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THE ENCHANTED PHILIPPINES

THE PHILIPPINES IS RICH IN ENGKANTO LEGENDS, AN  INDICATION THAT THE BELIEF IN ENGKANTOS IS RATHER STRONG AMONG OUR RURAL FOLK. THIS BEINGS ARE CALLED FAIRIES IN THE ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE LEGENDS, BUT RAMOS PUTS THEM UNDER THE CLASS OF ELVES. THE MOST OFTEN USED LOCAL TERMS ARE ENCANTO/ENGKANTO ( SURIGAO, BOHOL, ETC. ) TAMAWO/TUMAO ( ILOILO, ANTIQUE ), BANWAANON ( CEBU ). MOST OFTEN THEY ARE SAID TO LIVE IN TREES ( BALETE, SALAY, BUBOG, LONOK, CALUMPANG, ETC. ). IN A FEW LEGENDS, THEY ARE SAID TO LIVE ON A MOUNTAIN OR IN THE HEART OF IT, AND IN AT LEAST ONE LEGEND, AT THE BOTTOM OF A RIVER.           IN GENERAL, THEY ARE, AS RAMOS SAYS: FAIR-SKINNED, HANDSOME, SOMETIMES BLOND MYTHOLOGICAL BEINGS WHO HAVE BEEN SEEN SINGLY OR IN FAMILIES BUT SELDOM AS COMMUNITIES. THEY ARE USUALLY DIMINUTIVE BUT IN SOME INSTANCES ARE TALLER THAN THE AVERAGE FILIPINO. THEY LIVE IN TREES AND ARE RESENTFUL OF MAN'S INTRUSION INTO THEIR REALM. ON OCCASION, THEY ENGAGED IN PRANKS AND THEY OFTEN BECOME FRIENDLY ENOUGH TO GIVE HUMAN BEINGS USEFUL PRESENTS.                     AS FAIRIES, THE SCANDINAVIAN TOMTEGUBBAR, THE ENGLISH PIXIES, THE IRISH SHEES, THE FRENCH GOBLINS, THE GERMAN POLTERGEISTS, THE SPANISH DUENDES---- ALL THESE ARE CONCEIVE AS MINUTE CREARURES, PYGMY SPRITES. THE PHIILIPPINE FAIRIES ARE NO EXACT COUNTERPARTS. THEY ARE ENDOWED WITH THE SHAPES AND SIZES OF HUMANS, WITH THE FEATURES AND COMPLEXION OF MESTIZO OR HALF SPANISH-FILIPINO. MAINLY ON ACCOUNT OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS, THEY ARE SOMETIMES REFFERED TO AS FOREIGNERS. - Philippine Folk Literature -