In Polynesian mythology, Tuna is a god of eels. In Hawaiian mythology he fights with Māui, who is having an affair with his wife Hina. Māui kills him, cuts off his head, and plants it near his home. A green shoot emerges from the spot where the head was buried, and grows into the first coconut palm.[1] In the mythology of Mangaia Tuna is the lover of Hine, and asks that his head be cut off and planted in order to stop a flood. A coconut shoot grows from the head.[2][3] A variant of the story is told in the Samoan myth of Sina and the Eel.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ Rachel S. McCoppin (2015). The Lessons of Nature in Mythology. McFarland. p. 41.
  2. ^ Flood, Bo; Strong, Beret E.; Flood, William; Adams, Connie J. (1999). Pacific Island legends : tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Australia. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi : Bess Press. pp. 182–185. ISBN 978-1-57306-084-4.
  3. ^ Alpers, Anthony. Legends of the South Sea. London: John Murray, 1970.
  4. ^ "The Legend Of Sina and The Eel". Taumeasina Island Resort. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Sina and the Eel: The Origin of the Coconut". Sheila Lamb. Retrieved 10 August 2021.

See also

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