I think the Engkantos have the same origin as do many other mythical creatures. It's simply more primitive men attempting to find explanations they're ill-equipped to handle. If you want to see this in action, ask a small child how today's technology works.
I can remember as a child, trying to imagine how a television worked. My best explanation was that tiny people were inside the television set. I knew the explanation was lacking, but I didn't have a better explanation. At 15 I had my first introduction to computers (that would have been the mid 70s). Obviously, it wasn't what most of us recognize as a computer today. It was a large box with a keyboard in front and a ball-head printer in back. You could type information which was printed and the responses were printed back. Everything happened on a roll of paper and I was instantly enchanted.
I learned about 20 or 30 BASIC commands and thought I understood something about how computers work. I had no idea that I was working within a software environment created as an interpreter between man and machine.
The less we know, the more likely we are to create fanciful tales for ourselves in an attempt to satisfy our curiosity. The more we know, the less fanciful our tales tend to be and the more useful they become.
It's fun to think about mythical creatures, possibilities beyond science and to try to link something as mundane as a flash in the bushes to a tale of war between two god-like entities.
But I think the real fun begins when we start to recognize the truths. As is sometimes said; "fact is stranger than fiction".
Is there any level of truth to the story of the Engkantos? I think not. Is there a level of entertainment that can be had from such fanciful tales? Most certainly. The only danger is when one begins to accept fanciful tales as being indicative of reality. Behold the avid soap opera fan who attacks an actor in public over something his character did on television. Rationality demands that some lines be drawn.
