#Polynesian Mythology

[blackcur-rants]

Ideas for albums the Mechs could have done alongside their already existing ones

01. Cyberpunk retelling of events from "The Shahnameh" wherein King Jamshid and his Chief Engineer Mirdas create a powerful super-computer called the Zahhak to help them run their city...only for it to go crazy with power and absorb all the minds of the people into itself using a virus a la The Acheron before being defeated by the heroic hackers Kaveh and Fereydun (who are probably boyfriends in The Mechanisms Universe, because why not).

02. Film Noir retelling of the Hero Twins wherein they are detectives trying to bring down the Brotherhood of Xibalba crime syndicate society that runs their city.

03. Dickens crossover universe involving Fagin and the DeFarges as rival space pirates, Cartmanay and Twistperpip as polycules, Paul Dombey running a spaceship firm, the Dorrits having to escape from a prison planet, and Miss Havisham as a cyborg with Estella as her adopted daughter/repairwoman.

04. Steampunk crossover AU of all the Bronte works featuring Jane Eyre crushing on Helen Graham and queer tension between either Heathcliff and Rochester or between Heathcliff and Arthur Huntingdon or between Rochester and Arthur Huntingdon.

05. Retelling of a classic Shakespeare play, preferably one that hasn't already been adapted a billion times already.

06. Retelling of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as a space opera about a war between different planets seeking to rule over the same solar system.

07. "Journey to the West" but it's about explorers on an unknown planet.

08. Polynesiian mythology retelling wherein Maui is a biio-engineer who keeps creating whole new planets and ecosystems by accident.

09. Space opera retelling of either "The Ramayana" or "The Mahabharata".

10. Russian mythology retelling about Marya Morevna and IIvan Tsarevic facing down a Koschei the Deathless who's actually a clone of King Cole alongside one of the Bogatyrs who in this retelling is in fact a former Rose Red.

11. Retelling of "Dream of the Red Chamber" wherein the house is a virtual reality computer simulation.

12. Steampunk retelling of "Les Miserables" featuring Javert as a cyborg.

13. Retelling of "War and Peace" with a Rose Red as Napoleon and Pierre trying to shoot down King Cole.

14. Sherlock Holmes but make it Film Noir.

15. Dracula or something Dracula related.

16. Snow Queen retelling.

@lady-asteria @carcosa-commune @cynicalclassicist @miralines @cinderswife

[bestiarium]

The Aku-Aku [Rapa Nui mythology; Polynesian mythology]

In the mythology of the native Polynesian people of Easter Island, the Aku-Aku are a group of supernatural spirits. They resemble skeletal humanoid creatures but have the ability to disguise themselves as humans.

These beings were the guardians of the land and were fiercely territorial and dangerous. The idea that some parts of land belong to a specific Aku-Aku is still alive today in some parts of Rapa Nui. These were dangerous spirits and more than one islander had been devoured by a hungry Aku-Aku. However, they could be defeated and even killed by mortal warriors. But despite the danger they posed, these beings were not inherently malicious and benevolent Aku-Aku existed as well. For example, if one of these spirits took a liking to you, you might find that all of your chores had magically been done overnight.

Iva-Atua, a term for a shaman-like class of people, were believed to be capable of communication with these spirits.

At least some of the Aku-Aku spirits are believed to have been humans in life who died and became supernatural undead creatures, but as far as I can tell, this doesn’t apply to all of the Aku-Aku. The first of these beings were said to have arrived on Rapa Nui with Hotu Matu’a, the legendary first king of the island, who supposedly came from a landmass to the northwest of the island (which has long since sunk into the ocean). It is a native tradition to mention the names of Aku-Aku before eating a meal, and if you have guests, it is considered good manners to mention their Aku-Aku (the spirits of the region they came from) as well.

There is a story about two Aku-Aku named Hitirau and Nuko te Mangó, who were carelessly sleeping without their human disguise. By pure coincidence, Tu’ukoiho, son of the legendary king Hotu Matu’a, found the two spirits while he was taking a stroll.

(As a small note: Hotu Matu’a and his son were Ariki, a term for a noble ruling class that roughly translates to ‘nobility’ or ‘royalty’. I used the term ‘king’.)

