Lumawig’s two flood-making sons

Overview

When the world is still flat, two sons of Lumawig want mountains so that they can catch wild pigs and deer more easily. At the elder brother’s suggestion they cover the earth with water and use the town’s head-basket as a trap. They find not only animals but people caught in it. Their father descends to help the only surviving human brother and sister at Pokis. The tale gives the divine sons no personal names or bodily transformation, and does not narrate their punishment. They are distinct from the human sibling pair who survive and repopulate the earth.

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 Flood Story, pp. 102–104 and notes

Family, evolution & connections

Lumawig’s two hunting sons — Cole’s Igorot Flood Story

One father and two unnamed sons in this telling, pp. 102–104.

Explicit opening father–son and elder-brother wording; Lumawig subsequently recognizes his sons’ flooding. Both sons reuse their collective profile. Their mother is not supplied. The human survivor siblings who later marry are distinct, and are not described as Lumawig’s children. His dog and deer are helpers, not children.

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 Flood Story, pp. 102–104 and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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