The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 12 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 307 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 12 of 55.

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 12 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 307 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 12 of 55.
from its plant.  After that, certain disputes resulted concerning the marriage of these two, on account of the difficulties arising from the first degree of blood-relationship, which among them is inviolable, and thought to be allowed only that first time from the necessity of propagating mankind. [78] In short they recognized invisible spirits, and another life; also demons, the enemies of men, of whom they were in abject fear from the evils and dread which these caused them.  Accordingly one of Ours converted many of them by means of a well-painted picture of hell.  Their idolatry is, in a word (as with many other nations), an adoration and deification of their ancestors—­especially of those who distinguished themselves through valiant deeds, or cruelties, or obscene and lewd acts.  It was a general practice for anyone who could successfully do so to attribute divinity to his old father when the latter died.  The old men themselves died with this illusion and deception, imputing to their illness and death and to all their actions a seriousness and import, in their estimation, divine.  Consequently they chose as a sepulchre some celebrated spot, like one which I saw on the shore of the sea between Dulac and Abuyo, in the island of Leite.  This man directed that he should be placed there in his coffin (which was done), in a solitary house remote from any village, in order to be recognized as the god of sailors, who would offer worship and commend themselves to him.  There was another, who had caused himself to be buried in a certain place among the mountains of Antipolo; and out of reverence to him no one dared to cultivate them, fearing that he who should go thither might meet his death.  This lasted until Father Almerique relieved them of their fear, and now those lands are cultivated without harm or dread.  In memory of these departed ones, they keep their little idols—­some of stone, wood, bone, ivory, or a cayman’s teeth; others of gold.  They call these Larauan, which signifies, “idol,” “image,” or “statue;” and in their necessities they have recourse to these, offering to them barbarous sacrifices.

They also worshiped, like the Egyptians, animals and birds; and, like the Assyrians, the sun and moon; they attributed moreover, a sort of divinity to the rainbow.  The Tagalos adored a blue bird, as large as a thrush, and called it Bathala, which was among them a term of divinity. [79] They also worshiped the crow (as the ancients worshiped the god Pan and the goddess Ceres).  It bore the name Mei lupa, which signifies “master of the soil.”  They held the cayman in the utmost veneration; and, whenever they made any statement about it, when they descried it in the water, they called it Nono, which means “grandfather.”  They softly and tenderly besought it not to harm them; and to this end offered it a part of what they carried in their boats, casting the offering into the water.  There was no old tree to which they did not attribute

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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 12 of 55 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.