Juan de Plasencia wrote the Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos in 1589, documenting the traditions of the Tagalog people at the time.
Literature consists, in part, of oral tradition that has been committed to writing in the form of manuscripts or publications. Resurgent ripples of interest towards oral literature in the Philippines have sprung up since the 21st century due to sudden interests among the masses, notably the youth, coupled with various media such as literary works, television, radio, and social media. Some examples of such interference are the Biag ni Lam-ang and the Tale of Bernardo Carpio, where the names of certain characters were permanently changed into Spanish ones. These oral traditions were intentionally interfered with by the Spanish through the introduction of Christian mythologies in the 16th century. Despite many attempts to record all of the oral literature of the Philippines, the majority of the stories pertaining to Philippine mythologies have yet to be properly documented. As oral literature is passed on verbally, changes in stories and the addition of stories with the passing of time are natural phenomena and part of the evolving dynamism of Philippine mythology. All sources of Philippine mythologies are originally oral literature. Oral literature (also known as folk literature) consists of stories that have been or still are being passed down from one generation to another through oral means such as verbal communication. There are two significant sources of Philippine mythologies, namely, oral literature and written literature. A number of scholarly works have been devoted to Anito and its various aspects, although many of its stories and traditions have yet to be recorded by specialists in the fields of anthropology and folklore. Today, many ethnic peoples continue to practice and conserve their unique indigenous religions, notably in ancestral domains, although foreign and foreign-inspired religions continue to influence their life-ways through conversions, inter-marriage, and land-buying. Other terms used were Anitismo, a Hispano-Filipino translation, and AniterĂa, a derogatory version used by most members of the Spanish clergy. The mythologies and indigenous religions of the Philippines have historically been referred to as Anito or Anitism, meaning "ancestral religion". The majority of these myths were passed on through oral tradition, and preserved through the aid of community spiritual leaders or shamans ( babaylan, katalonan, mumbaki, baglan, machanitu, walian, mangubat, bahasa, etc.) and community elders. Philippine mythology attempts to explain the nature of the world through the lives and actions of heroes, deities (referred to as anito or diwata in some ethnic groups), and mythological creatures. Philippine mythology is incorporated from various sources, having similarities with Indonesian and Malay myths, as well as Hindu, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian traditions, such as the notion of heaven ( kaluwalhatian, kalangitan, kamurawayan, etc.), hell ( kasamaan, sulad, etc.), and the human soul ( kaluluwa, kaulolan, makatu, ginokud, etc.). Philippine mythology is the body of stories and epics originating from, and part of, the indigenous Philippine folk religions, which include various ethnic faiths distinct from one another.
The Maranao people believe that Lake Lanao is a gap that resulted in the transfer of Mantapoli into the center of the world.