A new Filipino historical fantasy novel is bringing the country’s pre-colonial past to life through a story inspired by two of its most remarkable ancient artifacts: the Laguna Copperplate and the Golden Tara of Agusan.
Written by lawyer and tech entrepreneur Darwin De Jesus Mariano, “Namwaran and the Golden Tara” follows three siblings — Namwaran, Angkatan and Bukah — whose names are recorded on the Laguna Copperplate. The story begins after their mother, Pandi, disappears and the mysterious Golden Tara is stolen.
The novel took about 10 years of research and writing. Mariano developed the story after encountering the Laguna Copperplate at the National Museum of Anthropology and later discovering a striking numerical connection between the two artifacts: the Golden Tara weighs about 865 grams, matching the amount of gold referenced in the copperplate in connection with the settlement of Namwaran’s debt. Mariano emphasized that there is no historical evidence linking the two artifacts; their connection in the novel is fictional.
Dating to April 21, 900 CE, the Laguna Copperplate is considered the earliest known historical document of the Philippines. Its inscription provides evidence of political, economic and cultural connections between communities in the archipelago and other parts of Southeast Asia before Spanish colonization.
The Golden Tara, meanwhile, is a 21-karat gold statue believed to date from the ninth or 10th century. It was discovered in 1917 near the Wawa River in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, and is currently housed at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
In the fictional story, the siblings receive three black-stone amulets that grant long life and embark on a centuries-spanning journey across Southeast Asia. Their search takes them through the worlds of the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires before eventually reaching Luzon during the arrival of the Spanish.
Beyond its fantasy elements, the novel explores family, grief, identity and survival while introducing readers to a period of Philippine history that often receives less attention than the centuries following Spanish colonization.
The book’s launch also comes as the Laguna Copperplate is being evaluated for possible inclusion in the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific Regional Register. Results of the 2026 evaluation are expected in November.
By weaving ancient artifacts into an epic fictional journey, “Namwaran and the Golden Tara” offers a modern entry point into the Philippines’ deeper historical connections with Southeast Asia — encouraging readers to look beyond the familiar colonial-era narrative and explore the civilizations, cultures and stories that existed long before it.
