Polynesian Narratives - Blog Posts

Fun Fact:

If you thought Maui was a jerk for throwing Moana in the ocean, then I wouldn't dig deeper into the mythology. Because Maui kills Moana in the original myth.

Well, that's not totally true. Moana from the movie is a completely original character. However, she does share a name with a Polynesian water goddess called Moana-Nui-Ka-Lehua, who could take the form of a fish or mermaid.

The legend goes that one day Maui was fishing in Moana's domain which she didn't appreciate and because she's a troublemaker like him, she tries to pull a prank on him by taking his magical fish hook and sticking it into a submerged rock. Well, after Maui realized what happened, he was furious and not one to be out pranked, he pursued Moana in revenge. After catching up to the goddess, he grabbed her by her tail and pulled her onto the shore where she slowly but surely suffocated and died.