LESSER DIVINITIES ASSISTING BATHALA

Divinities of the sky. As creator of the material world Bathala had many minor divinities assisting him. Among these lesser deities who lived in the sky were Idianale, goddess of labor and good deeds; Dumangan, deity of the good harvest; Amanikable, lord of the sea; and many others. Idianable married Dumangan and they had two children, Dumakulem, a strong, agile hunter who became the guardian of created mountains, and Anitun Tabu, the fickle-minded goddess of the wind and rain.
Amanikable, the husky, ill-tempered ruler of the sea, was said to have never married after his love was spurned by a beautiful mortal maiden, Maganda. In his frustration, Amanikable swore vengeance against all mortal beings. That is the reason why, the old folk say, he sends turbulent waves and horrible tempests every now and rhen to wreck boats and to drown men.
The most beautiful divinity in the court of Bathala was Mayari, goddess of the moon. Mayari had two charming sisters, Hanan, goddess of the morning, and Tala, goddess of the stars. They were said to be the daughters of Bathala by a mortal wife who died after she had given birth to these three beautiful goddesses. So Bathala took the three sisters to the sky and made them members of his celestial court.
Ikipati, goddess of cultivated land, was the most understanding and kind among the deities of Bathala. Her gift to man was agricuture. As the benevolent giver of food and prosperity, she was respected and loved by the people. From her came fertility of fields and health of flocks and herds.
Ikapati was said to have married Mapulon, god of seasons. They had a daughter named Anagolay, who became the goddess of lost things. When Anagolay attained maidenhood, she married Demakulem, son of Idianable and Dumangan, by whom she had two children, Apolake, who became god of the sun and patron of warriors, and Dian Masalanta, who became goddess of lovers.
From the union of these gods and goddesses came the order and regularity of the Tagalog world. However, as life became more and more complex as a result of the expanding social relationship among the worshippers, Bathala sent downto earth the anito (ancestral spirits) to help these different divinities minister to the needs of the people on earth. Each of these anoto had a special office. Some of them were assigned as war guardinas of brave men while others were given the task of protecting ordinary people from illness. However, as time went on, these anito became the interceding spirits between men and the gods, They were the ones to whom sacrifices were offered whenever the people desired something. These sacrifices were performed by the catalonan or priest. Among the principal anito of Bathala were Tawo-tawo, Al Priapo, and Mailupa.

Divinities of the Lower World. Like modern Christian, the early Tagalogs believed in life after death! In fact, the belief in transmigration of souls was one of the chief reasons why these people offered sacrifices and performed all sorts of religious rituals. The earthly belongings of a deceased person were buried with him because it was believed that the spirit of the said person would need these things during his journey to the other world. In some groups, slaves were buried with their masters, and the dead man's wife in others.
The ancient Tagalog's also believed in the final judgement of men-that is, the pinishing of the evil and the rewarding of the good. The souls of good men were said to be taken to a village of rest called Maca, which resembled the Christian Paradise, where they enjoyed eternal peace and happiness. However, those who deserved punishment were brought to Kasanaan, the village of grief and affliction where they were tortured forever. These souls were kept there by the chief deity named Sitan.
Sitan was assisted by many mortal agents. The most wicked among them was Mangangauay. She was the one responsible for the occurences of disease. She was said to possess a necklace of skulls, and her girdle was made up of several severed human hands and feet. Sometimes, she would change herself into a human being and roam about the countryside as a healer. She could induce maladies with her charms.
If she wished to kill someone, she did so by her magic wand. She could also prolong death, even for a number of months, by simply binding to the waist of her patient a live serpent which was believed to be her real self or at least her substance.
The second agent of Sitan was called Manisilat. She was sometimes known as the goddess of broken homes. She was said to be restless and mad whenever there was a happy home within sight. And when she was determined to destroy every such happy home, she would disguise as a womanhealer or an old beggar, enter the dwelling of her unsuspecting victims, and then proceed with her diabolical aims. With the aid of her charms and magic powers, she would turn the husband and wife against each other. She was most happy when the couple quarreled and she would dance in glee when one of them would leave the conjugal home.
The third agent of Sitan was known as Mankukulam, whose duty was to emit fire at night, especially when the night was dark and the weather was not good. Like his fellow agents, he often assumed human form and went around the villages pretending to be a priest-doctor. Then he would wallow in the filth beneath the house of his victim and emit fire. If the fire was extinguished immediately, the victim would die.
The fourth such agent was called Hukloban. She had the power to change herself into any form she desired. In fact, some people said that she had greater power than Mangangauay. She could kill anyone by simply raising her hand. However, if she wanted to heal those whom she had made ill by her charms, she could do so without any difficulty. It was also said of her that she could destroy a house by merely saying that she would do so.

Priests of the Tagalog divinities. Among the priests of the different Tagalog divinities were Silangan, Magtatangal, Asuan, Mangagayuma, Sonat, Pangatahuyan, and Bayugin. Some of these priests were wicked and evil. They were sent to earth in order that they would carry out the plans of the deities effectively.
Silangan's duty was to tempt people and to eat the liver of all those who wear white clothes during mourning and to take their souls down to the depth of Kasanaan. This was the reason why ancient Tagalogs usually wore vary-colored tapis or barrel skirts.
Silangan had a sister named Magtatangal. This fiend could be seen walking along lonely paths without her head, hands or feet, because her work was to frighten people to death.
The third minor agent of the environmental gods was Asuan. The native swore that they had seen Asuan fly at night, murder men, eat their flesh, and drink their blood. He has four brothers, Mangagayuma, Sonat, Pangatahuyan, and Bayugin. All these five brothers were sent by the divinities to this world in the form of human beings, with special duties to do so.
Mangagayuma specialized in charms. He made charms out of herbs, stones, and wood which, when used by lovers, had the ppower to infuse the heart with love. Thus he did deceive people. Although sometimes, through the intercession of a good anito, his skill would not work. Sonat was a well-known priest. Pangatahuyan was a soothsayer; while Bayugin's work was to tempt women into a life of shame!