Hawaiian Dieties

[Desert_Shadow]

Hi,
I just moved into a different place and was left with a most unusual gift. Outside my front door, at the bottom of the stairs, is a statue of a Hawaiian man, sitting atop what appears to be a very simple shrine. He is carved of wood, is sitting in a small terra cotta saucer shaped container surrounded by small sparkling white stones. Around him on the outside of the saucer is a ring of five large stones. The rental agent told me the previous tenant had stated she was tired of carting the little Hawaiian man around and so I could have him.
Now, my question is: Does anyone know of a Hawaiian God of Happiness? I have searched and have only come up with the following: KU, Kane, Kanaloa, Lono, Kamohoalii, and Maui. However, none of these seem to be exactly a happiness diety. I would really like to be blessed with some happiness right now, and could use any information anyone can pass along.
Thanks Much.

[Mnemosyne]

Aloha, Desert Shadow! :sunny: I searched for you and only came up with Lono and Kanaloa. Not only did you come up with these deities, but you also came up with two more. Are you looking for a god who is solely a god of happiness? Many gods have more than one attribute. For example, the Greek god Apollo is a god of divination, sun, medicine, music...etc. These gods that you came up with are gods of happiness. I think that you should feel blessed to come across your statue. Maybe it is a sign that happiness is going to occur. :)

[*~*Chary*~*]

Ku - The Hawaiian name for the polynesian god of war known elsewhere as Tu.
Tu was the maori god of war, ane the son of the earth goddess Papa and the sky god Rangi. According to a maori creation tale, Tu was attacked by his brother Tawhiri, the god of the elements. However, none of Tu's other brothers came to help him, so Tu turned on them. He trapped fish and animals, the offspring of Haumia and Rongo. Tu aquired magickal knowledge taht enabled him to control his brothers' progeny: the weather, the animals, plants and material possessions.

Lono was the god of the sky, peace and agriculture, the hawaiian equivalent of the god known elsewhere as Rongo. Lono came into the ascendency in Hawaii every year during the four month Makhiki festival, which began with the contsellation of the Pleiades on the evening horizon and the arrival of the autumn rains

[Desert_Shadow]

:sunny: Thanks Mnemosyne and *~*Chary*~*,
I think I shall think of him as Lono, since peace is always welcome and it is now the monsoon season here in New Mexico (and we are getting some wonderful rain ). I am very happy to have been given him. I find it hard to believe someone would just discard him, but glad she did!
Thanks again!

[Mnemosyne]

I think that you are making a fabulous choice on going with Lono. To be honest, I don't know hardly anything about Hawaiian deities. I did learn some info last night when helping you look for a god of happiness. Through my search on sites, I felt really content reading about Lono and Kanaloa. Both seem to bring peace and happiness.

When I was younger, I used to go to Hawaii with my parents each year. Our vacation was always so tranquil and relaxing. Whenever I think about that state, I think of those happy times. Perhaps you have been there and share my opinion. If so, you can always think about the paradise of the islands when you look at your statue.

[fyrefaeriefemme]

Speaking of Hawaiian deities....Pele has shown herself to me, but I can hardly find any information about her. Most of what I find is long and dry, and I just can't sit and read all that on a computer screen *and I can't print anything off* Anybody know much about her?

[Mnemosyne]

You probably know more about Pele than I do. All I know that she is the goddess of fire (volcanic eruptions.) It sounds like she can be an angry goddess. I believe that her sister is a hula goddess. Pretty cool.

Here are some sites. I hope that they are not too tedious to read. The pantheon.org site offers really compact information.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/pele.html
http://freepages.cultures.rootsweb.com/~kaelin/pele.html

[fyrefaeriefemme]

Thanks for the info, Mnemosyne.

[athena_xoxo]

wow...i rarely ever come across people that talk about hawaiian deities and folklore...i've always been highly interested in hawaiian folklore...growing up in hawai'i, with so many places with facinating stories, i just couldn't help but get into it...although i think i only know one other person that shares my enthusiasm...
for the life of me, i can't remember every single god and goddess and what they're the god or goddess of...i do know about lono, and yeah he's the god of the sun/sky...there's a big statue of him on the big island...
pele is a goddess that i know quite a bit about...and if pele has appeared to you, proceed with caution...she can be a spiteful and jealous goddess...also pele had a few sisters...i can't remember if one of them was the goddess of hula, i don't think i've ever heard that before, but i do know that one of her sisters is the goddess of water/sea....
if you have the time i highly suggest that you read up hawaiian folklore...very interesting stories...my personal favorites are the stories about pele...:D

