Resumen
Resumen de Las leyendas y mitos de Hawái
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Readers who love myths, island history told by a king, and stories of chiefs, giants and goddesses will enjoy this book. It also suits those drawn to Polynesian customs.
De qué trata este libro
Picture a battle on a Hawaiian plain. Warriors with spears and slings face each other with no shields, and they catch thrown weapons in their bare hands. Behind each line stand women with calabashes of food and water.
This is the world David Kalakaua, king of Hawaii, sets down in The Legends and Myths of Hawaii. He wrote it to save the stories of his people, drawing on priests' chants and genealogies. You get a trinity of gods, a goddess of fire, a peasant boy who becomes king, a surf-riding princess and a conqueror who unites the islands.
En este resumen
- 1A king gathers the stories of his peopleFree
- 2The tabu ruled life with the words obey or die
- 3The creation story echoes Genesis in strange ways
- 4Gods of nature, powerful priests, and the fire goddess
- 5Voyagers, chiefs and a strict order of rank
- 6A stolen wife and a fortress on Molokai
- 7A king who works as a laborer
- 8Sea voyages, island romances and a daring surf rider
- 9A peasant boy proves he is a king's son
- 10Cook, Kamehameha and the fall of the old gods
Idea clave 1 de 10
A king gathers the stories of his people
The book opens with geography. Only on the island of Hawaii do the volcanoes still burn.
Kalakaua paints life before outsiders arrived. The ancient Hawaiians kept only dogs, pigs and fowl, and their tools were wood, stone and bone. Yet they built walled temples and crossed the ocean in double canoes guided by the stars. Their history lived in the memory of priests, who recited genealogical chants together so that nothing would be altered.
The author is also a figure inside his own book. The legislature elected him in 1874, and he traces his line back to the ancient king Liloa. He also grieves that the native population has shrunk to little more than a tenth of what it was, and he writes the legends down while singers who remember them are still alive. The book is a king's act of rescue.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
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About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 164,400 words
- Reading timeAbout 11 h 30 min
Questions about Las leyendas y mitos de Hawái
What is The Legends and Myths of Hawaii about?
It collects the legends of the Hawaiian islands, from creation chants and the gods to tales of chiefs, voyages, love and war. An opening essay explains the islands, the tabu, the religion and the old government before the stories begin.
Who wrote The Legends and Myths of Hawaii and why?
David Kalakaua, king of Hawaii, wrote it. He elected to preserve the legends and genealogies of his people, drawing on priests' traditions and the research of Abram Fornander, at a time when the native population was shrinking.
What does tabu mean in Hawaiian legends?
Tabu, or kapu, was a command to do or avoid something, backed by the penalty of death. It protected the rank and property of chiefs, priests and temples, and set rules about food, places, colors and the separation of men and women.
Who is Pele in the legends?
Pele is the goddess of volcanoes, who lives in the crater of Kilauea with her brothers and sisters. She sends lava on districts that anger her, and appears in tales of love and rivalry such as those of Kahavari and Lohiau.
Are the legends true stories, and are they easy to follow?
The tales mix history and folklore, and Kalakaua often says which parts he thinks are human events. Each legend is its own story, with lists of characters and clear scenes, so you can read them one at a time.
Cite this edition
Kalākaua, David. The Legends and Myths of Hawaii. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-legends-and-myths-of-hawaii.
Kalākaua, D. (2026). The legends and myths of Hawaii. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-legends-and-myths-of-hawaii (Original work published 1888)
Kalākaua, David. The Legends and Myths of Hawaii. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-legends-and-myths-of-hawaii.
@book{kalakaua2026legends,
author = {Kalākaua, David},
title = {The Legends and Myths of Hawaii},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-legends-and-myths-of-hawaii},
note = {First published 1888}
}
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Get the full summary of Las leyendas y mitos de Hawái, free
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