According to ancient Hawaiian myth, Milu is the god of the dead and ruler of

Lua-o-Milu In Hawaiian religion, Lua-o-Milu is the land of the dead, ruled by Milu. Entrance to Lua-o-Milu is from the top of a valley wall or sea cliff where the soul departs via a tree. It is reported that each Hawaiian island has at least one leaping plac ...

. He is now thought to share analogs with

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

. Under his command, are a host of beings known as spirit catchers who would trap wandering ghosts and bring them to his afterlife domain. In one legend, a chief harrowed of the loss of his wife, has his prayers answered and receives guidance from a deity who shows him the way into Milu's kingdom. They journey far out and find a tree split in two. Next they slide down it into the Earth's lower regions. Here, the deity hid behind a rock and covered the chief with odd smelling oil then sent him out by himself. Once the chief found Milu's palace, he noticed a group of spirits who were so distracted in the game they were playing, he was able to join, and luckily, when they did realize he was near them, they mistook him for a stinking ghost. When the crowd was finished, they wanted to play another game, hence the chief proposed they should all pull their eyes out and paid his attention to those belonging to Milu. He later caught them in a coconut cup and blinded the god. Now he was able to escape to

Wākea In the Hawaiian religion, Wākea, the Sky father weds Papahānaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the parent couple of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii. ''Wākea'' was the eldest son of Kahiko ("Ancient One"), who lived in Olalowaia. ...

's heaven, where the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

's inhabitants could not set foot. Eventually a deal was made and Milu's eyes were returned, on the condition that the chief's wife's soul be brought back.

References

Hawaiian gods Underworld gods {{deity-stub