In the

Tuamotu islands The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extendin ...

, the telling of the full cycle of the legend of Rata takes several evenings to tell. The legend begins with his grandfather Kui, a

demigod A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the " divine spark" (spiritual enlightenment). ...

who marries Puehuehu. Their son Vahi-vero was stolen by two wild

ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a for ...

that carry him to a distant

island An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...

where two witches Nua and Mere-hua imprison him. Kui eventually rescues his son, captures the witches, and kills the ducks. Once Vahi-vero reaches

adulthood An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

, he falls in

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

with a

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

Tahiti-tokerau, whom he persuades to marry him. She, however, is abducted by Puna, king of 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 ...

. Following his father's advice, he swims down to the underworld and rescues her while Puna is away. Shortly thereafter, Tahiti-tokerau becomes pregnant and gives birth to Rata. Not long after the birth of Rata, Puna returns and learns that Tahiti-tokerau had been rescued. He summons the

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

Matuku-tagotago who attack Vahivero and Tahiti-tokerau while they are crabbing. The shark swallows them and takes them back to Kororupo where Tahiti-tokerau is buried head down in the sand. The orphan Rata is raised by his grandfather. When he learns of his parents' fate, he builds a large

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

to find them. Using his grandfather's magical adze, he enters the forest and chops down a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

. Overnight, however, goblins had restored the tree. He ambushes them and forces them to complete his canoe, which they accomplish in a single

night Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As view ...

. Rata then begins his quest to find his parents, which includes various adventures including defeating champion warrior Manu-kura in a contest for the hand of his wife, princess Pupura-to-te-tai, Puna's daughter. As he nears Puna's land, he must overcome various monsters, including Matuku-tagotago, the shark that had killed his father, whom he cuts out of Matuku's belly. Rata, with the help of his servant Taraka, finally kills Puna, rescues his mother and restores her to

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

. They all return home.

References

*R.D. Craig, ''Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology'' (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 131–3; *J.F. Stimson, ''Tuamotuan Legends: Island of Anaa'' (Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press, 1937), 96-147. Tuamotu mythology

See also

References