Jun 9, 2018
Image: Kiluaea's fire Goddess Pele - mythologywiki.com
Hawaii's Kiluaea volcano has been sending out lava and rocks since May. Here in a story from robertshawaii.com, is the legend of the fire Goddess Pele said to reside in the volcano.
Lighting up ancient Hawaiian legends, Pele (pronounced peh-leh) the goddess of fire, lightning, wind, dance and volcanoes is a well-known character. Otherwise known as ka wahine ai honua, the woman who devours the land, Pele’s home is believed to be Halemaumau crater at the summit of Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. However, all of Hawaii lays the setting for her stories, so that to this day, any volcanic eruption in Hawaii is attributed to Pele’s longing to be with her true love.
Pele is renowned for her passionate and fiery temperament and many people who visit the islands will hear stories of her power and destruction. One of six daughters and seven sons born to Haumea (an ancient Earth goddess) and Kane Milohai (the creator of the sky, earth and upper heavens), Pele’s siblings include Kane Milohai, Kamohoalii, Namaka as well as 13 sisters with the same name – Hiiaka.
Behind the Legend of Pele
There are as many versions of how Madame Pele came to Hawaii as there are lava rocks on Hawaii Island. One common legend says that Pele – who was born in Honua-Mea in Tahiti — was sent away by her father because of her difficult temper and for seducing her sister, Namakaokahai’s, husband. She found her way to the Hawaiian Islands where legend after legend bubbled up around her countless lovers, infidelities and feuds and heated outbursts.
Another well-known story spins a web that Pele’s older brother Kamohoalii (the king of sharks) provided Pele with a large canoe which she and her brothers took and sailed away with – eventually coming to Hawaii. When she made landfall in the islands it was on Kauai, where she was attacked by her sister Namakaokahai and left for dead. According to legend she was able to recover and escaped to Oahu where she dug fire pits, including the crater today called Diamond Head. She traveled through the island chain to Molokai and on to Maui where she is said to have made Haleakala volcano.
Upon discovering Pele had survived, Namakaokahai traveled to Maui and the two engaged in an epic battle near Hana, where Pele was torn apart by her sister and became a god, finding a home on Mauna Kea on Hawaii Island. There she dug her final fire pit, the Halemaumau Crater at the summit of Kilauea, where many believe she resides to this day.
And yet another tale tells that Pele was married for a short — and violent — time to Kamapuaa, the god of water. This story says that Pele rerouted Kamapuaa from their home in Helemaumau and angrily chased him, with rivers of lava, into the Pacific Ocean. This story is meant to symbolize the violent and explosive experience of a hydrovolcanic eruption, though Hawaiian eruptions are much more peaceful. Pele’s loyal followers believe that the frequent eruptions of lava on Kilauea is a reminder that Pele is alive and still at home here.
Pele and Poli'ahu
Pele was considered to be a rival of the Hawaiian goddess of snow, Poli?ahu, and her sisters Lilinoe (a goddess of fine rain), Waiau (goddess of Lake Waiau), and Kahoupokane (a kapa-maker whose kapa-making activities create thunder, rain, and lightning). All reside on Mauna Kea, except Kahoupokane who lives on Hualalai.
One myth tells that Poli?ahu had come from Mauna Kea with her friends to attend sled races down the grassy hills south of Hamakua. Pele came disguised as a beautiful stranger and was greeted by Poli?ahu. However, Pele became jealously enraged at the goddess of Mauna Kea. She opened the subterranean caverns of Mauna Kea and threw fire from them towards Poli?ahu, with the snow goddess fleeing towards the summit. Poli?ahu was finally able to grab her now-burning snow mantle and throw it over the mountain. Earthquakes shook the island as the snow mantle unfolded until it reached the fire fountains, chilling and hardening the lava. The rivers of lava were driven back to Mauna Loa and K?lauea. Later battles also led to the defeat of Pele and confirmed the supremacy of the snow goddesses in the northern portion of the island and of Pele in the southern portion.
Pele Parables
Pele is often portrayed as a wanderer and sightings of the familiar and popular goddess have been reported throughout the island chain for hundreds of years, but especially near volcanic craters and near her home of Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
In these sightings or visions she appears as either a very tall, beautiful young woman or an unattractive and frail elderly woman usually accompanies by a white dog. Those well-versed in the legend, say that Pele takes this form of an elderly beggar woman to test people – asking them if they have food or drink to share. Those who are generous and share with her are rewarded while anyone who is greedy or unkind are punished with their homes or other valuables destroyed.
The Goddess of Volcanoes
If you visit Hawaii only once, the one myth of Pele that you will likely hear and should take heed of is one surrounding the curses she inflicts on those who remove lava rocks from her island home. While many — including some kamaaina (local residents) believe that it is only legend, to this day thousands of pieces of lava rock are mailed back to the island from travelers over the world who insist they’ve suffered bad luck and misfortunes as a result.
