Kui (Maori mythology)
Encyclopedia
Kui was a chthonic
demigod and the wife of Tuputupuwhenua in Māori mythology
. They supposedly live underground and when a new house is built, a tuft of grass is offered to them.
Kui is also the name of the father of Vahi-vero
and the grandfather of Rata
in the Tuamotu islands.
Chthonic
Chthonic designates, or pertains to, deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in relation to Greek religion. The Greek word khthon is one of several for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil, rather than the living surface of the land or the land as territory...
demigod and the wife of Tuputupuwhenua in Māori mythology
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...
. They supposedly live underground and when a new house is built, a tuft of grass is offered to them.
Kui is also the name of the father of Vahi-vero
Vahi-vero
In Tuamotu mythology, Vahi-vero is the son of the demigod Kui and a goblin woman named Rima-roa. Kui plants food trees and vegetables and is also a great fisherman. The goblin woman Rima-roa robs his garden; he lies in wait and seizes her and she bears him the son Vahi-vero. Vahi-vero visits a pool...
and the grandfather of Rata
Rata (Tuamotu mythology)
In the Tuamotu islands, the telling of the full cycle of the legend of Rata takes several evenings to tell. The legend of begins with his grandfather Kui, a demigod who marries Puehuehu. Their son Vahi-vero was stolen by two wild ducks that carry him to a distant island where two witches Nua and...
in the Tuamotu islands.