Fiction
**The Gods Must Be Crazy: A Philippine Mythology Podcast**

Two Filipina transplants explore the rich, strange, wacky, and largely underground (pun intended) world of Philippine Mythology.

Latest Episodes:

EPISODE 23: GOT 2 BELIEVE (IN MAGIC) Part 2 | Anting-Anting, Agimat, and Talismanic Beliefs in the Philippines May 29, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 23: GOT 2 BELIEVE (IN MAGIC) Part 2 | Anting-Anting, Agimat, and Talismanic Beliefs in the Philippines

In a special 2-part episode, we talk about the origins, myths, and how-tos of Filipino Talismans: what we call the anting-anting or the agimat. Learn about how bones and teeth, bronze and gold, dirt and cloths, all have the power to transform an ordinary mortal into a god.

This second part, we talk about Filipino Talismans: what we call the anting-anting or the agimat in the time of Colonial (Spanish-time) Philippines to present day. Learn about how talismans may have influenced our revolutionary heroes and modern-day entertainment. Also learn about how and when to get your very own talismans.

—

The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds, and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes.

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agimat

You Shall Be As Gods: Anting-anting and the Filipino Quest for Mystical Power Authored by Dennis Santos Villegas

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/talisman-leadership-and-power-the-belief-in-magical-potency-continues-to-pervade-filipino-life/

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/193499/where-did-anting-anting-come-from/

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24690/24690-h/24690-h.htm

EPISODE 22: GOT 2 BELIEVE (IN MAGIC) Part 1 | Anting-Anting, Agimat, and Talismanic Beliefs in the Philippines Apr 24, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 22: GOT 2 BELIEVE (IN MAGIC) Part 1 | Anting-Anting, Agimat, and Talismanic Beliefs in the Philippines

This first part tackles pre-colonial beliefs, epic connections, and the magic of everyday items like leaves, mud, and even song. Sailing warning: do not listen to this episode while on a boat – you’ll find out why.

—

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

Gamelan Song: Kecak by the Kecak Group from the album Music for the Gods: The Fahnestock South Sea Expedition: Indonesia (1941). Licensed to YouTube by The Orchard Music (on behalf of Smithsonian Folkways Mickey Hart Collection)

---

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agimat

You Shall Be As Gods: Anting-anting and the Filipino Quest for Mystical Power Authored by Dennis Santos Villegas

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/talisman-leadership-and-power-the-belief-in-magical-potency-continues-to-pervade-filipino-life/

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/193499/where-did-anting-anting-come-from/

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24690/24690-h/24690-h.htm

Music for the Gods – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WELQBJRiH90

EPISODE 21: TGMBC BOOK RECS - PART 1 (Book Recommendations on Philippine Mythology & Pre-Colonial History) Apr 10, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 21: TGMBC BOOK RECS - PART 1 (Book Recommendations on Philippine Mythology & Pre-Colonial History)

You guys have asked, and you shall receive! Ever since the pod started, listeners have been asking us for book recommendations for anyone interested in learning more about Philippine mythology and pre-colonial history. This is that episode, folks!

Join us as we run through some of the sources we look to for our own research on different topics – from historically accurate and inaccurate accounts of who could wear shoes in pre-colonial times, to accounts of our national heroes as the flawed and quirky human beings that they are, and the (thankfully growing) compendium of resource material on folktales and indigenous practices around the islands.

Get ready to add to cart, and enjoy!

—

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

Small Correction: Ibong Adarna is said to be written by Jose dela Cruz (aka Huseng Sisiw), not Francisco Balagtas

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Boxer Codex: A Modern Spanish Transcription & English Translation of 16-Century Exploration Accounts of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific - Isaac Donoso (Author), Ma. Luisa Garcia (Translator), Carlos Quirino (Translator), Mauro Garcia (Translator)

Barangay: 16th Century Philippine Culture & Society - William Henry Scott

Rizal Without the Overcoat - Ambeth R. Ocampo

You Shall Be As Gods: Anting-Anting and the Filipino Quest for Mystical Power - Dennis Santos Villegas

Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern - Lane Wilcken

Dictionary of Philippine Mythology - Ferdinand Blumentritt

Mga Nilalang na Kagilagilalas - Edgar C. Samar

Outline of Philippine Mythology - F. Landa Jocano

Legends of the Lower Gods (among many other titles!) - Maximo D. Ramos

Philippine Folk Tales by Mable Cook Cole (Read for free at Forgotten Books.org)

EPISODE 20 (BONUS): MANANANGGAL IN MANHATTAN (Reading Melania: Devourer of Men, So You Don’t Have To) Mar 27, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 20 (BONUS): MANANANGGAL IN MANHATTAN (Reading Melania: Devourer of Men, So You Don’t Have To)

In this episode, we provide a critical follow-up to our first ever topic: the Manananggal. In an effort to address a long-held morbid curiosity ever since it first came our way, we cover the riveting and unsettling premise of the book Melania: Devourer of Men.

