Who is Maria Makiling?

In Philippine folklore, it is commonplace that landforms (such as hills, mountains, volcanoes, etc) become associated with legends. One of the more well known folktales in the country related to landforms is Maria Makiling.

Maria Makiling is a mythical female entity commonly associated with Mt. Makiling. Some people think that when seen from different locations, Mt. Makiling looks like the profile of a sleeping woman and this is said to be Maria. She is considered to be a “diwata” who would be called upon to stop natural disasters. As for appearance, the folktales consistently regard her as a beautiful woman with long black hair.