Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Ag Tobig Nog Keboklagan is a Subanon oral epic about Taake’s journey to the underwater kingdom of Keboklagan, his marriage to Pintawan, and a conflict that escalates into devastating warfare before Asog restores the dead. The account below follows the published plot summary; it is not a substitute for the epic’s much longer translated verse.
What is Ag Tobig Nog Keboklagan?
Ag Tobig Nog Keboklagan, also known as “The Kingdom of Keboklagan,” is a recorded Subanon oral epic. Liyos Ambos sang it at Bunawan, Sindangan, on November 3, 1968. Gaudiosa Martinez Ochotorena collected and transcribed the text and prepared its English translation.
The Aswang Project’s September 16, 2022 article retells the complete plot summary printed by Damiana L. Eugenio. It does not reproduce Ochotorena’s complete translated verse. An Asian Ethnology review in 1981 describes the published epic as 7,590 lines, in Suba-on and English translation, with an introduction by its collector and extensive annotation. A Department of Education module uploaded in 2022 gives the length as 7,590 verses. These are source-specific descriptions of the epic’s scale, not the length of the shorter plot retelling.
Summary of the epic
Timoway’s voyage and Taake’s birth
Timoway, a datu of Sirangan, sets out to seek a livelihood for the child his pregnant wife is expecting. His boat will not move until he sacrifices a companion. The expedition sails, but a storm sent by Diwata Pegderaman destroys the vessel and kills those aboard. The empty pieces of the boat return to Sirangan. Around that time, Timoway’s son Taake and Sakabandar’s son Tomitib Manaon are born.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall#1 Best Overall
Taake’s fishing journey to Keboklagan
Taake grows at a supernatural pace. As a child, he learns that his father died in a storm, not at an enemy’s hand, and receives Timoway’s hook and line. He becomes renowned for extraordinary fishing. Then a huge fish with golden scales drags him for months into dangerous waters. Taake falls into the sea and reaches a shore beneath it. Following a horse that carries his fishing gear, he arrives at the kingdom of Keboklagan.
Pintawan’s ladder and the challenge to Taake
Taake climbs a ladder with golden rungs to a tower and meets the Lady of Pintawan. After seven days of courtship, she accepts his proposal. Two men in Keboklagan demand that the stranger be killed as a sacrifice. The Lady of Pintoqan warns Taake to leave, but he refuses, saying he has done no wrong and will face the datus.
Tomitib dreams that Taake is fighting alone. He travels to Keboklagan to help and joins the battle. The dispute turns on a promise: whoever climbs Pintawan’s dangerous ladder may marry her. Saulagya Maola tells the datus about the promise and divides the kingdom between those who will fight and those who will not.
Warfare spreads and the dead return
The Sirangan party carries its fighting beyond Keboklagan. They spare Pimarisan because its people are kin, but the conflicts at Dibaloy and Todongtodong are deadly. At Walo Sabang, the warriors discover that fallen subjects return to life.
Rank #3
- Celebrate your roots with this Filipina girl design for strong Filipina women who honor Filipino culture, tradition, and identity with pride and power.
- Perfect Philippines gift for proud Philippine women, island girls, or anyone embracing Filipino heritage. Great for birthdays, family events, or showing off Filipino pride.
- Hardcover journal with 240 line-ruled pages (120 sheets)
- Built-in elastic closure and ribbon bookmark
- Includes an expandable inner storage pocket and a pen holder
After seven months, Taake falls asleep on the battlefield. A young woman tells him to enter the tower in disguise and take the medicines and amulets used to revive the warriors. He follows her advice; after he takes them, the dead no longer return.
Asog ends the fighting and restores life
Seeing the devastation, Asog orders Taake—also called Malopanyag—to stop fighting and return to Sirangan for a buklog feast. Asog fans the ruined kingdom with a kerchief, restoring the dead. Taake returns to find his mother near death from grief. When he identifies himself and kisses her, she revives.
The people hold the feast, and Asog gives the assembled datus partners. The story ends with life restored and celebration in place of the battlefield’s destruction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to understand the epic’s violence
The campaigns, deaths, and supernatural restorations are part of the recorded narrative and matter to its plot. The Aswang Project cautions readers not to treat these events as a guide to present-day Subanon belief or practice. The epic’s movement from Taake’s personal dispute to widespread destruction, and then to restoration and communal celebration, is central to this summary.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
