Mayari Goddess Of The Moon (Philippine Mythology): Top 10 Incredible Facts

Tagalog mythology is a unique blend of spiritual happenings and physical appearances that have been passed down through the ages. Tagalog mythology has a story about Mayari, the offspring of Bathala (the chief god of Tagalog people and ruler of the universe). She is the goddess of the moon and governor of the world at night time, and her mother is a mortal woman. She is praised for her beauty, and is often called the most beautiful of all goddesses.

1 According To Mythology, Mayari Goddess Lost One Of Her Radiant Eyes In A Battle Against Her Brother

There are a few myths revolving around Mayari, who is a widely-fabled figure in Pampangan folklore. One of the most popular Pampangan myths is based on the story of Mayari and her brother, Apolaki, in which Mayari and Apolaki battle in order to rule the Earth’s right.

Mayari lost one of her eyes during the fight, as a result of an attack by Apolaki on her face with a bamboo club. It is possible to find forgiveness and to forgive someone if you look deep enough. The person who asked for forgiveness must give it as well. This is a complex situation, but with willingness, understanding, patience, and love, things can change for the better and Apolaki did something similar. He apologized for his previous behavior and agreed to rule with her during the day, as well as at night. Her visual acuity is diminished and light is dim relative to her brother’s because of her one badly damaged eye.

2 In Honor Of Mayari Goddess, A Tradition Take Place Where A Suitor Sends Sampaguita To Her Partner

Many cultures have elaborate rituals when it comes to relationships. There is a tradition known as the ‘courting of Mayari’, which is held on the night of a Full Moon in the observance of Mayari. During this date the partner gives a woman a gift known as a “Sampaguita”. If she accepts the partner as her choice, she can wear it, in the other words means she’s accepted the proposal.

3 Mayari Goddess Is Often Depicted With Multi Layered Outfits

Of all the elaborate costumes that exist in Mayari’s culture, one is extremely coveted by people. Mayari wears an aesthetic costume, It is made of several-layered fabrics that attribute a variety of colors and vivid beads. The glorious moon glows backwards the goddess Mayari. It’s surrounded by the reflections of pine trees and mountains, which are plentiful in the Philippines. There are also diverse attachments such as a baston and a yantok, as well as two fighting rods.

4 In Tattoos, We Often See Mayari Deity As A Weal On One Damaged Eye

Despite her calm features and gentle demeanor, she is recognized to be the embodiment of strength and beauty identified to that of the most beautiful of all the goddesses of the pantheon of gods in the Philippines. One of the most common things she’s depicted as is tattooed, has one eye with a weal on the another eye.

5Mayari Goddess Is Daughter Of Bathala & Siter Of Hanan

Tagalog mythology is a cultural and religious belief that originated from the Tagalog people of the Philippines. One figure from this mythology is Mayari, who was a daughter of Bathala (the leading creator of all things). Mayari goddess is the sister of Hanan (gleaming with golds) and Adlaw (can manipulate immense heat and luminosity), who is the goddess of the dawn and the god of the sun respectively. Tala is also her sister who is known as the goddess of stars. In some of Mayari’s myths, Tala is her daughter.

In one story, Mayari showed good intentions and proposed to Apolaki in order to try to rule the land equally. However, Apolaki chose to go his own way and rule the land as one it means separately. And this is the difference between them is that one chose to rule as one and the other chose to rule with equality. The result of this altercation is that a hideous divine war began between the two factions, which culminated in Apolaki ripping one of Mayari’s eyes out.

6 Malayari God In Sambal Myths Have The Similar Attributes Like Goddess Mayari

Filipino folklore and mythology includes the story of Mayari. Philippine time denoted it as Mayari, but in other parts of the country it is also known as Bulan. However, you shouldn’t be confused with Mayari and Malayari! Though they’re not similar, Mayari (goddess) and Malayari (god) are two separate deities. One originated in the Philippine region, while the other originated in the Sumbal region respectively. They each have their own unique myths, which can be seen with a closer read of their mythology.

7 From Warfare To Beauty, Mayari Symbolize Many Things In Respective Culture

Mayari goddess, is known for her power and abilities, who rules the night sky. Mayari is a goddess of revolutions, warfare, prey, weaponry and beauty. She’s also known as the Goddess of power, Moon and Night. It’s incredibly important to have inner strength and compassion in your life. Mayari is a powerful symbol of this virtue, and now it’s often associated with the Filipino woman.

8 She Holds Double Fighting sticks, A Baston and A Yantok As Her Weapons

Perhaps you are curious what weapons the Maya uses in the field. She typically uses weapons which are made from bamboo or kamagong woods. In order to better protect herself, she has a variety of weapons. Weapons that make her successful in a wide range of situations are a yantok, which is a long stick that measures up to thirty six inches, and a blue ‘baston’, which is short, measuring around twenty four to twenty eight inches long.

Martial arts training has been a part of Filipino culture for a long time. The Philippines is known for its use of different weapons such as fighting sticks and these weapons have become essential in the martial arts known as Eskrima, Arnis or Kali. After deciding that this particular martial art form was too dangerous, the Spanish government banned this dangerous form of martial art from being used. Despite the fact, the native tribe people still continue to perform this type of art form into their dances.

9 All Mayari Based Folklore Aren’t Documented Properly & Spreading In Modern Era Verbally

All of the many sources of Philippine mythology are oral literature, in the other words, the ways in which Philippine culture shares its stories and takes you back to your roots is through oral literature. Attempting to record all of the stories from our country’s oral literature is a daunting task. Most of these stories have not yet to be properly documented, it means the traditional oral literature in the country is known to be abundant and vast, but we still don’t know exactly where these stories came from and what exactly they are.

As a result, changes in the stories and the addition of new ones through time happen naturally. It evolves naturally due to the fact that stories change and new ones are added in with time, similar to how things happen in real life. They’re just part of how Philippine Mythology evolves over time. One of the reasons why oral literature was so spread during the 16th century was because the Spanish introduced Christian myths to it. This is believed to have been done in order to purposely intervene with the evolution of Filipino mythology.

10 Tagalogs Tribe People Dress With Red Pudong In Honor To Mayari Goddess Of Strength & Bravery

In the tribes of the Tagalogs and Visayans, usually men, used lengthy splines of fabric which were used to pattern a headdress in order to decorate their head. In Tagalog, a ‘pudong’, hinges on the type of fabric used. The ‘magalong’ was a red-coloured pudong that was dressed by the tribe’s people as an honor symbol to show their bravery and strength in defending their territory.

Mayari required great strength and bravery to defeat her enemies. She is also often referred to as a “woman of strength and not restricted by tribesmen,” and her magalong reminds us that, despite being female, she is an incredible example of both power and autonomy. Mayari’s pudong (a type of headdress) is decorated with beads that draw on the design tradition that is homage to the beadwork tradition, which later became part of traditional tribal clothing among Filipinos culture.

Beadwork is an ancient tradition that began in China around the 14th century. The tradition of beadwork comes from a legend about Chinese traders when they traded beads between other items to groups of islands, now called the Philippines.

But the Kalingas are an indigenous tribe in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Beads are greatly appreciated by this tribe’s women and beads are valuable heirlooms for women as they are carried forward from generation to generation over the time.

There’s one last detail to include the name of Malyari inscribed in the old alphabet called ‘baybayin’. This lettering was woven into the cloth when the Spanish missionaries sustained to persuade the tribe’s people. This is a representation of Mayari that pays homage to the nearly-forgotten cultures and traditions of the tribe’s people in pre-colonial Philippines. She showcases the plentiful examples of beauty and strength that exist all across the country as well as its complicated history.