 by Michelle Lanuza (Moonlight Mitz) |
by Michelle Lanuza (Moonlight Mitz) |
It all started when I was just about seven years old. My aunt and uncle came from the province to visit us. I didn't like them. They were very strict. Also, they were very superstitious people. One night, I saw my uncle walking towards our backyard, holding a lightened candle. I thought this was odd; there was no electrical blackout. I followed him, and watched as he knelt before the old jackfruit tree and placed the candle among its roots. I laughed. My uncle saw me and gestured for me to be silent. Then suddenly, tiny lights began to glow all over our backyard, dancing and twinkling in a merry carnival. I watched, fascinated, as a miniature procession of lights passed in front of me. Then there was a tiny ferris-wheel of lights turning round and round beneath the tree. It took me a second or so before realizing that I was at that very moment in the company of the "dwende," the elves.
Now, many years later, I have often wondered if that memory was that- a memory… or just an illusion fabricated by my youthful mind. Nevertheless, that moment changed my life.
Elves, or dwendes (as they were commonly called in the Philippines), are divided into two kinds. There is the "puting dwende" (white elf), who were good beings and quite harmless. You could play with them and make them your friends. Then there is the "itim na dwende" (black elf), which you should fiercely avoid. Itim na dwendes are evil creatures who delight in tormenting those poor hapless human beings who had, unfortunately, trespassed their homes. Homes include fruit trees, grassy plains, gardens, and termite mounds (among all others). Once you had violated their territory, you'll develop an illness, which is incurable by modern medicine. Symptoms include severe stomach aches, high fever, strings of diseases, sudden coughs, sever migraine, etc… The only cure is to seek the help of an albularyo (medicine man or shaman). A healing rite starts with identification. The albularyo tries to identify the source of the hex. He drops molten wax into a bowl of water and prays over it. The shape or face of the enchanter then appears through the wax. This is called "pagtatawas." Then, using incantations, incenses and herbs, he/she then cures the hexed one. After the ceremony, the albularyo then places an offering (usually food) beneath the tree where the elf resides.
Many children claim to have been befriended by white elves. Some could even be seen talking with them. Some say they were just about his/her size, some say they were a lot smaller, like a finger. Many girls had been courted by elves. It is a wise thing to refuse them, for if you agreed to marry an elf, you'll live in his world forever and never come back. Some elves bring good luck to a family. Some elves curse them. Believe what you may, but they had been and always shall be an everyday part of the Filipino lifestyle. No kidding..