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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy May Day

 

Happy May Day

May 1st is a long-standing spring festival in the Northern Hemisphere, but is also celebrated as May Day, the International Worker’s Day in many countries around the world.

Historical May Day associated celebrations include, but are not limited to:

The Celtic Beltane http://www.sacredfire.net/festivals.html

Walpurgis Night http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1388545/Walpurgis-Night

The Roman festival of Flora http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/a/ludiflorales.htm

Historically and in the “big picture” just a little time ago, May 1st was considered the 1st day of summer and summer solstice was considered Midsummer. Thus most May Day festivities wove their myth and celebrations around welcoming summer.

An old lost custom of May Day was the giving of small baskets (May baskets) filled with sweets and flowers and usually left anonymously on doorsteps. What a beautiful custom. I for one, would love to open my door to a basket full of flowers.

Bulgarians celebrate Irminden (too many alternative spellings to list). They perform rituals such as jumping over fires and making a lot of noise to scare snakes. Irminden is quite focused on protecting people from snakes and lizards.

Equally enchanting is the Romanian celebration of Arminden which includes washing one’s face with morning dew and decorating with birch saplings.

The U.S. State of Hawaii has adopted May Day as Lei Day to celebrate Native Hawaiian culture. There is a lot of myth and folklore there that will be mined in future posts.

Wishing all of you a great May Day and a figurative basket of flowers on your doorstep.

“Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun.” – Kahlil Gibran

~lisa