diwata by summerfield

diwata

philippine folklore is rife with myths and legends of diwata or fairies (not to be mistaken with the modern fairies :-)), aswang or ghouls/monsters, multo or ghosts and other spirits, both good and bad. most of the tales have been handed down from ancestors that had been in the land long before the spaniards came and colonized and christianized the natives.

diwata or fairy is a female enchanted being. they can be both good or bad, but generally are good. generally, the tales are of the good diwata being heart-broken by her love of the mortal native or the natives taking advantage of her kindness and so she would punish them before completely disappearing.

near our family home, there used to be a large balete tree (ficus tree), large, looming and eerie especially at night and most especially when there was a full moon. they said it glowed but i was sure (and i told my mother that) that it was due to the thousands of fireflies that lived in it. any person who as much as broken a twig or tore off a portion of its branch received punishment most commonly an illness from which there was no cure unless an offering or novena was made. fairies lived in them. they were kind and helpful to children and the oppressed. if you sought out their help and your heart was pure, it would be given to you. cheat or don't do your part of the bargain and misfortune, sometimes even death, would befall on you or your family until the proper atonement was done to appease the diwata.

this is for the five plus two's mythological theme.

thank you for your kind visits and comments; know that they are truly appreciated.
beautifully done!
July 28th, 2014  
i like the grainy look and subject summer
July 28th, 2014  
wonderful image, and very interesting tale as usual :)
July 28th, 2014  
Wonderful narrative
Like the shot too. You are so creative
However, if I happened to not like the shot, would you curse me;0)
July 28th, 2014  
This fascinates me and makes me want to learn more. I keep exploring other mythologies as I write y own fantasies of course.
July 28th, 2014  
Very well done...we can feel the spirit...
July 28th, 2014  
great capture and selfie, love the myths
July 28th, 2014  
A great photo to go with the interesting folklore info!
July 28th, 2014  
Oh wow! Thumbs up on this one.
July 29th, 2014  
@claireuk - i will turn you into a young, sexy and rich lady! but before i do that, let me turn me into something like that first. :-) of course, i still love you even if you don't like my shots!
July 29th, 2014  
So creative and well executed!
July 29th, 2014  
You make for a very elegant diwata! Interesting folklore too.
July 31st, 2014  
wonderfully conceived and executed... and awesome work with the processing! really nicely done!
July 31st, 2014  
@northy - i sooooo wanted to call you on the weekend to find out if you wanted to go photo trekking. now i have to find me some woodsy place. there's one near your office, n'est-ce pas?
July 31st, 2014  
@summerfield yup... but i doubt i will have time this week... found a really really fabulous place near my house with phenomenal light... only problem is i have to figure out getting two kids off to camp and the weather is supposed to be iffy until Monday... but i hope to get an hour to get back there on Saturday... maybe we could do something on Monday? i think both my younger ones will be gone by Sunday night or Monday morning...
July 31st, 2014  
love this, image and story!
July 31st, 2014  
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