Mayari

AI illustration

Mayari

Bulan From Tagalog region, Tagalog

In Kapampangan stories, Mayari is the moon goddess who rules the night. One telling says she and her brother Apolaki fought over who would rule the world. He struck her and she lost the sight of one eye. They then agreed to rule at different times.

Folklore is retold; versions differ.

Sources: Wikipedia: Mayari (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)

The story

Mayari is a moon goddess in Kapampangan and Tagalog tales. People tell of her in Pampanga, southern Luzon and Zambales. In the Kapampangan telling, she is the daughter of Bathala, the creator, and her brother is Apolaki, the sun. Tagalog tales give her two siblings, Tala and Hanan, stars of the evening and morning. In Sambal belief, the figure is male.

The best-known story explains why the moon is dim. Mayari and Apolaki argue over who will rule the world alone. They fight with bamboo clubs. Apolaki hits her in the face and blinds one eye. He then agrees to share the world. One rules the day and the other the night. Storytellers say her light is softer because of her injury. Modern art shows her as a woman with weapons, one eye bright and one scarred.

Sources for this are limited. The English article is a stub. It rests on a 1990 book by Maximo Ramos and on a blog, so details may differ from older village tellings.