He found it a truly remarkable sight, as these people were sleeping but they did not have any intestines or flesh on their bodies. Clearly these were supernatural beings! Tu’ukoiho decided to leave without disturbing them, and then a third Aku-Aku spirit showed up and awoke the sleeping spirits. ‘Wake up!’ he yelled, ‘for you were not wearing a disguise and now the mortal Ariki has seen your true, miserable bodies!’

Hitirau and Nuko te Mangó were distraught at this news. They quickly got up and, after donning human flesh and blood like mortal people wear clothes, hatched a plan to get out of their situation. The two spirits, now unrecognizable as anything but two normal humans, deduced which way the prince must have gone. They took a shortcut and cut off his path, pretending to be innocent travelers.

‘Well met, oh noble Ariki!’ said one of the spirits. ‘The same good tidings to you, and to your companion over there’, the prince replied politely. ‘Tell us, noble Ariki,’ asked the spirit, ‘have you seen any strange things on your travels today?’ But the prince denied this. ‘Me? I haven’t seen anything weird or unordinary today.’

The spirits said their goodbyes and both parties continued on their path. But they were not fully satisfied and resolved to try again. This time, the prince met a group of four normal human travelers (again, these were magical Aku-Aku in human disguises) and again he was asked about the strange things that he saw on his path that morning. But like the first time, he denied having seen anything particularly weird. The spirits tried a third time, now disguised as a party of ten travelers, but the results were the same.

Tu’ukoiho arrived at his house in Hangapoukura. When night fell, a huge mob of Aku-Aku spirits stealthily approached the building and listened closely for any conversation, but the prince didn’t say a word about the two skeletal spirits he saw that morning. Now finally satisfied that the Ariki had not seen them asleep, and that the whole thing must have been a misunderstanding, the spirits left.

But the Ariki had seen them, and gathered wood and rope. With great skill and patience, the mortal noble fashioned small puppets in the likeness of the skeletal spirits he had seen, and made them into marionettes using the rope. These were the first kavakava moai, a common type of statuette or puppet from Rapa Nui.

Sources: Sebastian Englert and Te Pou Huke, 2001, Legends of Easter Island, Anthropological Museum of Easter Island, 291 pp., p.103-107, p.288. Dreckmann, C. Z., 2011, Familia, propiedad y herencia en Rapa Nui, Anales de la Universidad de Chile, No. 2, pp. 165-185. Williamson, R. W., 1937, Religion and Social Organization in Central Polynesia, California University Press, 340 pp., p. 33-35. (image source 1: Ricardo Candiani) (image 2: a now famous statue of an Aku-Aku in the British Museum)

[allmythologies]

a-z myths: wahini hai (polynesian mythology)

wahini hai is a demonic mother figure who steals and eats children in the night.

[thegeekytaurus]

New Moana 2 News. Storm god villain and Kakamora ally.

according to some news, during the Tautai ceremony Moana will receive a vision from the last Tautai warning her about Motufetu, the island that connects all Polynesian islands and the jealous god of storms who guards it.

aside from that, alongside with Loto(the girl), Kele(the old man), Moni(the young man), Maui, HeiHei and Pua, Moana will be also accompanied by Kotu.

This is Kotu the Kakamora.

Based on what I read, Kotu(described as being like Moana personality wise) will join Moana and her crew after an encounter with the giant clam monster we saw in the teaser.

Now as excited I am for this movie, I have 2 concerns:

I hope the god of storms will be an actual evil villain with a great villain song like the classic ones and not one that is sympathetic.

With the amount of characters we will be focusing on, lets not have a repeat of Asha's 7 friends. Hope each one will be flashed out.

[ladyvictoriart]

'Tangaroa appears before wayward Maori boatmen'

[nogetron]

Maui, the great Polynesian hero. Maui was birthed stillborn, his mother distraught and in grief, wrapped her child in her hair and cast him into the ocean. Instead of drowning him in the abyss, the ocean cradled Maui and breathed life into him, granting him the status of demigod. The ocean carried Maui until he was found by a great chieftain who was able to deliver him to his mother safely. Maui was the youngest of five brothers, due to Maui’s stillbirth he was smaller and thinner than his brothers. Maui’s brothers refused to let him fish with them, even after Maui managed to sneak onto their canoe they still refused to let him bait his hook. In response Maui baited the hook with his blood and threw it out into the water. Each of Maui’s catches pulled the land of the earth from the depths of the sea, much to the astonishment of his brothers. Maui performed many more feats of greatness, like pulling the sun, stealing fire from the underworld, creating coconuts, lifting the sky and making birds visible.

