A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A great snake confronts Balatama on his way to the sultan’s city, asks his business and declares that no traveller may pass its guarded road. When it moves to seize him, the boy cuts it in two with his father’s fighting knife and throws one part into the sea and the other into the mountains. The episode gives no personal name, number of heads, separate dragon form or revival. It is distinct from the storm-producing fenced stone encountered elsewhere on the journey.
Origins & earliest records
Philippines; Mindanao narrative in Cole’s Moro section
Records & interpretation
Complete The Story of Bantugan, its three notes and the Moro-section introduction directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Philippine Folk Tales
Moro section, The Story of Bantugan, pp. 163–171 and notes 7–9
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Philippine Folk Tales
Moro section; The Story of Bantugan. Moro section, The Story of Bantugan, pp. 163–171 and notes 7–9
Complete story, notes7–9 and sectional introduction with its note read. Named father-son relation, storm-object and distinct island endings preserved; no extra anatomical or transformation claims. Original paraphrase; no oral teller identified.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collection / primary recorded narrativeCole, Philippine Folk Tales (1916), Moro section, The Story of Bantugan, pp. 163–171 and notes 7–9Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.