Hawaiian Mythology - Softcover

Beckwith, Martha Warren

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0824805143 ISBN 13: 9780824805142

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press, 1982

Synopsis

Ku and Hina-man andwoman-were the great ancestral gods of heaven and earth for the ancientHawaiians. They were life's fruitfulness and all the generations of mankind,both those who are to come and those already born.

The Hawaiian gods werelike great chiefs from far lands who visited among the people, entering their dailylives sometimes as humans or animals, sometimes taking residence in a stone orwooden idol. As years passed, the families of gods grew and included thetrickster Maui, who snared the sun, and fiery Pele of the volcano.

Ancient Hawaiian lived bythe animistic philosophy that assigned living souls to animals, trees, stones,stars, and clouds, as well as to humans. Religion and mythology were interwovenin Hawaiian culture; and local legends and genealogies were preserved in song,chant, and narrative.

Martha Beckwith was thefirst scholar to chart a path through the hundreds of books, articles, andlittle-known manuscripts that recorded the oral narratives of the Hawaiianpeople. Her book has become a classic work of folklore and ethnology, and thedefinitive treatment of Hawaiian mythology.

With an introduction by Katherine Luomala.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Ku and Hina-man and woman-were the great ancestral gods of heaven and earth for the ancient Hawaiians. They were life's fruitfulness and all the generations of mankind, both those who are to come and those already born.

Review:

Invaluable for all those whose interest lies with the myths, legends, traditions, and folktales of the Hawaiian peoples ... a classic of Hawaiian ethnography and folklore., Mankind Quarterly

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Publication date: 1982
• ISBN 10: 0824805143
• ISBN 13: 9780824805142
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 608