Ama-ron

Infobox Philippine mythology


title = Amaron
description = Philippine folk hero
gender = Male
region = Philippines
equivalent = Amaron Amroon Amron

Ama-Ron or Amaron is a sparsely known figure in Philippine Mythology. The story is more common in the Southern part of the island group of Luzon as a folk song.

Legend

Like most of the male Filipino mythological heroes, he is described as an attractive well-built man and exemplifies great strength. Ama-ron's legend is unique due to the lack of having a story on how he was born which was common with Filipino epic heroes.

Popularity in recent culture

Lack of popularity can be associated with the way Ama-ron's legend is delivered. It was a children's bedtime tale. This tradition known as "hele" is gradually decreasing in popularity hence the unfamiliarity of the youth.

Etymology and possible history

The name Ama-ron is believed to have came from the Tagalog words "Ama" (Father) and "Roon" (There) therefore "Ama roon" (Father is there). The basic unit of settlement on 14th century Philippines is called a Barangay lead by a Datu [ [http://pinas.dlsu.edu.ph/history/history.html Philippine History ] ] . The Datu is the title for ancient tribal chieftains and monarchs in pre-Hispanic Philippines. Ama-ron is believed to be a Datu of a similar sounding name. Songs and poems may have been created telling of Ama-ron to strengthen their barangay's image and stature among nearby tribes.

The accent and phonology on which Ama-ron is pronounced is more similar to that of the earliest Batangan dialect which can also be heard on folk songs of Ama-ron. The Batangan dialect, being closer to Old Tagalog than any other dialect, shows that the root of Ama-ron's mythological history is older that what people believed since Southern Tagalog and Visayan Regions were the first areas of settlements [http://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/rev2.html] .

References

*cite book
last = Eugenio
first = Damiana
authorlink = Damiana L. Eugenio
title = Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends
publisher = University of the Philippines Press
date = 2002
pages = 4-5
isbn = 971-542-357-4
*Barangay-Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society by William Henry Scott
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10771 Philippine Folklore Stories by John Maurice Miller]

Footnotes