And another series of legends and superstitions come from seeksghosts.blogspot.com
Pele Goddess of Fire: Spirit and Harbinger
The legend of this Hawaiian Goddess is fascinating. But what many people do not know is that Pele appears as a spirit in many forms and she is considered a negative harbinger.
Pele is connected to the Big Island of Hawaii, which was formed by volcanoes. A local legend passed down from one Hawaiians generation to the next Pele is considered the Goddess of these Volcanoes. Surprisingly, this traditional legend has a curse connected to it that still impacts people today.
The legend of Pele known as the “Goddess of Fire” in Hawaii starts with her being banished from Tahiti—another island in the Pacific—by her father because he did not like her hot temper.
It is stated she always fought with her sister, Na-mako-o-kaha’i who was the Goddess of the Sea. Pele left Tahiti in a canoe and went to Hawaii where she made many fiery volcanoes. However every time she made a volcano, her sister who followed her, flooded the fire and put it out.
The legend states finally the two sisters had a very violent fight where Pele was torn apart by her sister. This set Pele’s spirit free and she became a Goddess.
Today it is said Pele’s spirit lives in the Kilauea Volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes on earth. Local Native Hawaiians still believe she has a fiery temper and they both fear and respect her.
They will not even take a photo of this volcano believing this would be dangerous for Pele is considered both cruel and destructive.
Most Native Hawaiians state they have had at least one encounter with Pele’s spirit. Many have seen her more than once in their lifetimes.
One of these witnesses recounts seeing her twice and felt her presence on countless other occasions. He first saw her in 1957 while the volcano erupted and then again in 1974 when he picked her up hitching in Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Pele is considered a shape changer or shape shifter. Hawaiians state she takes on many forms.
One frequent sighting of her is when she is seen dancing and swirling in the fires and smoke of the active volcano. She is described as having long black hair that swirls around her as she dances. She is often also seen in the form of a white dog on moonless nights wandering alone. It is said when she takes this form she becomes a harbinger.
Hawaiians believe if they see this white dog it means a member of their “ohana” family will die.
Another form Pele takes is that of an old hag or witch. She is seen bent over with bits of lava rock and ash clinging to her long stringy gray hair. *
In contrast, at times she is seen as a young beautiful Hawaiian woman with long lustrous blue-black hair cascading down her back. She is often described as wearing a traditional muu-muu or a holoku, which is a long flowing gown often made of white fabric.
The curse connected to Pele involves visitors who take lava rock etc. from Hawaii home with them. This curse is based in a Hawaiian belief that if people do not respect Pele’s “aina” land they will feel her wrath.
It is believed if this is done the person who moves these bits of earth: lava rock, sand or seashells will have bad luck until they return these items to their rightful place.** As it turns out there is more to this legend than people first thought. Every year countless tourists return or send these items back to Hawaii.
The Hawaiian postal service receives “thousands of pounds” of such mail often addressed to “Queen Pele” from around the world.
One young man’s story about this curse was highlighted in the Los Angeles Times in May of 2001.
Timothy Murray stated he had always had exceptional luck up until the time he visited Hawaii in 1997. While visiting the Big Island of Hawaii he scooped up some black lava sand off the beach and placed it in a small bottle.
Once back in Florida, his home, he started to experience what he described as three years of bad luck that caused havoc in his life.
His beloved pet died, his girlfriend of five years who he planned to marry ended their relationship. He started to drink heavily and he was arrested and jailed for computer copyright infringement. What is unusual about this is it is rare for people to be jailed for this reason.
When Murray mailed back the black sand to Hawaii he wrote:
“Please take this sand and put it back somewhere on your island. I have had very bad luck since it came into my life and I am very sorry I took it. Please forgive me and I pray that once I send it back where it comes from, my bad luck will go away.”
Native Hawaiians believe that they must live in harmony with all things natural. The many tourists that have sent back these bits of Hawaiian earth, who at first believed that Pele’s wrath was just based in superstition, often state that Pele should be respected.
One witness who saw Pele was George Lycurgus owner--1904-1921-- of the Volcano House an inn at the edge of Kilauea.
He states one night while attending a luau at the edge of this volcano he and the rest of the partygoers spotted an old women with long straggly hair leaning on a stick as she headed for the edge of the volcano.
The group called to her to join them but she just continued on her way. Within moments they saw her disappear at the edge of the volcano--they rushed over thinking she must have fallen into the crater but when they arrived no one was there.
Within moments the volcano begun to erupt--the group quickly mounted their horses and left the area. Lycurgus often poured gin into Kilauea's crater he felt these offerings saved his inn from Pele's path of destruction.
This curse is very similar to one written about in another post about Bodie a ghost town in California.
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