Māui
[1] Tales of Māui's exploits and adventures are told throughout most of Polynesia; they can be traced back as far west as islands off New Guinea.
Some exploits common to most Polynesian traditions are stealing fire for humans from the underworld, fishing up islands with his magical hook, and capturing the Sun to lengthen the days.
In Māori mythology, as in other Polynesian traditions, Māui is a culture hero and a trickster, famous for his exploits and cleverness.
One night, he wove for himself a flax fishing line and enchanted it with a karakia to give it strength; to this he attached the magic fish-hook made from the jawbone that his grandmother Murirangawhenua had given him.
Mahuika threw her last nail at Māui, but it missed him and flew into some trees including the māhoe and the kaikōmako.
Armed with Murirangawhenua's magic jawbone and a large amount of rope, Māui and his brothers journeyed to the east and found the pit where the sun-god Tama-nui-te-rā slept during the night-time.
Tama-nui-te-rā was caught in the noose and Māui struck him with the jawbone until he surrendered and agreed to travel slowly across the sky.
In an attempt to make mankind immortal by reversing the natural birth process, he transformed into a worm and entered Hine-nui-te-pō's vagina, intending to leave through her mouth while she slept.
[8] In Hawaiian religion, Māui is a culture hero and ancient chief who appears in several different genealogies.
Some of Māui's most renowned feats included causing birds (which were invisible to mortal eyes) to become visible.
He observed them with keen interest, their varied and beautiful plumage which adorned the foliage of fragrant trees, and their melodious music, however, no one else could join him in enjoying what was apparent to his vision.
For, although Māui's friends could hear their wonderful bird songs, none perceived the true source of the sounds.
Māui then threw in his magical hook baited with Alae birds, sacred to his mother Hina.
The ocean floor began to move and generate huge waves while Māui asked his brothers to paddle fast to accommodate for the oncoming fish.
[9] Before Māui's involvement in the matter, the Sun (Lā) notoriously traveled on irregular paths in the sky, coming and going unexpectedly at times, which made activities such as farming very difficult for man.
[9] Similar to Atlas and Heracles of Greek mythology, Māui lifted up the heavens, which, for a long time, had lain heavily upon the plants of the Earth, leaving insufficient room for growth and for humanity to move about with ease.
Māui-Motu'a bears the earth on his shoulders, and when he nods in sleep it causes earthquakes, therefore the people have to stamp on the ground to awaken him.
He also got the name Māui-fusi-fonua (Māui land puller) when he begged for the magic fishhook from the old fisherman Tongafusifonua, who lived in Manuka (located to the east on the island of Tonga).
Being the curious and kolohe demigod that he is, Tiʻitiʻi concealed himself closely to a wall that allowed his father, Talaga, to get to work in the underworld.
As Tiʻitiʻi passed through to the underworld, his father was surprised and told his son to help quietly so he doesn't anger Mafui‘e.
As he goes to talk to the god, Mafui‘e was determined to punish Tiʻitiʻi severely for daring to rebel against the power of fire.
In the mythology of Mangareva, Māui hauls the land up from the sea, and ties the sun with tresses of hair.
Abandoned by his human parents as a baby, the gods took pity on him and made him a demigod and gave him a magic fishhook that gives him the ability to shape-shift.
