Samoan culture tells stories of many different deities. There were deities of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages, and war.[1] There were two types of deities, atua, who had non-human origins, and aitu, who were of human origin.

Tagaloa was a supreme god who made the islands and the people. Mafuiʻe was the god of earthquakes.[2] There were also a number of war deities. Nafanua, Samoa's warrior goddess hails from the village of Falealupo at the western end of Savai'i island, which is also the site of the entry into Pulotu, the spirit world. She also is regarded as a peace bringer, having brought peace to Savai'i through winning the wars between the two regions of the island. Tilafaiga is the mother of Nafanua. Nafanua's father, Saveasi'uleo, was the god of Pulotu.[3] Another well-known legend tells of two sisters, Tilafaiga, the mother of Nafanua, and Taema, bringing the art of tattooing to Samoa from Fiji.

A figure of another legend is Tui Fiti, who resides at Fagamalo village in the village district of Matautu. The village of Falelima is associated with a dreaded spirit deity called, Nifoloa. The Mata o le Alelo 'Eyes of the Demon' freshwater pool from the Polynesian legend Sina and the Eel is situated in the village of Matavai on the northern coast in the village district of Safune.[4]

Fetu ("star") is the god of the night. His wife is Ele'ele.[5]

Samoan mythology is a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology in the Samoa Islands.

Prominent entries on Samoan mythology

See also

References

  1. ^ Philip Culbertson; Margaret Nelson Agee; Cabrini 'Ofa Makasiale (2007). Penina Uliuli: Contemporary Challenges in Mental Health for Pacific Peoples. p. 68. ISBN 9780824832247. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  2. ^ "History of Samoa". Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  3. ^ George Turner (October 2006). Samoa, a Hundred Years Ago and Long Before. p. 123. ISBN 9781406833713. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  4. ^ "Marcellin College - Sina and the Eel". Living Heritage. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  5. ^ Knappert, Jan (1992). Pacific Mythology: An Encyclopedia of Myth and Legend. Aquarian Press. pp. 14, 78. ISBN 1855381338.


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