Anitan
Manobo · deity · Manobo traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Anitan, also called Anit, is the Manobo guardian of thunder and keeper of the thunderbolt. He strikes at those who transgress the moral order, and in particular at people who mock, torment, or laugh at animals, a prohibition widely shared among the peoples of Mindanao. The rumble of thunder is understood as his voice and his warning, and lightning as the weapon by which he enforces the taboo.
Domains
- thunder
- justice
Powers
- hurls the thunderbolt at wrongdoers
Sources
- Anitan (Anit) is the Manobo deity of thunder who punishes cruelty and mockery, especially toward animals.: John M. Garvan, The Manobos of Mindanao (1931). (primary); F. Landa Jocano, Outline of Philippine Mythology (1969). (secondary)