Biag Ni Lam-Ang

Archetypal Analysis

"Biag ni Lam-ang" is a Filipino epic dating back to the Pre-Spanish age. It is the story of Lam-ang, the hero of the epic poem, who went on a quest in search for his father Don Juan. It is obviously an epic for the protagonist has been capable of completing conceivably impossible tasks like killing a tribe of Igorots by himself, and talking immediately after his birth.

Lam-ang is the archetypal hero of the poem. While his mother Namongan was bearing him, she asked her husband Don Juan to make her a reclining bed to be used in the time she gives birth. As a symbol that Don Juan is a powerful man with seemingly godlike abilities, by simply asking the bamboos, and the other pieces of wood he used to make his wife's bed, to go ahead and walk by themselves, he was immediately obeyed by these once inanimate objects and even arranged themselves for his convenience. He even even went to punish a tribe of Igorots by himself - rather unsuccessfully. The son, Lam-ang, inherited some of his father's abilities and the task of punishing the tribe of Igorots. This gives way to a custom where fathers pass down to their first sons the treasures or heirloom of the family and dreams he had failed to achieve - of which a father asks his son to continue it and hope for his success.

Symbolizing Lam-ang's 'greatness', he was able to talk fluently immediately after his birth. A dream showed him that his father had died. Some cultures believe that dreams are a portal to the same reality - that it shows us events and things that we did not see firsthand, but are connected to us - and sometimes give us glimpses of our future. Because of this belief, Lam-ang was certain that his father had indeed died, and so he immediately set out to avenge the death of Don Juan by killing the tribe of Igorots who killed him. Lam-ang only spared a few Igorots to spread the word of his menace and strength.

There was a scene in the poem where Lam-ang was bathed in a river by a dozen of young women. All the living creatures that swam in the water died and the water itself turned murky and brown. The bathing symbolizes rebirth. Lam-ang was cleansed by his past filth/mistakes which was a lot considering what the dirt in his skin did to the fish that once swam those waters. And because he was born anew, he was able to experience one of the purest emotions: love. It came to him in the form of the loveliest maiden in a nearby town; her name was Ines.

In wooing this maiden, Lam-ang brought with him two companions: a white rooster and a gray dog. Because a long queue of men were outside the cottage of Ines, he asked his rooster to crow to catch her attention. The rooster crowed and a nearby house fell down. Now, the rooster here is a symbol of courage and strength - qualities that Lam-ang possessed. After successfully gaining Ines' attention, he asked his dog to bark and the house that fell down rose up and rebuilt itself. A dog is a symbol of a pure spirit and of loyalty - which tells us that Lam-ang has pure intentions for Ines. After paying the dowry, he won the hand of Ines.