Taranga (Maori mythology)
Encyclopedia
In Māori mythology
, Taranga is the mother of Māui
. Her husband is Makeatutara
. Māui was born prematurely, so Taranga wrapped his body in her hair and threw him into the waves. Some sea-creatures cared for him, hiding him in kelp
until a storm
sent him back to the beach. His ancestor, Tama-nui-a-rangi, found him and brought him back to life, and educated him.
Māui arrived at his mother's village one day, and recognized his brothers. Taranga didn't know who he was until Māui reminded her of the circumstances of his birth. Each morning, Taranga would disappear, and eventually and Māui followed her to the underworld by assuming the shape of a wood pigeon
. Māui found her with his father, Makeatutara, a guardian of the underworld. Taranga introduced them and his father performed the dedicatory ritual over his son. Because Makeatutara made mistakes in the incantation, Māui was fated to die and thus humankind is mortal.
In some versions, Taranga is a man, the son of Murirangawhenua. He married Irawhaki, and begat the Māui brothers.
Maori mythology
Māori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...
, Taranga is the mother of Māui
Maui (Maori mythology)
In Māori mythology, Māui is a culture hero famous for his exploits and his trickery.-Māui's birth:The offspring of Tū increased and multiplied and did not know death until the generation of Māui-tikitiki . Māui is the son of Taranga, the wife of Makeatutara...
. Her husband is Makeatutara
Makeatutara
In Māori mythology, Makeatutara is the father of Māui. His wife is Taranga. He is a guardian of the underworld. Makeatutara made mistakes as he recited the dedicatory incantations over Māui, which made it inevitable that Māui would die. As a result, humankind is mortal .-References:*E.R...
. Māui was born prematurely, so Taranga wrapped his body in her hair and threw him into the waves. Some sea-creatures cared for him, hiding him in kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
until a storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
sent him back to the beach. His ancestor, Tama-nui-a-rangi, found him and brought him back to life, and educated him.
Māui arrived at his mother's village one day, and recognized his brothers. Taranga didn't know who he was until Māui reminded her of the circumstances of his birth. Each morning, Taranga would disappear, and eventually and Māui followed her to the underworld by assuming the shape of a wood pigeon
Wood Pigeon
The Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the Columbidae family. It is a member of the dove and pigeon family Columbidae.- Distribution :...
. Māui found her with his father, Makeatutara, a guardian of the underworld. Taranga introduced them and his father performed the dedicatory ritual over his son. Because Makeatutara made mistakes in the incantation, Māui was fated to die and thus humankind is mortal.
In some versions, Taranga is a man, the son of Murirangawhenua. He married Irawhaki, and begat the Māui brothers.