Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.
PART TEN
Hi’iaka and the mortal woman Wahine resumed their quest to reach Kaua’i by following the northern coastline of the island of Maui. As they walked they found themselves in a kaha – an area devoid of crops or animal life and in which the residents had to depend on fishing and on deliveries of food from long distances to survive.
Wahine was famished and tried begging some food from the inhabitants of the dry, stony area but they all curtly refused. The woman asked her traveling companion Hi’iaka to intercede for her with the recalcitrant villagers. Hi’iaka made the attempt but even her entreaties were rudely rejected. The goddess demanded to know why these people refused to grant any food to strangers traveling through their land.
Sensing the latent power in Hi’iaka some of the citizens explained that only their King Olepau (also called Ka’ulahea) could authorize sharing the area’s scanty food supply with non-locals. That king was in a coma and had been for some time while evil sorcerors – two male and two female – battled for control of the sleeping monarch’s spirit body. Control of that spirit body or kino wailua would let whichever sorceror won rule the region by proxy.
The king’s kina wailua had slipped away as the four-sided battle between the warring sorcerors continued day and night. Hi’iaka determined to end this nonsense and asked where the sorcerors and the king’s spirit form were generally located. The villagers directed her to the Iao Valley to the south and with Wahine at her side Hi’iaka headed toward that valley, steeled for another battle.
In the Iao Valley the two travelers came across the wandering spirit form of King Ka’ulahea (or Olepau). Hi’iaka’s divine eyes enabled her to spot the spirit and she swiftly seized hold of the king’s kino wailua and kept it bound with her supernatural powers. When the goddess and her mortal companion were enroute back to the shoreline with Ka’ulahea’s spirit they were surrounded by the quartet of dueling sorcerors.
The sorcerors thanked Hi’iaka for locating the fugitive kino wailua and ordered her to turn it over to them. The goddess refused and a battle royal of various eldritch energies commenced. Wahine sought cover from the stray beams, rays and waves projecting from all directions.
When the battle was over a weary Hi’iaka emerged victorious and stripped the sorcerors of all their power, leaving them at the mercy of the people whose king they had been bedeviling. When the sorcerors had been dealt with Hi’iaka still refused to release the king’s spirit form until Wahine had been fed and her thirst quenched.
While Wahine was eating and drinking Hi’iaka grew distrustful of the citizens and the spirit form of King Ka’ulahea. Sensing something sinister and unhealthy about them all the goddess decreed it was time for a new king to rule the area. As Wahine finished her repast Hi’iaka made the bound spirit form as solid as an eggshell and smashed it to pieces against a nearby rock, sending Ka’ulahea to the land of the dead for good.
Not wishing to slay or injure any of the villagers Hi’iaka grabbed Wahine’s hand and fled the area with her. The late king’s infuriated people pursued them for a long while until Hi’iaka used her divine powers to disguise herself and Wahine as two little girls collecting lehua flowers. Once safely away from the mob hunting them Hi’iaka returned herself and Wahine to their normal appearance and they trudged on, bound for Kailu’a. ++
I’LL CONTINUE THE STORY SOON. CHECK BACK ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK FOR UPDATES.
FOR MY LOOK AT THE TOP ELEVEN GODS IN HAWAIIAN MYTHOLOGY CLICK HERE
FOR ANOTHER EPIC MYTH CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/03/17/iroquois-epic-myth-hodadeion/
FOR SIMILAR ARTICLES AND MORE OF THE TOP LISTS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/top-lists/
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Interesting story.
I agree.