Boy who becomes the serpent eagle

Overview

Two boys repeatedly gather firewood for their mother but receive little and poor food, whatever kind of wood they bring. One climbs a tree and calls down that he has cut wood, while the bones of his arms, legs and the rest of his body fall to the ground. He tells his younger brother to take them home as the wood their mother wanted. When the younger boy prepares to leave, a serpent eagle speaks from above and accompanies him: the narrator explicitly identifies it as his brother.

The mother flees when she sees the bundle, and the bird circles overhead calling that it no longer needs her food. No return to human form is narrated. Cole’s note credits A. E. Jenks with recording the story and interprets it both as an origin of the serpent eagle and a warning against stinginess; the tale itself does not give the transformed boy a personal name or a modern zoological identification.

Origins & earliest records

Philippines; Igorot accounts as grouped by Cole

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant story, collection preface, regional introduction and attached notes directly read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Philippine Folk Tales

   Mabel Cook Cole, compiler and annotator · 1916

   The Serpent Eagle, pp. 113–114 and notes 15–16

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

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Historical collected narrative and editorial notesCole, Philippine Folk Tales (1916), The Serpent Eagle, pp. 113–114 and notes 15–16Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.