1. University of Southeastern Philippines
College of Education
Obrero, Davao City
Submitted to:
Prof. Maxima Piala
Mythology and Folklore
Submitted by:
Duhaylungsod, Joyce T.
Cabural, Leonardo Achilles C.
BSEd-English III

2. In old times, people greatly believe on the existence of supernatural beings.
They believed that humans co-exist with supernatural beings. These beings are
endowed with certain capabilities that humans do not have. But despite these
extraordinary capabilities these creatures have weaknesses. This is a story of how my
cousin’s grandparents managed to escape a supernatural creature.
It was fiesta at the neighboring barrio. My cousin’s grandparents decided to
come to the barrio and celebrate with friends who lived there. The two had to go
through a forest before reaching the barrio. They set off early in order to enjoy the
highlights of fiesta. On their way to the barrio, the two did not encounter any
problem in the forest. They reached the barrio safely and enjoyed the festivities for
the whole day. They decided to go home by the afternoon before it was dark.
Unfortunately, before the sun set they were still inside the forest. When it started to
grow darker and darker, they moved close to each as they felt something was
following them. They saw a suspended light coming towards their direction. My
cousin’s grandmother searched for a match and commanded her husband to do so.
When they found the match, my cousin’s grandmother lit the match and the creature
disappeared. It has been believed that when a santelmo, the suspended light they
saw, was afraid of fire. A santelmo is a creature of fire that when it comes to contact
to the human body the body burns from the inside with an inextinguishable flame
until the human being dies. So it is convenient to bring a match with you when you
are going to the forest. Just in case you might encounter a santelmo.