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Overview
The denied dog mother appears in Leopoldo Uichanco’s Tagalog account, framed as a beggar’s verse performance heard by a child and his grandfather. A king’s beloved dog gives birth to three girls who are human in every particular. They are baptized Feliza, Juana and Maria and later marry princes from different kingdoms. After the king dies, their canine mother is expelled from the palace and travels in hunger to seek them.
Feliza kicks her away rather than reveal her parentage to her husband. Juana orders a guard to bind her in a distant forest. Maria finds her there, unties her with her own hands and carries her home wrapped in her veil. She openly tells her husband that the dog is her mother and arranges food and the best chamber for her.
During the meal a bright light fills the room. The dog disappears and a splendidly dressed woman stands in her place, kisses Maria and confirms that she is the same mother. The tale ends with her blessing. No original curse is explained. Fansler’s Indian comparison reverses the daughters’ roles and ends with a golden statue; neither that death nor that transformation belongs to Uichanco’s account.
Origins & earliest records
Philippines; Leopoldo Uichanco, a Tagalog from Calamba, Laguna
Records & interpretation
Complete tale and shared comparative notes read in the retained 1921-edition transcription.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Filipino Popular Tales
Tale 53, The Denied Mother, pp. 361–363, including notes; American Folk-Lore Society
Family, evolution & connections
Canine mother and three daughters — Uichanco’s account
Complete no.53 narrative and separate comparison, pp.361–363.
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- Feliza, eldest daughter; married an unnamed prince
- Juana, second daughter; married a different unnamed prince
- Maria, youngest daughter; married another unnamed prince
Explicit childbirth and named daughters, with stated oldest/middle/youngest order. The king is an owner, not a supplied father. Each daughter’s prince husband is unnamed and no descendants are stated. The comparative Indian story has two daughters and reversed daughter roles; it is not blended with this household.
Feliza, Juana and Maria
The canine mother bears three human daughters, ordered Feliza, Juana and Maria. The king owns the dog but is not identified as their father.
Three unnamed princes, husbands of her daughters
Each daughter marries a prince of a different kingdom. The princes have no personal names; the account does not supply children of these marriages.
The same mother after her canine form
The woman appearing at the ending identifies herself as the dog and Maria’s mother. This is a narrative transformation, not a second mother or a real dog–human biological lineage.
Maria’s crab mother and wishing tree
In no.53 Maria is the youngest daughter and Juana her older sister. In 45a Maria is the crab mother’s only daughter and Juana her stepmother. Shared personal names do not equate these families.
Primary records and illustrations
Dean S. Fansler, Filipino Popular Tales (American Folk-Lore Society, 1921)
Part I, Hero Tales and Drolls. Tale 53, The Denied Mother, pp. 361–363, including notes
Cache fansler-53.txt and master fansler1921.html. Source chain: Leopoldo Uichanco, a Tagalog from Calamba, Laguna. Comparative source witnesses not independently read or silently merged.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collected folktaleFansler, tale 53, The Denied MotherResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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