Through Amaya, we are introduced to a lot of names that we otherwise won’t hear everyday. After all, due to all those years of colonization, we end up with a lot of Juans and Marias. Now, it’s rare for anyone to name their kids Alunsina, let alone know the name. Yet what do these names really mean? Here are a few:
Alunsina
We know Alunsina as the youngest of Amaya’s fellow alabays, and has the power of enhanced hearing. In Visayan mythology, Alunsina is actually considered the most powerful of all female diwatas. She appears in the Panay-Visayan creation myth as the wife of the god Tungkung Langit. As recounted by F. Landa Jocano and published in Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology, Alunsina was a “lazy, jealous and selfish goddess.” Another version of the tale, as told in Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Romulo and Joanne De Leon, Alunsina refused to help Tungkung Langit in the creation of the world because she did not see the point. After quarrelling with her husband, Alunsina left Tungkung Langit; distraught, Tungkung Langit continued creating the sky and the earth, and his tears formed rain.
She later appears in the Epic of Labaw Donggon, as the mother of the titularhero.Alsorecounted
Pages: 1 2 3 4
More than just names: Name-meanings in Amaya
Through Amaya, we are introduced to a lot of names that we otherwise won’t hear everyday. After all, due to all those years of colonization, we end up with a lot of Juans and Marias. Now, it’s rare for anyone to name their kids Alunsina, let alone know the name. Yet what do these names really mean? Here are a few:
Alunsina
We know Alunsina as the youngest of Amaya’s fellow alabays, and has the power of enhanced hearing. In Visayan mythology, Alunsina is actually considered the most powerful of all female diwatas. She appears in the Panay-Visayan creation myth as the wife of the god Tungkung Langit. As recounted by F. Landa Jocano and published in Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology, Alunsina was a “lazy, jealous and selfish goddess.” Another version of the tale, as told in Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Romulo and Joanne De Leon, Alunsina refused to help Tungkung Langit in the creation of the world because she did not see the point. After quarrelling with her husband, Alunsina left Tungkung Langit; distraught, Tungkung Langit continued creating the sky and the earth, and his tears formed rain.
She later appears in the Epic of Labaw Donggon, as the mother of the titularhero.Alsorecounted
Pages: 1 2 3 4
About Clara Buenconsejo
Lives in a house with four dogs, three cats, several turtles, a visiting legion of birds, and a family that's usually fail. Visit her personal site at www.claraincubao.com, check out her Google+ profile, or follow her on Twitter (@alquanna).