Divata

Divata (also spelled Duwata, Dewata, Ruwata, Diya, Dewa, and other cognates) is an archaic term for Diwata, a gender-neutral umbrella term used in the Philippines for gods, goddesses, nature spirits, nymphs, and fairies.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} Some spirits that have never been human are differentiated in certain ethnolinguistic groups as diwata, which can range from simple guardian spirits of objects, plants, animals, or places to deities embodying abstract concepts and natural phenomena, as well as divine beings belonging to pantheons.^[2]

The Agusan image statue (900–950 AD) discovered in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa River near Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Mindanao in the Philippines. Although having Hindu and Buddhist elements, locals worship it as a Diwata instead as a vessel for the animist gods. It is currently under the colonial possession of the American Field Museum, despite countless requests by locals to return the Image back home.

Etymology

The term divata (and its cognates such as dewatu, duwata, diya, dwata) is derived from the Sanskrit word devatā (देवता) or deva (देव), meaning "deity" or "divine being".^[7] This linguistic heritage is attributed to the indirect cultural exchange between the Philippines and South Asia, mediated through Hindu-Buddhist polities in maritime Southeast Asia such as the Srivijaya Empire and the Majapahit Empire.^[8] In Tagalog, the related word diwa means "spirit" or "essence", highlighting the spiritual connotation.^[9]

Characteristics

Divata are believed to inhabit various realms and domains of the natural and spiritual world. Their functions and attributes vary widely:

• Nature spirits: guardians of trees, rivers, mountains, or animals.^[10]
• Fairies: In modern Tagalog, diwata means fairy or nymph. It refers particularly to nature spirits and fairies of extraordinary beauty, like Maria Makiling.^[11][12]
• Deities of abstract concepts: such as fertility, war, or health.^[2]
• Pantheon members higher-ranking deities recognized by certain ethnic groups, often with elaborate rituals and offerings.^[1]

While some divata are benevolent and invoked for protection and blessing, others are ambivalent or malevolent, requiring appeasement through ritual offerings.^[9]

In Philippine mythology

In Philippine mythology, Diwatas, refers to fairies, nature spirits, celestial beings, and mythological gods. In folk religion, it specifically refers to celestial beings and nature spirits that were never human. These spirits can range from guardians of objects, plants, or animals to deities representing natural forces, abstract concepts, or even gods in a pantheon.^{[13][14][15][16]} Pag-Diwata is a ritual giving praise, veneration and worship to the gods and nature spirits.^[17]

The modern Filipino understanding of diwata encompasses meanings such as fairy, muse, nymph, dryad, or even deity (god or goddess).^[18][19] The word is thought to originate from the Sanskrit word devata (deity).^[20] Diwatas in folklore and mythology are often associated and or synchronized with fairies called lambana.^[21][22][23] In modern Tagalog, diwata means fairy or nymph. It refers particularly to nature spirits of extraordinary beauty, like Maria Makiling.^[24][25] Spirits that have never been human are differentiated in some ethnic groups as diwata. These spirits can range from simple spirits like the diwata of a particular inanimate object, plant, animal, or place,^{[note 1]} to deities who personify abstract concepts and natural phenomena,^{[note 2]} to deities who are part of an actual pantheon.^{[note 3]} They are also known as dewatu, divata, duwata, ruwata, dewa, dwata, diya, etc., in various Philippine languages (including Tagalog diwa, "spirit" or "essence"); all of which are derived from Sanskrit devata (देवता) or devá (देव), meaning "deity". These names are the result of syncretization with Hindu-Buddhist beliefs due to the indirect cultural exchange (via Srivijaya and Majapahit) between the Philippines and South Asia.^[1][26]

However, what entities are considered diwata varies by ethnic group. In some ethnic groups like the B'laan, Cuyonon Visayans, and the Tagalog, Diwata refers to the supreme being in their pantheon,^{[note 4]} in which case there are different terms for non-human spirits.^{[1][27][note 5]} Like in ancestor spirits, diwata are referred to in polite kinship titles when addressed directly, like apo ("elder") or nuno ("grandparent").

Popular depiction of a Diwata, of Maria Sinukuan a famous diwata in Filipino mythology and folklore

Modern use

The modern Filipino understanding of diwata encompasses meanings such as muse, fairy, nymph, dryad, or even deity (god or goddess).^[18][19] The word is thought to originate from the Sanskrit word devata (deity).^[20] Diwatas in folklore and mythology are often associated and or synchronized with fairies called lambana.^[21][28][23] In modern Tagalog, diwata means fairy or nymph. It refers particularly to nature spirits of extraordinary beauty, like Maria Makiling.^[24][25]Diwata, being nature spirits or deities, were easier to merge with Catholic ideas of saints or angels. Their roles in healing, fertility, and nature made them seem less threatening to the clergy. Over time, they were romanticized as enchanted beings (fairies) with European traits, fitting colonial ideals of beauty and goodness.^{[29][30][31][32]}

In contemporary usage, divata and diwata are often equated with "fairies" in popular imagination. Spanish missionaries and colonial writers, seeking equivalents in European folklore, frequently translated the term as "duendes" or "fairies".^[33]

This conflation was further reinforced in the 19th and 20th centuries through literature, colonial reports, and later media portrayals that depicted diwatas as winged, benevolent, fairy-like beings rather than their more complex roles as deities and nature spirits in indigenous cosmologies.^[34] Anthropologist Alicia Magos argues that the term "fairy" is a Western imposition that oversimplifies the diwata’s role in indigenous worldviews as mediators between humans and the spirit world.^[35]

Regional variations

The concept of divata is linked to a broader Southeast Asian tradition of nature spirits and deities with Sanskrit-derived names:

• In Indonesia, the Dewata are gods and spirits in Balinese Hinduism, invoked in rituals and associated with natural sites.^[36]
• In Java the Dewi are goddesses (e.g., Dewi Sri, the rice goddess) associated with fertility and agriculture.^[37]
• In Malaysia and Brunei, the cognate Dewa denotes deities and supernatural beings, often tied to pre-Islamic animism and Hindu-Buddhist influence.^[38]

These parallels highlight the shared Austronesian and Indic cosmological roots of Philippine divata, while also emphasizing their unique development within local mythologies.

