According to

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, Moso's Footprint in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

was made when the

giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''gia ...

Moso stepped over to

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

from

, and the other footprint can be found on Viti Levu of Fiji. It is a 2m long depression in

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

. The Legend of Moso's Footprint: Moso was a notorious giant-God of Samoa. Moso had two sons named Filele and Pau of botanical forms. The two sons grew to become valuable native hardwood trees for the Samoan people and are commonly found in the Falealupo area. Tuifiti, a Fijian King traveled from Fiji to Samoa with the intention of marrying Moso's children, only to discover they were not females. He returned to Fiji disappointed and his friendship with Moso as a result was severed. In order to restore their friendship, Moso stamped his right footprint in Samoa and his left in Fiji as a symbol of their infinite bond. Today, although very separate cultures with unique languages, Samoans and Fijians still hold a close bond. How was the footprint actually formed? This 2m long depression is a bit small for a giant who must have been 1500 km tall but there's a natural explanation. Geologists believe the surface outcrop is a thin bed of heavily jointed basalt. A tree has spread roots over the surface with rootlets penetrating basalt joints. When the tree toppled during a cyclone many years ago, the roots dislodged surface blocks, creating the depression or 'footprint' before you.

References

Samoan mythology Rock formations of Oceania Landforms of Samoa Legendary footprints {{Samoa-geo-stub

See also

References