Maui is celebrated as a hero among a vast amount of Polynesian peoples, such as the Māori, Hawaiians, Tongans along with many others. Among the Samoans, Maui was called Tiʻitiʻi, though some posit that they’re separate. Maui’s most popular myth is of his lifting of the land, this myth is nigh universal in Maui’s many depictions and is seen as his greatest achievement. Like many other culture heroes, Maui was seen as a trickster. It’s theorized that the archetype of the trickster exists both as a comparison between right and wrong and as a way to challenge the traditional cultural norms and values. His status as a trickster links him to many other beings, such as the African Anansi, the Irish Lugh, and the Native American Nanabozho and Coyote.

[justagingerwithredhair]

I have made a fascinating discovery!

I was flipping through my encyclopedia of spirits and came across a Polynesian God named "Ku"

Yep. Ku.

Needless to say, I read the entry, and I think it's plausible that Octopath Traveler II took some inspiration from this diety! I'll attach a photo copy of the text and a transcription below.

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The first page reads as follows...

Ku

Also known as: Tu

Origin: Polynesia

Ku is a warrior spirit; Lord of War as well as a spirit of abundance of the sea. The essence of male generative power; he is the spirit of testosterone. In Hawaiian cosmology, Ku is the essence of masculinity, as Hina epitomizes feminine energy. Ku is among the four major Hawaiian deities alongside Kane, Kanaloa and Lono but was mainly venerated, at least in his warrior form, by the elite. Formal ceremonies were reserved for the nobility and priesthood and were performed under severe taboos. The practice of human sacrifice seems to have been introduced to Hawaii largely by Ku's priesthood. King Kamehameha worshiped Ku as Lord of War in his eventually successful efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands under his rule.

Ku has many paths and aspects ranging from brutal and bloodthirsty to nurturing and kind. He is the patron of ear, fishing, forests and certain types of agriculture and sorcery.

Ku's name means "to strike" or "to stand." He is a versatile, many faceted spirit with concerns other than war. He was also the patron of Hawaii's master canoe builders and wood—

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The second page reads as follows...

workers, considered a sacred occupation. Ku dwells in deep places: the depths of the forest and the sea.

Manifestations: Ku can manifest in any form he likes; he is a master shape-shifter. However, common forms include man, caterpillar, and cucumber

Iconography: Fierce carved wood tiki statues

Botanicals: Breadfruit; coconut; cucumber: 'Ohi'a lehua tree (Metrosideros collina; M. macropus): images of Ku were traditionally carved from this wood

Color: Red

Direction: East

Sacred animal: Pig; eel

Bird: Hawk

Planet: The rising sun

Time: The first, second and third days of each month

See also: Akua; Haumea, Hina; Kanaloa, Kane; Kihawahine; Kukauakahi; Ku'ulaki; Lono

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It's almost impossible not to see the parallels here! This book is called Encyclopedia of Spirits: the ultimate guide to the magic of fairies, genies, demons, ghosts, gods & goddesses by Judika Illes for those who are curious! ^^

[actuallyastingray]

I need a break from my usual posts, so have this thought experiment instead

I'm curious as to why every time a cartoon chooses to focus on using either divine figure or mythological monsters as characters or a plot element, they choose either Greek/Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Norse, or Egyptian as if those stories haven't already been told via cartoon, movie, or comics hundreds of times already. Not that I dislike this is any way, but I'm wonder that why in an era where diversity and uniqueness are paramount in media, why has nobody picked up other pantheons of deities to make shows about?

How about a cartoon where two Irish siblings invoke a spell left to them by their grandmother that accidentally resurrects the demigod warrior Cu Chulainn? Now you have an ancient symbol of Irish culture trying to adjust to the modern era all whilst protecting two disfunction kids from the myriad of cryptids their spell also awakened.

