PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART FIFTEEN

Kauai

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the grand and exciting Hawaiian epic about the goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka.

PART FIFTEEN

The goddess Hi’iaka continued her journey to the island of Kauai accompanied by the mortal woman Wahine. Their mission was to reach Prince Lohiau of Kauai and escort him back to the Big Island to marry Pele, the fire and volcano goddess. Little did Hi’iaka and Wahine know that the lovesick Lohiau, despairing because he missed Pele so much, had taken his own life weeks ago.

Continuing to cross the island of Oahu the traveling ladies reached Kehuohapu’u Bluff, where a rough shrine stood to the fish-god Ku’ula. From there they moved on to Ka’ena Point, the peninsula on the western coast of Oahu at the point closest to the island of Kauai. Ka’ena Point was the jumping-off point for the spirits of dead Hawaiians when they were ready to enter the land of the dead ruled by the goddess Milu.  

The huge rock island off Ka’ena Point had originally been part of Kauai but long ago the demigod Maui had taken the rope and fish-hook with which he had fished up islands and tried to use it like a grappling hook to pull all the Hawaiian Islands together. The attempt had failed when Maui’s hook Mana’ia’kalani had come loose, making that islet – Pohaku o Kauai – the only part of Kauai that Maui was able to unite with Oahu.   

At Ka’ena Point Hi’iaka and Wahine could find no one ready to cross the channel between Oahu and Kauai. There was no wood along the desolate rocky coastline so the ladies could not build themselves a canoe, either. Kane, the chief of the Hawaiian deities, was observing this from his home high up on Hunamoku, the island which floated on a cloud. 

Kane appeared to Hi’iaka and Wahine and gave them his enchanted seashell. That seashell, when placed in the water, became a huge ship that needed no crew, no oars and no wind. The ladies stepped aboard and the ship carried them over to Kauai.

Because Kane’s seashell-turned-ship was traveling much more swiftly than they could on foot, Hi’iaka and Wahine decided to ride the craft all the way around Kauai until they arrived at Haena. As the vessel was approaching the shore Hi’iaka caught a glimpse of something unusual lurking on the cliffs. With a feeling of dread she realized it was the spirit of the dead Prince Lohiau. ++   

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/

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.