1 h 54 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 1 h 54 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A bird’s song may heal a dying king—but can kindness survive the jealousy of brothers?
In Berbania, King Fernando suffers from a mysterious illness and a troubling dream about his youngest son. His sons, Don Pedro, Don Diego and Don Juan, face a quest for the enchanted Ibong Adarna. Its songs can heal the sick, but they also send listeners to sleep. Their father’s hope rests on a bird that is no easy prize.
Ibong Adarna follows the kind Don Juan into a world where courtesy matters as much as courage. Family loyalty meets envy, while forbidden love pulls against duty. This anonymous Filipino verse romance takes the form of a korido: rhyming, eight-syllable lines arranged in four-line stanzas. Its steady beat carries a folk tale of magic and deeply human wants.
What you’ll discover
- A song that heals Meet the enchanted bird whose seven songs promise healing while drawing listeners into sleep.
- The youngest prince’s kindness Follow Don Juan as his quiet courtesy sets him apart from his proud brothers.
- A hermit on the road Discover an encounter where help offered to a stranger becomes vital to a quest.
- Brothers divided by envy Feel the strain when shared blood cannot keep generosity and jealousy together.
- The rhythm of korido Explore a rhymed storytelling tradition passed down through singing and recitation in the Philippines.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy fairy tales with quests and enchanted creatures, stories of brothers who envy and forgive, and tales where kindness comes back as help.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A king's dream sends two princes to stone
- Juan shares his last bread and wins the bird
- Brothers betray him and the bird tells all
- Down the well to two hidden princesses
- Cut rope, loyal wolf and the water of the Jordan
- Hermits, an eagle and Doña María's bath
- King Salermo sets tasks that only love can do
- Kindness, loyalty and a voice made for listening
Who’s who
- Don JuanThe youngest prince of Berbania, kind and brave, who goes after the Adarna bird to heal his father and keeps forgiving his brothers.
- Don PedroThe eldest brother, driven by envy, who turns on Juan again and again to keep the honor and the prize for himself.
- Don DiegoThe second brother, who dislikes cruelty but goes along with Pedro's plots because he lacks the will to resist.
- King FernandoThe ruler of Berbania, sick with grief after a dream of his youngest son's murder, who longs to hear the Adarna sing.
- Doña LeonoraA princess kept in an underground land, loyal to the prince who rescues her, who waits and keeps a secret vow.
- Doña MaríaDaughter of King Salermo, skilled in white magic, who uses her wisdom and her love to help Juan survive her father's tasks.
- King SalermoRuler of the Kingdom of the Crystal, who knows black magic, turns suitors to stone and sets deadly tasks for Juan.
- The Adarna birdA magic bird on Mount Tabor whose seven songs and changing feathers can cure the king and tell the truth about his sons.
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Ibong Adarna
by Anonymous
A king sick from a dream seeks a magic bird, and his youngest son captures it before his brothers steal it.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What would you do if a dream showed you your youngest son murdered by his own brothers? King Fernando of Berbania dreams exactly this.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A king's dream sends two princes to stone
The tale opens in the kingdom of Berbania, ruled by King Fernando and Queen Valeriana. They have three sons, Pedro, Diego and Juan. Juan is the youngest, and the poet says he is dearer to his father than the other two.
Then comes the dream. The king sees Juan betrayed and killed by two villains, who throw his body into a deep well. He wakes in grief and falls ill. Doctors come from all around, and none can name the sickness. Only a late arrival sees the cure. It is the song of the Adarna bird, which lives on Mount Tabor in a tree called Piedras Platas.
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Cite this edition
Ibong Adarna. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/ibong-adarna.
Ibong Adarna. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ibong-adarna
Ibong Adarna. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ibong-adarna.
@book{anonymous2026ibong,
title = {Ibong Adarna},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ibong-adarna}
}
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What is Ibong Adarna about?
It tells of three princes sent to find a magic bird whose song can cure their father the king. The youngest, Juan, succeeds, but his jealous brothers betray him, and his quest takes him through underground kingdoms to the Crystal land.
What is the Adarna bird?
The Adarna is an enchanted bird living on Mount Tabor. It sings seven songs, changes its feathers seven times, and its song heals the sick. Its droppings turn people to stone, so catching it takes careful preparation.
What is a corrido in Ibong Adarna?
A corrido is a narrative poem meant for recitation or singing. Ibong Adarna is told in short four-line stanzas, with the poet speaking directly to the audience, so it is easy to follow when read aloud.
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