Hawaiian mythology Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitians ...

, Poliahu (Cloaked bosom or temple bosom) ihttps://keolamagazine.com/culture/myths-legends-mauna-kea/ Myths and Legends of Mauna Kea/ref> is one of the four goddesses of

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

, all enemies of Pele. She was thought to reside on

Mauna Kea Mauna Kea ( or ; ; abbreviation for ''Mauna a Wākea''); is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Its peak is above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii and second-highest peak of an island on Earth. The peak is ...

, which if measured from the seafloor is the world's tallest mountain.

Legends

Aiwohikupua

Poliahu met the alii Aiwohikupua on the Eastern slope of Mauna Kea. The two fell in love and Aiwohikupua took Poliahu home to his native

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

. There Poliahu discovered that the alii was already betrothed to a princess of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

. Poliahu left in dismay, but managed to first curse the betrothed. She first chilled the princess of Maui to the bone, then turned the cold into heat. Finally, the princess gave up and left him. Later Poliahu similarly cursed Aiwohikupua, freezing him to death. The four goddesses are defined by their otherworldly beauty. Poliahu is noted as Hawaii's most beautiful goddess.

Poliahu and Pele

Poliahu also engineered Hawaii's Hāmākua Coast. Poliahu mingled with humans on the East slope of Mauna Kea. One day, while hōlua sledding with mortals, Poliahu was joined by a beautiful stranger who challenged her. The stranger had no sled, so she borrowed one to run against Poliahu. In the first run, Poliahu easily passed the stranger. Graciously, Poliahu exchanged sleds with the stranger, before winning again. On the third run, the stranger tried to prevent Poliahu from winning by opening lava streams in front of her, revealing herself as

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

goddess Pele. Poliahu ran towards the top of the mountain, reeling from Pele's attack. Once she regained her composure, Poliahu threw snow at the lava and froze it, confining it to the island's Southern end. To this day, Pele is said to rule

Kīlauea Kīlauea ( , ) is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the southeastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, the volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Hi ...

and

Mauna Loa Mauna Loa ( or ; Hawaiian: ; en, Long Mountain) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The largest subaerial volcano (as opposed to subaqueous volcanoes) in both mass and ...

, but must submit to Poliahu on the northern end of the island.

References

External links

Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes - Pele and the Snow Goddess

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poli'ahu Hawaiian goddesses Sky and weather goddesses