The Legend of Olotayan Island | Capiz Beautiful Island

The beautiful Olotayan Island is a less explored and less discovered island in Capiz. It was for about 100 hectares wide with beautiful white sand serene shore and cool crystal clear waters. Did you know where did this beautiful island came from? As folklore says..

Long time ago, there lived a wicked giant in the land that brought cursed to the land. Each day, people must have something to offer to this giant or else he will subdue the ocean and flooded the land. People have nothing to do with the wicked giant but to follow his rules. People in olden days do believe in anitos and anitas (gods and goddesses). One day people decided to ask for the help of magical creatures, there’s a certain beautiful island in Capiz where this magical creatures inhabited. There is a cave under water which was the only way to reach the island where magical creatures lived. Only a strong enough warrior can enter the cave.

Each tribe represented on of their best warrior to travel and search for this cave which was the only entrance to this beautiful island, the man named olotayan in Capiz tribe. When he was on the beautiful island, he made rituals and offerings to please these magical inhabitants of the island. At last! The queen of all fairies gave olotayan a beautiful jewel shard that shines like a lightning strikes, it was covered with a black currant shell. The queen fairy told him that he must give this jewel covered shell to the wicked giant and reminded him not to open this shell when he return to the land.

As what the queen fairy instructed him, he immediately give the shell to the wicked giant. The wicked giant was so happy to see a beautiful stone inside it, so he put it on his ring as pendant. The queen fairy gathered all of her power and cast a very powerful and devastating lightning to the land. With the stone, it represents that whoever holds it will turned into pieces by lightning strike. The lightning strikes the wicked giant and scattered his body parts all over the Capiz Sea. It is believed that the Olotayan Island came from the “olo” (head) and “tyan” (stomach) of the wicked giant. As honor, they call the beautiful island as olotayan in remembrance for their hero Olotayan of Capiz tribe.