Pele (mythology)
In
Hawaiian mythology,
Pele is a goddess of
fire,
lightning,
dance,
volcanoes and
violence, a daughter of
Haumea and
Kane Milohai. She lives on
Kilauea.
Her father exiled her (from her homeland,
Honua-Mea in
Tahiti) because of her temper, most recently for fighting with her elder water-goddess sister Na-maka-o-Kaha'i (Namaka), whose husband Pele had seduced. She sailed from Tahiti in a canoe guided by her shark-god brother Kā-moho-ali'i, and was followed by her still angry elder sister. Every time she landed on an island and created a new volcanic home, it was flooded out by
Na-maka-o-Kaha'i. Finally, the epic battle ended near Hana, Maui, where Pele was torn apart by her sister. Legend says her bones still remain as a hill called Ka-iwi-o-Pele.
Upon death, she became a god and found a home on Mauna Kea, on the Island of Hawai'i. Pele is known for her violent temper, but also for her common visits among mortals. She is said to appear either as a tall, beautiful young woman or as a very old, ugly and frail woman. She is often accompanied by a white dog and typically tests people such as asking if they have any food, drink and in more recent times, rides to another part of the island. Those who show kindness are rewarded and spared. Those who are cruel or disrespectful are punished by way of having their homes or crops destroyed. When enraged she may appear as a woman all aflame or as pure flame.
Pele also loves attending social dances, and is known for great jealousy and vengeance when she doesn't get her man. Stories of Pele encounters are common campfire tales. Her presence can be found around the Kilauea Volcano and Halema‘uma‘u Crater in the form of
Pele's tears (tear-shaped lava droplets),
Pele's hair (babyfine golden strands of volcanic glass), and
limu o Pele (thin sheets or flakes of volcanic glass).
She is also known for cursing Hawaii visitors who return to their homeland with volcanic rock, and has always been considered a protector of the Hawaiian people. Every year many lava rock pieces are shipped back to Hawaii from around the world from people who claim to have experienced horrible misfortune since removing the rocks, accompanied by letters asking for Pele's forgiveness.
After her battle with Na-maka-o-Kaha'i, she found new enemies in the snow-goddess
Poliahu whom she fought over Mauna Kea with, and the fertility god
Kamapua'a, her sometimes lover.
Pele's other prominent relatives are:
*
Hi'iaka, spirit of the dance
*
Kā-moho-ali'i, a shark god and the keeper of the water of life
*
Ka'ōhelo, a mortal sister
*
Kapo, a goddess of fertility
*
Ka-poho-i-kahi-ola, spirit of explosions
*
Kane-Hekili, spirit of the thunder
*
Ke-ō-ahi-kama-kaua, the spirit of lava fountains
*
Ke-ua-a-ke-pō, spirit of the rain and fire
*
Laka, a goddess of fertility and, like Pele, a patroness of the dance
* The pop musician
Tori Amos named an album
Boys for Pele in her honor. A single lyrical excerpt from the song "Muhammad My Friend" makes the only musical connection, "you've never seen fire until you've seen Pele blow." Many listeners believe the album title is an allusion to an erroneous, historically incorrect myth that young men were once sacrificed to Peleā"thus the title, the sacrificial "boys for Pele."
*
Simon Winchester, in his book
Krakatoa, stated about the Pele myth: "Like many legends, this old yarn has its basis in fact. The sea attacks volcanoes – the waters and the waves erode the fresh laid rocks. And this is why Pele herself moved, shifting always to the younger and newer volcanoes, and relentlessly away from the older and worn-out islands of the northwest."
*In 2004, American composer
Brian Balmages composed a piece entitled "Pele for Solo Horn and
Wind Ensemble" on commission by
Jerry Peel, professor of French Horn at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. It was premiered by the University of Miami Wind Ensemble under the direction of Gary Green, with Jerry Peel on Horn.
Pere, a Cook Islands goddess
*
Mythical Realm: Pele, Goddess of Fire*
Return Lava Rock to Hawaii
