Tag Archives: mythology

March 12, 2016 · 5:06 pm

PELE AND HI’IAKA: EPIC OF HAWAII PART FIFTEEN

Kauai

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.   Continue reading →

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March 11, 2016 · 12:44 am

GODS OF WAR FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Cry havoc and let slip the gods of war! Had to be said. (And yes, I know it’s supposed to be dogs of war.) The Greek god of war Ares and his Roman counterpart Mars get most of the attention in pop culture. Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some of the neglected war gods from around the world.  

Iroquois Warrior

AIRESKOI

Pantheon: Iroquois 

Lore: Aireskoi was identified with the Aurora Borealis. While other Iroquois souls would go to the conventional afterlife warriors slain in battle got to reside with Aireskoi in the heavens, their souls glowing with the grandeur of their battlefield heroics, thus accounting for the brightness of the Aurora Borealis.

Aireskoi was one of the gods who tried to woo the goddess Iagentci when she was carrying her Marriage Bread to the chief deity Hawenneyu. Aireskoi was also associated with fire since the Iroquois used fire to torture captives taken in wartime.  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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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 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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February 12, 2016 · 9:34 pm

YI: THE CHINESE EPIC OF THE DIVINE ARCHER

 I.WHAT’S UP WITH YI?  – Yi the Divine Archer from Chinese mythology deserves to be remembered in one breath with some of the other great heroes and monster slayers from belief systems around the world. Most people are only familiar with his feat of shooting down multiple suns that appeared in the sky one day, but this article will provide a light- hearted look at all of his fantastic adventures.  Continue reading →

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