The Children of Heaven and Earth (Polynesian myth)
"The Children of Heaven and Earth" is a significant creation myth from Māori Polynesian culture that describes the origins of humanity and the universe. Central to this narrative are Rangi (heaven) and Papa (earth), who are locked in an eternal embrace that envelops their children in darkness. As their children suffer in this obscurity, they decide to separate their parents to bring light into the world. Tū-mata-uenga, the strongest son, initially proposes to kill them, but the consensus is to rend them apart, a task ultimately accomplished by Tāne-mahuta, the god of forests. The myth illustrates themes of sibling rivalry, the interplay of nature, and the consequences of familial strife, particularly through Tāwhiri-mātea, the god of winds, who responds with storms and chaos against his brothers for their actions.
This narrative is deeply rooted in Māori culture, reflecting their spiritual and physical connection to the land and sea, and offers explanations for various weather phenomena. The myth not only serves as an origin story but also emphasizes the Māori belief in polytheism and the dynamic relationships among gods. It is a rich expression of cultural identity, showcasing how the Māori people perceive their place in the world and their ancestral lineage traced back to Rangi and Papa.
On this Page
Subject Terms
The Children of Heaven and Earth (Polynesian myth)
Author: Traditional
Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE
Country or Culture: Polynesia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
Rangi (or Rangi-nui) and Papa (or Papa-tū-ā-nuku), heaven and earth, are the source from which all things in the universe originate. At the time of creation, only darkness exists. Rangi and Papa are joined together in embrace, which causes their children to live in perpetual darkness. The darkness begins to take a toll on the children. Tū-mata-uenga (or Tū), the strongest of the children, wishes to slay Rangi and Papa, but the others agree that it is better to rend them apart and let heaven stand above them while the earth stays below. All of Rangi and Papa’s children agree their parents should be separated, except Tāwhiri-mātea, the father of winds and storms. He is saddened by the decision and fears that his kingdom will be overthrown.
It is decided that Rongo-mā-tāne, the god and father of the cultivated food of man, will be the one to rend apart Rangi and Papa. However, he is not strong enough to do so. Tangaroa, the god and father of fish and reptiles, makes a second attempt but also fails. Finally, Tāne-mahuta, the god and father of forests, accomplishes the task of breaking the embrace. Rangi and Papa both cry out as heaven is separated from the earth. Once they are rent apart, the human beings who have been concealed between them are revealed.
Tāwhiri-mātea, the son who had keep Rangi and Papa together, now desires to wage war against his brothers for separating them, so he follows his father to heaven to hide in the sky. There, he schemes against his brothers and sends his winds, squalls, hurricanes, whirlwinds, and clouds across the earth. These varying winds and storms smite the forests of Tāne-mahuta, snapping branches and trees. Then Tāwhiri-mātea focuses on Tangaroa, the god of the seas and father to all sea creatures. Tangaroa had begotten Ika-tere, the father of fish, and Tū-te-wehiwehi, the father of reptiles. When Tāwhiri-mātea begins ravaging the waters, Tangaroa flees to the seas. Ika-tere and his children also hide themselves in the sea while Tū-te-wehiwehi and his children hide ashore. Tangaroa is angry that some of his children have deserted him and wages war thereafter on Tāne-mahuta, who rules the forests where Tū-te-wehiwehi fled.
Tāne-mahuta therefore supplies his brother Tū-mata-uenga with fishing equipment so that they can eliminate the children of Tangaroa, while Tangaroa swallows the children of Tāne-mahuta with his waters. Tāwhiri-mātea then wishes to attack his brothers Rongo-mā-tāne and Haumia-tiketike, the gods of cultivated and uncultivated food, but Papa hides them away. Unable to find those two brothers, Tāwhiri-mātea wishes to test his strength against Tū-mata-uenga. But Tū-mata-uenga cannot be shaken, for he is the strongest of the brothers.
Tū-mata-uenga then reflects on how his brothers did not come to his aid when Tāwhiri-mātea attacked him. He sees them as cowardly and exacts revenge first on Tāne-mahuta, whose children are multiplying quickly. Then he takes revenge on the rest of his brothers until he has consumed them and taken on their attributes—all, that is, except Tāwhiri-mātea, whom he cannot consume. Tāwhiri-mātea thus becomes an enemy of humans, attacking humankind with storms and hurricanes. His rage causes the submergence of a great portion of the earth, leaving only a small amount of land above the waters. From then on, light increases on the earth and the children on Rangi and Papa continue to multiply.
SIGNIFICANCE
“The Children of Heaven and Earth” is a Māori Polynesian creation myth that recounts the origins of the human race. Rangi and Papa, a primal couple, represent the source of all things in the universe, including humans and other gods. They play an essential role in the mythology of the native Māori people of New Zealand. The myth implies that the Māori are direct descendants of Rangi and Papa, who were preceded by a great void of nothingness (Te Kore) that created the darkness (Te Po). It was out of this darkness that heaven and earth came into being.
The Māori have a strong spiritual and physical connection to the land of New Zealand and their creation myth contains many references to the landscape. Throughout their history, the Māori people lived on coastal lands and heavily dependent on the ocean and fishing for sustenance. They lived at the mercy of rain, wind, storms, and other harsh conditions. The story of Rangi, Papa, and their children provides an explanation for many weather phenomena.
As in many creation myths, “The Children of Heaven and Earth” features motifs of the children doing harm or causing unrest to their parents. One son desires to kill the parents, while all the children agree in the end that they should be rent apart. The theme of patricide is also present in the Greek and Babylonian creation myths. Other common creation myth motifs that appear in this story are polytheism, world development, and—possibly the most common—a mother and a father. The belief in multiple gods, or polytheism, was dominant in pre-Christian cultures, and these gods typically spawn more gods that participate in the development of the world. In this story, it is a seething sibling rivalry that creates the oceans and the force of evil in the world, in the form of Tāwhiri-mātea, who continues to exact revenge by making life difficult for the Māori fishermen through meteorological phenomena such as rainstorms and winds.
Sir George Grey compiled the best-known version of this myth in the 1840s and 1850s while he served as the British governor of New Zealand. Several Māori chiefs referred to their myths during their negotiations with Grey. In the effort to communicate more effectively with the chiefs, Grey translated and compiled their stories. His compilation, Polynesian Mythology & Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealanders, was published in England in 1855. Many scholars have argued that his handling of relations with the Māori people during the settlement of New Zealand by Europeans in the nineteenth century make him one of the most significant figures of the era.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andersen, Johannes C. Myths and Legends of the Polynesians. Mineola: Dover, 2011. Print.
Grey, George. “The Children of Heaven and Earth.” Polynesian Mythology & Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealanders, as Furnished by Their Priests and Chiefs. London: Murray, 1855. Print.
Reed, A. W. Maori Myths & Legendary Tales. London: New Holland, 1999. Print.
Shortland, Edward. Maori Religion and Mythology: Illustrated by Translations of Traditions, Karakia, etc. 1882. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011. Print.
Sproul, Barbara C. Primal Myths: Creation Myths around the World. San Francisco: Harper, 2013. Print.