Polynesian (Hawaiian, Maori, Samoan, Tahitian)
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Pacific Ocean (Polynesian Triangle)
Ancient Times
14 gods and goddesses
Polynesian mythology developed among the greatest ocean navigators in human history. Beginning around 1500 BCE, Polynesian peoples spread across the Pacific, carrying their gods, stories, and rituals to islands separated by thousands of miles of open ocean.
The Polynesian Triangle stretches from Hawaii in the north to New Zealand (Aotearoa) in the southwest and Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the southeast. Despite this vast expanse, the mythologies share common roots: the primordial parents Rangi (Sky Father) and Papa (Earth Mother), the great gods Tangaroa, Tane, Tu, and Rongo, and the beloved trickster demigod Maui.
While sharing common ancestors, each island group developed distinct traditions. Hawaiian mythology features the volcano goddess Pele and her rivalry with the snow goddess Poliahu. Maori tradition preserves elaborate genealogies (whakapapa) connecting humans to the gods. Samoan and Tongan traditions emphasize Tagaloa as the supreme creator.
Polynesian mythology was preserved through oral tradition, chants (mele in Hawaiian, waiata in Maori), and ritual performances. Navigational knowledge, genealogies, and sacred stories were memorized by specialists and passed down through generations, only being written down after European contact.
The legendary trickster demigod and culture hero of Polynesian mythology. Maui is credited with fishing up islands, slowing the sun, stealing fire for humanity, and attempting to conquer death itself.
The Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, fire, and lightning. Pele is a fierce and passionate deity who creates new land through volcanic eruptions and whose temper is as volatile as the lava she commands.
The great god of the sea and all that dwells within it. In some traditions, particularly Tahitian and Samoan, Tangaroa/Tagaloa is the supreme creator god who brought forth the world from primordial darkness.
The god of forests, birds, and light. Tane is credited with separating his parents Rangi and Papa, bringing light into the world, and creating the first woman, Hineahuone, from the earth.
The fierce god of war and human endeavor. Tu represents the aggressive, active principle necessary for survival, from warfare to hunting to the cultivation of crops.
The god of cultivated plants, peace, and agriculture. Rongo represents the peaceful arts of cultivation that sustain life, standing in contrast to his brother Tu's warlike nature.
The goddess of the moon and women's arts, particularly the making of tapa cloth. Hina appears in many forms across Polynesia, sometimes as the mother of Maui, sometimes as a goddess who fled to the moon.
The Earth Mother, wife of Rangi the Sky Father. Papa lay in eternal embrace with Rangi until their children separated them, bringing light into the world. She remains the foundation upon which all life exists.
The Sky Father, husband of Papa the Earth Mother. Rangi was forced apart from his wife by their children, and now weeps for her from above, his tears falling as rain upon her body.
A powerful fertility goddess with the ability to regenerate herself and transform her age. In Hawaiian tradition, Haumea is the mother of Pele and many other deities, and taught humans the secrets of childbirth.
The Hawaiian goddess of the sea and elder sister of Pele. Namaka's eternal conflict with her volcanic sister shaped the Hawaiian islands, as sea and fire battle for dominance.
The Hawaiian goddess of snow and ice, resident of Mauna Kea. Poliahu is Pele's rival, and their conflict represents the opposition of ice and fire on Hawaii's highest mountain.
The youngest and most beloved sister of Pele. Hi'iaka is the patron goddess of hula dancers and the protagonist of one of the longest epic narratives in Hawaiian mythology, her journey to fetch Pele's lover Lohiau.
The Maori god of weather, winds, and storms. Tawhirimatea was the only one of Rangi and Papa's children to oppose their separation, and he still attacks his brothers with storms in revenge.
The demigod Maui uses a magical fishhook to pull islands from the ocean floor, creating the lands where Polynesian peoples would live. This foundational myth explains the origin of Pacific islands.
When the sun raced too quickly across the sky, leaving people without enough daylight for their work, Maui captured and beat it until it agreed to move slowly. This myth explains the length of days.
Maui tricks his ancestress Mahuika, goddess of fire, into giving him her flaming fingernails, then preserves the secret of fire in the wood of trees when she tries to destroy him.
The epic saga of Pele's love for the mortal chief Lohiau, and the dangerous journey her sister Hi'iaka undertakes to bring him to Hawaii - a story of love, jealousy, and the conflict between divine sisters.
The Maori creation myth telling how the children of the Sky Father and Earth Mother, trapped in darkness between their parents' embrace, debated and finally succeeded in pushing them apart, bringing light into the world.