Maria Makiling

María Makiling, more properly Mariang Makiling, is a diwata in Philippine mythology, associated with Mount Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. She is the most widely known diwatà (deity) or lambana (fairy) in Philippine mythology and was venerated in pre-colonial Philippines as the goddess Dayang Masalanta or Dian Masalanta, invoked to stop deluges, storms, and earthquakes.

María Makiling is often described as a very beautiful fairy or goddess who watches over the mountain. Her retinue often includes tiny fairy-like spirits called lambana. She protects the mountain and helps the people who rely on it for food and resources. Some stories also say that the nearby lake, Laguna de Bay, and its fish are part of her care. According to legend, she was sent by Bathalà, the supreme deity of precolonial Tagalog religion, to help the people in their daily lives.

Mount Makiling resembles the profile of a woman, said to be María herself. This phenomenon is described as true from several different perspectives, so there is no single location associated with this claim. The mountain's various peaks are said to be María's face and two breasts, respectively, and her hair cascades downwards a gentle slope away from her body.

María Makiling is a prominent example of the mountain goddesses motif across Philippine mythology, others being María Sinukuan of Pampanga's Mount Arayat and María Cacao on Cebu's Mount Lantoy.