Or how about a Haitian girl who lives in New Orleans striking a deal with a god in order to impress the guy she loves? After she pays back her debt in full, she finds out that, since mortals have been historically terrible at paying off debts while alive, her soul has already been auctioned off to an unknown spirit. You now have a teenager searching the spirit realms with Baron Samedi and Maman Brigette for the Lwa who holds her contract.

How about a Hawaiian native teenager who finds out he is the demigod son of Pele? Cool as this sounds, his aunt Nāmaka does not allow him to leave the island and constantly sends monsters from the sea after him thinking he will wake up his mother and destroy the island. Demigod teen ends up caught in the middle of a centuries long family feud and has to piece his godly family back together.

What about a Māori girl who discovers she is the descendant of Kupe? When a plague ravages her home, she is forced to repeat Kupe's grand voyage, taking her to all matter of mystical and magical islands in order to find the cure.

Or what about a teenage girl from India who, while reciting the Ramayana, brings Rama and Hanuman to life in her hometown? She now helps Rama and Hanuman search for lady Sita and fight off Ravana's armies who are searching for her as well.

[the-swift-tricker]

my take of tricksters from different myths and folklore

maui (polynesian mythology)/ sun wukong (chinese mythology)/ loki (norse mythology)/ anansi (african mythology)/ hermes (greek mythology)/ reynard the fox (european folklore)

[disneyboot]

[15pantheons]

Pele: When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your darn lemons, what am I even supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Pele lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the person who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm gonna get my sisters to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!

[sophiesdailywritingprompts]

Prompt #48: Date a God for a Day

The gods have come down to Earth. That is, all gods to have ever existed in human stories throughout the world (Greek, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, Egyptian, Polynesian, Chinese, Celtic, Germanic, Persian, Babylonian, African, Mayan, Inca, Aztec, Finnic, Native American, Buddhist, Australian Aboriginal, etc.). They are fascinated by how human culture has evolved and - after outlawing war and ensuring everyone’s living standard goes up just by being a huge, magical deterrent to evil - decide to spend some time among humans. Cue strange game shows such as “Date a God For a Day”. Your character is the lucky winner of one such blind date, with a deity of your choosing. 

[titanclashbattleofthegods]

[drhoz]

#1926 - Melicytus ramiflorus -  Māhoe

AKA Whiteywood

A small, much-branched tree from the Violet family, growing to a height of about 10m. In open lowland and lower montane forest throughout New Zealand it is one of the most common trees. It frequently germinates as an epiphyte on tree ferns. The bark is a whitish colour and the branchlets very brittle.

Decaying Māhoe leaves form characteristic skeletonised leaves, piling up around the base of the tree.

The scented, small, yellow flowers appear in late spring, and the purple berries in late summer and are eaten by native birds such as the Kereru, Tui honeyeaters, and geckos of the genus Naultinus. They don’t seem to be edible to humans, however. Both flowers and fruit grow directly from the trunk - ramiflory. 

The Maori used the liquid from boiled leaves as an external treatment for rheumatism and scabies, but the main use of this species was in the friction method of fire lighting - a slab of the soft wood scraped with a pointed stick of harder species in order to make a flame.

There is, naturally, mythology about this, and perhaps predictably it involves Maui – the great trickster god of Polynesian tradition. One day Maui set out to learn the secret of fire, put out all the fires in his village, and volunteered to go meet with his Grandmother Mahuika the fire god whose fingernails were made of flame. He persuaded Mahuika to part with one of her fingernails, and then immediately extinguished it in a nearby river. Maui persuaded her to give him another nail, and another, and continued to put them out in the water. By the last nail, Mahuika realized what Maui was doing and in a fit of anger threw up a great flame that threatened to ignite the earth, boil the seas, and burn the forests. So Maui called on his ancestor Tāwhirimātea – god of the weather - to put out the flame. 

Mahuika collected the last few sparks and looked for somewhere to place them. The trees of rata, hīnau, kahikatea, rimu, and miro all refused, but the kaikomako and mahoe accepted. Maui saw Mahuika place the spark of fire in these trees, and returned to his village to show his family and friends how they could bring out the fire by rubbing them together.

[griffinguy24]

This is how Maui died in Polynesian mythology

OK I'm in the pussy 👍. Now what