BOOK 1 of the Engkanto Chronicles Series
= Gemfot Fanfic featuring KATAW =
Disclaimer: This is a fantasy series inspired by the mythical creatures of Philippine mythology, with a touch of BL.
Engkantos are supernatural environmental spirits and natu...
This mini-series will introduce the mythical creatures native to Philippine mythology, intertwined with a BL romance, of course, hehehe.
We have many versions of these creatures, depending on the provinces where the myth originated. The most common variations are mga nilalang (the creatures), Elemento (nature spirits), Halimaw (monsters), or the most famous one...
ENGKANTO...
Which is more like the general term for all of them.
Each tale holds the very culture passed down through generations, mostly used by parents to scare their children from going out at night. I experienced this myself when my siblings and I were still young, living in one of the rural areas of the Visayan region (central islands of the Philippine archipelago). In those times, electricity was not yet available in the village, and we relied solely on the light from a gasera / lampara (lamp).
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Our parents would gather us around and begin telling us tales of these mythical creatures, as if these folklores were imprinted in their minds.
They often included gruesome details to frighten us, but I won't do that. Instead, I will share the lighter side of these creatures in a mythic adventure of love between two races: Engkanto (magical creatures) and Ta-o (humans).
Welcome to the world of Engkantos, everyone. This is your author, Ariannaganda, introducing you to our first creature.
The KATAW.
According to folklore, Kataws are known as the monarchs of the Tubignon (merfolks). As such, they are often regarded as the highest-ranking among their people.
Unlike some common depictions of merfolks (mermaid and merman), Filipinos have variations of the merfolk kind, namely: Sireno/Sirena — the classic mermen and mermaids; Syokoy — distinct from the beautiful Sirena, these creatures are often portrayed as green-skinned, scaly humanoids with webbed hands and feet, or even tentacled limbs, which are generally malevolent and are blamed for drownings; and lastly, the Kataw, who are the royal blood.
In some early accounts, Kataws are described as having human-like legs or humanoid forms with gills and finned arms, rather than a single fish tail. They are devastatingly alluring and equally enchanting, especially when they start singing.
SYOKOY
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SIRENA
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KATAW
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Note: Images are not mine but that is how close they are from the descriptions.
