Of "true riddles" there is a vast variety of form and content. Most typical is the descriptive riddle of a single object to be guessed. In its complete and normal form Petsch claims that such a riddle consists of five elements or parts. 1 Introduction; 2 denominative;
3 descriptive; 4 restraint or contrast; 5 conclusion. 1 and 5 are merely formal, trimmings; 2 and 3 are inherent and essential; 4 is com-mon and adds vigor and interest. Such complete and "normal" Page 12riddles are rare in any language. Usually one or more of the five elements are lacking. It is only by such an analysis of riddle forms that a comparative study of riddles can be made. Any single riddle is best understood, by the constant holding before the mind this pattern framework and noting the degree of development of the case in hand.
The Filipinos themselves recognize several classes of riddles. An old Tagal lady told us there were three kinds:
1. Alo-divino: concerning God and divine things
2. Alo-humano: concerning persons
3. Parabula: all others
There is no science in this classification, which embodies considerable corrupted Spanish. Another informant recognizes six classes:
1. Alo-divino
2. Historia-vino: history of God and saints
3. Alo-humano
4. Historia-mano: history of persons.
5. Karle-mano: God and saints and persons together.
6. Parabula or biniyabas.
These names call for little comment and the classification they embody is of the loosest. The word parabula is Page 13Spanish in
source and equivalent to our parable; biniyabas is Tagal.
Some features of our riddles call for comment. Filipino riddles, in whatever language, are likely to be in poetical form. The commonest type is in two well-balanced, rhyming lines. Filipino versification is less exacting in its demand in rhyme than our own; it is suf-ficient if the final syllables contain the same vowel; thus Rizal says--ayup and pagud, aval and alam, rhyme. The commonest riddle verse contains five or seven, or six, syllables, thus:
Daluang balon hindi malingon
or
Bahay ni San Gabriel punong puno nang barel.
Just as in European riddles certain set phrases or sentences are found frequently at the beginning or end of the riddle. In Ilocano and Pangasinan a common introductory form is "What creature of God" or "What thing made by Lord God," the expression in reality being equivalent to a simple "what." These pious forms do not at all necessarily refer either to animals or natural objects; thus, a boat or a house is just as good a "creature of God" as a fowl is. A common form of ending Page 14is "Tell it and I am yours," "Guess it and I am your man."
Quite analogous to calling inanimate or artificial things "creatures of God" is the personification of all sorts of things, animate
and inanimate; thus, a rat is "an old man," a dipper is "a boy." Not infrequently the object or idea thus personified is given a title of
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respect; thus, "Corporal Black" is the night. Akin to personification is bold metaphor and association. In this there may or may not
be some evident analogy; thus a crawfish is "a bird," the banca or canoe is "rung" (like a bell.) Not uncommonly the word "house" is used of anything thought of as containing something; thus "Santa Ana's house," "San Gabriel's house;" this use is particularly used
in speaking of fruits. "Santa Ana's house is full of bullets" is rather pretty description for the papaya. The word "work" is often used
for a thing made, or a manufactured article.
Saints' names are constantly introduced, generally in the possessive case; examples are "Santa Ana's house," "Santa Maria's umbrella," "San Jose's canes." Less commonly the names of other Bible worthies occur; thus "Adam's hair." There is not always any Page 15evi-dent fitness in the selection of the Saint in the connection established. San Jose's connection with rain is suitable enough. One would need to know a good deal regarding local and popular hagiography in order to see to what degree the selections are appropriate.
Sometimes words without meaning, or with no significance in the connection where they occur are used. These may serve merely to fill out a line or to meet the demands of metre. Such often appear to be names of the style of "Humpty Dumpty;" these may
be phonetically happy, as similar ones often are in European riddles, fitting well with the word or idea to be called up. Marabotania is probably meaningless, merely for euphony. Place names with no real connection with the thought are frequently introduced, as Pantaleon, Mariveles. "Guering-guering" and "Minimin" are merely for sound.
Particularly interesting and curious are the historia-vino given in numbers 312-317. No doubt there are many such. Those here given were secured from one boy at Malolos. When first examined, I believed the boy had not understood what I was after. He assured me that they were bugtong and bugtong of the best and finest class. The idea in these Page 16is to propound a statement in a paradoxi-cal form, which calls for some reference to a bible story or teaching; the answer is not immediately clear and demands a commentary which is quite often subtle and ingenious. Friedreich gives examples of similar expository religious riddles from Europe.
A curious group are the relationship riddles, numbers 286-289, which closely resemble trick questions among ourselves. The evidence of outside influence is here conclusive in the fact that the ideas and terms of relationship in them are purely European, in nowise reflecting the characteristic Malayan system and nomenclature.
Some of the riddles are distinctly stupid. "I let the sun shine on your father's back" seems to mean no more than that the house roof is exposed to the solar rays. It is doubtful whether this means much even in the original Tagal. Of course many of the riddles demand for their adequate understanding a knowledge of native customs, which the outsider rarely has. Thus, until one knows a common method of punishing naughty children, the riddle "I have a friend; I do not like to face him" means nothing. Perhaps the most difficult to adequately present are some plays Page 17on words. These frequently need a considerable explanation. In some of these the parts of the word to guess are concealed in or are suggested by the form of the statement and one must extract them and combine them; such are "iscopidor" and "sampaloc." In others the play depends upon homophony, the same sound or word have different meanings. In yet a third class the answer is a smart Aleck sort of an affair, "How do you take a deer without net, dogs,
spear, or other things for catching?" "Cooked." Most inane of all, but with plenty of analogues among ourselves, are those where the answer itself is introduced into the question with the intention to mislead; "Its skin is green and its flesh is red like a watermelon." "Watermelon."
Filipino riddles are mostly given out by young people. When several are gathered together they will question and answer; they are much in vogue when a young gentleman calls upon his sweetheart; among Tagals and Pampangans at least the chief occasion for giving bugtong is when a little group are watching at night beside a corpse. In propounding a riddle it is not uncommon to challenge attention by repeating as witty a rhyme, which is quite as often Page 18coarse as witty. One Tagal example runs:
Bugtong co ka Piro! Turan mo ka Baldo! Pag hindi mo naturan