Hawaiian mythology
Encyclopedia
Hawaiian mythology refers to the legends, historical tales and sayings of the ancient Hawaii
an people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology
, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion
. The religion was officially suppressed in the 19th century, but kept alive by some practitioners to the modern day.
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
an people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion
Hawaiian religion
Hawaiian religion is the term used to describe the folk religious beliefs and practises of the Hawaiian people. It is unrelated to, though commonly confused with, the philosophy of Huna....
. The religion was officially suppressed in the 19th century, but kept alive by some practitioners to the modern day.
Prominent figures and terms in Hawaiian mythology
- AumakuaAumakuaIn Hawaiian mythology, an aumakua is a family god, often a deified ancestor. The Hawaiian plural of aumakua is nā aumākua , although in English the plural is usually aumakuas. Nā aumākua frequently manifested as animals such as sharks or owls. Nā aumākua were worshipped at localities where they...
- ‘Elepaio
- HaikiliHaikiliIn Hawaiian mythology, Haikili is the god of thunder....
- Haumea
- HiiakaHi'iakaIn Hawaiian mythology, Hiiaka is a daughter of Haumea and Kāne. She was the patron goddess of Hawaii and the hula dancers, and takes on the task of bearing the clouds - variously, those of storms and those produced by her sister's volcanos, and lived in a grove of Lehua trees which are sacred to...
- HinaHina (goddess)Hina is the name of several different goddesses and women in Polynesian mythology. In some traditions, the trickster and culture hero Maui has a wife named Hina, as do the gods Tane and Tangaroa. Hina is often associated with the moon....
- Kaha'iKaha'iKaha'i is a handsome Polynesian demigod whose exploits were popular in many Polynesian mythologies.-Hawaii:...
- Kahōālii
- KalamainuuKalamainu'uIn Hawaiian mythology, Kalamainu'u was a lizard goddess. She is said to have lured her lover Puna-ai-koa'e to her cave where she kept him prisoner. When he longed to go surfing again, Kalamainu'u gave him her surf board, but warned him not to speak with anyone. He, however, spoke with friends...
- KamapuaaKamapua'aIn Hawaiian mythology, Kamapuaa is a hog-man fertility demi-god associated with Lono, the god of agriculture. The son of Hina and Kahiki-ula, the chief of Kauai, Kamapua'a was particularly connected with the island of Maui....
- Kā-moho-aliiKamohoaliiIn Hawaiian mythology, Ka-moho-alii is a shark god and a brother of Kāne Milohai, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka and Hiiaka.Ka-moho-ali'i swam in the area around Maui and Kahoolawe. When a ship was lost at sea, Ka-moho-alii shook his tail in front of the fleet and the kahuna would feed him "awa" , and...
- KanaloaKanaloaIn the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also the name of an extinct volcano in Hawaii. In legends and chants Kāne and Kanaloa are portrayed as complementary powers...
- KāneKāneIn Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the four major Hawaiian deities, along with Kanaloa, Kū, and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and gives life associated with dawn, sun and sky...
- Kāne-milo-haiKane MilohaiIn Hawaiian mythology, Kāne-milo-hai is the brother of Kamohoalii, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka and Hiiaka by Haumea. He is a minor figure in Hawaiian mythology, figuring most prominently in the story of Pele's journey along the island chain to Hawaii, and may be seen as a terrestrial counterpart to his...
or Kāne-hekili - KapoKapo (mythology)In Hawaiian mythology, Kapo is a goddess of fertility, sorcery and dark powers who can assume any shape she wills. She is the mother of Laka, although some versions have them as the same goddess...
- KapuKapuKapu refers to the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct of laws and regulations. The kapu system was universal in lifestyle, gender roles, politics, religion, etc. An offense that was kapu was often a corporal offense, but also often denoted a threat to spiritual power, or theft of mana. Kapus were...
- Kapua
- KauluKauluIn Hawaiian mythology, Kaulu is a trickster god who killed Haumea....
- KinilauKinilauIn Hawaiian mythology, Kinilau is the son of Menehune son of Luanu’u. Hawaiians claim descent from the youngest of the twelve sons of Kinilau-a-mano .-References:...
