the moon eater myths

the moon or sun being devoured by a giant animal (is the way most ethnolinguistic groups in
the Philippines) explain the occurrence of lunar and solar eclipses
world of darkness

the Tambanakaua, a giant tarantula that is present in Manobo lore that is named by Garvan
(1931) and appears in the story ‘The Eclipse of the Moon’, if the moon is not freed from the
clutches of the Tarantula it is believed that there will be no more dawn and that eternal
darkness will fall upon the word where evil spirits will reign and all human apparel will be
turned into snakes.
mankind as guardians

it fell to mankind to warn the god Bathala that the great serpent Bacunawa was about to
swallow the last of the seven moons

'let loose our moon'
pyschopomps

is a word that is derived from greek psukhe 'soul', pompe 'procession' and pempein 'send'

they are described as guides for the souls of the dead, which are usually accompanied to
some sort of afterlife
across the river
