Tilin, the rice bird

Overview

A girl asks her mother for raw rice while it is being prepared. Told to wait until supper, she remains behind when her mother goes for water and reaches into the covered rice basket. The cover slips and she falls inside. On returning, the mother hears bird calls from the basket, lifts the cover and releases a small brown rice bird which calls her mother and complains that she would not give it rice.

The narrative presents the daughter as the bird without explaining a spell or a deliberate curse, and gives no restoration. Cole’s note credits A. E. Jenks with recording the story and reads it as both a bird-origin tale and a lesson about disobedience. Tilin is retained from the chapter title; no modern species identification is supplied by this passage.

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

   Tilin, The Rice Bird, pp. 117–118 and note 20

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), Tilin, The Rice Bird, pp. 117–118 and note 20Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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