many of the mythologies from a variety of ethnic groups in the Philippines have similarities, in one way or another. A few examples are: the creation myths of the Bicolano people and the Visayan peoples, whose deities' names are different but the activities recorded in their creation myths are extremely similar; the presence of deities named Mayari/Malayari/Apûng Malyari, which is prevalent in Tagalog, Kapampangan, and Sambal mythologies; the presence of moon deities, named Bulan in Hiligaynon, Karay-a, Cebuano and Bicolano mythologies, and serpent deities named Bakunawa in Hiligaynon, Karay-a, Cebuano, and Bicolano mythologies; the presence of moon-swallowing monsters named Tambanokano in Mandaya and Manobo mythologies, where the Mandaya Tambanokano is depicted as a crab, while the Manobo Tambanokano is depicted as a tarantula or scorpion, depending on the ethnic sub-group; the presence of foe-deities named Gugurang and Asuang in Bicolano mythology and Agurang and Aswang in Hiligaynon mythology; and the presence of deities named Kabunian in the mythologies of the Ibaloi people, the Bontoc people, and the Ifugao people. Despite being ethnic counterparts, the deities, heroes, and creatures are completely different from each other, and their stories must be respected as they are and not mixed into a single narrative. It should also be noted that each ethnic story has a variety of versions. In many cases, stories vary between town to town or village to village despite the peoples in the specified areas belonging to the same ethnic group. The Philippines is made up of more than 7,000 islands, but they are divided into three main island regions. These regions are: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (which is subdivided here into North and South). There have been attempts to refer each region to specific pre-colonial mythologies, however, the difference in mythologies and belief systems is not by region, but by ethnic groups, where some ethnic groups have influence in only a few towns, while others have inter-regional influences spanning various provinces. Buddhism and Hinduism in the Philippines is influential to the culture and myths of the people within the three major island regions. There is no unified mythology among the three regions, due to a wide array of diverse cultures that continue to flourish distinctly in the islands. These myths were orally passed down, which means that even myths within the same region will have some degree of change. Luzon Pre-colonial Luzon was split among Hindu-Buddhist, Muslim principalities, and animist