The Legend of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars

A Pangasinan tale of how the heavenly bodies came to be

A long, long time ago, in the skies above the world, there lived a powerful god named Ama. He was the Father of all, the creator of man, and the ruler of the heavens. Ama lived in a beautiful palace in the sky, where he could watch everything that happened on Earth.

Among all his many children, Ama loved two sons most of all—Agueo, the Sun, and Bulan, the Moon.

To each of them, Ama gave a shining palace of fire. He told them, “Every day, you must travel across the sky to give light to the world. Agueo, you bring the day. Bulan, you bring the night. Travel side by side and let your light help the people of Earth.”

Agueo was quiet and serious, but always obedient to their father. Bulan, on the other hand, was playful and full of tricks. He liked to laugh and play games—even when it was time to work.

One day, near the end of their journey across the sky, they looked down and saw thieves hiding in the shadows on Earth. The thieves whispered to each other, “Hurry! We need the sun to go down so we can steal under the cover of darkness!”

Bulan, who loved mischief and was a friend to the night, laughed and said to Agueo, “Let’s move faster! Let’s leave the Earth in darkness!”

But Agueo frowned. “No,” he said. “Father told us to follow our path. We must finish our journey at the right time.”

Bulan didn’t like that answer. He teased Agueo and tried to rush ahead. Agueo refused. The two brothers argued, louder and louder, until their voices thundered in the skies.

From his palace above, Ama heard them. He saw what was happening and became very angry—especially at Bulan, who had disobeyed and sided with the thieves.

With a mighty roar, Ama took a giant rock from the heavens and hurled it through the sky. It whistled through the clouds and struck Bulan’s palace, shattering the rock into a thousand tiny glowing pieces.

These glowing pieces flew across the sky, and to this day, they still shine every night. We call them the Bituen—the Stars.

As for Bulan, Ama was not done.

“You will no longer travel beside your brother,” Ama said. “From now on, you will walk the night alone. Your light will no longer be as bright, and you shall forever light the way—not for the good—but for those who wander in darkness.”

And so, from that day on, Agueo the Sun travels alone during the day, bringing warmth and light to the world. When he goes to rest, Bulan the Moon follows, gliding quietly across the night sky with his pale, lonely glow.

And the stars, those shining pieces of the broken rock, twinkle above us to remind us of the day when two brothers fought, and the heavens changed forever.

And that is how the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars came to be.

Base Reference:

Clark, Jordan (August 3, 2021).  “Deities, Myths and Sorcery of the Pangasinense.”  https://www.aswangproject.com/deities-myths-pangasinense/