Tapairu
Encyclopedia
In the mythology
of Mangaia
in the Cook Islands, the Tapairu are elves or fairies, who are named after the four daughters of Miru
, the deformed goddess of the underworld. They were said to have been present when mortals danced in honor of their brother, Tau-Titi
. They were also associated with the god Tane
.
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...
of Mangaia
Mangaia
Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...
in the Cook Islands, the Tapairu are elves or fairies, who are named after the four daughters of Miru
Miru
In the Polynesian mythology of the Cook Islands, Miru is a goddess who lives in Avaiki beneath Mangaia. She intoxicates the souls of dead people with kava and then burns them eternally in her oven . The Tapairu are her daughters. Also see Tau-Titi....
, the deformed goddess of the underworld. They were said to have been present when mortals danced in honor of their brother, Tau-Titi
Tau-Titi
In the mythology of Mangaia, Tau-Titi is a son of Miru. A nocturnal dance dedicated to and named after him was practised, occasionally with the Tapairu, Tau-Titi's sisters. As soon as the dawn arrives, the Tapairu returned to their home in Avaiki....
. They were also associated with the god Tane
Tane
In Māori mythology, Tāne is the god of forests and of birds, and the son of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, the sky father and the earth mother, who lie in a tight embrace...
.