The purely ritualistic tales, called dīams, are learned word by word Page 6by the mediums,[1] as a part of their training for their positions, and are only recited while an animal is being stroked with oil preparatory to its being sacrificed, or when some other gift is about to be presented to the superior beings. The writer has recorded these dīams from various mediums in widely separated towns and has found them quite uniform in text and content. The explanatory tales were likewise secured from the mediums, or from old men and women who “know the customs.” The stories of the last division are the most frequently heard and, as already indicated, are told by all. It is evident even to the casual reader that these show much more evidence of outside influence than do the others; some, indeed, appear to have been recently borrowed from the neighboring christianized Ilocano.[2]
Tales of the Mythical Period
Reconstruction of the Culture.—In the first division certain actors occur with great frequency, while others always take the leading parts. These latter appear under a variety of names, two or more titles often being used for the same individual in a single tale. To avoid confusion a list of the fourteen principal actors and their relationships are given in the accompanying table. It will appear that there are some conflicts in the use of names, but when it is realized that the first twenty-six myths which make up the cycle proper were secured from six story tellers coming from four different towns, the agreement rather than the disagreement is surprising. As a matter of fact there is quite as much variation between the accounts of the same narrator as between those gathered from different towns.
Table of Leading Characters[3]
I. Aponītolau. Son of Pagatipánan ♂[4] and Langa-an ♀[4] of Kadalayapan; is the husband of Aponībolinayen. Appears under the Page 7following names: (a) Līgī, (b) Albaga of Dalaga, (c) Dagdagalīsit, (d) Ingiwan or Kagkagákag, (e) Ini-init, (f) Ling-gīwan, (g) Kadayadawan, (h) Wadagan, (i) Awig (?)
II. Aponīgawanī. Sister of Aponītolau and wife of Aponībalagen.
III. Aponībolinayen. Daughter of Pagbokásan[5] ♂ and Ebang ♀ of Kaodanan. Wife of Aponītolau.
Appears as (a) Ayo, (b) Dolimáman(?).
IV. Aponībalagen. Brother of Aponībolinayen, and husband of Aponīgawanī; also appears as Awig.