Syncretism

With the arrival of Hindu-Buddhist ideas in precolonial Philippines, the term divata absorbed South and Southeast Asian cosmological influences.^[8] Following the introduction of Islam in Mindanao and Christianity during the Spanish colonial period, many diwata/divata were reinterpreted, demonized, or syncretized with Catholic saints and folk religious practices.^[33] During the Spanish period, diwata were syncretized with elves and fairies in European mythology and folklore, and were given names like duende (goblin or dwarf), encantador or encanto ("spell [caster]"), hechicero ("sorcerer"), sirena ("mermaid"), or maligno ("evil [spirit]").^[1][39][40] In Islamized ethnic groups of the Philippines, these nature spirits are usually called jinn or saitan, due to the influence of Islamic mythology.^[39][41][42]

In popular culture

• Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!, (transl. you are okay, my fairy!)^[43] a television fantasy situational comedy series (with film adaptations) that revolves around a mortal man married to a diwata.^[44]
• Amaya, a historical television series about the precolonial Philippines. It depicts diwata as goddesses.^[45]
• One Day Isang Araw, fantasy anthology series episode titled "Ang Huling Diwata" (The last fairy) about a fairy as deity of a river and pond^[46][47]
• Encatadia, a Filipino fantasy franchise of tv series depicts diwatas as a race of matriarchal beautiful fairies^[48]
• Elemento, television docudrama horror anthology series features a diwata of a river cursed for falling in love with a mortal man^[49]
• Diwata (1987), a movie directed by Tata Esteban and written by Rei Nicandro showed the mythical life of the deities. Actress Olga Miranda played the main role, together with the other cast Lala Montelibano, Dick Israel and George Estregan.^[50]
• Indio, a television series with a protagonist that is the son of a mortal man and a diwata woman.^[51]
• Super Ma'am (international title: My Teacher, My Hero) is a Philippine television drama action fantasy series features a diwata once a goddess demoted as a fairy and as a spirit guide for the lead hero
• Juan Dela Cruz (2013) Philippine television drama series features anito as evil deity and diwatas as good fairies^[52][53][54]

Art

• Diwata by National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino is the winged fairy made from reinforced concrete located in the National Fine Arts Collection (NFAC) of the National Museum.^[55]

Music

• "Diwata",(lit. 'Fairy') is asong released by rapper Abra featuring Parokya Ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda, from his self-titled debut album.^[56]
• "Diwata", a song by Sam Concepcion "Diwata" served as the theme song for Miss Universe Philippines 2021 swimsuit competition.^[57][58]

Science

• Diwata-1 and Diwata-2, the first Philippine microsatellites launched in 2016 and 2018, respectively, were named after diwata.^[59][60]

See also

• Philippine mythology
• Anito
• Deva (Hinduism)
• Deva (Buddism)
• Devata
• Spirits in Southeast Asian mythology
• Dewata Nawa Sanga

Notes

1. e.g. Nuno sa punso, a dwarf-like anito that lives in anthills; and Dayang Masalanta, the Tagalog diwata of Mount Makiling
2. e.g. Mayari, the Tagalog goddess of the moon; Barangaw, the Visayan god of rainbows; and Makapatag, the Visayan god of vengeance
3. e.g. Bathala, the chief deity of the Tagalogs; Magbabaya, the supreme creator of the Lumad people; and Pilandok, trickster spirit of the Maranao
4. Tagalogs differentiated between Diwata, the universal supreme being, and life creator Bathala, the supreme deity exclusive to them (Hislop, 1971)
5. The most widespread names for these spirits in various Philippine ethnic groups are diwata or anito. Other names of diwata or specific types of diwata include fieu awas, kahoynon (B'laan); mahomanay, tahamaling (Bagobo); panya'en (Batak); tawong lipod, magindara (Bikol); magtitima, tawo sa talonan (Bukidnon); aled (Gaddang); annani (Ibanag); bakayauwan, monduntug, palasekan, pili, pinading (Ifugao); mangmangkit, katataoan/katawtaw-an, kibaan, litao (Ilocano); apdel, sasailo (Itneg); tumungaw (Kankana-ey); laman labuad, manglilili (Kapampangan); kama-kama/kamakaon (Karay-a); tuglinsau, tagbusau, mandangum (Mandaya); andagaw (Mangyan); tawagenen, manaog (Manobo); karibang (Maranao); kaybaan (Pangasinan); kamanan-daplak (Sambal); dayamdam, piritay (Tagalog); tawo sa talonan (Tagbanwa); lewenri, bawa, katao/kataw, tumawo/tamawo, tawong lupa (Visayan); and guban-on, digkusanon, dalaketnon (Waray).