Maori

The Maori Pantheon is predominantly worshipped in the region of Hungola .

History

Rangi and Papa

There was Night at the first—the Great Darkness. Then Papa, the Earth, ever genial, general Mother, and our Father, fair Rangi—the Sky—in commixture unbounded confusedly clave to each other; And between them close cramped lay their children gigantic…

Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, were created from two primal beings—Te Po (night) and Te Kore(emptiness)—who existed in a darkness of chaos before the creation of the universe. From the beginning, Rangi and Papa were locked together in a tight and continuing embrace. Into the darkness between their bodies sprang many offspring, including numerous gods.
In love with each other, they clung to each other within the darkness, drifting in the timeless night. Their children were all cramped between their embracing parents, unable to move or see anything. Weary of the enclosed lives that they lived, they began to discuss how they will escape from their parents. Tūmatauenga, the god of war, suggested that they kill their parents. But Tane-Mahuta disagreed with Tu and offered another solution. He suggested the separation of his parents, allowing them to have space to move freely. This plan, the gods all agreed with except for the wind god, Tawhirimatua.
Several of the gods attempted to separate Rangi and Papa. The first to try was Rongo, the god of cultivated plants. Although he pushed with all his might, he was unable to separate the couple. Next to try was Tangaroa, the god of the sea. He also failed, as did Haumia, the god of wild plants and vegetables, and Tu, the war god. Finally, it was time for Tane to try. The god of the forests placed his head on his mother Papa, raised his feet in the air, and pushed upward against his father Rangi. Using all his might, Tane finally separated Rangi and Papa, pushing Rangi up into the sky and pressing Papa to the earth.
With Rangi and Papa separated, the space between them became flooded with light. The various deities, humans, and other offspring who had been trapped there scattered into the world. Heart broken at the separation, tears began to fall from the sky and Rangi cried, flooding the world. Seeing the pain of his father, Tawhiri angrily lashed out as his siblings, sending storms to attack the forests and sea where his siblings resided. Tu, the god of war, was the only one that could restrain him.

Post Separation

“E iki, e iki e! Te turou o Whiti! Hiki nuku e! Hiki rangi e! Hiki nuku e! Hiki rangi e! Ha-ha! Ka hikitia tona uril Ka hapainga tona uri! I-a-ia! I-aia!”

Freed at last, the children of Rangi and Papa spread out into the world, taking rulership over the different domains within the world. Over time, they began to quarrel among themselves, especially Tane and the sea god Tangaroa. Tangaroa’s offspring either remained in his domain in the sea or went to hide from Tawhiri’s attacks in the forests. Angered by Tane taking his children, Tangaroa and Tane entered a cycle of conflict with each other.

The Trident Isles

When the world was still young, Tangaroa, along with gods from other pantheons, came together to strike a deal with an ancient being called the Yellow Emperor. He had a realm that was filled with the origins of water. The gods pleaded with him to impart his water onto the world of Heliodarna. The Yellow Emperor replied with a challenge. If the gods could pierce their way into his realm, he would grant them access to his realm.
So the gods worked together to forge a powerful trident that was imbued with a portion of all of their essence. They worked together to pierce through to the realm, and they succeeded. Satisfied with their efforts, the Yellow Emperor granted them access to the water and established the Ocean’s Crowning, so the gods could control the oceans. He also granted each of them a blessing, as a token of recognition.

Mythology & Lore

The members of the Maori Pantheon include:

• Ara Tiotio, god of whirlwinds and tornadoes (Nature, Tempest)

• Auahitūroa, origin of fire (Forge)

• Hine-nui-te-pō, goddess of night and death. Ruler of the underworld (Death)

• Ikatere, fish god, father of all sea creatures (Nature, Tempest)

• Io Matua Kore, god of Light (Life, Light)

• Kiwa, divine guardian of the ocean (Protection)

• Mahuika, goddess of fire. (Forge)

• Makeatutara, guardian of the underworld (Death, Grave)

• Maru, god of fresh water, southern god of war (War)

• Maui, folk hero and demigod of trickery. (Trickery)

• Papatuanuku, primordial Earth Mother (Life, Nature)

• Pūhaorangi, celestial god (Arcana)

• Ranginui, primordial sky father (Life, Nature, Tempest)

• Rehua, star god (Life, Light)

• Rohe, goddess of the spirit world (Death, Grave)

• Raumoko, god of volcanoes, earthquakes and seasons (Death, Forge)

• Tāne-mahuta, god of forests and birds (Nature)

• Tangaroa, god of the sea (Nature, Tempest)

• Tāwhirimātea, god of weather, thunder, lightning, rain and storms (Tempest)

• Tūmatauenga, god of war, hunting, food cultivation and cooking (Nature, War)

• Whiro, lord of darkness, embodiment of evil (Death, Grave)

Worship

“Sing we of Tane-Mahuta, By whose strength the heavens were raised And ever fixed on high. Hence is he called The Holder-of-the-Sky. The heavens are heaved afar aloft By Hungola’s myriad deities.”

Worship of the gods involved chants and prayers, elaborate rituals,and sacrifices (including human sacrifice) performed by various classes of priests, some of whom acted as oracles. Magic also flourished among the people of Hungola, who used incantations, charms, and spells to summon the gods or ask for their guidance or assistance.
Tane-Mahuta and Tangaroa. With the conflict between the two gods, they require a sacrifice of some kind whenever you cross over from one god’s territory to the other to not anger them. A sacrifice going from land to the sea, and a sacrifice from the sea to the land. Tane-Mahuta accepts sacrifices from the sea, and Tangaroa accepts land creatures as a sufficient sacrifice.
Tane-Mahuta Those that worship Tane-Mahuta live with the respect of nature, wanting to live intertwined with nature. There are ritualistic chants that take place before the people cut down wood or take anything from the forests.
Tangaroa Other than the sacrifice before you enter the sea, Tangaroa values inheritance and honoring of elders. A part of the worship of Tangaroa is respecting your elders and family.
Maui. A ritual that young boys do to become men is to hunt down a serpent, kill it and offer it up as a sacrifice to Maui. Thus, entering adulthood in the eyes of the village.
Auahituroa. The respect and honor of fire. Every year, they celebrate Auahi by sending balls of fire into the night sky, celebrating the origin of fire.
Ranginui and Papatuanuku Songs of sorrow on behalf of the god and goddess’s separation. The magical union of air and earth in honor to the two gods.
Raumoko Live sacrifices, burnt at the stake or thrown into a volcano to appease and calm the volcano god.
Tawhiri Followers of Tawhiri are angry at the world and the people that live on it. Tawhiri wants for those of the world to suffer in the same way that Rangi and Papa do. Human sacrifice and the destruction of villages are a common ritual to worship the evil god.
Tumatauenga Because Tūmatauenga defeated his brothers, the worshippers of Tu spend their time doing the same, kill and eat birds (the children of Tāne), fish (the children of Tangaroa), cultivate and harvest food plants (the children of Rongo and Haumia-tiketike), and generally harness the resources of the natural world. They also believe in the art of war and strength. Battles in his name are the greatest forms of worship.

Type

Religious, Pantheon