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Dragons & Serpents ยท Philippines

Bakunawa

A Philippine dragon or sea-serpent figure associated with eclipses and the swallowing of moons.

Legend File

Bakunawa is often described in Visayan and wider Philippine folklore as a great serpent or dragon linked with eclipses. Stories tell of a being that desires or swallows the moons, turning celestial darkness into an act of monstrous appetite. Noise, ritual response, and communal fear make the sky a shared crisis.

Source Framing

Philippine folklore, especially Visayan and wider archipelagic eclipse-serpent traditions around Bakunawa as a moon-eating dragon or sea-serpent; keep regional variation visible and avoid treating it as one uniform national myth.

Archival-style eclipse-serpent plate for Bakunawa with sea dragon, dark moon, waves, phases, scales, and island studies.
Source reference Bakunawa reference plate Philippine folklore, especially Visayan and wider archipelagic eclipse-serpent traditions around Bakunawa as a moon-eating dragon or sea-serpent; keep regional variation visible and avoid treating it as one uniform national myth. Codex art session / Myth Atlas