I’m pleased to bring you another new guest who shall be taking over the blog. Please give a warm welcome to author Courtney Sheets. Today she will be talking all about Hawaiian Mythology. I love mythology and never knew that Hawaii has some amazing stories. I will have to do some reading to find out more.

Courtney thank you for taking the time to come over and take over with such a fantastic blog..

Savannah

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First I want to thank the wonderfully talented Savannah Chase for having me here today.  I’m really excited to be chatting with all of you about one of my favorite topics, Hawaiian Mythology.

We have all heard of Hawaii. I’m sure some of you have been to the Hawaiian Islands on Vacation. Perhaps you have read Michener’s wonderful book, Hawaii. Or maybe you have seen the movie Hawaiistarring the luminescent Julie Andrews and brilliant Max Von Sedow. I’m equally sure you have heard of Pele the goddess of fire. But have you heard of Lono? What about Laka? How about the all powerful Kane? The Hawaiian pantheon is loaded with more gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures than you can shake a stick at. To make matters more confusing, many of them changed slightly from island to island.  

As a student of History, I have always been interested in other cultures, especially their myths and religions. When Christian missionaries arrived in the Hawaii islands, they made sure that the native ways were slowly eradicated. The hula was outlawed, kapu was broken, and heiau or temples were destroyed. All the Hawaiian gods can be found in various forms throughout Polynesia, most times with only a slight variation of spelling on the name. My love of Hawaii came about with a family trip several years ago. On a day trip to the Windward side of the Big Island of Hawaii, I got to experience the power of Madame Pele herself. And my paranormal romance career began.

Pele, as we all know, is the Goddess of Fire. A true mother goddess, she destroys the land with her lava flows only to build it up the very same way. She is probably the most well known of all the Hawaiian Gods. Easily angered and extremely temperamental, Pele was the most destructive god as well. She could shift into several forms. A young woman dressed in red, an old woman hitchhiking and asking for a cigarette, or even a young girl with a small dog. Be careful when you drive the Saddle Road on the Big Island, that old woman on the side of the road just might be Pele.

Laka is a lesser known goddess but a vital part of Hawaiian Culture. She is the goddess of Hula. Laka is also known as the goddess of forest growth, vegetation, and sometimes known as the goddess of love. When the Merrie Monarch Festival is held in Hilo every year, there is also at least one hula danced in honor of Laka. Many plants are dedicated to Laka and are believed the carry her spirit.

Kane is the Hawaiian equivalent of Zeus. He is the creator and god of procreation. He is worshipped as an ancestor of the chiefs and ruling Ali’i. He shares the dominant role of creator as with Ku and Lono. Three gods formed what was called lahui akua, or union of gods. Kane created sun, moon, and stars. He created the ocean and then man. He was a busy little god.

A good place to dip your toes in the sea of Hawaiian Myth is with Martha Beckwith’s book, Hawaiian Mythology. Beckwith spent years compiling ancient stories from the South Pacific. It is the best place to start on your journey into the world of Hawaii Myth.

For a taste of Hawaiian myth in a very sexy setting take a look at my novel Kona Warrior, available now at www.ravenousromance.com When you their take a look at all the delicious stories, you’ll be glad you did.

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