Maui: Polynesian Demigod and Hero of Humanity

"Maui Snaring the Sun" by Arman Manookian, public domain

From the research I’ve done on Maui, it seems this demigod was more of a hero of Polynesia rather than an actively worshipped deity. Because the people who told his stories were spread out, the details of his great deeds and even his parentage vary depending on who you ask. That said, the "heart" of Maui is always maintained. He's a trickster, much along the likes of Loki, Set, and Prometheus. In fact, it was said that Maui stole fire and gave it to humanity. An interesting parallel between him and Prometheus, no?

Stealing fire wasn’t the only thing Maui was said to have done for humans. One day while he was out fishing with his four brothers, he cast his magic fish hook deep into the sea. After a while it felt like the hook had caught on something - a big fish, Maui hoped - but he couldn't haul it back up. He tried again and again, until finally he succeeded. However, it turned out he hadn't caught a fish at all - instead, he'd pulled up the Hawaiian Islands. In a variation of this story, he pulled up a giant fish, which became an island of New Zealand.

"As Maui Reached the Eastern Rim the Sun Was Disappearing" by Will Herwig, public domain

Another story recounts the time Maui came across a girl who was complaining that the sky was too low. She said it kept falling on her. To help the girl, Maui used his superhuman strength to raise the sky. In yet another tale, Maui captured the sun with a lasso and convinced it to stay in the sky for longer periods of time so that people had more time in the day to complete their chores.

My favorite myth with Maui has to be the one where he tries to win immortality for humanity. As Hine, the guardian of life, was sleeping, Maui crawled into her mouth. He intended to tear the hidden source of life from her body and bring it back to mankind. But before he could finish his task, Hine awoke. She snapped her mouth shut, her sharp obsidian teeth slicing Maui through the middle. It is said that ever since then, man cannot escape death.

I hope you enjoyed March 2021’s Myth of the Month!