Since I was a kid, I was always intrigued by the richness of tales and legends that our place has to offer. Almost all living things, mountains and even rivers have their own origin explained in a certain folklore.
To us, such stories are far from the usual fairy tales of princes and princesses. They don't always end in a happily ever after situation, however, they do offer people lessons about life and morality which projects the beliefs and culture of the society in which they have originated.
These stories vary per town and province. One story might feature a boy but in another version that boy might be portrayed as a man and is within a different situation. Such differences, might be an evidence of the tales single origin but later evolved into something else due to the culture of the town and people in which they had landed.
I remember a story told to me by my grandfather many years ago. It speaks of how the hundred islands of the coast of Luzon came into being.
"The story goes that long ago there was a tribe who went into war with some pirate invaders. The tribe sent a hundred of it's finest warriors into battle lead by their chieftain. When they met the enemy, a fierce battle broke up. The warriors were out numbered yet they held their ground. When the sun rose, all the pirates were defeated but not a single warrior was left alive. Their bodies were left floating off the shore of the mainland.
After a few days, a strange site appeared within the horizon. When the villagers investigated, they were surprised to see hundred of islands in the part of the see where the fierce battle had happened. And so it came to be, that the people recognized that those islands were once the brave warriors who fended off the pirates."
The ending might not sound pretty but it does give a sense of fulfillment to the readers that the sacrifice of the brave men was rewarded even in death. Such stories with similar themed are common in this part of the world.
It always a nice experiencing hearing such stories. Makes me grateful to be living in this part of the world.
Sta.sh
Eager 
!!
