Vatea
Encyclopedia
In the mythology
of Mangaia
, Cook Islands
, Vatea is father to gods and men. His mother is Varima-te-takere
, who lives deep in Avaiki, the underworld. She plucks off a piece from her right side and it becomes Vatea or Avatea. A beautiful woman visits Vatea in his dreams, and he is certain that she ascends from the underworld to his side, but when he wakes he can never find her. He strews scraped coconut about, and, at last, watchers see a slender hand reach for the delicious food. Vatea catches her and discovers that her name is Papa, and marries her. Tangaroa and Rongo are their twin sons. Rongo's wife bears a daughter named Tavake. Tavake gives birth to Rangi, Mokoiro, and to Akatauira. Rangi pulls up Mangaia from the underworld, and becomes the first king of the island. His wife's name is Te-po-tatango (Tregear 1891:392).
Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
of Mangaia
Mangaia
Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...
, Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, Vatea is father to gods and men. His mother is Varima-te-takere
Varima-te-takere
In the mythology of Mangaia, Cook Islands, Varima-te-takere lives in the lowest levels of Avaiki, the underworld. She plucks off a piece from her right side and it becomes the future father of gods and men, who is called Vatea .-References:...
, who lives deep in Avaiki, the underworld. She plucks off a piece from her right side and it becomes Vatea or Avatea. A beautiful woman visits Vatea in his dreams, and he is certain that she ascends from the underworld to his side, but when he wakes he can never find her. He strews scraped coconut about, and, at last, watchers see a slender hand reach for the delicious food. Vatea catches her and discovers that her name is Papa, and marries her. Tangaroa and Rongo are their twin sons. Rongo's wife bears a daughter named Tavake. Tavake gives birth to Rangi, Mokoiro, and to Akatauira. Rangi pulls up Mangaia from the underworld, and becomes the first king of the island. His wife's name is Te-po-tatango (Tregear 1891:392).
See also
- AteaAtea-Atea :In the mythology of the Marquesas Islands, Atea is the giver of light. In one legend Atea and Tane are brothers, the sons of Toho. Another tradition relates that Atea evolved himself, and then brought forth Ono...
, god of light in the Marquesas - WakeaWakeaIn Hawaiian mythology, Wākea is the eldest son of Kahiko , and lives in Olalowaia. Wākea is the ancestor of the aristocracy, the ali‘i. The priests and common people come from his brothers. In another legend, Wākea lives in Hihiku and marries Pāpā, also called Pāpā-nui or Pāpā-nui-hanau-moku, who...
, a god from HawaiiHawaiiHawaii 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... - Rangi and PapaRangi and PapaIn 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:...
, primordial parents in Māori traditionMaori mythologyMāori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...