In Celebration of Valentine's Day, we bring you tales of love and woe from one of our earliest episodes on the Tagalog Goddess of Love: Dian Masalanta aka Maria Makiling!

EPISODE 2: THE GODDESS OF LOVE JUST CAN’T CATCH A BREAK | Maria Makiling/ Dian Masalanta (The Philippine Mountain Spirit & Goddess of Love)

In this episode, we visit the misty peaks of Mount Makiling in Laguna (a province in South Luzon). There we encounter one of the staples of Philippine legends and folklore: the beautiful mountain nymph Maria Makiling.

What do Maria Makiling and Dian Masalanta, the Tagalog Goddess of Love, have to do with each other? What is the juicy love story that led to her retreat and self-imposed seclusion in the mountains? And why should you never throw away your ginger?

---

The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram for more good stuff, and possibly answer some burning question after this episode such as: What does Mt. Makiling look like? How do you cook tinola? Who is Gardo Verzosa and why are they still thirsting after him in this episode? We also welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes.

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

---

Sources:

https://ztevetevans.wordpress.com/tag/dian-masalanta/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Makiling

https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Maria-Makiling-and-the-Mountain-Goddesses-of-the-PhilippinesPart-1