Introduction: “Possibly… I believe that.”
“The globalization might be beneficial in this situation,” is the consistent idea that constantly crosses my mind. Regrettably, both of my paternal grandparents have deceased and my maternal grandmother resides at a distance from us.
Finding an alternative approach to completing the project was a considerable challenge. The lack of my grandmother’s presence made it challenging to gather historical anecdotes, and within our community, there was a scarcity of individuals willing to divulge insights on ancient legends.
For my research, I chose to use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, it can be difficult to gather the necessary information from these platforms because of limited resources and unreliable sources. So, I asked a friend for help who posted the required details on these sites to inform online users about the specific information needed for my project. We received valuable assistance from many internet users.
They shared legends from their hometowns, including familiar versions and unfamiliar stories. However, some of these stories did not turn out to be helpful. Instead, they perceived the posts as a joke that lacked humor.
Some individuals share personal experiences that are true to life. Nevertheless, not all of these stories impart a moral lesson to everyone. These narratives depict reality and may even have already taken place in our own lives, making them quite familiar.
In any case, they provide great assistance to me. Additionally, they provide links for accessing or reading more about legends from early Filipinos. Furthermore, I am confident that globalization greatly aids me in connecting with people from all across the country to seek assistance.
