Hawaiian Mythology: The Top Four

Pele, the volcano & fire goddess of Hawaii, is well-known around the world. Her bold and fiery nature appeals to the imagination.

However, in the Hawaiian pantheon, Pele is not in the top four.

Arguably the top of the pantheon is headed by Kane who is viewed in at least forty different aspects. Chief among his attributions are as the deity in charge of wild foods, jungles and forests, wood, medicine and leaves. We will look more closely at Kane in an upcoming post.

Also in the top four are:

Lono: god of agriculture and peace.

Ku: the god of war

Kanaloloa: god of oceans and mana

The indigenous Hawaiian belief system is both polythesistic and animistic. Deities and spirits can be found anywhere such as trees, animals, rainbows, islands and more. There is no limit to their ability to manifest.

As I said in a previous post there are hundreds of gods and goddesses in the Hawaiian pantheon. I will not be sharing all of them in a comprehensive study. If, however, there is one that you are particularly interested let me know and I’ll include them.

Along with the pantheon and Hawaiian cryptozoology, I will be sharing parts of historic Hawaiian life.  As is the case in all cultures around the world, everything is interwoven.

Hope you enjoy the ride. ~ lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat Convo Friday

Kuri: What is that?

Me: A garment bag.

Hiyu: It sounds like plastic.

Me: It’s not for you.

Hiyu: But I want to try it.

Kuri: What’s in it?

Me: Kimonos, a sari, a parasol and a few other odds and ends.

Loki: Are there mice?

Me: No mice.

Hiyu: It looks nice and thick. Can I try it.

Me: No, you may not. Not a single dental impression allowed.

Hiyu: Why?

Me: These things are in the bag to keep them clean and dust free. That means no puncture holes.

Kuri: Why don’t we ever see this bag?

Me: Because I don’t usually wear kimonos.

Loki: Can I get in the bag and look for mice?

Me: No.

Kuri: I’ll get in and check for you.

Hiyu: Just one bite.

I brush Hiyu away and extract the twins from the bag. I shoo them towards the door. Hiyu laughs at me and I can see the twins plotting. Hiyu leaps past me towards the bag and as I ward him off, Kuri and Loki jump back into the bag.

Once again, I pull the kitties out and then shut the door.

Loki: I’m sure I saw a mouse.

Hiyu: Open the door! Just one bite. Please!

I hear Kuri trying to get a grip on the doorknob. I quickly pull out the convention costumes and get the bag away in the closet where it belongs.

The cats are wailing outside the door: Mice! Mice! Mice!

Arna grins and gives half a wag of her tail. Let them yell for a while. You spoil them too much.

Me: And I don’t spoil you?

Arna gives me a grin: All the time and thank you.

Mischief averted. ~lisa

Kuri (on other side of door): Let’s go take our drinking fountain apart.

Ted Talk Review

I love Ted Talks. http://www.ted.com/talks

They’re free, online and cover an incredibly wide range of subjects.

Among the picture perfect Teds, I recommend:

Thomas Peschak : Dive into an ocean photographer’s world http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_peschak_dive_into_an_ocean_photographer_s_world

Mac Stone: Stunning photos of the endangered Everglades http://www.ted.com/talks/mac_stone_stunning_photos_of_the_endangered_everglades

Frans Lanting: The story of life in photographs http://www.ted.com/talks/frans_lanting_s_lyrical_nature_photos

Just fun for everyone:

James Veitch: This is what happens when you reply to spam http://www.ted.com/talks/james_veitch_this_is_what_happens_when_you_reply_to_spam_email

Social / Political

Melvin Russell: I love being a police officer, but we need reform (I am so impressed with this man) https://www.ted.com/talks/melvin_russell_i_love_being_a_police_officer_but_we_need_reform

Leana Wen: What your doctor won’t disclose http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Leana+Wen%3a+What+your+doctor+won%27t+disclose&view=detail&mid=55C032E8C3C6BD14542155C032E8C3C6BD145421&FORM=VIRE

Al Gore: The case for optimism on climate change http://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_the_case_for_optimism_on_climate_change

Other Great Ted Talks:

David Gruber: Glow-in-the-dark sharks and other stunning sea creatures https://www.ted.com/talks/david_gruber_glow_in_the_dark_sharks_and_other_stunning_sea_creatures?language=en

Edith Widder: The weird wonderful world of bioluminescence http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_the_weird_and_wonderful_world_of_bioluminescence

Carl Safina: What are animals thinking and feeling http://www.ted.com/talks/carl_safina_what_are_animals_thinking_and_feeling

Rachel Sussman: The world’s oldest living things http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_sussman_the_world_s_oldest_living_things

Enjoy

~lisa

 

 

 

 

 

Sakura-Con

Sakura-Con opens this weekend in Seattle. It’s a full three days of intense creativity, energy and excitement.

Seattle’s anime convention draws thousands.

What is anime? Anime is animated stories in books, movies and episodic broadcasts. It is also a Japanese cultural celebration.

The official definition of anime is: Japanese hand-drawn or computer animation.

Personally, I think it’s so much more.

Anime knows no boundaries. It pulls people together from diverse walks of life, diverse cultures, old and young (okay – mostly young), artists, voice actors, animators, gamers, and cosplay aficionados.

Anime started in Japan (1917) and is still mostly Japanese, though you can now find some “anime” created and produced in other counties. It spread like wildfire in the last few decades and is enjoyed around the world.

My favorite part of anime is the rich tradition of stories that rely heavily on mythology and crypto zoology. Among my favorites are stories that revolve around Yokai, supernatural monsters and spirits from Japanese folklore.

