Some might observe that the trickster brings nothing but lies and trouble – to the extent that it becomes connected with the Devil.

They break rules, mock the powerful and bring discord and chaos through pranks, clever disguises and flowery words while remaining safe themselves. As the name implies, tricksters are notoriously excellent at fooling man, and even gods. Other tricksters are the god Loki from Norse myth and the messenger god Hermes from Greek myth. One of the most popular figures of the trickster in several tales around the world is the sly fox. They possess antithetical traits that often contradict with one another – such as being stupid and clever, kindhearted and dishonest. Trickster figures are often depicted as male characters and can be viewed as human, animals or even gods/demigods. Juan Pusong (Tamad), a comical character in Filipino Folklore known for his laziness and cleverness Trickster in a Nutshell It’s no wonder that Juan Pusong (Tamad), Pagong and Matsing (Turtle and Monkey) and Pilandok are found in our own culture our very own tricksters that bring certain truths and wisdom hiding underneath their comical tales and mishaps. According to the mythologist Joseph Campbell, the trickster is usually found in cultures which harbor traditions of Shamanism. Often known as the “jester”, the “clown” or simply the “fool”, the trickster is considered to be one of the most widespread figures in world folklore. The trickster figure will always have the last laugh by pretending to be the dumbest of all and yet, at the end of the day, will subdue even the most formidable adversary. However, there is this other character from myth that is meant to be ridiculed and not be taken seriously due to their antics and humors. When Mythology and Folklore comes to mind, we often think of characters displaying unparalleled might and magic such as heroes, gods/goddesses and monsters. (function($) (jQuery)) var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true)

Trickster tales