Join us as we romp through the soaring heights of Trump Tower, get lost in the sparkling beaches of Boracay and a dodgy karaoke bar and Panay. Follow us through impossibly absurd sexual metaphors, FBI interrogations, and the total eclipse of the heart – as we learn what it’s like for a First Lady to have to hide the deep, dark, monstrous creature she has become.

—

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

WORK REFERENCED:

Melania: Devourer of Men by J.D. Boehninger (Published 2018)

EPISODE 19: URDUJA, WARRIOR PRINCESS | Legendary Princess of Tawalisi Mar 12, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 19: URDUJA, WARRIOR PRINCESS | Legendary Princess of Tawalisi

In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings... A land in turmoil cried out for heroes. She was Urduja, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. In this episode, we learn about Urduja, a legendary princess who was almost too epic to be real. Join us as we embark on a journey across ancient Sri-Visayan Empires, the Hundred Islands of Pangasinan, and the warrior plains of Mongolia. Help us decide if this well-documented tale was real and help us decide what “Elephant-load” actually means.

—

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urduja

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Battuta

https://www.aswangproject.com/princess-urduja/

EPISODE 18: BOSSY BABIES, TALKING ANIMALS AND DEADLY BATHS | The Epic Tale of Lam-Ang Feb 13, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 18: BOSSY BABIES, TALKING ANIMALS AND DEADLY BATHS | The Epic Tale of Lam-Ang

In this episode, we brush up on our high-school Panitikan to tackle one of the major epics in Philippine literature: the tale of child-prodigy turned avenger turned romantic hero, BIAG NI LAM-ANG.

Treat this as your SparkNotes version of the epic tale—and follow us through strange pregnancy cravings, overachieving child-prodigies, magical talking animals and an unnecessarily deadly bath turned environmental disaster.

All this, of course, sprinkled on top of a heroic tale of vengeance, honor, magic, and love.

—

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

SOURCES:

Jocano, F. Landa. Outline of Philippine mythology / by F. Landa Jocano Centro Escolar University Research and Development Center Manila , 1969.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biag_ni_Lam-ang

EPISODE 17: I HOPE YOU GET RICH | Filipino-Chinese New Year Practices & Beliefs Jan 30, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 17: I HOPE YOU GET RICH | Filipino-Chinese New Year Beliefs, Practices & Superstitions In this (semi-cross-over) episode, we discuss the fascinating practices and beliefs of the huge Filipino-Chinese community, especially during the Chinese Lunar New Year! Listen in while Anama quizzes Ice on things like: why do people give each other tikoy, which fruit does not belong in a Chinese New Year spread, how much money you can or cannot put in an Ang Bao, and what people actually tell each other when they give New Year’s wishes. Learn about the dos and don’ts during Chinese New Year and find out what a well-known brand of delicious snacks has to do with...fire trucks? Note: Monday, Feb 7 is everybody’s birthday in the Chinese New Year context, not on the 14th day of New Year as Anama originally thought — The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds, and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes. You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram). --- SOURCES: Solar Daybreak Claire Celdran tours Binondo with Carlos Celdran (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TU06qokdI https://www.filipinopod101.com/blog/2020/01/06/filipino-chinese-new-year/ https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-magazine/2018/02/11/1786501/dancing-new-year Tan, S. L. (1995). Tales for Big Children: Chinese and Filipino Folk Stories Part I. Manila: De La Salle University Press. https://www.zenrooms.com/blog/post/chinese-new-year-philippines/#:~:text=Serving%20and%20eating%20tikoy%20every,luck%20and%20fortune%20to%20them. https://faq.ph/chinese-new-year-traditions-in-the-philippines/

EPISODE 16 : BIG LITTLE GODS | The Anito, Philippine Ancestral Spirits Jan 15, 2022

Show notes

Alternate title: Anito Ako, Umiibig Sayo

In this episode, we talk about not just one, not two, but the multitude of gods our Filipino ancestors worshipped: the Anito. Find out just who these ancestral spirits are, how to summon just the right one to grant a wish and if (or how) you can be one in the afterlife.

We learn about the incredibly specific anitos invoked for incredibly specific needs — whether you are growing bananas, looking for lost things, or wanting to resell your car at a good price! And just for fun, we also try to think of what anitos we would actually need to help with our modern day woes: an anito for fake news? One to help with cramps and migraines? Or maybe one to stop your impulse shopping?

