Uenuku
Encyclopedia
In Māori mythology
, Uenuku is the god
of rainbow
s. He is particularly special to the Tainui
Māori.
of Uenuku is similar to many other vanishing love
r tales such as Cupid and Psyche
or Beauty and the Beast
.
Uenuku was out hunting very early one morning when, in a clearing, he saw a beautiful girl who seemed to coalesce out of the morning mist. He persuaded her to stay and talk with him for a moment, and to return the next night, and the next, and the next, and before long they fell in love. Each night she would come to him but as a mist maiden her home was in the sky, so she had to leave him at dawn. At last she agreed to marry Uenuku on condition that he tell no-one about her.
They had a few months of happiness, though she still appeared only at night and left at dawn, and in time a little girl was born to them. But Uenuku's friends were skeptical of this wife and child they had never seen. He tried to explain that she left him each morning at first light, so his friends suggested that he block up the doors and windows so she could not see the sun. This he did, but of course the trick was discovered and when the mist maiden knew he had deceived her, she left him.
Uenuku wandered the world searching for his beloved wife and daughter. At last, seeing him lonely and bent with age, Rangi
the Skyfather took pity on him and changed him into a rainbow so that he could join his family in the sky.
Museum in New Zealand
has a large stone
said to be inhabited by the spirit
of Uenuku. According to local legend, the spirit of Uenuku was brought to New Zealand by the people on the Tainui canoe, in a stone. When they landed, they made a carving with a round opening at the top, in which the stone was placed so that the spirit of Uenuku inhabited the stone. Due to his spiritual significance, photographs of the stone figure of Uenuku are prohibited without the permission of the Maori sovereign.
The same museum is home to an early Māori carving, known as either Uenuku or Te Uenuku
, which is of extreme significance both to the local Tainui Māori people and also for its archaeological value. The carving is unique in form, and bears a noted resemblance to Hawaii
an carving styles.
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...
, Uenuku is the god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
of rainbow
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
s. He is particularly special to the Tainui
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
Māori.
Legend
The legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
of Uenuku is similar to many other vanishing love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
r tales such as Cupid and Psyche
Cupid and Psyche
Cupid and Psyche , is a legend that first appeared as a digressionary story told by an old woman in Lucius Apuleius' novel, The Golden Ass, written in the 2nd century CE. Apuleius likely used an earlier tale as the basis for his story, modifying it to suit the thematic needs of his novel.It has...
or Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
.
Uenuku was out hunting very early one morning when, in a clearing, he saw a beautiful girl who seemed to coalesce out of the morning mist. He persuaded her to stay and talk with him for a moment, and to return the next night, and the next, and the next, and before long they fell in love. Each night she would come to him but as a mist maiden her home was in the sky, so she had to leave him at dawn. At last she agreed to marry Uenuku on condition that he tell no-one about her.
They had a few months of happiness, though she still appeared only at night and left at dawn, and in time a little girl was born to them. But Uenuku's friends were skeptical of this wife and child they had never seen. He tried to explain that she left him each morning at first light, so his friends suggested that he block up the doors and windows so she could not see the sun. This he did, but of course the trick was discovered and when the mist maiden knew he had deceived her, she left him.
Uenuku wandered the world searching for his beloved wife and daughter. At last, seeing him lonely and bent with age, Rangi
Rangi and Papa
In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world. In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Rakinui.-Union and separation:...
the Skyfather took pity on him and changed him into a rainbow so that he could join his family in the sky.
Artefacts
The Te AwamutuTe Awamutu
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it...
Museum in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
has a large stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
said to be inhabited by the spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
of Uenuku. According to local legend, the spirit of Uenuku was brought to New Zealand by the people on the Tainui canoe, in a stone. When they landed, they made a carving with a round opening at the top, in which the stone was placed so that the spirit of Uenuku inhabited the stone. Due to his spiritual significance, photographs of the stone figure of Uenuku are prohibited without the permission of the Maori sovereign.
The same museum is home to an early Māori carving, known as either Uenuku or Te Uenuku
Te Uenuku
Te Uenuku, or simply Uenuku is an important early Māori carving housed at Te Awamutu Museum in the North Island of New Zealand.The taonga is of extreme significance both to the local Tainui Māori people and also for its archaeological value. The carving is unique in form, and bears a noted...
, which is of extreme significance both to the local Tainui Māori people and also for its archaeological value. The carving is unique in form, and bears a noted resemblance to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an carving styles.