Ibong Adarna (mythology)

Infobox Philippine mythology


title = Adarna bird
description = The Legendary Bird of the Piedras Platas
gender = Female
region = Philippines
equivalent =

Adarna bird is a legendary creature in the epic, "Ibong Adarna", a literary masterpiece done by a Filipino author named Francisco Baltazar. This bird is said to be found in Mt. Tabor, where it perches on the shimmering "Piedras Platas" tree at night. During the daytime, the bird goes off somewhere but it comes back at night to roost, and it sings before it sleeps.

Description

The Adarna bird has a very long fancy tail, with numerous shiny metallic colors. It knows a total of seven songs that are believed to lull anyone to sleep as well as cure any type of afflictions; it changes its feathers into more colorful hues and shades after each song. After the last song, it shits, then finally, sleeps with its eyes wide open. Its droppings can turn any living organism into stone.

Background

The epic is entitled, "Ibong Adarna", which literally means "Adarna Bird" in English. It is a type of poem known in the Philippine literature as "korido". The "korido" is a declaration or narration on falling in love and the struggles of a heroic character, which is also filled with mystery. [ [http://www.globalpinoy.com/ch/ch_literature_AwitatKorido.php Global Pinoy: Cultural Heritage] . Accessed August 28, 2008.]

In the story, Don Fernando, the ruler of the Kingdom of Berbania, fell ill after having a bad dream about Don Juan, his favorite son, being attacked by two people before being thrown down a well. None of the healers in the kingdom could cure him, and his condition worsened. One day, an old doctor arrived in the Berbania and said that the illness of Don Fernando, which was brought about by a nightmare, may be cured only by the song of the Adarna bird. The old doctor warned that the bird is actually an enchantress, but it must be brought back to Berbania to save Don Fernando from sickness.

In order to catch this bird, the leper advised Don Juan to stay awake to avoid its poop, which could turn him into a stone figure just like what happened to his two brothers, Don Pedro and Don Diego, who came before him. To maintain his wakefulness, Don Juan cut his palm with a razor and dropped a dayap juice on its wound. When the bird finished its seven songs, Don Juan climbed the tree and used a golden cord to bind its legs so that it could not escape. After capturing the bird, he then poured water on the stone figures of his brothers under the tree to save them. [ [http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Literature/Metrical%20Tales/IBONG%20ADARNA.htm The Summary of the Adarna Bird] . Accessed August 28, 2008.]

References