Mythology - Gods and Goddesses

 

Introduction Volcanoes Plants and Animals The Journey to Hawaii Ancient Hawaii Mythology Captain Cook Rein of Kamehameha I Rein of Kamehameha II Rein of Kamehameha III Rein of Kamehameha IV Rein of Kamehameha V King Lunalilo King Kalakaua Queen Liluokalani The 50th State Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Nihau, Kahoolawe, Molokai, Kauai, and Lanai Government Points of Interest Hawaiian Pastimes Holidays Luaus Bibliography Glossary

The Hawaiians had either a god or goddess for every thing. The gods I am going to write about today are Ku the god of medicine and war, Kamohoalii the shark god, Pele the goddess of fire, Ailaau the god of fire, Kane the god of light, Kanaloa, the demigod, Ru the supporter of the heavens, and Buataranga the invisible road to the underworld. The Hawaiians also had other special godsTane god of the forest, and Lono the god of Harvest. Pele and her coming to the Islands When Pele came to live in Hawaii she found that another god, Ailaau the god of fire in the area. He was the fire god of devouring forests and the villagers called him the god of the unsustainable appetite. Ailaau was destructive but created more land for the islands for the process of creation needed volcanic eruptions. Even after the islands seemed complete he kept on spurting out fire . He lived in the old part of Kilauea for a long time that connected Kilauea to Hawaii. It was called Kilaueaiki. Kilaueaiki is one of many craters that reaches from the the great lake of fire to the sea coasts. They're called the pit craters. Now the story begins When Pele came to the Island Hawaii she first stopped at a place called Keahialaka in the district of Puna. From this place Pele began her journey towards the mountains. As she walked she had a sudden urge to go and se Ailaau, the god who owned Kilauea. She hoped that they could work together as the gods and goddesses of fire. She went to Ailaau's hut but he wasn't there. The truth of the matter was that Ailaau had gotten. lost. He had seen Pele coming toward his hut. thinking she meant only the worst he fled. After a while he stopped and realized that he didn't know where he was. Pele waited for hours inside his home but when he didn't come back she named herself Hawaii's goddess of fire Maui, the demigod Maui was a demigod of Polynesia. Although he had special powers h lived as a normal person. HE was the son of Ru and Buataranga but was a premature baby. As traditional to Hawaiians when you had a premature baby, Buatranga cut off a piece of her hair, tied it around him and through him out to sea. Being a demigod he survived and was raised by jelly fish as if he were there own. When he was old enough he ventured onto land and was accepted as their own. Legend says that he was fishing one day and pulled up the Hawaiian Islands. Have you ever wondered why there are 24 hours in a day? Well according to the Hawaiians Maui captured the sun and wouldn't let it go until he promised that it would stay out longer.   Nanue the Shark Man One day the shark god Kamohoalii was swimming in Waipio Valley when he saw a beautiful woman coming to bathe. So the next day he transformed from a shark to a man and mingled with the as a mighty chief. He spent several days with them until he finally found the woman her name was Kali. He won her over and married her. When they had a child, Nanue, Kali was extremely surprised to find a hole in his back. as the child grew the opening became a mouth lined with sharp teeth. Before that happened Kamohoalii warned Kali to watch Nanue carefully guard his body from men and never under any circumstances eat meat. After the warning he left. Kali kept her word by covering his back with a kapa cloak. She was often scared when she saw him transform into a shark when he entered the water. She kept her promise of not allowing him to eat meat that is until his father took him to the mans eating house where he ate meat. He was given many varieties but always seemed to want more and more. After that he couldn't get enough meat. He killed and ate the villagers and sometimes even tricked his friends into racing him so that when he attacked them they would be out of the sight of humans. The villagers started to feel that he had some strange power and started to fear him. Then one day when men were preparing taro patches for their future supply of food someone ripped the kapa cloth off his back and screamed, "A shark man! A shark man! Run!" Nanaue then got exceptionally angry and and attacked anybody that was near him as he dashed for the sea. But his escape was unsuccessful he had been cornered. They villagers tied him up and had planned to burn him alive but he