Chapter 4 - Indian Literature in the Philippines

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"a women is rescued from a fish's belly. #71
In the Philippines, a parallel of this recurrent tale
incident in Indian folk-literature is citable from Lam-ang,
the Ilk. folk-epos. Lam-ang, the hero, after having settled
down to perform his duties as a householder (his turn hav-
ing come according to village traditions) goes to fish. But
in the process, he is swallowed by a large fish, named in
the native speech, berkåkan.
In contrast to the deliverance of the heroes in the
Indian tales who are alive and well, the Ilk. hero is de-
livered from death only after his bones were collected from
the river bed, and restored to life again by occult ritual.
The deliverance of Pradyumna, Śaktideva, Sankhadatta and
other folk-heroes in India is probably paralleled by the
safe escape of Rajah Bagaram, who was saved from drowning
because he was swallowed by a big fish that brought him
safely ashore.72
The presence of the Christian element in Lam-ang,
71 awney, ix (Bk. VIII, Chap. exxiii), p. 59. Cf.
Stokes, Indian Fairy; Crooke, Popular Religion and Folk-
Tales, No. xiv, IA, XIV, 1885, p.
258;
IA, XV, 1886, p. 157;
Tales,
lore in North India, ii, p. 254.
72 Maximo Ramos, Tales of Long Ago in the Philippines
p. 174-182. "The Bird that Stole the King's Golden Beard"
Cf. the escape of Jonah in Hebrew literature from belly of
a great fish appointed by the Lord God to swallow him up.
Vide the Holy Bible of the Christians, Book of Jonah.