[Eos]

I actually have a book that I got from the Big Island... "Pele: Goddess of Hawai'i's Volcanoes" by Herb Kawainui Kane

Papa - Earth
Wakea - Sky

the four main gods:
Kane - the Creator, the eldest
Kanaloa - Ocean
Ku - patron of men's work (and if I remember correctly, the god of war)
Lono - patron of agriculture and healing

Hina/Haumea - patroness of fertility and women's work
La'ila'i - mother of humankind
Pele - goddess of fire and volcanoes
Na-maka-o-Kaha'i - goddess of sea and water (also, Pele's older sister)
Lono-makua - keeper of the sacred fire sticks
Kane-hekili - spirit of the thunder
Ka-poho-i-kahi-ola - spirit of explosions
Ke-ua-a-ke-po - spirit of the rain of fire
Ke-o-ahi-kama-kaua - spirit of lava fountains
Ka-moho-ali'i - king of sharks, can be either man or a great shark; keeper of the gourd that holds the water of life, revives the dead
Laka - goddess of fertility and patroness of dance
Kapo - a goddess of sorcery and dark powers; a shapeshifter; Kapo and Laka are two personalities of the same spirit/body
Hi'iaka - spirit of the dance
Kamapua'a - spirit of rain, moisture, and growing things; Pele's enemy and lover; can be a man, gigantic eight-eyed hog, a plant, or a fish
Poliahu - resides on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (snow?); Pele's rival


I agree that it could possibly be Lono...

[Gwion]

I don't know of any Goddess that is more often encountered in tangible, human manifestation. She is often seen and even picked up as a hitchiker along the King's Highway. She most often appears as a woman wearing traditional Hawaiian garb. The Force on the big island is the strongest of any genus loci I have ever enountered. Her more termpermental and dangerous manifestation, as Mauna Loa is active almost all the time, and a pilgrimage to the cauldera is wildly inspirational; but be warned. NEVER EVER take even the smallest stone home as a souvenir. The rangers on the volcano receive literally TONS of stones in the mail from tourists who have done just that and experienced all kinds of unpleasant poltergeist activity. I myself have explored the lava tubes (alone, very stupid) near Keauu, and stumbled upon a burial chamber. There was a very powerful ward against violating it that was like a fist around my heart, and I left. The menehunes are a kind of local faerie that are especially active on Molokai. The usual offering to give Pele is either a rum or cooked chicken tossed into the crater.

[Amber Ravenstar]

I've found her to be very helpful in learning to channel anger and aggression in a positive way. All that volcanic activity can be devastating, but it also builds new land.

There was a gorgeous print of her in the 1999 Llewellyn Goddess calendar, by Lisa Iris. I scanned it but it didn't come out that great.

Pele didn't seem to mind at all when I showed her devotion over a cup of freshly brewed Kona coffee that a friend had just brought back from Hawaii. ;)

[Tammy Sullivan]

I just wanted to share this; it's amazing to me and really speaks about the goddess Pele.
the painting is available from mayan galleries and the other is an actual photograph.

Can you see it?

[mothwench]

:boing: no, but i lost ten pounds on the hawaiian dieties!!!!!!! :boing:
:hehehehe: sorry, i just could't resist! :bigblue:

[Tammy Sullivan]

I guess no one else saw it :(

[Kiara_Ravenfeather]

I went to Maui this summer and actually bought a Lono tiki doll from a man on the side of the road. We also visited the Iao Valley which a sign said was a place many honored Lono because it was a prime agricultural sight. That valley was like one of the best part of the trip. You can't even explain the felling you get from it. It's awesome.

[Kiara_Ravenfeather]

I wish I could remember the whole story but when we were on Maui, on the tour to Hana and beyond the tape mentioned something about Pele....darn it this is going to bug me. Something tragic happened to her..and it showed the mound the locals consider to be her hill. I'll go and try to find that story.

[Calzaer]

The Force on the big island is the strongest of any genus loci I have ever enountered.
Agreed. Although there are places on Oahu and Lana'i that come close, Hawai'i is the strongest overall.

Anyway, the statue in the OP sounds very much like a statue of Lono.

[Lilinoe]

Pele is truly an incredible goddess...although to some, she is aumakua (ancestral deified spirit) as Hawaiians believe the ali'i (royalty) are decended from the akua (gods).

I thought I would share a couple of photos depicting her.

[PeleRising]

I just wanted to share this; it's amazing to me and really speaks about the goddess Pele.
the painting is available from mayan galleries and the other is an actual photograph.

Can you see it?

I can see her Zeph! Thanks for sharing!!!