As a cat person, I’m fond of the bakeneko. http://yokai.com/bakeneko/ As Japanese cats age, they become more powerful and take on more human characteristics. They can shapeshift, possess humans, and can speak. The longer the cat’s tail, the more powerful they can become. The Bengals are quite hopeful about the possibility of these powers, especially if they involve mastery over can openers.

Sakura-Con: http://sakuracon.org/

Anime: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

Yokai: http://yokai.com/

Cosplay (costume play): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay

Next week, I’ll return to our regularly scheduled mythology.

~lisa

 

Rainbow Hill Meanders

Rainbow Hill Meanders is back!

I know some will say that it never went away, but today’s post is to proclaim that control of the blog has been wrested away from the cats.

There will still be Cat Convo Fridays, but the focus of the blog will now return to some of my other of my favorite things.

As Rainbow Hill Meanders returns to its wandering through the space/time continuum, you will see a lot of world mythology, cryptobiology/cryptozoology, words, writing and odd Internet rabbit holes I’ve gone down and can’t wait to share.

Over the next few months, I will start Mythology Mondays by looking at Hawaiian mythology. I enjoy a challenge and with well over 40,000 deities in the Hawaiian pantheon, I will certainly have one. I will be sharing the highlights of research into this rich culture.

The Hill plans on travel to many diverse mythologies and I will also be building an old world bestiary of my favorite mythological creatures.

As a writer, I will share my passion for words, my struggles with which grammar and punctuation guidelines to use, plus writing tips and sites.

Some cat pictures may well sneak in during the week, but the cats will only have control of the blog on Fridays.

I hope the journey is always fun and informative.

~lisa

May you all have a happy Pi Day. As always thoughts, comments and questions are always welcome.

Cat Convo Friday

Hiyu: Where have you been?

Me: I had a class.

Loki: Why?

Me: I like to learn things.

Kuri: More than you like us?

Me: I love you guys, but sometimes I have to do other things.

Kuri: What’s more important than us?

Me: You can get by without me for a few hours.

Hiyu, Kuri & Loki in chorus: NO WE CAN’T!!!

Hiyu: You need to pet me now.

Loki: I want cuddles.

Kuri: Why would you leave us for a stupid class?

Me: The class I took was very important. You know I volunteer with the Public Health Reserve Corp. http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/phreservecorps.aspx

Hiyu: Why?

The more I know, the more I can help. Any class I can take helps prepare me for the unexpected.

Loki: How about the expected? Like loving your cats?

The dog looks up at me with her soulful eyes. Arna doesn’t usually talk unless she determines we are under imminent attack. I sit down and gather the ancient dachshund in my lap.

Kuri and Loki climb on. Hiyu finds a perch over my shoulder where he can whisper in my ear. He doesn’t like “puppy” piles.

Me: Happy now?

Kuri looks up at me from where he’s standing on his brother’s head: You owe us some catnip.

Loki: Make the dog move. She’s hogging your lap.

Me: Her name is Arna. You can be nice enough to call her by her name.

Hiyu: Give us some tuna and all will be forgiven.

Kuri & Loki: Yes! Tuna!

Arna: I want tuna too. Please. I love you.

Now they have the dog onboard, and that makes it hard to say no. Oh, well.

~lisa

 

 

Cat Convo Friday

Hiyu: I hear flowers!!

Me: You hear the plastic the flowers come in.

Hiyu: Same thing.. Let me have them. I want them now!

Kuri: You let him have flowers. Why don’t you let me have elastic hairbands?

Hiyu: Because I’m not stupid enough to eat the plastic.

Kuri: I’m smart.

Me: You do eat elastic hairbands.

Hiyu: I never eat anything that’s not food.

Kuri: It’s not fair.

Me: Hiyu has a point.

Hiyu: Listen to this sound. I love this sound.

Kuri: One of these days I’ll find out where you hid the hairbands.

Hiyu: Look at that! My dental impressions still look perfect.

Me: How about catnip?

Hiyu: I’ll pass. Would you take those flowers out of my plastic?

And Kuri is quite reluctantly distracted with catnip. Loki joins him and soon the twins are playing while Hiyu makes his favorite noise.

~lisa

Cat Convo Friday

 

Loki: What do you mean you’re both sick?

 

Me: Yes, that’s true.

Kuri: It’s still not okay to be late with breakfast.

Me: You’re getting fed now.

Loki: About time. Oh, and thank you.

Hiyu: We can take care of ourselves.

Loki: No, we can’t. We need to be fed.

Hiyu: Just pour all that food on the floor and you can take however long you want to get better.

Loki: Oh, I get it. Pour out all the treats too.

Kuri: And all the catnip you keep up in the cupboards.

Me: Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.

Hiyu: What about play time?

Me: I’ll release the battery-powered toys.

Loki: What’s a battery?

Me: It’s what makes the caterpillar run around and hide under the furniture.

Me: Sorry guys, but that’s it for the day. I’m going back to bed.

Kuri: I’ll walk the dog for you.

Me: No. You’re still not allowed outside.

Loki: Why does the dog get a baby picture and we don’t?

Me: Because it’s cute and it fits.

Loki: We were cute kittens.

Me: Happy now?

Kuri: I’ll sleep on whoever has the highest temperature.

Hiyu: I’ll keep watch on top of the dresser.

Loki: I can keep knees warm.

Kuri: I’ll wake you up when the dog wants out.

Loki: I’ll start with your ankles.

Hiyu: Don’t worry. We got this.

And so they do.

~lisa