Tala (goddess)

Tala, based on Hindu goddess Tara, is the name of the goddess of the morning and evening star in Tagalog mythology. Her origins are varied depending on region. Golden Tara, the Majapahit-era gold statue of Hindu deity Tara or Tagalog adoption Tala was found in 1918 in Agusan.[1][2] The legend of Tala has very close parallels to legends among non-Filipino cultures such as the India tribes of Bihar, Savara and Bhuiya, as well as the Indianized Semang (Malay tribe).[3]

Tala
Goddess of stars
Tala (c. 2019)
SymbolStar, Orb
GenderFemale
RegionSouthern Tagalog
Personal information
ParentsBathala
SiblingsMayari, Hanan

The most popular myth of Tala is that she is one of the three daughters of Bathala to a mortal woman. Her sisters include Mayari, the goddess of the moon and Hanan, the goddess of morning. She is known to have supported the creation of the Tagalog traditional constellations. Tala used light spheres or orbs to ferry men to safety at night, however, when the Spaniards came, they demonized the light orbs and called it santelmos in a bid to convert the natives into Christianity. The natives eventually regarded the orbs as deadly beings that kill men or get humans to lose their way.

In another, more modern story,[4] sun god Arao (probably Apolaki) and the moon goddess Buan (probably Mayari) both had large families of stars, but Buan believed her stars could not survive the heat of Arao. They both agreed to destroy their stars. While Arao devoured his, Buan hid hers in the clouds, where they would occasionally emerge. Upon seeing this, Arao was filled with rage and is eternally in pursuit of Buan, trying to destroy her. Eclipses are explained by Arao getting close enough to bite her. At dawn, Buan hides the stars and brings them forth only when her eldest daughter, Tala (the evening and morning star) says the sun is too far away to pursue them.

Derived from this myth are the Tagalog words tala, which means "bright star", araw (sun) and buwan (moon).

In Kapampangan mythology, a deity named Tálâ is also present. For the Kapampangans, Tálâ is the bright star and the one who introduced wet-rice culture in Pampanga.

References
  1. H. Otley Beyer, "Outline Review of Philippine Archaeology by Islands and Provinces," Philippine Journal of Science, Vol.77,Nos.34 (July–August 1947),pp. 205-374
  2. "Agusan Gold Vajralasya". Philippine Heritage Collection. Field Museum of Natural History.
  3. Rahamann, R. (1955). "Quarrels and Enmity between the Sun and the Moon: A Contribution to the Mythologies of the Philippines, India, and the Malay Peninsula." Folklore Studies, 14, 202–214.
  4. Hill, Percy. A. (1934). Philippine Short Stories, p65. Stories reproduced in ISBN 971-542-083-4.


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