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Polynesian mythology
Articles about Polynesian mythology within Oceania.
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Ta’aroa
Ta’aroa is a major creator deity in the traditional religion of Tahiti and the Society Islands, in eastern Polynesia. He is often described as a primordial god who existed before the ordered world and brought the heavens…
Tahu
Tahu is a name associated with Polynesian mythology in some modern collections, but it does not identify one clearly documented, pan-Polynesian god. Unlike widely attested figures such as Māui, Tangaroa, Tāne, or Tū, Tah…
Tangiia
Tangiia, also known as Tangiia Nui, is a celebrated ancestral chief in the traditional histories of the Cook Islands, especially Rarotonga. He belongs to the Polynesian traditions of central Eastern Polynesia, but he is …
Taonoui
Taonoui is an obscure name associated with Polynesian mythology, sometimes described in modern reference works as a solar deity or a being connected with light. The evidence for this identification is limited, however. U…
Te Tuna
Te Tuna is a name associated with powerful eel figures in Polynesian mythology, especially traditions from Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa. The expression is not always the name of one universally defined being. In Māori,…
Tiki
Tiki is a name and image associated with several Polynesian traditions, especially the carved human or ancestor figure known in parts of eastern Polynesia. It does not identify one universally defined god or legendary be…
To-toro-potaa
To-toro-potaa is a poorly documented name associated with Polynesian mythology. Unlike major Polynesian figures such as Māui, Tangaroa, Tāne, or Tū, To-toro-potaa does not have a widely established body of traditional st…
Toi-mata
Toi-mata is a name that appears in Polynesian tradition, but its identity is not fully fixed across all sources. In surviving material, it is best treated cautiously: the name may refer to a local figure, a legendary per…
Tuli
Tuli is a name found in Polynesian contexts, but it does not point to a single universally agreed figure across all Polynesian traditions. In some references it appears as a personal name, while in others it is associate…
Tumuitearetoka
Tumuitearetoka is a figure from Polynesian tradition, associated especially with Cook Islands mythology. Like many names preserved in oral literature from Oceania, Tumuitearetoka appears in a cultural world shaped by gen…
Varima-te-takere
Varima-te-takere is a figure in Cook Islands mythology, especially in traditions from the island of Rarotonga, where she is remembered as a primal being associated with the beginning of the world and the emergence of the…