transformed into a shark and swam to the nearby island of Maui. The same events happened again and again. Then one day he had decided that he could do whatever he want and he captured a child and ate her in the sight of people. They soon became outraged and tried to attack by canoe. Nanue was too fast for them. He swam this time to Molokai. As before those who went out to take a swim would bee attacked. Then word reached on of the chiefs from a kahuna in Maui to beware of a shark man. the chief sent word to the townspeople to not go in the water and for the fishermen to keep watch. Finally they caught him in a fishing net. They chopped him up and through him into Waipio Valley and that is where he still is today. Kidnapping of the Underworld Ku god of medicine and war lived for a period of time as a mortal on Hawaii. He chose the chiefess Hina to be his wife, eventually they had two children Hiku and Kewalu. When Ku left Hawaii he sent Hiku and his wife to live in the forest and Kewalu to live with kahunas and chiefs by the sea. She lived protected in a temple in North Kona where she was trained to be a great chiefess. In the forest Hiku learned the knowledge of his mother and the supernatural powers that e had inherited from his father. One day, when he was older, he heard a sound like a bird's wings flapping but couldn't see anything. He called Hina to see if she heard anything and she said that it was people clapping by the the ocean. Day after day he heard the clapping and got tired of it so he sent his advisor to see what they were clapping for. The advisor informed Hiku that there was a beautiful chiefess who was the best surfer the Hawaiians had ever seen. Hiku insisted on going to see he but Hina didn't want him too for she knew that the cheifess was Kewalu. But Hiku went any way. Hiku being of the forest had never used a surfboard he ordered that the best one be made for him so that he could impress her. With the surfboard he rode Kewalu's waves perfectly. When Kewalu saw him she new at once that she was to marry him and was happy about it. The people were extremely happy and believe that the two of them would live very happily. And they did for awhile until Hiku started to miss the forest. He had tried to go back several times but Kewalu would rush to him and beg him to stay. Then one night he sneaked out of his hut and started to venture out to the forest. Kewalu heard Hiku walking to the forest and tried to followhim. All the whilke pleading with him to come back. Hiku didn't want her to come so he sent fog and mists around her. She was blinded but kept on pushing through. Then Hiku sent down ieie vines. Kewalu tripped and stumbled again and again tearing her skin as she went. She could barely walk so she walked back to her hut extremely saddly. Back in her hut she killed herself commiting the first ever suicide in Hawaiian mythology. Hiku didn't think about Kewalu for he was so happy to be home he had just fiured that she had given up and gone back to her hut. Ku had seen how Kewalu had killed herself in despair and went to inform Hiku. Hiku felt so badly and vowed to get her back. Ku told him that the obnly way to get Kewalu back was to go into the undeer world and rescue hger He agreed to help him with the powers that he had. To prepare to go into the underworld he rubbed this foul smelling concoction over his body so that other ghosts wouldn't come near him and made a rope out of ieie vines so he could climb back uop to the underworelpds. n Thgew door to the underworld was by the shore at Waipio Valley. When ion the underworld Hiku searched for Kewalu he saw that the ghosts were doing the same things that they did when they were living. He wondered around looking for Kewalu. He finally Hiku spotted her by the side of Milu the ruler of the underworld. At that time they asked her tpo chant her mele. When Hiku and Kewalu were living together they had made up ther own mele that opnly they would know. That is why when Kewalu sang her part of the mele and Hiku responded she was overcome with greif and fled from the room. Then it was her turn to look for Hiku chanting her part of the mele and waiting for a response. Kewalu finally heard the response but could only see a foul smelling ghost. Hiku informed her of his plan and she agreed to it. He tieds a loop out of the ie ie vines and seated himself with Kewalu on his lap on it. Ku slowely pulled them back up. THe ghjosts surrounding them thought that it was a game so they cheered them on. The ghoists finally realized what was going on and tried to stop them. They were unsuccsessful. Kewalu was restored to her body and the two lived a long happy life. Many of their childeren became Hawaiian leaders.