Love in the time of legends

Asolitary figure... Rising amid lush plains, sometimes kind, otherwise cruel. Governor Louie Villafuerte teased once in the ’80s that Mayon is like a woman’s breasts. While Atty. Bonnevie added, "Its tip soars some 7,500 feet into the clouds."

I’m told that on clear nights her crater glows golden red from its hot coals seen hundreds of miles away. During the day, billowing white smoke spews from a cauldron of hell beneath her bowels.

The inhabitants named her Mount Mayon. She heaves, actually periodically from seven to 10 years, spewing millions of tons of hot boulders, and burning lava...burying towns under hundreds of feet of volcanic debris.

She is nature’s legendary beauty and unparalleled in the world. Could she be the eighth wonder of the world? If not, she certainly is mysterious as the legend that she embraces.

Long ago, in the land of Ibalon, lived the powerful tribal chief Makusog, meaning strong, from Rawis. He had an only daughter, Magayon, meaning beautiful. Her mother, Dewani, had died after giving birth to Magayon.

Magayon grew to be beautiful and gentle that swains love-struck from faraway tribes, including areas outside the region of Bicol, vied for her affections. Not one of the young men captivated Magayon’s heart, not even the handsome and haughty Pagtuga (eruption), the great hunter and powerful chief of Braga, who showered Magayon’s father with gifts of gold, pearls and wild trophies from his hunts.

One day, Ulap (cloud) showed up in Rawis. He was soft-spoken and brave, the son of Chief Karilaya of the Tagalog region. He had come on foot to see for himself the celebrated beauty of Daragang Magayon (maiden beautiful). Unlike the other suitors, Ulap took his time. For many days he stole hidden glances from a distance at Daragang Magayon as she bathed at the Vawa River of Legaspi. How he admired her!

It did not take long for an opportunity to present itself. After an unusually heavy rain the night before, Magayon went to bathe as she used to at the Vawa River. The river waters were swollen and the currents swift and strong. As she tried to get on to the calmer portion of the river, she stepped on a slippery rock. Her foot sliding, she plunged into the chilly and dangerous current. In a flash, Ulap was by her side and lifted the shivering, trembling maiden to safety. The frightened women-in-waiting, dumbfounded at the near tragedy of their mistress, could do nothing but gape speechlessly at the sudden accident.

As the stars would have it, this sparked the love between Ulap and Daragang Magayon. There were a few more meetings with this lovely Magayon after this fateful incident, the emboldened youth Ulap followed her home one morning and signified his intention to marry her and he thrust his spears at the stairs of the house of Chief Makusog, Magayon’s father, as she blushed and cast her eyes downward.

Sensing that Magayon was indeed in love, and wishing only happiness for his daughter, her father had no objections. Magayon and Ulap were overjoyed. The wedding was to be held in a month’s time. Ulap had yet to inform his people and to gather provisions for the wedding celebration.

This happy news spread fast throughout the neighboring tribes. In no time it reached Chief Pagtuga and he was furious. He lay in wait for Chief Makusog and took him captive. He likewise sent word to Magayon that unless she agreed to marry him, her father would die and a war would be waged against Magayon’s people.

Magayon was helpless. She was forced to consent to the evil demands of Pagtuga to marry him. And an early date was set for the nuptials now between her and Pagtuga!

This cruel and tragic turn of events reached the attention of Ulap. He abandoned the wedding preparations by his tribe’s people, took with him his bravest warriors, and proceeded to Rawis to witness the wedding ceremonies which were just about to begin.

A skirmish followed, bloody and swift. Pagtuga was slain by Ulap. The overjoyed Magayon rushed to embrace Ulap. As she did, she was mortally wounded by a stray arrow. The grieving Ulap picked up the dying Magayon in his arms, and as he held her and gazed at the lovely creature in disbelief, Linog, a burly henchman of Pagtuga, treacherously hurled his spear at Ulap’s back, killing him instantly. At that precise moment too, Chief Makusog swung his mighty arm and struck down Linog with his bolo.

This awful spectacle left the combatants speechless and remorseful. A wedding gave way to human slaughter. There was nothing left for the remaining warriors but to pick up the dead and the dying belonging to their respective tribes. Chief Makusog, himself in tears, dug a grave for Ulap and Magayon, and tenderly laid them together in each other’s arms in death.

In the days that followed, the grave mound rose. As it did the rising was periodically accompanied by earthquakes and rumblings from beneath the grave, with red hot boulders and burning lava spewing forth from its tips higher and higher until it became a volcano.

The old folks believe that Pagtuga and Linog still agitate the volcano to get back the gifts given following an ancient custom of retrieving the dowry, buried with Magayon.

On certain days, when the tip of the volcano is covered with clouds, the local inhabitants claim it is Ulap kissing his lovely Magayon. When rain falls causing an overflow over the slopes, the old folk insist that they are the tears of Ulap.

The name Magayon, in the course of time, has been shortened to Mayong or Mayon, whose tragic story still casts a foreboding shadow even on the brightest day, over this lovely countryside of Daragang Magayon.

* * *

But wait – there is another version with quite a different ending that says Mayon Volcano is the breast of Magayon that now and then heaves in violent anger at the treachery of the evil Pagtuga and Linog. In her anger, she casts boulders and fiery lava to avenge the death of Ulap, her lover.

* * *

More than 200 years ago, Mayon erupted so violently it buried the town of Casagwa. To this day, only the belfry of the church of Casagwa can be seen protruding under boulders of solidified ash and lava.

When Mayon last erupted, it rained ashes so thick that a bright sunny day turned into twilight over vast areas and towns. Life and traffic came to a standstill. People couldn’t breathe. No one dared walk the streets without a mask. Windows of houses and buildings had to be closed. Great myriad giant red boulders from its craters were hurled hundreds of miles in every direction. Burning lava overflowed from the crater spilling down from its slopes, destroying vegetation, farms and houses.

Mayon is Bicol’s pride as it is the alluring nightmare of the inhabitants and towns and cities surrounding its slopes. It is now year 2001 and still Magayon passionately loves her Ulap. Death is not parting for them. They are buried together and their love soars high eternally for everyone to see and feel its intensity as the Bicolano’s did this June!