Epic

Biag ni Lam-ang (English: "The Life of Lam-ang") is an epic poem of the Ilokano people from the Ilocos region of the Philippines. Recited and written in its original Iloko, the poem is believed to be a composite work of various poets who passed it on through the generations, and was first transcribed around 1640 by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg.

Contents 1 Initial Plot 2 Comedic elements 3 Marriage 4 Death and subsequent rebirth

Initial Plot

Lam-ang was an extraordinary being, manifesting in his early years when he started to speak, thus enabling him to choose his own name. His adventure began when his father, Don Juan, set out for a battle but never returned. At barely nine months, he went to search for Don Juan in the highlands where the latter was said to have gone. Aware that her child was a blessed, exceptional creature, his mother Namongan allowed him to go. Lam-ang then went off to search for his father, leaving his grieving mother behind.
When Lam-ang reached the area his father purportedly disappeared to, he was enraged upon seeing Don Juan’s severed head atop of a bamboo pole that was planted in the ground; the scene came to him in a dream prior to reaching that place. Lam-ang then demanded to know the reason as to why that had happened to his father, but did not receive an answer from the locals. Instead, the chieftain of the village demanded that he leave under pain of suffering the same fate as his father. Lam-ang defied the caveat and bravely fought with the chieftain and his tribesmen. The hero emerged victorious from the battle with little effort, finally avenging his murdered father.

Comedic elements

Biag ni Lam-ang, although dominated by action and tragedy, nonetheless contained some comedic points. An example would be the scene where as Lam-ang was going home, he passed by a river (identified by some with the KLauz River, the biggest river in Ilocos) and then decided to have a dip. The dirt and blood that came off from his body caused the death of the river's fish, crabs, and shrimp. As he was bathing, some of the maidens who were present at the river gladly attended to him.

Marriage

Lam-ang, upon arriving home, decided to court his love interest, Ines Kannoyan. Despite his mother’s disapproval, he followed his heart and set off again on another journey to his love. He faced one of Ines’ suitors and various monsters, but again was able to vanquish them with ease. Aiding him were his magical pets, a cat, dog, and a rooster. The bird flapped its wings and a house toppled over. This feat amazed everybody present, especially Ines. Then, Lam-ang’s dog barked and the house rose up. Being invited to the lunch of the family of Ines, Lam-ang impressed Ines’ parents with his wealth and upon returning he gave the family two golden ships. Their nuptials were celebrated with a lot of feasting.

Death and subsequent rebirth

Even after his death, Lam-ang's bones were recovered and he was resurrected with the help of his magical pet. Ines was ordered by the rooster to wrap the bones with her tapis while the hen flapped its wings and the dog was growling. In an instant, Lam-ang was happily reunited with his wife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biag_ni_Lam-ang

 

Biag ni Lam-ang (Summary)

BIAG NI LAM-ANG (Life of Lam-ang) is pre-Hispanic epic poem of the Ilocano people of the Philippines.  The story was handed down orally for generations before it was written down around 1640 assumedly by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg.

 (SUMMARY) OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG

Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern part of the Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke and asked that he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his godparents and asked where his father was.


After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he would go look for him.  Namongan thought  Lam-ang was up to the challenge but she was sad to let him go. During his exhausting journey, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what had happened to his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one whom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lam-ang's greatness. 

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the Amburayan river. All the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang's body.

There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo.  She lived in Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated.


Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by  many suitors all of whom were trying to catch her attention.  He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall.  This made Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter  if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he and Ines  were married.

It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which she covered with a piece of  cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to move.  Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.

http://tagaloglang.com/Philippine-Literature/Filipino-Epics/biag-ni-lam-ang-buod.html