Balaan Uyamot nga Magwayen by Artof Kentoe
This depiction is inspired by the classical artworks of Galo Ocampo and Botong Francisco in the 20th century.
MAGWAYEN is the primordial deity of the sea who guides souls to the afterlife. Her name likely comes from the word for bamboo "kawayan" in Binisaya and "gwayan" in Subanen, connecting to creat myths where the first humans emerged from bamboo. In early Visayan belief, Magwayen, along with Kaptan and Malaon (Laon), helped shape the world and its first people. When someone dies, Magwayen carries their soul by boat across the spiritual river "Lalangban" to Sulad, the underworld, where Sumpoy awaits before they pass on to "Saad", the land of ancestors. Just as people were born from bamboo and sailed between islands in life, they journey across water once more in death. Magwayen completes that sacred cycle. - thepinaywriter.com