—

Notes:

Some spoilers for the book Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Corrections: The lead actress for Esmeralda was not Thalia but Leticia Calderon, and there were 23 Ifugao weaving anitos, not 24

List of Gods:

Ipamahandi - Bukidnon goddess of accidents
Makatalubhay - Tagalog god of bananas
Kalasakas - Sambal god of early ripening of rice stalks
Kalasokus - Sambal god of turning grain yellow and dry
Bingsol - Tagalog god of ploughmen
Pilay - Isnag spirit of the rice; a ritual is offered to Pilay to ensure that children don't go hungry
Kapapu-an - Karay-a ancestral spirits from whom the supernatural powers of shamans originated; with their help, specific types of shamans can cause water to gush from rocks, create oil shields, leap far distances, pass through solid matter, or become invisible
Lakambini / Lakandaytan - Tagalog god of attachment
Matanda - Tagalog god of merchants and second-hand dealers
Lakapati - Tagalog fertility deity; deity of vagrants and waifs
Tigbas - Bukidnon god of good government
Anagolay - Tagalog goddess of lost things
Mahinhin - Kapampangan goddess of modesty; married a mortal
Inikadowa - Maranao a tonong (benign spirit) double or guardian of a person, who is with the person from the moment the baby is born
Loos Klagan - Blaan most feared deity; uttering his name is considered a curse
Apila - Manobo god of wrestling and sports
Magrakad - Tagbanwa god found on the other side of the sun at exactly noontime; gives the warmth which sustains life and carries away sickness when people are ill
Maguimba - Batak god in the remotest times; lived among the people; provided all the necessities of life and cures for all illnesses; able to bring the dead back to life
Kapiso Pabalita - Tagalog news-giving protector of travelers
Balungbunganin - Batak spirit of the almaciga trees
Fu Dalu - T'boli goddess of the abaca plant; speaks to weavers in their dreams and guides them in creating patterns and designs
Mamiyo & Monlolot – 2 of 23 Ifugao weaving deities

—

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anito

https://hunterswoodsph.com/philippine-mythology-gods/

EPISODE 15 (Minisode): A WIBBLY-WOBBLY, TIMEY-WIMEY FILIPINO TELEPORTATION TALE Jan 02, 2022

Show notes

EPISODE 15 (Minisode): A WIBBLY-WOBBLY, TIMEY-WIMEY FILIPINO TELEPORTATION TALE

In our first (actually ‘mini’) minisode, we cover a fascinating tale of teleportation all the way from our 16th-century Philippine colonial period. In this account, we meet the unassuming guardia civil Gil Perez, who was inexplicably plucked from his guard post in Manila to another place thousands of miles away. Was it a hoax? ESP? Or were there more devilish forces at play?

—

Notes:

On Dasmariñas: The Spanish Government named the town Perez de Dasmariñas in honor of the Spanish Governor General of the islands from 1590-1593. Perez Dasmariñas was well remembered because he was the one who initiated the fortification of Intramuros and Fort Santiago. (From https://dasmacitygov.weebly.com/)

—

The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds, and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We also welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes.

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

SOURCES:

https://justhistoryposts.com/2020/10/24/a-brief-moment-of-history-the-teleported-soldier/

https://archive.org/details/legendsofcityofm00janvrich/page/96/mode/2up?view=theater

https://mexicodailypost.com/2021/10/02/the-soldier-teleported-from-the-philippines-to-mexico-in-1593/

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/315457/p2fb-time-traveler-claims-philippines-will-be-a-giant-utopia-crime-free-by-2030/

EPISODE 14: BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIRINGAN CITY | The Mythical Hidden City of the Philippines Dec 18, 2021

Show notes

EPISODE 14: BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIRINGAN CITY | The Mythical Hidden City of the Philippines

Since many of us can’t travel this holiday season, let’s take a virtual trip to Biringan City. Hear about the Philippines’ very own Atlantis and Wakanda. Learn about the secret waypoints, real witness encounters, and shopping mishaps that happen around this mythical city. Find out just how many journalists and BMW dealerships have been bamboozled by the magical citizens of this mystical place. And learn about Ice’s and Anama’s Tourism campaign that will entice every adventurous traveler to visit (and perhaps never leave) BIRINGAN CITYYYY!!!

---

The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds, and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We also welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes.

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at godsmustbecrazy.pod@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biringan_City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPQJJE9CDwU

https://www.aswangproject.com/biringan-city/

https://steemit.com/steemiteducation/@lyxng/biringan-the-city-of-the-unknown-fact-or-fiction

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-2-biringan-city-and-other-scary-stories/id1485149642?i=1000462374382