Alamat ng Niyog

Tagalog storytellers say the coconut tree grew from a grave. Many Austronesian peoples tell a similar tale. A person dies or is buried, and a tree with a special nut grows from the place. The three marks on the shell look like a small face, and this detail ends up in the story. Philippine versions change the names of the people and the reason for their death, so no one telling is the standard one. No source with a full plot is known.

The plant itself is well documented. Austronesian sailors tamed the coconut in island Southeast Asia and carried it across the sea. It gave them food, water and wood for boats. Filipinos call the tree the tree of life. The Philippines is among the top three coconut producers in the world.

The English word comes from Portuguese coco, which means head or skull. Explorers saw a face in the shell, and the name stuck.