maria makiling

Mariang Makiling, the Fairy of the Mountain

Mariang Makiling is said to be the mysterious fairy guarding Mount Makiling. No one knows how old she is. It is believed she is as old as the mountain itself. The very few people who have seen her wandering around the thick forest of Makiling say she is tall and graceful, with brown skin, deep black eyes, and hair almost touching the ground. Deer hunters have seen her standing on the edge of a cliff on moonlit nights, with her long hair floating in the air and her singing echoing throughout the deep valleys.

Mariang Makiling likes to appear after a storm. She strolls around the woods to straighten broken trunks, replace nests on the branches of trees, mend the wings of butterflies, and clear the streams of fallen twigs and logs. As she walks around, all signs of the storm disappear; roses and orchids bloom, birds chirp with glee, and deer run around once again.

Mariang Makiling has often appeared as an old woman begging for food from hunters. She does this to test their kindness to those in need. People who refuse to help her are chased away from the forest with the sound of howling monsters hiding in the shadows of the woods.

As time went by people saw less of Mariang Makiling. She no longer appears to people to bring them gifts of gold and jewels. Hunters have no one to turn to when they are hungry and thirsty.

Many blame Mariang Makiling’s disappearance from the forest on the people who do not return her generosity. Others say that the cutting of trees and excessive hunting of wild animals have greatly disappointed Mariang Makiling that she refuses to come out anymore. But the tale of the mysterious fairy of Mount Makiling lives on.

She is beautiful, kindhearted and loving. She had a long shiny black hair and she often wear black pearls and gold jewelry. 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 but when they came down,fruits changed into gold. People thanked her for it.

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. 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.

It is often said that Mount Makiling resembles the profile of a woman, said to be Maria herself. This phenomenon is described as true from several different perspectives, so there is no single location associated with this claim. The mountain's various peaks are said to be Maria's face and two breasts, respectively, and her hair cascades downwards a gentle slope away from her body.