Everything about Mahuika totally explained
Mahuika is a
Māori fire deity. Generally, Mahuika is female. In some versions, she's the younger sister of
Hine-nui-te-pō, goddess of death. It was from her that
Māui (in some versions he's her grandson) obtained the secret of making
fire. She married
Auahi-Turoa and together they'd five children, named for the five fingers on the human hand, called collectively
Ngā Mānawa. The symbolism of this connection between fingers and fire is revealed in the stories where Māui obtains fire from Mahuika by tricking her into giving him her fingernails, one by one.
She is also said to have played a role in the formation of
Rangitoto island, asking
Mataoho, god of earthquakes and eruptions to destroy a couple that had cursed her.
In some parts of New Zealand, Mahuika is a male deity. This is also the case in some parts of tropical Polynesia; for instance, in the Tuamotu archipelago and the Marquesas,
Mahu-ika is the fire god who lives in the underworld in addition to being the grandfather of Maui. Maui wrestled him in order to win the secret of making fire.
In other parts of Polynesia, similar deities are known as
Mafui'e,
Mafuike,
Mahui'e or
Mahuike.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mahuika'.
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