EPISODE 16 : BIG LITTLE GODS | The Anito, Philippine Ancestral Spirits

The Gods Must Be Crazy: A Philippine Mythology Podcast

Alternate title: Anito Ako, Umiibig Sayo

In this episode, we talk about not just one, not two, but the multitude of gods our Filipino ancestors worshipped: the Anito. Find out just who these ancestral spirits are, how to summon just the right one to grant a wish and if (or how) you can be one in the afterlife.

We learn about the incredibly specific anitos invoked for incredibly specific needs — whether you are growing bananas, looking for lost things, or wanting to resell your car at a good price! And just for fun, we also try to think of what anitos we would actually need to help with our modern day woes: an anito for fake news? One to help with cramps and migraines? Or maybe one to stop your impulse shopping?

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Notes:

• Some spoilers for the book Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
• Corrections: The lead actress for Esmeralda was not Thalia but Leticia Calderon, and there were 23 Ifugao weaving anitos, not 24

List of Gods:

• Ipamahandi - Bukidnon goddess of accidents
• Makatalubhay - Tagalog god of bananas
• Kalasakas - Sambal god of early ripening of rice stalks
• Kalasokus - Sambal god of turning grain yellow and dry
• Bingsol - Tagalog god of ploughmen
• Pilay - Isnag spirit of the rice; a ritual is offered to Pilay to ensure that children don't go hungry
• Kapapu-an - Karay-a ancestral spirits from whom the supernatural powers of shamans originated; with their help, specific types of shamans can cause water to gush from rocks, create oil shields, leap far distances, pass through solid matter, or become invisible
• Lakambini / Lakandaytan - Tagalog god of attachment
• Matanda - Tagalog god of merchants and second-hand dealers
• Lakapati - Tagalog fertility deity; deity of vagrants and waifs
• Tigbas - Bukidnon god of good government
• Anagolay - Tagalog goddess of lost things
• Mahinhin - Kapampangan goddess of modesty; married a mortal
• Inikadowa - Maranao a tonong (benign spirit) double or guardian of a person, who is with the person from the moment the baby is born
• Loos Klagan - Blaan most feared deity; uttering his name is considered a curse
• Apila - Manobo god of wrestling and sports
• Magrakad - Tagbanwa god found on the other side of the sun at exactly noontime; gives the warmth which sustains life and carries away sickness when people are ill
• Maguimba - Batak god in the remotest times; lived among the people; provided all the necessities of life and cures for all illnesses; able to bring the dead back to life
• Kapiso Pabalita - Tagalog news-giving protector of travelers
• Balungbunganin - Batak spirit of the almaciga trees
• Fu Dalu - T'boli goddess of the abaca plant; speaks to weavers in their dreams and guides them in creating patterns and designs
• Mamiyo & Monlolot – 2 of 23 Ifugao weaving deities

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The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds, and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes.

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at [e-mail]

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

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SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anito

https://hunterswoodsph.com/philippine-mythology-gods/