Haliya moonlight goddess statues

 

Haliya by John Henry Esteban

                                                 (Agnes Arellano, ‘Haliya Bathing’, 1983)

Featuring a Philippine moon goddess, pregnant and splayed in a childbirth position, ‘Haliya Bathing’ explores the intersection of the feminine and the sacred.

Made of coldcast marble sculpture and crushed marble stones, this sculpture by Agnes Arellano lends itself to a mythical significance that emphasises the artwork’s life-giving form. 

Haliya is a goddess from Bicolano mythology, and folklore known as the masked goddess of moonlight. According to myths and stories she is revered primarily by women and is celebrated for her strength and beauty. Haliya is depicted as a warrior goddess, protecting her brother Bulan, the god of the pale moon. She is often described as having fair, radiant skin, long black hair, and wearing a golden mask to conceal her otherworldly beauty.

In myths, Haliya is the arch-enemy of Bakunawa, an eel-like serpent dragon that tries to devour the moon. She is portrayed as strong and ruthless in combat, contrasting with his brother Bulan's gentle and playful nature. Haliya's battles with Bakunawa symbolize her role as a fierce protector of the moon and a symbol of feminine strength. Rituals and dances named after her, some stories suggest she is the embodiment of the rituals that are performed to celebrate and summon her protective spirit during full moons.

Why are the Statues pregnant ?

Statues of Haliya are often portrayed as pregnant to reflect a lesser-known story from Bicolano mythology that highlights her connection to both mortal life and divine strength. While Haliya is typically depicted as a fierce warrior goddess, the protector of her gentle brother Bulan, there is a softer, more nurturing side to her mythos that explains the pregnancy imagery.

In many myths, Haliya and her brother Bulan and other celestial beings would descend from the heavens to bathe in the waters of Ibalong. This act symbolizes purification and the ability to take on a mortal form. In one particular and lesser known story, Haliya falls in love with a mortal man during one of her visits to Earth. Her love for him is so profound that she temporarily forgets her divine nature and chooses to live as a mortal.

In love and in bliss Haliya becomes pregnant, and as her time to give birth approaches, she returns to the waters where she first descended. Her brother Bulan, watching from the heavens, sends sylphs and fairies to comfort and support her during labor, singing songs that remind her of her strength and beauty. After giving birth to a child that is both human and divine, Haliya ascends back to the heavens.

This story intertwines the themes of love, transformation, and the divine connection to fertility, making the depiction of a pregnant Haliya in statues a representation of her role as a bridge between the celestial and mortal realms, and a symbol of creation and new life.

Duddley Diaz’s white Carrara marble sculpture of the Bicolano moon goddess Haliya. Haliya’s round and polished form The rotund,  and serene figure holds a crescent moon close to her pregnant belly.  An owl head crowns her seated figure. She is depicted as protector and goddess of wisdom. Ninety-kilos heavy, Haliya was transported from the artist’s garden in Italy to the Vargas Museum in 2010 for his retrospective exhibition Messenger of the Gods.(Louise Anne Marcelino)

Duddley Diaz 1995 Haliya the Moon Goddess Marble