Category Archives: Mythology

March 9, 2016 · 10:37 pm

RESURRECT THE DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER: TOYNBEE TILES

Toynbee TileHere at Balladeer’s Blog I enjoy treating conspiracy theories as a form of modern-day mythology. Just like mythology and religious beliefs conspiracy theories are irrational explanations for occurrences or situations that have much more rational explanations. Here’s one of my all-time favorite neglected conspiracy kook bits.

THE DEAD CAN BE RESURRECTED ON PLANET JUPITER – The enigmatic Toynbee Tiles are the major source for the enjoyable canon behind this notion. At some point in the 1980s odd tiles laid into the asphalt of actual streets and roadways were being found, bearing some variation on the following message: “TOYNBEE IDEA/ IN MOVIE 2001/ RESURRECT DEAD/ ON PLANET JUPITER.” Continue reading →

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March 9, 2016 · 4:32 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART FOURTEEN

Kaliuwa'a Valley

Kaliuwa’a Valley

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

PART FOURTEEN

Hi’iaka and her mortal companion Wahine continued crossing the island of Oahu as their quest to reach Kauai resumed after their battle with the gigantic lizard-monster Mokoli’i. The ladies arrived at Kaliuwa’a Valley where Hi’iaka encountered another of the gods who had originally arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with the goddess Pele long ago. 

Kauhi was the name of this ancient deity who ruled the rocky mountain peak that shared his name. Long ago Pele had assigned – some would say condemned – Kauhi to remain behind here serving as a sentry. The peak was often called “the watchtower of the heavens” and served as both home and prison to Kauhi.  Continue reading →

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March 5, 2016 · 4:44 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART THIRTEEN

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

PART THIRTEEN 

On the Hawaiian island of Oahu near Kualoa the goddess Hi’iaka and the mortal woman Wahine were continuing their quest to reach Kauai. Amid a driving rain the women found themselves attacked by the mountain-sized monster called Mokoli’i. That was where things ended last time around. 

The creature Mokoli’i had thick, nearly impenetrable scales all over its body and a long prehensile tail. That plus the monster’s size would have made it a deadly foe at any time but the mo’o had chosen to attack just when the rain was pelting the two traveling women and was reducing visibility for them.     Continue reading →

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March 2, 2016 · 9:44 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART TWELVE

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

PART TWELVE

The rest of Hi’iaka and Wahine’s journey across the island of Molokai was uneventful. The goddess and her mortal traveling companion arrived in Kauna-ka-kai and from there secured passage to Oahu. The two men who crewed the ship were so awestruck by the beauty of Hi’iaka and Wahine that they left their own furious wives behind in their hurry to accommodate the pair of lovely ladies. Continue reading →

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February 27, 2016 · 3:51 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART ELEVEN

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

PART ELEVEN

The goddess Hi’iaka and her traveling companion – the mortal woman Wahine – arrived in Kapua on the island of Maui, intent on finding a ship to take them on to Molokai as their quest to reach Kaua’i continued.  Continue reading →

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February 24, 2016 · 11:09 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART TEN

Maui mapBalladeer’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. Continue reading →

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February 20, 2016 · 2:49 am

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART NINE

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

PART NINE

By nightfall Hi’iaka had secured passage for herself and the mortal woman Wahine in a craft bound for the island of Maui. That vessel set off the next morning. In some versions the boatman and his son refuse to take the ladies so Hi’iaka punishes them by using her powers to make their craft sink. After swimming to shore the two men were more than happy to take the ladies in their other ship. Continue reading →

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February 17, 2016 · 11:12 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART EIGHT

Honoli'i River 2

*** *** *** **** *** A bridge over what remains of the Honoli’i River

 

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

PART EIGHT

We’ll begin this 8th installment at the village of Kohala on the Big Island. Hi’iaka’s traveling companion, the fern goddess Pa’u’o’pala’e, fell in love with Paki’i, a mortal Kaholan man. She stayed behind to dawdle and canoodle with her new-found love while Hi’iaka and the human woman Wahine resumed their quest to reach Kaua’i. 

Other versions of this epic instead state that Pa’u’o’pala’e stayed with the other two ladies until reaching the end of the Big Island. That was when she said goodbye and remained behind, supposedly because she was unable (for some undisclosed reason) to leave that island. 

That being the case, the fern goddess either was or was not still with Hi’iaka and Wahine as they reached the Honoli’i River (barely a stream here in the present-day). The two ladies removed their clothing and, holding their outfits on their heads above the water they set out to swim to the other side.  Continue reading →

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February 16, 2016 · 10:10 pm

SI’U: SAMOAN DEITY

SamoaBalladeer’s Blog’s look at Samoan myths has long been one of my biggest hits. Since the love keeps coming for this pantheon here’s an entry on a deity I didn’t cover before. 

SI’U – The patron god of the Samoan village of Faleasi’u on the island of Upolu.  Continue reading →

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February 13, 2016 · 4:53 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART SEVEN

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

PART SEVEN

Hi’iaka, the fern goddess Pa’u’o’pala’e and the mortal woman Wahine arrived near Hilo. A very rickety bridge across a broad chasm seemed the only available path over the Wailuka River far below. The bridge was erected and guarded by Piliamo’o and Nohoamo’o, two evil sorcerors who had so thoroughly mastered dark magic that they had achieved partial godhood.      

Regarded as actual deities by the locals, the sorcerors extorted valuables from the people who lived near Hilo and from anyone else attempting to cross their bridge. If anyone refused to pay the pair of sorcerors the price they demanded then the evildoers would cause one of the planks in the bridge to give way during crossing, plunging the victim to their death on the jagged rocks far below. Continue reading →

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