7 januari 2017
PELE AND THE DELUGE
_Rev. A. O. Forbes_
All volcanic phenomena are associated in
Hawaiian legendary lore with the goddess Pele; and it is a somewhat curious
fact that to the same celebrated personage is also attributed a great flood
that occurred in ancient times. The legends of this flood are various, but
mainly connected with the doings of Pele in this part of the Pacific Ocean. The
story runs thus:
Kahinalii was the mother of Pele; Kanehoalani
was her father; and her two brothers were Kamohoalii and Kahuilaokalani. Pele
was born in the land of Hapakuela, a far-distant land at the edge of the sky, toward
the southwest. There she lived with her parents until she was grown up, when
she married Wahialoa; and to these were born a daughter named Laka, and a son
named Menehune. But after a time Pele's husband, Wahialoa, was enticed away
from her by Pele-kumulani. The deserted Pele, being much displeased and
troubled in mind on account of her husband, started on her travels in search of
him, and came in the direction of the Hawaiian Islands. Now, at that time these
islands were a vast waste. There was no sea, nor was there any fresh water.
When Pele set out on her journey, her parents gave her the sea to go with her
and bear her canoes onward. So she sailed forward, flood-borne by the sea,
until she reached the land of Pakuela, and thence onward to the land of
Kanaloa. From her head she poured forth the sea as she went, and her brothers
composed the celebrated ancient mele:
O the
sea, the great sea!
Forth
bursts the sea:
Behold, it bursts on Kanaloa!
But the waters of the sea continued to rise
until only the highest points of the great mountains, Haleakala, Maunakea, and
Maunaloa, were visible; all else was covered. Afterward the sea receded until
it reached its present level. This event is called the _Kai a Kahinalii_ (Sea
of Kahinalii), because it was from Kahinalii, her mother, that Pele received
the gift of the sea, and she herself only brought it to Hawaii.
And from that time to this, Pele and all her
family forsook their former land of Hapakuela and have dwelt in Hawaii-nei,
Pele coming first and the rest following at a later time.
On her first arrival at Hawaii-nei, Pele dwelt
on the island of Kauai. From there she went to Kalaupapa, [1] on the island of Molokai,
and dwelt in the crater of Kauhako at that place; thence
she departed to Puulaina, [2] near Lahainaluna,
where she dug out that crater. Afterward she moved still further to Haleakala,
where she stayed until she hollowed out that great crater; and finally she settled
at Kilauea, on the island of Hawaii, where she has remained ever since. [3]
Terima kasih telah mengunjungi blog @athia00 ikuti terus cerita lainnya..
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