The legends of the Hawaiian Islands are as diverse as those of any
country in the world. They are also entirely distinct in form and
thought from the fairy-tales which excite the interest and wonder of the
English and German children. The mythology of Hawaii follows the laws
upon which all myths are constructed. The Islanders have developed some
beautiful nature-myths. Certain phenomena have been observed and the
imagination has fitted the story to the interesting object which has
attracted attention.
Now the Rainbow Maiden of Manoa, a valley lying back of Honolulu, is the
story of a princess whose continual death and resurrection were invented
to harmonize with the formation of a series of exquisite rainbows which
are born on the mountain-sides in the upper end of the valley and die
when the mist clouds reach the plain into which the valley opens. Then
there were the fish of the Hawaiian Islands which vie with the
butterflies of South America in their multitudinous combinations of
colors. These imaginative people wondered how the fish were painted, so
for a story a battle between two chiefs was either invented or taken as
a basis. The chiefs fought on the mountain-sides until finally one was
driven into the sea and compelled to make the deep waters his continual
abiding-place. Here he found a unique and pleasant occupation in calling
the various kinds of fish to his submarine home and then painting them
in varied hues according to the dictates of his fancy. Thus we have a
pure nature-myth developed from the love of the beautiful, one of the
highest emotions dwelling in the hearts of the Hawaiians of the long
ago.
So, again, Maui, a wonder-working hero like the Hercules of Grecian
mythology, heard the birds sing, and noted their beautiful forms as they
flitted from tree to tree and mingled their bright plumage with the
leaves of the fragrant blossoms.
No other one of those who lived in the long ago could see what Maui saw.
They heard the mysterious music, but the songsters were invisible. Many
were the fancies concerning these strange creatures whom they could hear
but could not see. Maui finally pitied his friends and made the birds
visible. Ever since, man has been able to both hear the music and see
the beauty of his forest neighbors.
Such nature-myths as these are well worthy of preservation by the side
of any European fairy-tale. In purity of thought, vividness of
imagination, and delicacy of coloring the Hawaiian myths are to be given
a high place in literature among the stories of nature vivified by the
imagination.
Another side of Hawaiian folk-lore is just as worthy of comparison.
Lovers of "Jack-the-Giant-Killer," and of the other wonder-workers
dwelling in the mist-lands of other nations, would enjoy reading the
marvelous record of Maui, the skilful demi-god of Hawaii, who went
fishing with a magic hook, and pulled up from the depths of the ocean
groups of islands. This story is told in a matter-of-fact way, as if it
were a fishing-excursion only a little out of the ordinary course. Maui
lived in a land where volcanic fires were always burning in the
mountains. Nevertheless it was a little inconvenient to walk thirty or
forty miles for a live coal after the cold winds of the night had put
out the fire which had been carefully protected the day before. Thus,
when he saw that some intelligent birds knew the art of making a fire,
he captured the leader and forced him to tell the secret of rubbing
certain sticks together until fire came.
Maui also made snares, captured the sun and compelled it to journey
regularly and slowly across the heavens. Thus the day was regulated to
meet the wants of mankind. He lifted the heavens after they had rested
so long upon all the plants that their leaves were flat.
There was a ledge of rock in one of the rivers, so Maui uprooted a tree
and pushed it through, making an easy passage for both water and man. He
invented many helpful articles for the use of mankind, but meanwhile
frequently filled the days of his friends with trouble on account of the
mischievous pranks which he played on them.
Fairies and gnomes dwelt in the woodland, coming forth at night to build
temples, massive walls, to fashion canoes, or whisper warnings. The
birds and the fishes were capable and intelligent guardians over the
households which had adopted them as protecting deities. Birds of
brilliant plumage and sweet song were always faithful attendants on the
chiefs, and able to converse with those over whom they kept watch.
Sharks and other mighty fish of the deep waters were reliable messengers
for those who rendered them sacrifices, often carrying their devotees
from island to island and protecting them from many dangers.
Sometimes the gruesome and horrible creeps into Hawaiian folk-lore. A
poison tree figures in the legends and finally becomes one of the most
feared of all the gods of Hawaii. A cannibal dog, cannibal ghosts, and
even a cannibal chief are prominent among the noted characters of the
past.
Then the power of praying a person to death with the aid of departed
spirits was believed in, and is at the present time.
Almost every valley of the island has its peculiar and interesting myth.
Often there is a historical foundation which has been dealt with
fancifully and enlarged into miraculous proportions. There are hidden
caves, which can be entered only by diving under the great breakers or
into the deep waters of inland pools, around which cluster tales of love
and adventure.
There are many mythological characters whose journeys extend to all the
islands of the group. The Maui stories are not limited to the large
island Hawaii and a part of the adjoining island which bears the name of
Maui, but these stories are told in a garbled form on all the islands.
So Pele, the fire-goddess, who dwelt in the hottest regions of the most
active volcanoes, belongs to all, and also Kamapuaa, who is sometimes
her husband, but more frequently her enemy. The conflicts between the
two are often suggested by destructive lava flows checked by storms or
ocean waves. It cannot be suspected that the ancient Hawaiian had the
least idea of deifying fire and water--and yet the continual conflict
between man and woman is like the eternal enmity between the two
antagonistic elements of nature.
When the borders of mist-land are crossed, a rich store of folk-lore
with a historical foundation is discovered. Chiefs and gods mingle
together as in the days of the Nibelungen Lied. Voyages are made to many
distant islands of the Pacific Ocean, whose names are frequently
mentioned in the songs and tales of the wandering heroes. A chief from
Samoa establishes a royal family on the largest of the Hawaiian Islands,
and a chief from the Hawaiian group becomes a ruler in Tahiti.
Indeed the rovers of the Pacific have tales of seafaring which equal the
accounts of the voyages of the Vikings.
The legends of the Hawaiian Islands are valuable in themselves, in that
they reveal an understanding of the phenomena of nature and unveil their
early history with its mythological setting. They are also valuable for
comparison with the legends of the other Pacific islands, and they are
exceedingly interesting when contrasted with the folk-lore of other
nations.
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