Tangaroa

Tangaroa was one of the children of the Sky Father, Rangi, and Mother Earth, Papa. He was the god of the sea. One of his brothers was the storm god, Tawhiri.

Tawhiri was so upset with his brother, Tane for having separated their parents that he caused storms and hurricanes. Reptiles and other animals that lived on the land escaped to the ocean of Tangaroa. The Maoris believe this is why fish live in the sea.

Tangaroa

Tangaroa was one of the children of the Sky Father, Rangi, and Mother Earth,Papa. He was the god of the sea. One of his brothers was the storm god, Tawhiri. Tawhiri was so upset with his brother, Tane, for having separated their parents that he caused storms and hurricanes. Reptiles and other animals that lived on the land escaped to the ocean of Tangaroa. That is how the Maoris explain the presence of fish in the sea.

Once, while Tangaroa's daughter-in-law was surfing, she was seized by the demon octopus Rogo-tumu-here. Tangaroa paddled his canoe to the refuge of the demon, and, in a desperate struggle, he defeated the demon and freed the girl.

Tangaroa

Tangaroa was one of the children of the Sky Father, Rangi, and Mother Earth, Papa. He was the god of the sea. One of his brothers was the storm god, Tawhiri. Tawhiri was so upset with his brother, Tane, for having separated their parents that he caused storms and hurricanes. Reptiles and other animals that lived on the land escaped to the ocean of Tangaroa. That is how the Maoris explain the presence of fish in the sea.

Once, while Tangaroa's daughter-in-law was surfing, she was seized by the demon octopus Rogo-tumu-here. Tangaroa and his son paddled out in a canoe to face the octopus. They used a hook baited with sacred feathers to lure the beast to the surface. There, Tangaroa cut off all its tentacles and sliced the head open. He pulled the girl out from Rogo_tumu_here's maw.

Another story states that Tangaroa caused the Moon to be so pale. Apparently, the sea god held the Moon out of the sky for too long, causing it to decompose.


Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer