Résumé de Contes populaires hawaïens

À qui s’adresse-t-il ?

This book is for readers who love myths and legends, tales told around a fire, and the lore of islands and oceans. It suits anyone curious about Polynesian culture.

De quoi parle ce livre ?

What would you do if your mother's cloth never dried because the days were too short? In Hawaiian Folk Tales, a young man named Maui twists coconut fiber into a cord and goes up a mountain to catch the sun. In another tale, a lover wears a rotten smell and swings down a hole in the sea to bring his dead sweetheart home.

Thomas G. Thrum gathered these tales in Honolulu after they ran for years in The Hawaiian Annual, dating his note January 1, 1907. He wrote with a sense of loss, because the bards who sang them were gone. Each tale is anchored to a real place on the islands.

Questions about Contes populaires hawaïens

What is Hawaiian Folk Tales about?

It is a collection of Hawaiian myths and legends gathered by Thomas G. Thrum. It includes creation chants, the trickster Maui, the goddess Pele, journeys to the land of the dead, the Menehune builders, love stories, and tales of sea gods and sharks.

Who is Maui in Hawaiian legend?

In this book, Maui is a clever son of Hina who snares the sun with a cord of coconut fiber so his mother's cloth can dry. Maui-mua, one of Maui and Hina's sons, wins fire from the alae, the mud hens who guard it.

Who are the Menehune?

The Menehune are a small, skilled people said to live in the hills of the islands. Legend credits them with building dams, canoes, and temples in a single night, humming as they work.

Are these stories true or invented?

They are traditional tales collected from several contributors, many previously published in The Hawaiian Annual and gathered into this volume in 1907. Some are tied to real places and customs, and tellers disagree about how literally to take them.

Is Hawaiian Folk Tales easy to read?

Yes, the tales are short and clear, with plenty of action, magic, and humor. Many chapters can be enjoyed separately, though Aiai's adventures continue the preceding Ku-ula legend and are best read after it.