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

Overview

Following a wounded deer and his dog into a cave, a hunter becomes lost in its dark chambers. He grasps a small tree and breaks off a branch, whereupon the shrub begins speaking in an unfamiliar language. Fleeing toward his dog’s voice, he reaches the Abra River with the dead deer at his feet. The twig’s apparent berries prove to be agate beads. He returns with other men, but an unnamed spirit has removed the tree and left carvings on the cave walls. The text does not identify the shrub itself as that spirit or describe a human form. Cole’s note values such beads as treasured ornaments, a historical comment rather than a current market price.

Speaking subterranean tree whose apparent berries are valuable beadsSpecific 1916 recorded narrative
01

Origins & earliest records

Philippines; Tinguian narrative in Cole’s collection

02

Records & interpretation

Complete named tale and any attached footnotes 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

    Tinguian: The Tree with the Agate Beads, pp. 71–72 and note 81

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

Direct primary record

Philippine Folk Tales

Tinguian section. The Tree with the Agate Beads, pp. 71–72 and note 81

Complete short narrative and attached notes where present directly read. Speech, agency and narrative outcome distinguished from inferred identity or transformation. Original paraphrase; individual storyteller not assigned.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical collection / primary recorded narrativeCole, Philippine Folk Tales (1916), The Tree with the Agate Beads, pp. 71–72 and note 81Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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