Would you hear the seventh and last of great Ma-ui’s deeds? They do not
tell of this deed in Hawaii nei, but they tell of it in Kahiki-mo-e.
The last was the greatest of all Ma-ui’s deeds, for it was his
dangerous labor then to win the greatest boon for men—the boon of
everlasting life.
He heard of the Goblin-goddess who is called Hina-nui-ke-po, Great
Hina-of-the-Night. It is she who brings death on all creatures. But if
one could take the heart out of her body and give it to all the
creatures of the earth to eat, they would live for ever, and death
would be no more in the world.
They tell how the Moon bathes in the Waters of Life, and comes back to
the world with her life renewed. And once Ma-ui caught and held the
Moon. He said to her, “Let Death be short, and as you return with new
strength let it be that men shall come back from Death with new
strength.” But the Moon said to Ma-ui, “Rather let Death be long, so
that men may sigh and have sorrow. When a man dies, let him go into
darkness and become as earth, so that those whom he leaves behind may
weep and mourn for him.” But for all that the Moon said to Ma-ui, he
would not have it that men should go into the darkness for ever and
become as earth. The Moon showed him where Hina-of-the-Night had her
abode. He looked over to her Island and saw her. Her eyes shone through
the distance; he saw her great teeth that were like volcanic glass and
her mouth that was wide like the mouth of a fish; he saw her hair that
floated all around her like seaweed in the sea.
He saw her and was afraid; even great Ma-ui was made afraid by the
Goblin-goddess, Great Hina-of-the-Night. But he remembered that he had
said that he would find a way of giving everlasting life to men and to
all creatures, and he thought and thought of how he could come to the
Goblin-goddess and take the heart out of her body.
It was his task then to draw all creatures to him and to have them
promise him that they would help him against the Goblin-goddess. And
when at last he was ready to go against her the birds went with him. He
came to the Island where she was, Great Hina-of-the-Night. She was
sleeping, and all her guards were around her. Ma-ui passed through her
guards. He prepared to enter her terrible open mouth, and bring back
her heart to give to all the creatures of the earth.
And at last he stood ready to go between the jaws that had the fearful
teeth that were sharp like volcanic glass. He stood there in the light
of a sun-setting, his body tall and fine and tattooed all over with the
histories of his great deeds. He stood there, and then he gave warning
to all the birds that none of them was to sing or to laugh until he was
outside her jaws again with the heart of the Goblin-goddess in his
hands.
He went within the jaws of Great Hina-of-the-Night. He passed the
fearful teeth that were sharp like volcanic glass. He went down into
her stomach. And then he seized upon her heart. He came back again as
far as her jaws, and he saw the sky beyond them.
Then a bird sang or a bird laughed—either the e-le-pa-io sang, or
Paka-kai the water-wagtail laughed—and the Goblin-goddess wakened up.
She caught Ma-ui in her great teeth, and she tore him across. There was
darkness then, and the crying of all the birds.
Thus died Ma-ui who raised the sky and who fished up the land, who made
the Sun go more slowly across the heavens, and who brought fire to men.
Thus died Ma-ui, with the Meat of Immortality in his hands. And since
his death no one has ever ventured near the lair of Hina-nui-ke-po, the
Goblin-goddess.