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

Overview

A boy gambles while his grandmother supports them by removing cotton seeds. Angry that supper is not ready, he throws coconut shells at her. When she strikes him with her spindle, he changes into an animal: the cotton covers him as hair and the spindle becomes his tail. He then lashes his gambling companions with that tail, changing them into similar creatures. Driven out of town, they take to the forest trees as monkeys. The tale supplies a sequence of transformations rather than a biological account of primate origins, and it does not describe a return to human form.

Boy transformed into a monkey who changes his fellow gamblersPublic traditional narrative
01

Origins & earliest records

Philippines; Visayan account as grouped by Cole

02

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

    Visayan, The First Monkey, pp. 202–203 and note 14 with its cross-reference

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

Mabel Cook Cole, Philippine Folk Tales (Chicago: A. C. McClurg, 1916)

Visayan section. Visayan, The First Monkey, pp. 202–203 and note 14 with its cross-reference

Complete tale and attached notes read. Exact source-specific identities, narrative ending and limits retained. Earlier recordings credited by Cole have not been independently inspected for this entry.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

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), Visayan, The First Monkey, pp. 202–203 and note 14 with its cross-referenceResearch 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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