- Iao
- KūKūIn Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
(or Kū-ka-ili-moku) - KumulipoKumulipoIn ancient Hawaiian mythology, the Kumulipo is a chant in the Hawaiian language telling a creation story. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty.-Creation chant:Many cultures have their own beliefs on how the earth came to be created...
- LakaLakaIn Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of a popular hero from Polynesian mythology....
- LonoLonoIn Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
- ManaManaMana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
- Kuula, fish deity
- MāuiMaui (Hawaiian mythology)In Hawaiian mythology, Māui is a culture hero who appears in several different genealogies. In the Ulu line he is the son of Akalana and his wife Hinakawea . This couple has four sons, Māui-mua, Māui-hope, Māui-kiikii and Māui-a-kalana. Māui-a-kalana's wife is named Hinakealohaila; and his son is...
- MenehuneMenehuneIn Hawaiian mythology, the Menehune [pronounced meh-neh-HOO-neh] are said to be a people, sometimes described as dwarfs in size, who live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian Islands, far from the eyes of normal humans. Their favorite food is the maia , but they also like...
- NamakaNamakaIn Hawaiian mythology, Nāmaka appears as a sea goddess or a water spirit in the Pele cycle. She is an older sister of Pele-honua-mea. She is the daughter of Ku-waha-ilo and Haumea, whose other children are Pele, the Hiiaka sisters, the Kama brothers, and the bird Halulu...
- NightmarchersNightmarchersIn Hawaiian legend, Nightmarchers are the ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors. On the nights of Kane, Ku, Lono, Akua, or on the nights of Kaloa they are said to come forth from their burial sites to march out to past battles or to other sacred places. They march at sunset and just before the sun...
- NuuNu'uIn Hawaiian mythology, Nu'u was a man who built an ark with which he escaped a Great Flood. He landed his vessel on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Nu'u mistakenly attributed his safety to the moon, and made sacrifices to it. Kane, the creator god, descended to earth on a rainbow, explained...
- PaaoPa'aoPaao is either a figure from a Hawaiian legend or a historical character. He is said to have been a high priest from Kahiki, specifically "Wawau" and "'Upolu." In Hawaiian prose and chant, the term "Kahiki" is applied in reference to any land outside of Hawai'i, although the linguistic root is...
- PakaaPaka'aIn Hawaiian mythology, Paka'a is the god of the wind and the inventor of the sail.In the legend, Paka'a was the child of a traveling royal named Kuanu'uanu and a beautiful common woman named La'amaomao. Kuanu'uanu was summoned back to his leige Keavenuia'umi before Paka'a's birth. Paka'a was then...
- PaliuliPaliuliIn Hawaiian mythology, Paliuli is the equivalent of the Garden of Eden, a legendary paradise and the home of Princess Laieikawai . It was used for several place names, including a sugar mill owned by Henry Perrine Baldwin...
- Poliʻahu
- PāpāPapaPapa or PAPA may refer to:*P, in the ICAO spelling alphabet*Papa class submarine*Pāpa, in Hinduism, the Sanskrit word for the concept of sin* Papa is a word used in many languages as an affectionate term for fatherPeople:...
- Pele
- UkupanipoUkupanipoIn Hawaiian mythology, Ukupanipo is a shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch. He occasionally adopted a human child who gains the power to transform into a shark....
- Wahie Loa
- WakeaWakeaIn Hawaiian mythology, Wākea is the eldest son of Kahiko , and lives in Olalowaia. Wākea is the ancestor of the aristocracy, the ali‘i. The priests and common people come from his brothers. In another legend, Wākea lives in Hihiku and marries Pāpā, also called Pāpā-nui or Pāpā-nui-hanau-moku, who...
See also
- Ghosts in Polynesian cultureGhosts in Polynesian cultureThere was widespread belief in ghosts in Polynesian culture, some of which persists today.After death, a person's ghost would normally travel to the sky world or the underworld, but some could stay on earth. In many Polynesian legends, ghosts were often actively involved in the affairs of the living...
- Hawaiian religionHawaiian religionHawaiian religion is the term used to describe the folk religious beliefs and practises of the Hawaiian people. It is unrelated to, though commonly confused with, the philosophy of Huna....
- Māori mythologyMaori mythologyMāori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...
- Polynesian mythologyPolynesian mythologyPolynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...