Lubay Lubyok Mahanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan

Lubay Lubyok Mahanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan
Goddess of the night breeze

Her very long name is roughly translated as “Graceful Movement of the Arrogant Breeze” and she is known to be the goddess of the night breeze and is the wife of Dumalapdap, the third demigod son of Alunsina and Datu Paubari and one of the heroes in Hinilawod.
Lubay Lubyok Mahanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan is also one of the “3 beauties” in the epic poem, they are a trio of beautiful Earth dwelling sister- goddesses who ensnared the heart of the 3 heroic demigod brothers of the story. This goddess is the most elusive of them all, even if her beauty is said to be legendary. She lives in a faraway, place called Burutlakan-ka-Adlaw (Land of Dawn)in the east tending to the plants and animals of the forest in her domain . She is a sweet goddess but she is wary of men, and do not trust them, she even has 2 guardian monsters to protect her place from unwanted visitors. She has 2 monsters; The 2 headed giant monster Balanakon which guards the ridge going to her domain and the scaly bat-like monster with poisonous sharp claws and teeth called the Uyutang which guards the gates. 

This from the book The First Cashew Nut ni Maria Yotoko Chorengel 
Illustrated by Beth A. Parrocha

In an old children’s folktale, she is also said to play around the forests of an island at the edge of the world or a middle world island that is away from human civilization(which turns out to be the ancient Guimaras), And it was from this place that she created the kasoy tree and punished it’s fruits for being too frivolous and giving her trouble. She is said to be a young woman, with long hair and dressed in soft fabrics like petals to a flower. It was her duty to bring the cool night breeze that helps the ancient people of Visayas sleep and dream of good dreams. Like her sisters, people would create songs about her and her beauty, and those songs were one of the first “love songs” for a goddess. Lubay Lubyok Mahanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan is a graceful and tender goddess, but she also has a short temper, just as what she had displayed with her own creation, Kasoy, and when she is angered by the people, she is said to take away the lovely night breeze and make the people suffer humid, warm nights instead, but all in all, she was a popular deity, who won the heart of the ancient mythic hero Dumalapdap and their love story lives on in Hinilawod.

During the Spanish conquest of the Visayan Islands, many gods and goddesses were replaced with Christian saints, and although the worship of Lubay Lubyok Mahanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan was ceased, they cannot erase her image as one of the important characters in Hinilawod, which is a very famous long epic poem of the Sulodnon tribe in inner Panay. The epic poem has garnered local attention and has been translated into plays which in turn gained an international following, showing to the world the rich culture, creativity and artistic talent of the Visayans. 

Related tale: Story of Kasoy Tree

In a beautiful forest somewhere in the islands of guimaras, there lived a kasoy tree, it had soft creamy flowers, small oval-shaped leaves and a sturdy trunk... everyone envied the kasoy tree, but the kasoy felt sad, since it cannot bear fruit. The kasoy tree prayed and prayed to the diwatas, until one night Lubay Lubyok Mahanginun si Mahuyokhuyokan (or LLMM for short), goddess of the night breeze, happened upon the tree while it cries. The diwata asked the tree what's wrong, the kasoy tree answered " I am blessed with many good qualities but I can't be happy for I cannot bear fruit!" The diwata, told the kasoy not to worry for in a month's time something magical will happen, and then disappeared. 

 The First Cashew Nut ni Maria Yotoko Chorengel 

Illustrated by Beth A. Parrocha

A month passed and the kasoy tree woke up to small little voices disturbing his slumber, and was surprised to see gold colored, bell-shaped fruits hanging, replacing the white flowers it had. The small voices came from inside the fruit, those were the voices of the seeds, all begging to come out and see the world. At first, the kasoy tree was happy, but each day the seeds complained louder and louder, irritating the kasoy tree day and night until he can't take it anymore, he prayed to LLMM, and later that night the diwata appeared, with an entourage of fireflies. She assured the kasoy tree again that everything will be alright. She touched one of it's fruits, and the kasoy tree felt a tingling sensation, and she gave it a tight squeeze until the seed popped out at it's end.She then clapped her hands and all the kasoy seeds were outside the fruit. They thanked the diwata for this opportunity and she went away again, carried by the night breeze to the other end of the forest.
The seeds were happy, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the outside world, until nightfall comes again, and they became really scared, the creatures of the night and the sounds they make made the seeds unhappy, they soon started to complain once more. To make it worse, a thundercloud passed by, creating violent rain and thunder and lighting over the forest canopy, driving the seeds wild with fright. They began screaming in unison, begging to return inside the fruit because it is warm and safe, they said. Each night after that, the seeds, started to wail more louder and louder, because now they do not want to be outside for it scares them. One fateful night however, LLMM appeared to check on the kasoy tree, and the seeds begged her to return them inside once more. The goddess was angered by their frivolity and petulence and told them to shut up and took away their voices with her magic. She then looked sadly at the kasoy tree, and said her goodbyes, saying he will never see her again, before commanding the evening air to carry her far away from the forest.  

As the story goes, the seeds, learned to persevere the weather and the frightful scenes they saw at night, and it took a toll on them...the once straight seeds are now bent like a bean, and their outer shells hardened due to constant exposure to the wind, rain, and heat. And that is the story of the kasoy.