Long ago in Mount Makiling lived Maria Makiling, a beautiful goddess who protected the forest and helped the local people. She provided fruits that would turn to gold and allowed hunting and gathering. However, when some people disrespected her by stealing, overhunting, and rejecting her love, she cursed the mountain and never showed herself again. The legend of Maria Makiling teaches the importance of appreciating kindness and not taking advantage of others.

1. THE LEGEND OF
MARIA MAKILING
RETOLD BY JOSE RIZAL

2. LEGEND
•It is a genre of folklore that consists of a
narrative featuring human actions
perceived or believed both by teller and
listeners to have taken place within
human history.

3. MARIA MAKILING
• She was a young girl , tall, well-shaped with large black eyes, long and
abundant hair.
• Her color was a clear, light brown , the “Kayumanggi- Kaligatan” (Tagalog)
• Her hands and feet are small and exquisite
• The expression of her face always grave and serious
• She was half nymph, half sylph, born of the rays of the sun of the Philippines,
in the mystery of its august forest and to the lullaby of the murmur of the
neighboring lake

4. MARIA AND THE MOUNTAIN
•When viewed in different locations, Mount
Makiling resembles a sleeping woman and
this is said to be Maria.
•Other supernatural entities: Maria Sinukuan
of Mt. Arayat and Maria Cacao of Mt. Lantoy,
Cebu

6. TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS
• Men who went to her to the mountain were never seen again
as Maria would lure them to the mountain wilds and made
them happy in marital bliss as her husbands.
• Some people who picked and ate fruits in the forest angered
Maria so she changed the paths to take them to thick and
thorny bushes or become beset by stinging insects. The victim
would then leave the basketful of fruits and reverse the
clothing

7. TRANSFORMING GINGER TO GOLD
•The people who are in need take
home the ginger that would
turn to gold which they can sell
or exchange

8. A LOSER IN LOVE
•Maria Makiling was casted as
a rejected lover

9. CURSE OF MARIA MAKILING
• She withdrew her consent which allowed the trees and
bushes to bear fruit
• She stopped the animals and birds roaming the forest for
hunters to catch and stopped the fish from breeding in
the lake
• The mountain is seldom seen except occasionally by the
light of the pale moon

10. BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE STORY
•Maria Makiling is the guardian spirit of
the mountain, responsible for
protecting its bounty and thus is also a
benefactor for the townspeople who
depend on the mountain’s resources.

11. BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE STORY
•In addition to being a guardian of the
mountain, some legends also identify
Laguna de Bay and the fish caught from it,
as part of her domain. She was sent by
Bathala to aid the people of the area in their
everyday life.

12. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
Long ago, in Mt. Makiling, there lived a
beautiful goddess named Maria
Makiling. She is beautiful, kind-hearted
and loving. She had a long, shiny, black
hair and she often wears black pearls
and gold jewelry.

13. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
She often shows off herself to people
living at the foot of the mountain as a
human. Many times, people would
climb up to the mountain and pick
some fruits

14. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
but when they come down, fruits
changed into gold. People thanked her
for it. But one day, some people robbed
her jewelry. Some hunters climb up the
mountain and hunted

15. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
for wild animals, cut down trees and left
the forest at the top of the mountain
denuded. At that time, one of those
hunters is a mortal which Maria Makiling
fell in love with.

16. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
She discovered that the hunter already
have a mortal as his wife. After those
things happened, Maria Makiling was
very angry that it thundered and rained
hard that night

17. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
and her voice was heard by all the
people leaving at the foot of the
mountain. She laughed so hard that it
brought an earthquake. After her large
voice was heard,

18. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
she never showed herself again to
those mortals who abused her
kindness. Today, it is still believed that
Maria Makiling is still living there.

19. MORAL
• We should not abuse other people’s kindness.
• We shouldn’t be envious of what others have.
• Don’t do to others what you don’t want others do to
you.
• You can’t force love.
• We should not harbor anger and grudge towards
others.